In this conversation, Jamie and Raz dive into one of the most challenging parts of the Bible to understand: the Old Testament Law. As the YOUR STORY reading plan leads the church family into Exodus, they explore how New Testament believers—rooted in the gospel of Jesus—should make sense of laws that address topics like slavery, women’s rights, and sexuality.

They emphasize that God the Father was not endorsing the broken structures of the ancient Near East. Rather, He was working within a fallen cultural world to plant the earliest seeds of freedom, equality, and human dignity—seeds that would grow into full bloom in the New Testament.

Key Ideas
1. OT Slavery ≠ Modern Slavery
Ancient Israel’s system was more like indentured servitude, usually temporary and often voluntary for economic survival.
God built protections, limits, and humanizing commands into Israel’s laws that were radical for their time.
These were not endorsements—they were first steps toward liberation.

2. God Plants Seeds, Not Finished Structures
The Father works inside a broken culture but sows truths that outgrow that culture.
By the time the NT arrives, God’s heart becomes unmistakably clear:
“There is neither slave nor free, male nor female… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28)
The eventual abolition of slavery and the expansion of women’s rights have deep biblical roots.

3. Eden Is the Goal, Not the Ancient Near Eastern Culture
The culture God wants is Eden—no slavery, no domination, no oppression, no devaluing of women.
The ANE was simply the culture He stepped into to begin restoring Eden through His people.

4. Sexuality and Holiness
OT laws around sexuality aimed to protect covenant faithfulness, stabilize families, and create a distinct community of holiness.
Jesus fulfills and intensifies this—bringing us from outward rules to inner transformation in the Spirit.

5. The Gospel Is the True Foundation of Freedom
The good news that He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) is the ultimate liberation.
Freedom doesn’t come from law-keeping; it comes from union with Christ.
The gospel restores our dignity and re-establishes our identity as God’s image-bearers.

Want help understanding OT Law?
If you want deeper clarity as you read these Law passages, here are two excellent resources to guide you:

Highly Recommended Book: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart)
This classic (over 1 million copies sold) helps you understand the different kinds of literature in Scripture—including the Law.
It explains what these texts meant to their original audience and how to apply them today with confidence.

Link to the book on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310517826

Here's a sample from chapter 9 of the book – “The Law(s): Covenant Stipulations for Israel”
Read it here (Google Doc):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cFXumVOBu4J0-Mcl0SndROvk-OebKFdx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102229517336768502134&rtpof=true&sd=true

Even skimming the last page—“12 Dos and Don’ts for Reading the Law”—will change the way you read Exodus.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

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In this conversation, Jamie and Raz explore the Kingdom adventure that opens up when we follow God the Father into assignments that are bigger than our strength, skill, or experience. Using the story of Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3–4), they highlight how Yahweh calls Moses to confront Pharaoh—a task far beyond Moses’ natural capacity.

Instead of telling Moses to get more training, build a better résumé, or take a leadership course, God gives him a single promise: “I will be with you.” That promise becomes the bridge across the gap between human weakness and divine calling.

Key Ideas
1) The Gap Is Where the Adventure Lives
God routinely invites His children into spaces where their own capacity is not enough. The “gap” between what I can do and what God is asking is the very place where Kingdom adventure is born.

2) God Doesn’t Solve Moses’ Insecurity With Self-Improvement
Moses argues that he’s inadequate, unskilled, and not up for the job. Yahweh’s solution isn’t: “Improve yourself.”
It’s: “My presence fills the gap.”

3) Don’t Play It Safe
Many believers limit themselves to things they can succeed at based purely on natural strength. Jesus invites us into a life where obedience requires His presence—where if He doesn’t show up… we can’t pull it off.

4) Courage Looks Like Neediness, Not Self-Confidence
We often feel nervous, afraid of failing, or afraid of looking foolish. But the right posture isn’t “I’ve got this”—it’s “Father, I need You.”
That needy dependence is where faith is formed and where the Kingdom breaks in.

5) Unless Jesus Shows Up…
Following God often looks like stepping into something where, unless Jesus intervenes, it won’t work. That’s not recklessness—that’s trust.

Practical Encouragement for Listeners
Notice where God may be inviting you into something beyond your ability.
Don’t disqualify yourself because you don’t feel capable.
Let your nervousness be a reminder: the adventure is supposed to be bigger than you.
Step into obedience with the confidence that He is with you—the same promise He gave Moses.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com

Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)
https://www.mariemontchurch.org

Jamie’s website & writing:
https://www.jamiemoore.org

Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736292609

We’ll Be Back Next Week!

In this episode, Jamie and Raz talk about what it means to enroll in “The School of the Father”—where the Teacher is God Himself.

Throughout the Scriptures, we find a stunning promise: God wants to personally teach His children. From the prophets of the Old Testament to the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, we see a thread of divine instruction—the Father leading, guiding, and forming us by His Spirit.

