It’s a pretty foundational question for Christian faith — but perhaps one we don’t always stop to ask.

In this episode, Jas and Kate are back for the first conversation in our mini theology series. We talk about what Christians actually mean when we say the Bible is the Word of God, how the Bible we have today came together, and some of the historical evidence that helps us understand its reliability.

We also get into some of the harder questions: What about books that didn’t make it into the Bible? What do we do with apparent contradictions? How should we approach passages that feel brutal, confusing or completely removed from our modern culture? And is it okay to have doubts about God or the Bible?

We talk about why context matters, why reading a single verse is very different from understanding the whole story of Scripture, and why we shouldn’t expect to master the Bible or have every question answered straight away.

One of my favourite parts of this conversation is the reminder that we don’t need to be afraid of our questions. The Bible itself is full of people who wrestled, doubted and asked God to meet them in their uncertainty.

Scripture invites us into a lifetime of learning — reading it in context, wrestling with things we don’t understand, bringing our doubts honestly to God and continuing to grow in our knowledge of Him.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you can really trust the Bible, struggled with something you’ve read in it, or simply wanted to understand Scripture more deeply, I hope this conversation encourages you to keep asking, keep reading and keep looking to God.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Wesley Huff
Jas mentions Wesley Huff and his work exploring biblical manuscripts, history and the reliability of the Bible. His website includes his Can I Trust the Bible? material and other resources for digging deeper.
https://www.wesleyhuff.com/

The Bible Recap — Tara-Leigh Cobble
I mention using The Bible Recap as I read/listen chronologically through the Bible this year. Each day includes a short recap to help explain and connect what you’ve read.
https://www.thebiblerecap.com/

Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
Jas recommends this as a helpful resource for understanding the historical and cultural context behind Scripture — particularly when a passage feels strange or difficult from our modern perspective.
https://link.amazon/B0if1FGQy
Affiliate link — I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you

Habits of Resistance — Elizabeth Woodson
Jas mentions Habits of Resistance: 7 Ways You're Being Formed by Culture and Gospel Practices to Help You Push Back, which looks at the stories our culture forms us to live by and how the gospel gives us a different story.
https://link.amazon/B0aQFXpSS
Affiliate link

Early Church Fathers
Kate talks about discovering that many of the questions Christians wrestle with today were also being asked by Christians in the early Church. You can explore a collection of their translated writings here:
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/

The Dead Sea Scrolls
We talk about the Dead Sea Scrolls and what ancient manuscripts can teach us about the transmission of the Old Testament text. Explore the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library:
https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/

SCRIPTURES MENTIONED

2 Timothy 3:16 • 1 Thessalonians 2:13 • 2 Peter 1:20–21 • Matthew 5:17 • John 10:35 • John 1:1 • John 5 • Leviticus 15 • Matthew 11:2–6 / Luke 7:18–23 • Mark 9:24

A NOTE FROM US

Jas, Kate and I aren't presenting ourselves as theologians or claiming to cover everything there is to know about these questions in one conversation. Our hope with this theology series is to start conversations, encourage you to dig deeper and point you towards helpful places to continue learning.

If this episode has raised a question we haven't answered, send it through. We'd love to know what you're wrestling with — and we'll do our best to point you towards people and resources that can help.

What does friendship look like after more than 40 years?

In this episode, I’m joined by my mum, Beth, and one of her closest friends, Jan. They met at church as young married women more than four decades ago, and since then they’ve walked through so many seasons of life together — raising children, changing churches, grief and difficult family seasons, becoming grandparents, growing in faith and plenty of ordinary life in between.

We talk about what has made their friendship last, the importance of honesty, being able to pick up the phone after months apart, and why good friendship doesn’t have to mean being exactly alike.

Beth and Jan also share some beautiful stories of the ways God has met them through their friendship — praying for one another when words were hard to find, showing up in grief without trying to fix it, and even an incredible moment when God gave them both the same picture independently of each other.

It’s a conversation about friendship, faith, prayer, church community and the gift of having people who will simply keep showing up through the different seasons of life.

Links & resources mentioned

Lectio 365
Beth talks about using Lectio 365 as part of her morning time with God. It’s a daily devotional and prayer app from 24-7 Prayer. You can download the app or go to Lectio 365.

In this episode we talk about:
• friendship through more than 40 years of changing seasons
• showing up when there are no words
• praying for your friends — and actually stopping to pray with them
• honesty and trust in long-term friendship
• allowing your friends to be different from you
• hearing from God and an incredible moment when Beth and Jan received the same picture
• why friendship doesn’t need to keep score
• the importance of church and Christian community
• what Beth and Jan are seeing God do in their lives right now

If you’ve ever been grateful for a friend who has walked beside you through different seasons — or you’re currently longing for that kind of friendship and community — I hope this conversation encourages you.

This is our Village 🤍

This week I sit down with Shana Kent, who moved from Michigan to Australia over two decades ago after falling for an Australian professional baseball player — who, at the time, had no faith at all. Shana shares what it was like to build a marriage and raise three kids while holding onto her own faith largely on her own, including years of church-shopping, loneliness, and quietly "planting seeds" with a husband who wasn't interested.

