The Bible Project Daily Podcast

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Today we begin a new chapter—literally and figuratively—as we step into 1 Kings chapter 2. And this episode, I’ve made the title a question that I believe every one of us should ask ourselves, whether we think of ourselves as leaders or not: “Who Put You in Charge?”
 Now, you may not be the president of a company. You may not manage a team or sit in a boardroom. But almost all of us, at one time or another, have been put in charge of something—or someone.
 If you’re a parent, you’re in charge of raising children. If you’re employed, you’re responsible for your work. And even if none of that applies, you are always, at the very least, in charge of yourself—the choices you make, the character you build, and your direction in life.
 So let me ask you the question:
What kind of virtues does it take to lead well?  
 Because leadership—whether in a home, a workplace, a ministry, or a nation—requires something deeper than talent or charisma. It requires character. And 1 Kings chapter 2 gives us a front‑row seat to a father passing on that truth to his son….

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Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon
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Check out my other Podcasts.
The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com
The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).
https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com
The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891
The Classic Literature Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906
To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:
Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

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Life has a way of surprising us, doesn’t it?
 And nowhere is that more true than in our spiritual lives. We look at people and situations and think, “Ah, that’s the person God is going to use.” And then—He doesn’t. Meanwhile, someone we would never have chosen, someone we might have overlooked entirely, becomes the very person God raises up.
 So, how does God make His choices?
And perhaps more importantly, how should we make ours?
 That’s exactly the kind of question the opening chapter of 1 Kings invites us to explore. 
So, settle in as we open 1 Kings chapter 1 and begin this new series with a story that reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways—and that His choices often surprise us in the best possible ways….

Support the show
Follow and support me on Patreon.
Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon
To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:
Jeremy McCandless | Substack
Check out my other Podcasts.
The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com
The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).
https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com
The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891
The Classic Literature Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906
To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:
Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

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Welcome, friends, to a brand‑new season of The Bible Project Daily Podcast.  
This new season marks the beginning of a fresh adventure. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings, as I have set it out it seems the two books will take us around 50 episodes, teaching that I’ve drawn from my earlier sermons and bible studies these last decades, but revisited and now re‑crafted for this podcast format. These books of the kings are rich, complex, sometimes troubling, often surprising, but always extremely relevant. 
They show us what can happen when leaders rise and fall, when faithfulness is forgotten and rediscovered, and when God remains steady even when His people are not.
 But today, in this very first episode, we’re simply setting the stage for what is to come.
So, settle in and let’s begin this new season together with expectation, humility, and a sense of wonder at what God might show us in His Word….

Support the show
Follow and support me on Patreon.
Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon
To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:
Jeremy McCandless | Substack
Check out my other Podcasts.
The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com
The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).
https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com
The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891
The Classic Literature Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906
To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:
Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

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This is a between-the-seasons bonus episode. I shall be back again on Monday to launch our new season on the book(s) of Kings. Back in October 2025, I read and studied. The Psychologist and Philosopher Steven Pinker's book 'The Blank Slate. As part of a study group I belong to. This is my reaction to it, first made available as a 'Patreon Only' bonus episode.
Title: Beyond the Blank Slate.
Episode Notes:
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker is one of the most influential and controversial books in modern psychology. Pinker dismantles three persistent myths about human nature — the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine — arguing that our minds are not infinitely malleable, but deeply shaped by evolution and biology.
From a Christian perspective, this raises important questions. If his argument about human nature is real, what does that mean for morality, responsibility, and redemption? Can a scientific understanding of human nature coexist with a biblical one?
Segments:
Steven Pinker and the Modern Mind
The Three Myths of Human Nature
The Case for Human Nature
A Christian Response to the Moral Implications
Beyond the Blank Slate — Grace and the Image of God
Scripture references:
Genesis 1:26–27 · Romans 3:23 · John 1:3–4 · 2 Corinthians 5:17
Reading List:
Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate (Penguin Books, 2002)
C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Alister McGrath, The Open Secret

Support the show
Follow and support me on Patreon.
Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon
To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:
Jeremy McCandless | Substack
Check out my other Podcasts.
The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com
The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).
https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com
The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891
The Classic Literature Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906
To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:
Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

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This is a between-the-seasons bonus epsiode. I shall be back again on Monday to laumch our new season on the book(s) of Kings.Back in April 2025, I read, listening too, and studied. William Langland's Medieval poem "Piers Plowman". As part of a reading group I belong to. This is my reaction,, first made available as a 'Patreon Only' bonus episode  
"Piers Plowman", was first published in 1377 and in it Langland asks the eternal question. "How are we truly saved?"  This urgent question was particularly relevant when it was written 700 years ago because England was in the grip of the Black Death. But the question  is still echoing today.
Join me as I explore a strange and stirring medieval poem that confronts hypocrisy, grapples with sin, and ultimately points to Christ's radical grace.
Langland's riddles aren't just literary; they're spiritual challenges for our time. And asks are we ready to engage?
📖 Get the full devotional insights by reading my substack essay: [https://open.substack.com/pub/jeremymccandless/p/piers-plowman-a-cry-for-truth-in?r=2r7o2c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]
Links and Sources:
Piers Plowman Electronic Archive

A 15th-century Piers Plowman manuscript - National Library of Wales

A 15th-century Piers Plowman manuscript – British Library

The Myth of Piers Plowman: Constructing a Medieval Literary Archive by Lawrence Warner (Cambridge University Press, 2014)

Piers Plowman – Wikipedia
Audible Audio Book: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Piers-Plowman-Audiobook/1781983240?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp
Support the show
Follow and support me on Patreon.
Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon
To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:
Jeremy McCandless | Substack
Check out my other Podcasts.
The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com
History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com
The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).
https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com
The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891
The Classic Literature Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906
To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:
Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update