Even the psalmist understood this reality:
“I have more understanding than all my teachers . . . for You have taught me.”
Psalm 119:99–102
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A99-102&version=ESV

Jamie and Raz unpack passages like Isaiah 30, Jeremiah 31, and 1 Thessalonians 4, showing that walking with Him means learning from Him.
Isaiah 30: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+30%3A18-21&version=ESV

Jeremiah 31: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A33-34&version=ESV

1 Thessalonians 4: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+4%3A9&version=ESV

They also offer practical steps for getting into this “school”:

1. Enroll yourself – Believe that God, the Father, wants to be your teacher.
2. Open your textbook – Read the Bible with expectation that He’ll speak.
3. Listen to the lecture – Slow down and let the Spirit highlight truth.
4. Take notes – Write down what you hear so you don’t forget.
5. Ask questions – Dialogue with the Father; learning happens in relationship.

Scriptures to explore (Read these and ask the Father to teach you!):

Isaiah 30:18–21
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+30%3A18-21&version=ESV

Jeremiah 31:33–34
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A33-34&version=ESV

Isaiah 54:13 (cf. John 6:45)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+54%3A13&version=ESV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6%3A45&version=ESV

1 Thessalonians 4:9
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+4%3A9&version=ESV

Psalm 119:97–104
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97-104&version=ESV

Let the Father teach you—He’s the best Teacher you’ll ever have, and you might just learn more than your favorite Bible teacher.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-hi

In this episode, Jamie and Raz share what they’re learning through the Your Story chronological Bible reading journey—and invite listeners to jump in and read along with the church family.

They reflect on the lives of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and how remarkable it is that God the Father continually appears, speaks, guides, blesses, and keeps covenant with these men (and women), even though their lives are full of sin and dysfunction. Manipulation, deception, control, favoritism, polygamy, and violence are all part of their stories—yet God never stops pursuing relationship with them.

Together, Jamie and Raz marvel that the Father seems far more interested in their covenant loyalty than their sinless perfection. His desire has always been to be with His people.

They trace this theme forward to the New Testament, celebrating the stunning reality that we now get to experience God’s presence within us through the Holy Spirit. As believers, we have become mobile temples—His dwelling place—because of the finished work of Jesus’ death and resurrection, not because of our own performance.

Using Jacob’s dream of the stairway to heaven as an example—where he awoke and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!”—they challenge listeners to recognize the same truth in our own lives. God is with us all the time, even when we’re unaware.

The episode ends with practical ways to practice His presence: learning to turn prayer into a two-way conversation of talking and listening to God, rather than simply reciting requests.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com

Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)
https://www.mariemontchurch.org

Jamie’s website & writing:
https://www.jamiemoore.org

Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
Available on Amazon

In this episode, Jamie and Raz explore how to read the Bible more effectively by focusing on the main character—God the Father.
Too often, we read Scripture through the lens of the human characters, trying to imitate their actions or apply their experiences to our own lives. But when we do that, we can miss what the story is truly revealing about God Himself.

Jamie and Raz explain that the frame you use shapes what you see—and if we focus on the wrong character, we can draw the wrong lessons. For example, looking to Job’s friends for how to comfort someone in suffering completely misses the point—because God condemns their response!

Instead, this conversation invites you to slow down, look for what the passage reveals about God’s nature, heart, and actions, and then ask how that truth about who He is applies to your life.

Using the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, they show that Abraham’s behavior is far from exemplary—but the Father’s is extraordinary. God meets Hagar, a mistreated and forgotten woman, hears her cry, and reveals Himself as El Roi—“the God who sees.”

This episode reminds us that reading the Bible with Him means looking for the Father in every story—the One who sees, hears, and draws near to the brokenhearted.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
👉 https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
👉 https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
👉 https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com
Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)
👉 https://www.mariemontchurch.org
Jamie’s website & writing:
👉 https://www.jamiemoore.org
Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
👉 Available on Amazon

In this episode, Jamie and Raz sit down with Samantha Treas to talk about matters of the heart—learning to see God as a loving Father who’s after relationship, not perfection.

Sam shares about growing up Catholic and how Jesus began visiting her in dreams as a child, telling her, “I’m your friend.” Even during her college years of intentional wandering, she later realized He was gently wooing her heart back the whole time.

In this deep conversation, they explore what it means to keep a soft heart toward God, to repent relationally instead of religiously, and to understand that the Father cares far more about your heart than your behavior. This episode is an invitation to rediscover the Father’s heart—the One who loves how He uniquely made you, delights to speak to you, and never stops pursuing your heart.

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
👉 https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
🎧 https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

📩 Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com

🏠 Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)

✍️ Jamie’s website & writing: www.jamiemoore.org

📖 Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
Available on Amazon

In this episode, Jamie and Raz explore one of Jesus’ most radical and freeing teachings: “Take up your cross and follow Me”
. What does it really mean to die to self—and why is it essential for truly gaining Jesus and living in the Kingdom?

They reflect on the dangers of leadership that hasn’t gone through the cross—when a person hasn’t died to self, they often lead out of insecurity, control, or self-promotion, which can harm others. The conversation also turns toward the subtle poison of unforgiveness
and how it keeps us from walking in freedom.

Jamie and Raz offer some practical steps for cultivating a secure identity in Christ:

• Guard your heart from pride
  , comparison, and bitterness
• Spend daily time in the Word
  to renew your mind
• Ask the Holy Spirit
  to reveal unsubmitted areas and invite His transformation

This is a raw, honest, and hopeful episode—reminding us that when we die to self, we actually come alive with Jesus.

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list

Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources

https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com

Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)

Jamie’s website & writing: www.jamiemoore.org

Jamie’s book, Friendship with God: Available on Amazon