Where It Started vs. How It's Going
Here's how many times Holy Ghost Stories has been downloaded so far...
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
I Can’t Believe This.
A while back, I heard from a listener of Holy Ghost Stories who told me, “I made the mistake of listening while I was grocery shopping. I found myself crying all the way through the cereal aisle!" This, delightfully, is common feedback. Again and again, I’ve heard from people around the world who are binging the stories of Scripture, moved to tears in the midst of an immersive moment by Yahweh’s startling goodness.
Praise God.
Over the past 22 months, Holy Ghost Stories has found its way far and wide—folks in all 50 states and over 50 countries have downloaded it over 175,000 times. That’s over 4 million minutes of people listening to the stories of Scripture.
🤯🤯🤯
But here’s what I love most: it’s the fruit this podcast is bearing by the grace of God. What is that fruit, you ask? Well, it’s not Bible knowledge (though people are learning more about the fabulous content waiting for them in the Old Testament). Nor is it evangelism (though HGS is finding its way into the ears and hearts of those far from God—stories, of course, are sneakier than sermons). No, the fabulous fruit of Holy Ghost Stories is this: people are finding themselves more in love with Yahweh. I suppose it’s no surprise—how does love percolate in the human heart? You spend time with someone, you look at them—really look at them, notice their idiosynchrasies, learn what makes them laugh and cry—and eventually…you love them. This is how dating and marriage work. It’s how friendship works. And it’s the way a relationship with God works. It’s why He’s given us these stories: He wants us to enter His memories, to spend time with Him in the moments He can’t forget—the ones that broke His heart, the ones that made Him grin, the ones that brought tears of joy to His eyes.
If people love Holy Ghost Stories, they love it because they love Him. …Or at least they’re beginning to.
So here’s what I want to do: I want to keep telling the stories that point us to Yahweh. Specifically, I want to spend an entire Season immersing you in the story of Moses and the Exodus. 10 episodes telling one story, with an original musical score created by a genius composer, bringing you into an encounter with the sea-splitting Sinai God you’ll never forget.
Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
Here’s how you can make it happen: Prayerfully make a plan to give a tax-deductible one-time gift next week on Giving Tuesday.
“Speaking of which, how’s the Season 4 funding going,” you ask? Great question. I’m going to tell you on Tuesday what the incredible tribe of HGS listeners has given so far, but I’ll let you know right now: it’s amazing. But we’re not there yet! I’m excited for you to join our ranks on Giving Tuesday to make the move from listening to Holy Ghost Stories to becoming a part of Holy Ghost Stories.
I’ll send an email next week with a link to our Giving Tuesday campaign, but for now I’d just ask that you take a moment and pray to see if Yahweh would like you to channel your end-of-year generosity in this direction. Season 4 is a massive undertaking—both in terms of time and money—but it’s been a joy to see how He’s provided through so many. I’d be thrilled if He wanted to involve you as well.
Come Hang Out With Kendall & Me
Next Tuesday, Kendall and I will jump on a livestream to talk all things Season 4. We’ll answer your questions, talk through our process so far, and let you in on a few easter eggs to listen for when the season premier goes live. Got a question for me or Kendall? Drop it in the comments here or reply to this email and we’ll make sure to answer it on Tuesday.
I’ll send a link next week, but mark your calendar now—we’ll go live at 8:30pm (CST) on 11/29. We’re looking forward to chatting with you then!
3 Cool Things
The Average Contestant on British Baking Shows vs. the Average Contestant on American Cooking Shows - Man this confection in The New Yorker is so great—in part, because it’s only like half a click off from reality. Here’s a snippet:
British: Ian struggled the most during caramel week. The humid weather made for quite a sticky situation with his delicate sugarwork! His greatest personal setback during filming was when he had to miss his granddad’s ninety-second birthday.
American: Sarah had the most difficulty with the seven-course meal challenge, in which chefs had to incorporate at least four ingredients that they were actively allergic to. Her greatest personal setback was not being allowed to bring her insulin on set after competitors complained that it gave her an unfair advantage.
Do Bees Play? - If rolling a ball around when they have no other reason to do so is any indication, it seems the answer is Yes. Yes they do.
Window Swap - This site lets you borrow someone else’s view for a while. Open a window in Vietnam, Moscow, London, California—wherever you’d like. I dig it.
That’s the latest! Don’t forget to join Kendall and me for the livestream on Tuesday and consider giving toward Season 4—and if you find a cool window, be sure to pass it on to me.
Gratefully,
Justin
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