In this fourth episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby revisits a Bible study idea he once used at summer camp: putting the Bible “on trial” and asking it to testify about itself.

What does Scripture say about its own purpose, authority, and function?

We look at passages including 2 Timothy 3, Psalm 119, Hebrews 4, Luke 24, and John 20, and ask what these texts actually claim before rushing to conclusions.

Along the way, we return to a principle that continues to shape Unmarked Trail:

Know what you see, not see what you know.

This episode is not about pretending every question is settled. It is about listening carefully to the testimony, asking good questions, and reading the Bible for yourself.

If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.

And if this was a helpful episode, and if you know someone who might appreciate it, please share it with them.

You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.

Just come curious.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In this third episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby shares a simple way to approach any Bible passage with three questions:

What does it say?

Observe.

What does it mean?

Interpret.

What should I do, think, or feel in response?

Respond.

Along the way, Don explores the importance of context, genre, curiosity, and the willingness to say, “I don’t know.” He also shares a principle a mentor taught him: “Know what you see, not see what you know.”

Then we put the method into practice with a short passage from Mark 1.

If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.

And if this was a helpful episode, and if you know someone who might appreciate it, please share it with them.

You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.

Just come curious.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In Episode 2 of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby asks a basic but important question: What is the Bible, anyway?

Beginning with a childhood memory of receiving a small red New Testament in fifth grade, Don introduces the Bible as a library made up of many kinds of writing, including law, history, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospels, letters, and apocalyptic literature.

Along the way, he explains why genre matters and context matters, and why not every part of the Bible should be read the same way.

If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card that goes with this episode, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.

You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.

Just come curious.

In the first episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby shares three things he wishes someone had told him when he first became curious about the Bible: it is not always easy to read, it is not always clear, and you should learn to read it for yourself. Along the way, we begin exploring what it means to approach the Bible carefully, honestly, and in context.