Claim OwnershipThe Year I Read the Bible with Laurie Larsen
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© 2026 The Year I Read the Bible with Laurie Larsen
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Have you ever read the Bible? Straight through without stopping? It takes effort and dedication. That's exactly what I did in the year 2023. But I didn't just read it. I jotted down things that confused me, intrigued me, made me want to learn more. And in 2024 I researched and wrote essays to share what I learned in blogs, videos and a book. And now ... a podcast! Take a listen -- I guarantee you'll learn some life-changing stuff from that dusty book on your shelf!
Thank you for listening! Want to find out more about your hostess Laurie Larsen or her The Year I Read the Bible project? Here are links:
Laurie’s website: Author Laurie Larsen | heartwarming Christian fiction
The Year I Read the Bible blog: The Year I Read the Bible blog | Author Laurie Larsen
Interested in the ebook, paperback, hardcover or audiobook? Amazon.com: Laurie Larsen: books, biography, latest update
47 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail Jesus is risen! Hallelujah! Death on the cross could not keep him. He is alive. Jesus made many appearances to people during the forty days he walked the earth again after his resurrection. But people didn't recognize him! Why? Laurie analyzes some of these appearances and offers her opinion on explainable reasons why people who accompanied him for three years didn't recognize him when he was resurrected, and also those cases where supernat...
Send us Fan Mail In today's episode Laurie shares a bewildering experience from her college days, when a Religion Professor (who also happened to be an ordained pastor) spent the semester pointing out spots in the Bible where there are discrepancies in the telling of the same story. But the bewildering part came when he encouraged his students to "throw out" the Bible as a credible source because of those differences. WHAAAAT? Laurie didn't fall for his tricks, and neither ...
Send us Fan Mail Jesus's crucifixion. I'm sure you read the Bible story every Easter, or maybe more often than that. Me too. But the year I read the Bible cover to cover, I read it with a new lens. And I uncovered a bunch of supernatural events surrounding Jesus's crucifixion. A three-hour eclipse of the sun in the middle of the day. A curtain or veil located a mile away in the Temple in Jerusalem that tore from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus's death...
Send us Fan Mail Jesus often used analogies to illustrate who he was -- I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the World, etc. It's his generous attempt to connect with us in multiple ways -- allowing us each various ways to understand him better. Today we'll dive into I am the True Vine. I'm in good company -- joining me is my guest, Angel Ambrose. An artist of acrylic landscapes, Angel connected so passionately with Jesus' True Vine analogy, along with his invitat...
Send us Fan Mail This is your host, Laurie, and I am thrilled to be taking part in PodcasThon 2026 -- a global effort to flood the podcasting airwaves with love, service and good works! Over 2500 podcasts from 65 different countries are taking part ... and so is The Year I Read the Bible! I am devoting my episode this week to a very worthy charity Feed My Peeps and its founder Jacki Brey. You've heard from my friend Jacki before because she's been my guest in episodes 23 (Odd Thi...
Send us Fan Mail Take a deep dive into Laurie's favorite Bible character -- Simon Peter -- one of Jesus's strongest supporters, who in his moment of weakness, denies even knowing Jesus during the terrible time of his arrest, torture and crucifixion. Why did Peter do it, and how do we, in our moments of weakness as humans, do the same thing? And how does our Lord respond? Laurie's guest Josine Young joins us for a conversation on this interesting topic. Josine is an avid trav...
Send us Fan Mail I've always loved Palm Sunday! Joyous happy people praising Jesus as he rides into town on a humble colt! I love what we find in Luke 19 verse 40 where Jesus tells them, even if the crowds who were shouting Hosannas at him quieted, the rocks themselves would cry out! It points to the inevitability of the people praising and recognizing Jesus's divine authority! But as festive and happy as Palm Sunday was, we all know that the joy was short-lived. We know wha...
Send us Fan Mail The name of Judas Iscariot is known by everyone -- even non-Christians. He's the bad guy of the Jesus story, the villain. He turned Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified. But let's dig a bit deeper. What if Judas hadn't performed this act? Would God's plan for salvation have been executed? Was Judas preordained to betray Jesus? Did he have free will not to do it? It's a very interesting topic and I hope it'll give you a point...
