Story / Symbol / Spirit
About
Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, identity, meaning, and purpose. But for many people, reading the Bible is difficult. The ancient and confusing nature of the stories within the Bible are often prohibitive to our engagement and learning. How can we make sense of the Scriptures. We believe that Story / Symbol / Spirit is a helpful framework to begin this journey. Story - The Bible’s truth is communicated primarily as a story or a narrative. Genesis 1 - Revelation 22 is a unified narrative, and all of the stories, characters, and events in the Bible fit within this story. In order to understand a particular story in the Bible, you have to first understand and internalize where it fits in the grand story of Scripture. The Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com/ NT Wright: Simply Christian https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0060872705/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36NJI02KLF9JP&keywords=simply+christian&qid=1675703176&sprefix=simply+christian%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-1 Scot McKnight: Blue Parakeet https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Parakeet-2nd-Rethinking-Bible/dp/0310538920/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3Q2DOJ1O1J8HE&keywords=blue+parakeet&qid=1675703266&sprefix=blue+parakeet%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1 Symbol - Christians confess that God created the world. And God created the world for the purpose of being in relationship with Him. He wants us to know Him, and so He reveals who He is to us. One way He does this is through creation or “nature.” Every created thing has the imprint of the creator. So, everything in this world has the imprint of the Creator. The Bible sees the world this way, so in order to understand the meaning of a part of Scripture, we too must see the world through these eyes. James B. Jordan: Through New Eyes https://www.amazon.com/Through-New-Eyes-Developing-Biblical/dp/157910259X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YW53ZJS8SHYE&keywords=through+new+eyes&qid=1675703324&sprefix=through+new+eyes%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jamesb.jordanarchive564/videos Spirit - Our modern world is materialist - we intuitively view the world as time, space, and matter that is sustained in a closed system of material cause-and-effect. In this kind of worldview, there is very little room for the Spiritual world - angels, demons, gods, unseen forces of good and evil. But the Bible explicitly believes that the world is NOT simply material. The Bible assumes an unseen realm that not only exists, but interacts with the reality that we inhabit. In order to understand the meaning of a part of Scripture, we have to see the world through these eyes. Michael Heiser: The Unseen Realm https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Realm-Recovering-Supernatural-Worldview/dp/1683592719/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Y0SZOGX4CYIK&keywords=unseen+realm&qid=1675703428&sprefix=unseen+realm%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1 Dr. Michael Heiser’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DRMSH/videos Stephen DeYoung: God is a Man of War https://www.amazon.com/God-Man-War-Violence-Testament/dp/1955890048/ref=sr_1_1?crid=S245SIE499I6&keywords=god+is+a+man+of+war&qid=1675703565&sprefix=god+is+a+man+of+war%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1
Episodes
- 243. Ask Not What Your Kingdom Can Do For You – Ask What You Can Do For Your Kingdom
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss finding meaning in Scripture through the framework of Story, Symbol, and Spirit. This episode explores the theme of service using the concept of five loaves and two fish.
- 242. Life Before Life After Life After Death
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 241. Tell Time! Or Else Time Tells You. – Lev. 23
Ed.: As I understand it, the so called first month is called first mostly because it's the month with Passover in it, and Passover's the best. If you want to say that's the holy and divine way to reckon the new year, that's fine, but for c…
- 240. Idol / Curiosity? (State of the Bible '26)
In this episode, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the Bible, focusing on the concepts of idols and curiosity in the context of the State of the Bible '26. The program explores methods for understanding and making sense of…
- 239. Absolutely Not A Pawn Shop; or, The Red Queen's Mind-Boggling Excuse - Lev. 22
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Leviticus 22 and the theme of the slave as a brother on this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit. They use the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework to help listeners engage with and make sense…
- 238. Contentment + Ambition
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the relationship between contentment and ambition through the lens of biblical understanding in this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit.
- 237. This Room Certified Corpse-Free - Lev. 21
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell explore Leviticus 21 and discuss the practice of making sense of Scripture.
- 236. "Happy Easter Monday; Here's What to Do If Someone You Know Has Sacrificed a Child to Molech"
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 235. Return to God!
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 234. shOughtgun Spray - Lev. 19
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Scripture through the framework of story, symbol, and spirit, with a focus on Leviticus 19 in this episode. They explore how to better understand and engage with biblical texts.
- 233. Holy Week (God Makes Patterns and Defies Expectations)
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Holy Week. They explore how God creates patterns and defies expectations through the stories in the Bible.
- 232. Christian Sexual Ethic: Is It Controversial? – Lev. 18
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the Christian sexual ethic through the perspective of Leviticus 18 in this episode of the Story / Symbol / Spirit podcast.
- 231. Our Fᴀᴛʜᴇʀ
Hosts John McCambridge and Jared Jacobus discuss interpreting Scripture using the Story, Symbol, and Spirit framework. The episode explores themes of identity and purpose through the Bible.
- 230. King Fᴜɴɴʏᴍᴀɴ
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the topic of King Funnyman. The podcast aims to help listeners understand and engage with Scripture using the Story, Symbol, and Spirit framewor…
- 229. Soulflesh - Lev. 17
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 228. Reap Not the Corners of the Field
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 227. zzz
Hosts Jackie Mitchell, Rachel Long, and Hannah Valdez-Trent discuss biblical interpretation on this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit. John McCambridge is scheduled to return in the next episode.
- 226. PSA about Azazel - Lev. 16
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Leviticus 16 and the significance of Azazel.
- 225. The Armor of God Isn't a Showpiece
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the 2025 film "Sinners" and explore the theme of the Armor of God. The podcast provides a framework for understanding and engaging with Scripture.
- 224. Various Bodily Emissions for Valentine's Day – Lev. 15
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Leviticus 15 and the topic of bodily emissions in the context of Valentine's Day. The show explores a framework for engaging with and making sen…
- 223. What's a Lent?
