Bible Geeks Weekly

Ryan Joy and Bryan Schiele

Conversations in biblical geek with Ryan Joy and Bryan Schiele

  • 22 minutes 21 seconds
    Mini: The Chosen S2E1 | "Squish Your Legs Back"

    265 | Winter Watch Party | Enjoy Season 2, Episode 1 of the Chosen

    Welcome to the Winter Watch Party! We're filling the gap between seasons with a low-stress rewatch of The Chosen Season 2. Today, we're discussing Episode 1, "Thunder," where we encounter road rage in Samaria, cranky disciples, and the "Sons of Thunder" trying to call down fire from heaven. We introduce the "Golden Sandals Awards" to honor the best (and most unbiblical) moments, including the "Simon Peter Award" for putting your foot in your mouth. From Jesus' patience with prejudice to John's writing process, we explore how Christ redirects our zeal from destruction to love.

    The Big Idea: Jesus meets our impatience and judgment not with rejection, but with a patience that transforms our "thunder" into living water.

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    8 January 2026, 3:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 52 seconds
    Mini: Angels | "I Have No Idea"

    264 | Understand God’s Heavenly Helpers

    Every time a bell rings, does an angel get his wings? Probably not. In this season finale, we're' separating the Hallmark movie myths from the biblical reality of angels. We kick things off with a round of "Angel Jeopardy," debunking chubby cherubs and shoulder angels, before diving into the "Hot Seat" to answer the big questions. Do angels still work in the world today? Do we actually have "guardian angels," or is that just a nice thought? And what does it really mean to "entertain angels unawares" — are we dealing with celestial "secret shoppers"? Join us as we look behind the curtain at the invisible armies encamped around us.

    The Big Idea: Angels are God’s powerful servants, carrying out his purposes and ministering to us!

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    25 December 2025, 1:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 1 second
    Mini: Rescuing Philippians 4:13 | "It Takes ... Learning"

    263 | Find the Secret to Real Contentment

    Is Philippians 4:13 the ultimate spiritual cheat code for winning football games and acing math tests? In this Bible Geeks Mini, we’re rescuing one of the most famous verses in the Bible from the locker room and putting it back where it belongs. We explore why Paul wasn't looking for a "Sylvester Stallone-style" triumph, but rather the strength to endure prison with peace. We dive into the "secret of contentment" — learning to be okay whether we're full or hungry, rich or poor. It turns out the true power of this verse isn't about achieving our dreams, but finding the otherworldly strength to choose joy in whatever situation we face.

    The Big Idea: The "secret" of contentment isn't a superpower to achieve all our dreams, it's learning to find Christ's strength sufficient in all our circumstances — whether we have plenty or are in need.

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    19 December 2025, 12:00 am
  • 49 minutes 14 seconds
    Fixing Family Patterns | "Key to a Healthy Relationship"

    262 | Rewrite Your Family Story in Christ

    Have you ever opened your mouth and heard your parents come out? It happens to the best of us! This week, we’re looking at the "base operating system" of our families to see if there are any glitches we need to fix. We dive into the "copy and paste" drama of biblical families, asking why Abraham’s deceit and Isaac’s favoritism kept showing up in the next generation. Is it nature, nurture, or just a lack of updates? Thankfully, we don't have to stay stuck in a loop. We explore how Joseph "flipped the script" and how Jesus — the ultimate pattern breaker — offers us a total reboot as a "new creation". It’s time to identify the baggage we’ve inherited and let God start "reparenting" us for the better.

    The Big Idea: The gospel empowers us to break bad patterns and pass on better ones.

    This Week's Challenge: Identify one unhealthy family pattern and one positive pattern. Pray about them and take one step this week to break the bad and reinforce the good.

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    12 December 2025, 2:40 am
  • 57 minutes 45 seconds
    Is God Still at Work? | "Peak Bible Geeks"

    261 | Trust God’s Unseen Hand

    This week, we’re hitting "peak Bible Geeks" territory. Is God actually at work in your life, or did He just set the world spinning and walk away? We tackle the heavyweights — providence, miracles, and the mystery of God's will — without getting bogged down in the philosophy. We explore the meaning of "providence," the "salami sandwich" of Proverbs 16 (where man plans but God establishes the steps), and the story of Joseph to see how the Lord governs the world. We also ask: Are miracles still happening today, or is there a distinction between apostolic signs and God’s mighty works in response to prayer? Join us as we look at Romans 8:28 and the power of the word "perhaps" to guide us through uncertainty.

    The Big Idea: God still personally and purposefully works to quietly direct ordinary events toward his good and eternal purposes.

    This Week's Challenge: This week, pause once each day to name one “ordinary” event and thank God for how he might be using it for good — whether or not you can see the outcome yet.

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    4 December 2025, 1:00 pm
  • 19 minutes 44 seconds
    Mini: The Gratitude Gauntlet | "No Way To Be Grateful"

    260 | Train Your Heart to Be Thankful

    Happy Thanksgiving, Bible Geeks! In this special holiday Mini, we're taking a break from the turkey and pie to play a game we call the "Gratitude Gauntlet." The rules are simple: we throw disaster scenarios at each other — from dry turkeys and family drama to crushing sports defeats — and challenge each other to find the hidden blessing in the mess.Can you find gratitude when your favorite team gets obliterated or you're stuck working on the holiday? We also get real about the deeper things we're thankful for this year, like the "no" answers from God that turned into blessings and the joy of watching our kids grow up. Join us for a bite-sized dose of encouragement to help you "give thanks in all circumstances".

