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Maybe you’ve grown up as a Christian going to church or maybe you’re not interested in religion at all. But when you’re scrolling, hanging out with friends, trying to sleep, or overwhelmed with your day-to-day, do big existential questions ever pop in- you know- things like, “Why am I here? How did all this get here? What happens after I die?” “Is there a God and is there really meaning to all this?” ”What’s so special about Jesus Christ?” We’ve all experienced deep longing for something this world can’t seem to satisfy. Even someone as wildly successful as Taylor Swift knows that to be true. “I had won album of the year at the Grammys for a second time...” She said, “and I remember thinking afterwards, ’Oh my god, that was all you wanted!... That was all you focused on. You get to the mountaintop and look around and you’re like... what now?” If you’re tired and feeling overwhelmed with all the different voices yelling for your affections- telling you what to go after- whether it be success, beauty, the perfect partner, social media followers, money, or power… only to leave you let down and unsatisfied, searching for more… Maybe like my friends and me, you’re after finding something REAL. Every week, join me (Janell Wood), special co-hosts and guests as we ask questions, look for answers, and search for the source of something REAL: Restoration, Eternity, Authenticity, and Love. I believe those things can ultimately be found in relationship with Jesus Christ, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to our conversations for yourself and go on a journey with us: Is Jesus the REAL thing?
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Happy Wednesday!
Today, Paul Copan joins us for the podcast! Paul shares about his faith journey, what he does for a living, and how became the go-to voice for questions about the Old Testament. In this episode, Janel and Paul discuss the different components of progressive Christianity and they seek to answer Rachel’s questions about God’s character. They talk about the importance of reading scripture in context, how to know which passages to take literally and which passages to question, the moral vision of the Bible, diversity among Christian followers, and more!
Paul also talks about why he is concerned about the teachings of Richard Rohr and similar thinkers. He upfront about Rohr’s incorrect beliefs about Jesus, his embracing of pantheism, and the abandonment of many core tenants of the Christian faith. Paul also speaks about the deity of Jesus, and loving others when we don’t agree with their beliefs of lifestyles.
We hope you are edified by today’s episode!
About Paul
Paul Copan (Ph.D., Philosophy, Marquette University) is a Christian theologian, analytic philosopher, apologist, and author. He is currently a professor at the Palm Beach Atlantic University (Florida) and holds the endowed Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics.
He is author or editor of over 40 books, including works such as Is God a Moral Monster?, Is God a Vindictive Bully?, The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion, The Naturalness of Theistic Belief, Creation out of Nothing, Philosophy of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Issues, A Little Book for New Philosophers, and The Kalām Cosmological Argument (a two-volume anthology). He has also contributed essays to over 50 books, both scholarly and popular, and he has authored a number of articles in professional journals.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Paul’s Website
Is God a Moral Monster? - Paul Copan
Did God Really Command Genocide? - Paul Copan
Is God A Vindictive Bully? - Paul Copan
Paul Copan & Randall Rouser on Unbelievable?
Progressive Christianity on the Road - Paul Copan
A Heretic’s Christ, A False Salvation - Douglas Groothuis
What is a Woman? - DailyWire Documentary
Francis Beckwith
Greg Boyd
Roger Olson
Frank Turek
Miroslav Volf
Randall Rouser
John Calvin
Greg Beale
Rachel Held Evans
John Mark Comer
Craig Blomberg
Richard Rohr
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Happy Wednesday!
Today we welcome Rachel from Washington on the podcast. Rachel shares about her background of being raised in Bellingham and experiencing both a Christian home with her dad and stepmom and an agnostic home with her mother. She shares why she decided not to call herself a Christian while in college and how she embraced a more liberal leaning lifestyle. Rachel chats about her experiences in the New Age, how people-pleasing played a huge rule in her life, and her personal experiences with paganism.
Rachel shares her struggles with certain Christian doctrines such as the deity of Jesus and her beliefs about forgiveness. They also chat about what Rachel hopes to get out of the conversations this month.
We hope you enjoy!
Rachel’s Questions:
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Was Jesus the Son of God or has He been like created into an allegory by time?
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Are forgiveness, self-forgiveness, and repentance important?
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Are New Age beliefs all bad? Is there anything Christians can keep from those practices?
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Do all roads/religions ultimately lead to Jesus?
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How can Christians be present in social change and justice issues? How can Christians believe what the Bible says while loving those in the LGBTQ+ community?
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Finding Something REAL on Instagram
FSR November 2021 with Janel Davis
Gloria Hotel in Jerusalem
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Happy Wednesday!