Then everything changes. Shana walks us through the unbelievable series of events — a COVID lockdown, an unplanned move to America, and a chance introduction through her mum's hairdresser — that led to her husband's faith and eventual baptism.

This one is honestly one of the most encouraging stories we've shared on the podcast. If you're praying for someone you love and it feels like nothing's happening, this episode is for you.

Loved by Shana

Shana mentioned she's been loving audiobooks on hearing God's voice, including The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life by Warren W. Lee, MD. She's also been leaning into really listening to her praise music rather than having it on in the background — including tuning in to ⁠89.9 The Light⁠ on Melbourne radio or on their app.

📖 ⁠The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery⁠

As always, any book links below are Amazon affiliate links — if you purchase through them, TIOV may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show!

Today I'm kicking off a mini-series I've been dreaming about for a while — real conversations about theology, not lectures. And I couldn't think of anyone better to start with than Kate Thompson and Jasmine Crennan, who both featured as guests back in the original podcast (episodes 13 and 31, if you want to go digging).

Before we get into any actual theology topics in future episodes, this one's just about getting to know Kate and Jasmine again — what life looks like for them now, how their love of theology began, and why they think it matters for absolutely everyone, not just people who've been to Bible college.

We talk about the beauty (and the overwhelm) of theology, why community matters so much in working things out, and Kate shares one of my new favourite quotes from Saint Jerome about theology being shallow enough for a child to wade in and deep enough that none of us will ever reach the bottom.

If you've ever felt like theology is a big, intimidating word that's not really "for you," I think this conversation will feel like an invitation rather than a closed door. Sending you so much love for this one.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• You Are a Theologian by J.T. English and Jen Wilken
• None Like Him by Jen Wilken
• A World Without God by Chris Palmer
• BibleProject
• Knowing Faith podcast with Jen Wilkin
• Ask NT Wright Anything podcast
• The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble

This episode contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — thank you for supporting the podcast this way.

After four years away, This is our Village is back — and this time, Hayley's hosting solo. Fittingly, her very first guest is Amy, her original co-host and long-time friend, who joins to talk about everything that's happened in the years since they last hit record.

Amy shares what life looks like now — four kids, a move to regional Victoria, her own podcast with her husband ("Honey We Need a Chat"), and how she found her way into life coaching almost by accident. The conversation moves through some genuinely practical stuff: how to catch the stories you tell yourself, why "what's actually going well" is a question worth asking even in hard seasons, and how much of what Amy's learned in coaching lines up with what the Bible has been saying all along.

It's a warm, easy, catch-up kind of episode — old friends, a lot of laughing, and some real gold in between. A gentle, honest way to kick things back off.

📖 Mentioned in this episode: Hard Is Not the Same as Bad — https://link.amazon/B05Pe8TWc (This is an affiliate link — if you purchase through it, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

Connect with Amy:

🎙️ Honey We Need a Chat — https://honeyweneedtochat.com/

💛 Next Chapter Coaching — https://nextchaptercoaching.com.au/life-coach-for-real-change

Six years ago, Hayley and her friend Amy started This is our Village — and for two years and over 50 episodes, it was a space for sharing everyday women's stories. Then life shifted, the podcast paused, and Hayley wasn't sure it would ever come back.

In this first episode of a new season, Hayley shares what brought her back — homeschooling three kids, learning her boys are autistic with a PDA profile, a season of real isolation, and the quiet, persistent sense that God was putting this podcast back on her heart. It's honest, a little unpolished, and a genuine look at what "capacity" and "gift" can look like in a full season of life.

If you've followed along since the original podcast, or you're brand new here — this one's a lovely place to start. Sending you so much love as this new chapter begins.

(next time, hopefully I'll learn what camera to look at!)

So… this is goodbye for now

It has been an honour to have played through your ear buds or speakers, while you walk, drive, cook, clean or work over the last 2 years. We have so cherished every interview and every interaction with each of you! We have loved hearing stories of how God has worked through an episode, spoken to you or been the perfect gift for either yourself or to share with a friend. You guys have truely made this our village and we’re so so thankful for this community!

Over the last 2 years a lot has changed - for all of us! In this episode we share how things have changed for us and why we have decided to pause the podcast here and what it means for us and our families. We reflect and remember together the things we've loved and learnt and what things that we are looking forward to in the future.

We'll be honest, we're not sure if this is a break or the end. We're looking to God to lead us through this change and this season and know that he'll be with us each step of the way.

Thank you for listening to us, for supporting us and for encouraging us. ❤️

We’d love to also hear from you! What has been your fav episode? What quote or thought has stuck with you from our amazing guests?

Until next time!

This week we talk with Dr Monica D R.

Monica is a Medical Practitioner turned business coach who's passionate about supporting women and mums in their life and business endeavours.

In this episode we chat about the different seasons of motherhood and the overwhelm that can come from life as a mum. Monica shares tips on how we can support ourselves and the mums around us.

We pray it may be a blessing to you!

You can find Monica and her work here:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/monica.d.r/

Online https://drmonicadr.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/shethrivessisterhood/