Send us Fan Mail Remember when Jesus told his "Number One Disciple," Simon Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" What was that all about? How would Simon have reacted and what can we as modern Christians learn to make sure Jesus doesn't say the same thing to us? In this episode Laurie explores just how deeply aware Jesus was of God's plan for him while he was engaged in his earthly ministry. And how difficult it must've been for this Son of God to get us humans to understand and ge...
Send us Fan Mail Let's face it -- even though Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” ... I've never once seen a mountain throw itself in the sea. How about you? What does that mean? That praying for miracles doesn't work? No ... because we've either witnessed or heard of many miracles that did work. Lauri...
Send us Fan Mail Laurie draws parallels between Jesus's three-year earthly ministry and a job she used to perform, as a project manager of large, complicated efforts. Similarities do exist -- defining your scope, meeting regularly with your sponsor, developing and educating your core team, and staying determined to deliver the end product against all odds and adversity. However, where Laurie was managing projects that delivered systems and applications, Jesus was "managing a proj...
Send us Fan Mail In this look back over Laurie's third quarter of episodes, she shares several examples where her insightful guests have "blown her mind" with knowledge and interpretations she'd never heard of or thought of before! Also -- a call to action! Use the "Send Us a Text" link above, or the Contact form on Laurie's website to share any new knowledge you've gained that has made a difference in your own Bible journey.
Send us Fan Mail This topic single-handedly garnered the most views and comments on my blog when I was posting my Bible findings once a week. If that tells us anything, it's that this is a topic on the minds and in the curiosities of a great deal of believers! The short answer to the question is ... no. We won't still be married in heaven. But our loving Father wouldn't just take that relationship away -- He is replacing it with something even better. Hopefully, if you came ...
Send us Fan Mail PodcastThon? What on earth is PodcastThon? It's the biggest and most far-reaching charitable event in the Podcasting world and I'm thrilled that The Year I Read the Bible was invited to take part. On March 17 I'll dedicate an entire episode of the podcast to the charity of my choice, and 2000 other podcasters all over the world will be doing the same thing! How exciting to take part in such a thrilling movement! I chose a charity you've already heard about in epis...
Send us Fan Mail Did Jesus ever get angry? Of course, we're all familiar with the time he turned the tables in the Temple when the money changers were using the sacred ground for profit. But what about the incident listed in each of the four gospels called his "Woes to the Pharisees" speech. Jesus was angry that these men of God, these religious leaders were focused on all the wrong things, and completely disregarding the real message! This episode shares a one-hit wonder by...
Send us Fan Mail Learn a little more about the unique character of John the Baptist. God chose him to prepare the way for Jesus on earth, but of course, as all of us are, he was human. And to me, he came across as a little strange. And a little uncertain. Especially when he said things about Jesus such as "I didn't know him." Huh? He was related to Jesus, and I assume they knew each other growing up. Anyway, listen to my thoughts on the matter and make up your ow...
Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to new Bible study content after our short holiday break! Here's wishing a super new year for all of us! Laurie digs in deep about the Christian practice of baptism. Why do we do it? What's it for? What does the Bible say about it? Why do various Christian denominations argue about when a person should be baptized? If a believer dies before being baptized, will they go to heaven? Laurie welcomes a very knowledgeable guest to help her...
Send us Fan Mail How does someone who had always dreamed of becoming an author, actually push through and get started? For Laurie, it all came down to a visit to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia. That one random decision changed her life in ways she could never imagine. We're taking a break from the Bible essays this week to share more about Laurie's vast backlist of fiction. Take a short listen and maybe you'll find a book or two to start off your New Year ri...
Send us Fan Mail Here's a repeat performance of the episode I previously did with Melissa Henderson (Oct 28) all about those elements that we've come to accept as modern Christians as it relates to the Christmas story -- but that modern Bible researchers are now thinking are NOT necessarily true. It'll make you go "hmmmm" but remember that the true message of Christ's birth is just as meaningful, and just as true, and just as important as ever. Enjoy! And merry Christmas everyone!
Send us Fan Mail The Samaritan woman at the well having a conversation with Jesus about living water. The "Good Samaritan" who helped a Jewish traveler who was beaten and left for dead along the side of the road, as if being good was an exception for a Samaritan. Several other mentions of Samaritans in the New Testament which don't paint them in a good light ... all lead me to wonder about today's topic. We'll learn about the history of Samaritans -- how they came to be, and why J...
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