You've seen Egypt in Sunday school flannelgraphs. You've seen it in The Prince of Egypt. You've heard it reduced to "the bad guys" in the Exodus story.

But what if almost everything you think you know about Egypt is wrong?

In this episode of You've Heard It Said, we confront the Egypt in your head—the one built by centuries of art, film, and oversimplified retellings. Because if we don't understand what Egypt actually was, we can't fully grasp what God did when He brought Israel out.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Egypt was a main character in Israel's story, not just a villain
• What ancient Egypt was actually like—and why it was both magnificent and terrifying
• How misunderstanding Egypt means misunderstanding the Exodus
• Why the plagues were a direct confrontation with Egypt's gods
• What it means that the God of enslaved people defeated the greatest empire of the ancient world

This is the foundation for everything that comes next. Welcome to Egypt.

You've Heard It Said: where faith meets history, and the stories we thought we knew come alive.

Follow the show and/or read the written version on Substack (you'll get the reading plan if you do!):👉 https://youvehearditsaid.short.gy/spotify

The Old Testament often feels confusing, outdated, or easy to sidestep, but Jesus never treated it that way.
So why does it still matter?

In this introductory episode of You’ve Heard It Said, we explore why the Old Testament is foundational to Christian faith—and how reading it in its ancient, cultural, and historical context can radically change how we understand Scripture.

In this episode, we explore:
• Why Jesus insisted the Law and the Prophets still matter• How the Sermon on the Mount reframes the purpose of Old Testament law• What the laws of Israel reveal about God’s care for women, widows, and the vulnerable• How legalism missed the heart of the law• Why the Bible wasn’t written into our modern context—and why that matters

And then, we put that lens into practice with one story that changed everything for me:
• Rebekah at the well (Genesis 24)• Eliezer’s test and the theme of hesed (loyal love)• What ancient wells like the Pool of Gibeon reveal about the true cost of Rebekah’s obedience• Why her story is about willingness, not impressiveness

You’ve Heard It Said: where faith meets history, and the stories we thought we knew come alive.

Subscribe to the show and/or read the written version on Substack:
👉 https://youvehearditsaid.substack.com/

Christmas didn’t become big business by accident. It became big business because it already meant something. So how did a sacred season turn into a cultural industry? And what did we lose—and gain—along the way?

In this episode, we explore:• How Christmas moved from the church into the public square• Why visibility made the season scalable, and sellable• How Santa shifted from folklore to storefronts• The role of department stores, Coca-Cola, and branding• How Hallmark industrialized Christmas sentiment• Why Starbucks taught us when Christmas starts• And what commercialization reveals about human longing

This episode closes out our first Christmas series on You’ve Heard It Said.

You’ve Heard It Said: where faith meets history and the stories we thought we knew come alive.

Subscribe to this channel or read the full written version on Substack here: https://youvehearditsaid.short.gy/spotify