Where We're Moving
And why I got Samson wrong for so long
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
The Bro-iest Guy in the Bible?
Happy Monday! Episode 5 of Holy Ghost Stories Season 2 is live and this one’s super fun. Titled “The Source and the Fury,” it tells the story of Samson’s ill-fated, love-at-first sight marriage and all the drama surrounding it—impossible riddles, jackals tied together by the tails, guys killed for their outfits (fashion, amiright?), death-by-fire—it’s…a lot.
This is one of the plottiest episodes of Holy Ghost Stories yet, which I love. At the same time, though, we get a lot of character development with Samson—he does so much in this story, and everything he does tells us something about him. (And some of the things he does tell us about Yahweh as well.)
For a long time, the word that came to mind as I pictured Samson was “Bro.” What exactly is a “Bro,” you ask? Wellll, it’s kind of a you-know-it-when-you-see-it kind of thing, but allow me to hand the mic to Wikipedia:
The wide-ranging iterations of bro include "twenty-something investment bankers", fraternity brothers in flannel shirts, and "laconic surfers". NPR identified four types of bros: dudely, jockish, preppy, and stoner-ish. In their description, dudely bros form close and homosocial friendships in a group of bros, jockish bros are defined by ability at team sports tempered by interest in alcohol, preppy bros wear "conservatively casual" clothes such as Abercrombie and Fitch (and are the sons of Brooks Brothers-wearing men) and flaunt "social privilege", and stoner-ish bros may not get high but speak relaxedly and exude the air of surfers.
It’s not derogatory, per se, but not exactly a complimentary classification. In my mind, Samson’s always been the “braun-not-brains” type.
However: I think I’ve gotten him wrong. As I’ve spent time with him these last couple of weeks, I’ve realized…I think he’s smart. Creative, certainly. Sure, many of the moves he makes seem kind of short-sighted and grunty (“Ugh—honey, yum.” “Ugh—pretty girl, yum.”). But he’s also demonstrating relentless creativity:
Making up a game to, in lieu of violence, put the Philistine groomsmen in their place
Inventing a riddle on the spot
Fulfilling his clothing debt with the garments of murdered Philistines
And what he pulls off with those jackals? Come on. Undeniably creative.
In other words, Samson seems more complex to me these days. Still plenty of bro in him, for sure. Definitely in need of the Holy Spirit and some quality therapy. But not one-dimensional at all.
Makes me wonder how Yahweh might have used him if he’d been less short-sighted.
So with all that in mind, how would you cast Samson in the movie? Here’s my pick:
Yep—the one and only Michael B. Jordan (especially with those Killmonger vibes). Power, anger, charisma—just grow those dreads out a bit and we’re good to go.
Got a better choice? Reply and let me know.
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A few quick thoughts about details in this episode:
I’ve known for ages that Samson wrestled/killed a lion, but until writing this episode I’d never taken time to actually imagine what that must have looked like. That was quite an exercise. You’ll notice I took the liberty of guessing that most of the “tearing apart” action happened beginning at the mouth. It’s graphic in this episode, but how could it not be?
Many translations go with “foxes” as the animals whose tails Samson ties together. I, however, use jackals—here’s why: the Hebrew word can actually mean “foxes” or “jackals,” and Daniel Block makes the case (in his excellent commentary on Judges) that it should probably be rendered “jackals.” One reason? Foxes are solitary, while jackals live in packs—making it easier (though not at all easy) to capture such a large number of them.
In case it’s been a minute since you’ve seen a jackal In the last act of violence mentioned in this episode, Samson takes revenge on the Philistines. I don’t go into detail about it, but the text says “He tore them limb from limb” (Judges 15:7, CSB). In Samson’s case, I suspect there’s a good chance this language may not even be figurative. Eesh.
My heart breaks for Samson’s wife in this story. Acted upon by Samson, then by Samson’s Philistine ‘groomsmen,’ then by her father, then by the mob of Philistines…it’s just tragic.
If you, like me, wondered what exactly it’s like to approach a wild beehive and extract honey from it, wonder no more. Here’s a fascinating video:
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Oh—and one more thing before we leave Samson. When I’m scoring these stories, it’s always amazing to me how much impact/influence the music I choose has on the feeling of a scene. Sometimes I’ll have to make a difficult choice between two very different pieces. But other times, I just want to have some fun and think about what a scene would be like with muuuuuucch different music.
Well Samson, given the fact that he’s a whole mood, inspired me to do more than think about it this time. I went ahead and recut three scenes from the episode (the lion, Ashkelon, and Samson falling in love) with alternate scores. I’m posting them (they’re so fun) on Patreon tomorrow, so if you’re a patron you’ll have to check that out. I think you’re gonna love it.
Not a patron? Now’s a great time to join.
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Hope you love listening to this episode as much as I loved creating it. If you do, share it with somebody or leave a review on Apple Podcasts—I’d be so grateful.
Speaking With Mr. Witcher
Recently, Zane Witcher interviewed me about Holy Ghost Stories on the Onto Somethin’ podcast. That episode dropped this morning and I think you’ll dig it. Zane is a super talented and thoughtful person, and—fun fact—was a preaching intern of mine way back in 2014.
In this conversation, we talk about my creative process, how to make an idea a thing (especially when the people around you don’t share your vision), how to tell a good story, AND inside info on the money side of our life right now. Ever wondered if we’re secretly rich? Give this episode a listen.
Another fun fact: Zane just stepped into my former position at the church I worked with for 10 years in Austin, TX. What a joy to hand the baton to someone I love and trust.
Check the episode out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
We’re Moving
Well, Belfast, it’s been great. (Truly.) But destiny calls. Next stop on the Gerhardts’ global journey?
Croatia!
We’ve been to Croatia a couple of times already as a family, and for the next month or so we’ll be teaming up with some dear friends and kingdom partners there (Jennifer’s speaking at a conference, we’re leading a parenting workshop, annnnnnd I’m cooking a big dinner for a bunch of ministry folks. 👨🍳
Also, Croatia is just gorgeous and we cannot wait to be back. Here are a couple of pics from our last visit:
Right? It’s truly magical.
8 Cool Things From You
Last time, I flipped the script and asked you to share some cool things with me. (Thanks for doing that!) Here are a handful of your submissions:
Cathedral of Learning - It’s like Epcot and the Empire State Building had a baby (Thanks, Michael!)
Just As Good - Ellie Holcomb and Chris Renzema team up with lyrics like these: “I will build an altar, stack it stone by stone. ‘Cause every ebeneezer says I’ve never been alone.” 🙌🏼 (Thanks, Alyssa!)
Drums, Man - This abundance of toms to get you moving (Thanks, Julie!)
McCartney 3,2,1 - Multi-episode doc telling the story of several Beatles songs’ creation (Thanks, Ken!)
Business Wars - A podcast for business nerds (Thanks, Mahalie!)
Seeing God More Clearly - A stellar weekly YouTube series just begun by author JL Gerhardt (no relation ☺️), in which she points to God using one Bible passage at a time (Thanks, Alyssa!)
100 Foot Wave - HBO doc about the search for the world’s biggest wave (and the attempt to surf it) (Thanks, Ken!)
Curiosities & (Un)Common Sense from the Bible - Okay; this one’s from me. Improv comic, lover of Jesus and Scripture, and friend of Holy Ghost Stories, Anthony Russo (aka @thebibleisfunny on IG), is releasing his first book on Oct 26. Can’t wait to get my hands on mine. Preorder now!
That’s it! Hope you’re blessed by “The Source and the Fury.”
Gratefully,
Justin
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