John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the meaning of Lent in this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit. The podcast explores how to understand Scripture by using the framework of story, symbol, and spirit.
- 222. Personal Pᵃney Pesach - Lev. 14
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Leviticus 14 and the concept of "Personal Pan-ey Pesach." They explore biblical scripture through the framework of story, symbol, and spirit.
- 221. Ad Libitum
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 220. Intentsive Care - Lev. 13
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, host John McCambridge explores Leviticus 13 as part of an ongoing series on interpreting Scripture using the story, symbol, and spirit framework.
- 219. Sweat the Small Stuff
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the importance of living in the present moment. They also reflect on the passage from Romans 12:8 regarding maintaining peaceful relationships w…
- 218. Horrific Maternity Leave – Lev. 12
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss Scripture, focusing on Leviticus chapter 12 and the topic of maternity leave.
- 217. New Year, New You ~ IV. Abbey Cavalancia
Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell. --- Story / Symbol / Spirit is a podcast about how to make sense of Scripture. The Bible is a beautiful gift from God with the power to help us know God and better understand our lives, ident…
- 216. Yum. – Lev. 11
In this episode, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell look at Leviticus 11 to explore how the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework helps readers make sense of Scripture.
- 215. New Year, New You ~ III. Rachel Long
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell are joined by Rachel Long. The discussion focuses on the theme of new beginnings as part of their series on making sense of Scripture.
- 214. Dust and Death – Lev. X
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the tenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, titled Dust and Death. The program explores methods for making sense of challenging biblical texts.
- 213. New Year, New You ~ II. Daniel Carr
In this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss the Bible with guest Daniel Carr as part of their series on the New Year. The podcast explores a framework for interpreting Scripture to help li…
- 212. New Year, New You ~ I. Quotes to Repent to
Episode 212 of Story / Symbol / Spirit, "New Year, New You ~ I. Quotes to Repent to," hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, explores making sense of Scripture. The podcast uses a Story / Symbol / Spirit framework to help listener…
- 211. Shake Hands with Danger: Daydrinking (Merry Christmas!) - Lev. 10
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discuss how to understand Scripture on the podcast Story / Symbol / Spirit. They aim to help listeners make sense of the Bible's stories to better understand their lives, identity, meaning, and pu…
- 210. The Meaning of Christmas ~ III. Carmen Smith
This episode, part of the Story / Symbol / Spirit podcast, continues the discussion on the Meaning of Christmas with Carmen Smith. The podcast aims to help listeners make sense of Scripture, viewing the Bible as a gift from God that aids i…
- 209. See, It's Really Straightforward, You Can't Mess This Up - Lev. 9
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, delves into Leviticus 9. The podcast aims to help listeners understand the Bible, offering a framework for making sense of scripture.
- 208. The Meaning of Christmas ~ II. Caylee Blankenship
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit features John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell discussing how to make sense of Scripture. They use the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework, which aims to help listeners understand the Bible's stories, t…
- 207. The Priests are All Right - Lev. 8
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit discusses linguistic patterns in consonants, like the connection between 'p' and 'f', and how these relate to understanding scripture, specifically Leviticus 8.
- 206. The Meaning of Christmas ~ I. Hannah Valdez-Trent
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, delves into the meaning of Christmas and provides a framework for understanding the Bible's scriptures.
- 205. Which is Better: Embezzlement, or Gifts from the Delighted Pantocrator? - Lev. 7
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit discusses how to make sense of Scripture using the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework. Hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, it aims to help listeners understand the Bible's meaning, identit…
- 204: Taxpayer Dollars? - Lev. 6
John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell host this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, a podcast focused on making sense of Scripture. They discuss how the Bible can help us understand our lives, identity, meaning, and purpose, using their Sto…
- 203. If You See Something, Say Something.
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, discusses making sense of Scripture. The podcast aims to help listeners understand the Bible's stories, identity, meaning, and purpose.
- 202. Vehicular Manslaughter – Lev. 5
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, delves into making sense of Scripture using the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework. The podcast aims to help listeners understand the Bible's ancient s…
- 201. Temper Temper
Hosts John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell explore how to interpret Scripture using the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework. This approach aims to clarify the Bible's ancient stories, helping listeners understand their lives, identity, meani…
- 200. It's All Gone Horribly Wrong - Lev. 4
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, delves into making sense of Scripture. The podcast uses the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework to help listeners understand the Bible's meaning, identi…
- 199. The End?
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, explores how to understand the Bible. The podcast introduces the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework as a tool to navigate the complexities of Scripture…
- 198. That's the Prime Minister At YOUR House For Tea! - Lev. 3
This episode, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, explores the concepts of 'fellowship' and 'peace' within the Bible using the Story / Symbol / Spirit framework. The podcast aims to help listeners make sense of scripture and un…
- 197. Specialty Breads! - Lev. 2
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, explores how to make sense of Scripture. The podcast offers a framework for understanding the Bible's stories to better comprehend life, identity, mea…
- 196. share a little meal - Lev 1:6-17
This episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, explores how to interpret Scripture, specifically focusing on Leviticus 1:6-17 within their Story / Symbol / Spirit framework.
- 195. Here's Looking at You, Kid
The Story / Symbol / Spirit podcast, hosted by John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell, offers a framework for understanding scripture. The podcast aims to help listeners make sense of the Bible's ancient stories to better understand their li…
- 194.「Finite Blood Manipulation」- Lev. 1:1-5
John McCambridge and Jackie Mitchell host this episode of Story / Symbol / Spirit, focusing on Leviticus 1:1-5. The podcast aims to help listeners understand scripture and find meaning and purpose in their lives.