In a special bonus episode, author Sally Lloyd-Jones and voice actor Sir David Suchet offer a behind-the-scenes look at their collaboration on “Jesus, Our True Friend.” They delve into their individual approaches to portraying biblical figures, emphasizing the importance of simplifying stories for children without oversimplifying them. The episode also highlights their shared anticipation of hearing Jesus’ laugh and their conviction that everything they know about God points to love.

Quotes

“Sometimes I think in all that we give children, we forget to give them hope, and we are in danger of putting all the emphasis on them and what they’re supposed to be doing. And that just leaves you in despair because that’s the moral code and we can’t live up to it. I just wanted them to have [Jesus, Our True Friend] that would tell them, ‘You have a true friend and He’s with you and He loves you.’” - Sally Lloyd-Jones

“As a little girl, I had this wrong idea about God. I thought he was hard and cruel and angry and about the rules. And it’s so wrong, isn’t it? [Jesus, Our True Friend] shows God’s heart that we know comes through His son, Jesus.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones

“Being simple isn’t simplistic. In my writing, I have to distill down, but I must never dumb down. I must always get to the heart of the truth.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones

“We’re told in the Bible that we see God through Jesus. My goal was to show how kind God the Father is and God the Son. And it’s all coming from joy, that’s how the world began.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones

“It’s all love. God is love.” - Sir David Suchet

“In the West, we try to be rational and understand everything, and unless something equals something else, we’re not content. But with faith, with spirituality, one has to learn to be content living with mystery.” - Sir David Suchet

“You have to be known to feel the love, don’t you? If He knows you completely and He loves you completely, then there’s huge comfort.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Jesus, Our True Friend

The Jesus Storybook Bible

The Story of God’s Great Love collection

David Suchet

Hercule Poirot

Madeleine L’Engle

Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey

C.S. Lewis

Meister Eckhart

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Story of God’s Great Love Instagram

The Story of God’s Great Love Facebook

The Story of God’s Great Love YouTube

Sally’s website

Sally’s Facebook

Sally’s Instagram

*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*