Today on the podcast, we welcome back Alycia Wood! Alycia shares about her faith journey and the various doubts she experienced as a young woman. She explains why she stepped out of atheism and how she eventually came to know Christ. She also chats about historical facts about Jesus, how Christianity explains the world we live in, and more. Alycia and Janell also chat about why there’s so much suffering in the world, the hope for Christians, finding our identity in Christ, and so much more. We hope you enjoy this episode!
About Alycia
As a child growing up in the church, Alycia always had questions. She wanted to dig deeper into the Christian faith beyond the Sunday morning sermon. That fueled an independent search which led to her digging into the larger questions of life. While studying for a degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology at Robert Wesleyan College, Alycia discovered Apologetics. It changed the course of her life. Her quest for a deeper understanding of her Christianity had a name.
She went on to get her Master’s in Social Justice from Marygrove College to further her passion for serving those in need in the developing world. This led to various volunteering opportunities at orphanages, prisons, and shelters for the homeless in various countries including Haiti, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. A few years after her travels were completed, she was able to spend a year studying Apologetics in England.
Alycia spent many years as a teacher’s aide and substitute teacher for multiple grade levels. Following, she has spent over nine years doing full-time apologetics ministry where she travels and speaks on various topics relevant to our culture. She is currently with the C. S. Lewis Society in Tampa.
In her spare time, she is an avid sports fan, musician and grower of all things edible in her garden.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR September 2023 - Alice’s Intro
FSR September 2023 with Justin
FSR September 2023 with Eric
FSR June 2021 with Alycia
FSR August 2022 - Leonie’s Intro
FSR August 2022 with Frank Turek
Alycia Wood on Facebook and Twitter
Apologetics, Inc.
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Today on the podcast, we welcome Eric Hernandez. Eric is an apologist and speaker. He shares how he explains what apologetics is, how he became a Christian, and how he became passionate about sharing the Christian faith. Eric and Janell chat about the link between philosophy and apologetics, lazy evangelism, and the garden analogy. They also chat about the two things that make Christianity true.
We hope you enjoy!
We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR September 2023 - Alice’s Intro
FSR September 2023 with Justin
FSR June 2022 with Justin
Eric Hernandez' - website
Eric Hernandez - YouTube
TexasApologetics.Org
The Lazy Approach to Evangelism - Eric Hernandez
Bobby Conway
William Lane Craig
JP Moreland
Greg Koukl
Natasha Crain
About Eric
Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending the faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He is a licensed minister, a certified formation therapist, and is the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. He has spoken and debated on a public level at university college campuses where he adamantly defends the Christian faith against atheist, agnostic, and deistic professors of different worldviews. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor’s degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University.
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Hello Everyone!
Today on the podcast, we welcome returning guest Justin Brierley! Justin shares a bit of an update on Unbelievable? and how he is diving into culture apologetics after leaving the show.
They chat a bit about his new book, how the new atheism movement is impacting culture, and the limitations of science as a worldview. They talk about Jordan Peterson, the “Fathiest Atheist,” and the growth of religion around the world. Justin discusses why who chooses Christianity over something else and how Christianity has influenced the world. They also discuss Christian celebrities, cancel culture, and fighting idol worship.
We hope you enjoy the episode!
About Justin
Justin is a freelance writer, speaker and broadcaster who has become known for creating dialogues between Christians and non-Christians. Justin is passionate about creating conversations around faith, science, theology and culture. Through creative use of podcast, radio, print, video and social media, he aims to showcase an intellectually compelling case for Christianity, while taking seriously the questions and objections of sceptics.
Justin has worked in radio, podcast and video for over two decades. Until April 2023 he was Theology & Apologetics Editor for Premier Christian Radio, and hosted the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast as well as the Ask NT Wright Anything podcast. Justin was also editor of Premier Christianity magazine from 2014-2018, for which he continues to contribute articles. Justin's first book 'Unbelievable? Why, after ten years of talking with atheists, I'm still a Christian' (SPCK) was published in 2017.
Justin currently co-hosts the Re-Enchanting podcast for Seen & Unseen, and is a guest presenter for the Maybe God podcast. His next book 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God' (Tyndale) will be published in Sep 2023.