    The Big Idea: True, biblical gratitude isn't just a feeling reserved for big blessings — it's a spiritual muscle we can train to find God's grace and goodness even in the middle of everyday frustrations.

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    27 November 2025, 3:09 pm
  • 57 minutes 29 seconds
    The Challenge of Healthy Boundaries | "You're a Quote Man"

    259 | Love Well Within God’s Limits

    Boundaries can feel like barriers, but they're actually God's way of teaching us how to love and live more freely. We explore the spiritual tightrope between sacrificial service and self-destruction, asking: How can we take up our cross without letting it lead to burnout? We dive into Galatians 6 to distinguish between bearing our own "rucksack" (personal load) and carrying a brother's crushing "burden". We cover discernment, the idol of approval, and why saying "no" out of love is necessary to avoid falling into co-dependence or resentment. Let's find the freedom God offers within his established limits.

    The Big Idea: Healthy boundaries are love in action — honoring God’s design so we can love others wisely and live within our limits.

    This Week's Challenge: Ask yourself: “What am I truly responsible for — and what am I simply trying to control?” Watch for an unwise “yes” that should be a gentle “no.”

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    20 November 2025, 2:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 1 second
    Mini: Prayer Hacks and Hot Takes | "Mildly Microwaved"

    258 | Pray with Freedom and Honesty

    Welcome to our first-ever Bible Geeks Mini — a new, bite-sized episode for your busy week! We're kicking things off with a rapid-fire conversation on Prayer: Hacks and Hot Takes. First, we share practical tips to keep your prayer life fresh, from a simple app that helps you remember your prayer list to using the Lord's Prayer as a powerful daily template. Then, we serve up some "mildly microwaved" hot takes: Does your physical posture in prayer actually matter? And why do we really end every prayer with "in Jesus' name, amen"? (Spoiler: it's not a magic password).

    The Big Idea: A healthy prayer life is less about following a rigid set of rules and more about finding a creative, honest rhythm of conversation with God.

    This Week's Challenge: Pray through the Lord’s Prayer along with us.

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    13 November 2025, 2:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 47 seconds
    Joshua and Caleb Face-Off | "Big Sandals to Fill"

    257 | Follow God with Your Whole Heart

    Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the ultimate Old Testament face-off! In this corner: Joshua, the iconic leader who brought down the walls of Jericho. And in this corner: Caleb, the rugged warrior who waited 45 years to claim his mountain. These two titans of faith were the only spies who believed God's promise, but their paths were very different. Is it harder to be Joshua, the "front of house" leader stepping into Moses's massive sandals, or Caleb, the "back of house" mountain man who had to patiently wait 40 years in the wilderness? Join our friendly debate as we explore their unique strengths, their vital partnership, and why the very essence of faith might just be learning how to wait.

    The Big Idea: The complementary faithfulness of Joshua (the leader) and Caleb (the loyal warrior) provides a powerful, two-part model for how to follow God wholeheartedly, both in seasons of action and seasons of waiting.

    This Week's Challenge: This week, ask yourself: In my current season of life, is God calling me to a "Joshua moment" (to step up, lead, and take new ground), or a "Caleb moment" (to be patiently faithful, trust God's promises in a season of waiting, and finish strong)?

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    6 November 2025, 5:31 pm
  • 44 minutes 30 seconds
    They Might Be Giants | "Wanna Make Baseball Cards"

    256 | Geektober | Slay the Giant Questions

    Nephilim, Rephim, Anakim! Oh, my! For our Geektober finale, we're grabbing our nerd glasses and going on a "crypto-biblical expedition" to track down the Bible's giants. Where did the mysterious Nephilim of Genesis 6 come from? How did they lead to the "grasshopper syndrome" of Numbers 13? And how does Goliath, the final boss, tie into the Bible's ultimate story of Christ defeating the enemy? Join us for a fun dive into one of Scripture's weirdest rabbit trails (with a healthy dose of The Princess Bride).

    The Big Idea: The Bible’s giants highlight God’s power as his people overcome colossal obstacles.

    This Week's Challenge: This week, identify a "giant" in your own life — an insurmountable obstacle, a persistent sin, or an overwhelming fear and meditate on God’s power to protect you.

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    30 October 2025, 2:00 pm
  • 48 minutes 39 seconds
    Hands on the Bible | "It Would Drive Me Nuts"

    255 | Geektober | Trust the Process That Protected the Bible

    Did the Bible just drop from heaven as a set of golden tablets? Nope! This Geektober, we're pulling back the curtain on the original Bible geeks: the Scribes! These unsung heroes were the "original programmers" of Scripture, meticulously counting every single word and letter to preserve the text. We debunk the "game of telephone" myth and explore how the painstaking work of groups like the Masoretes — confirmed by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls — is one of the most powerful arguments for the Bible's reliability.

    The Big Idea: The surprisingly meticulous and worshipful work of ancient scribes is one of the most powerful arguments for the Bible's preservation and reliability.

    This Week's Challenge: This week, when you read your Bible, take an extra 30 seconds to simply be thankful for the physical book in your hands (or on your screen).

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    23 October 2025, 2:12 pm
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