Justin is married to Lucy, a church minister in Surrey, and they have 4 amazing children - Noah, Grace, Jeremy and Toby. When he isn't working in a professional capacity, you'll find Justin involved in youth work and worship leading at church.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR September 2023 - Alice’s Intro
FSR June 2022 with Justin
JustinBrierley.com
Unbelievable? Show
The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God - Justin Brierley
Justin Brierley's "Unbelievable" book
Unbelievable? Jordan Peterson vs. Susan Blackmore
Unbelievable? Tim Keller Q&A on cancer, prayer, and forgiveness
Jordan Peterson
Phillip Yancey
The Faithiest Atheist
MAVEN
Sean McDowell's Interview with Justin Brierley
Tim Keller's podcast
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Hello Everyone! Happy Wednesday!
Today we are excited to share with you the first episode of September! Alice from Sweden, our September co-host, joins Janell to discuss the cultural differences between Sweden and the US, why she does not identify as religious, and her surprise about the amount of religion in American culture. She also chats about why she doesn’t necessarily believe in God and why she chose to be our September Co-Host. They also chat about a few of Alice’s questions such as:
Why does God allow things to be messed up?
What’s the difference between someone who lives their life believing in God and someone who doesn’t?
How does believing in God impact what someone believes about themselves? Where does mental health fit into the Christian life?
We hope you will join us for Alice’s journey on the podcast!
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Finding Something REAL on Instagram
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Another Wednesday, another episode!
Today on the podcast, Janell and Signe welcome back Frank Turek, co-author of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Frank shares a bit about how he came to become a Christian, the importance of sharing the truth no matter what, and moral standards. They also chat about why hedonism is unsatisfying and what happens when you follow your desires without restraint. Discussions about the definition of faith and surrender also make their way into the episode. We hope you enjoy!
About Frank
Dr. Frank Turek is a dynamic speaker and award-winning author or coauthor of five books: Hollywood Heroes How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God, Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to make their Case, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Correct, Not Politically Correct and Legislating Morality. As the President of CrossExamined.org, Frank presents powerful and entertaining evidence for Christianity at churches, high schools, and secular college campuses that often begin hostile to his message. He has also debated several prominent atheists including Christopher Hitchens and Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher of Skeptic Magazine.
Frank hosts an hour-long TV program each week called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist which is broadcast Wednesday nights on DirecTV Channel 378 (NRBTV). His radio program and podcast called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist with Frank Turek airs on 182 stations every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. eastern and is available continuously on the free CrossExamined App.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR August 2023 - Signe’s Intro
FSR August 2023 - Signe & Abdu
FSR August 2023 - Signe & Claudia
FSR August 2022 with Frank Turek
Cross Examined.org
Cross Examined Instructor's Academy
Cross Examined - YouTube
Frank Turek's debate with Christopher Hitchens
Correct Not Politically Correct - Frank Turek
Hollywood Heroes book by Frank Turek & Zach Turek
Evidence that Demands a Verdict - Josh McDowell
More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell
Tim Keller Sermons podcast by Gospel in Life
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist - Geisler & Turek
Wednesday Aug 23, 2023
Wednesday Aug 23, 2023
Hello Friends!
Today on the Finding Something REAL podcast, we have a wonderful conversation with Signe and our guest Claudia Kalmikov! After getting checking in with Signe, we het to hear Claudia speak about her faith journey. She speaks about why trust is her favorite topic to discuss, why the truths found in the Bible transcend culture, and the message of the Old Testament and New Testament. They also chat about misinterpreting the Bible, putting our focus on Jesus, why meaning is more important than happiness, the problem with moral relativism, and much more! We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
About Claudia
Claudia is a Christian apologist, national speaker, and blogger with a Master of Arts degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. She is on the speaking team for the Talbot Seminary Biola On-The-Road Apologetics conferences, teaches Apologetics at her church, and leads the ladies Bible study. Claudia has been a repeat guest on the KKLA radio show in Los Angeles, Real Life With GinaPastore and David James. Her blog posts have been published multiple times in The Poached Egg online apologetics magazine, and she is a contributing writer for Women In Apologetics, and an Op-Ed contributor for the Christian Post online magazine. She blogs at Straight Talk With Claudia K. After raising two now adult sons, her focus now is to make an impact in the world for Christ.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR August 2023 - Signe’s Intro
FSR August 2023 - Signe & Abdu
FSR June 2023 with Lindsey Ponder
FSR June 2022 with Abdu
Straight Talk with Claudia K
The Christian Post: Two Ways that Relativism Falls Flat
Francis Shaeffer
Article about Christopher Reeve speaking on stem cell research
Bible Verse:
1 Peter 1:24-25 (NKJV)
All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.
Acts 4:12
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.