Important Announcement

[00:00:00] - [Speaker 0]
Good day, everyone. Dave here with a big announcement about the future of the podcast. It was so exciting to reach 100 episodes recently. Apparently, only about seven and a half percent of podcasts reached that number. It's also exciting to see more and more people find the podcast across the world with thousands of people listening every month.

[00:00:20] - [Speaker 0]
That means more and more kids and even adults being helped to trust our faithful god. The hardest part about making the podcast has been trying to financially support myself through it. There have been a small number of generous donors who have helped along the way to whom I'm really thankful. Largely, though, the funding has come from other sources that I've been able to pull together. Unfortunately, I'll soon no longer be in a position to do that.

[00:00:49] - [Speaker 0]
My options are pretty simple. Do less podcasting or find a way to earn money from the podcasting. I'm keen to keep the podcast going. For that reason, I've done a lot of thinking about how I can, a, still provide some free resources, b, charge money for some of my work, and, c, add significant value for those who do pay for my work. With that in mind, here are some changes you'll see in the coming days to the podcast stream.

[00:01:21] - [Speaker 0]
Firstly, only the newest 15 episodes will be available for free. If you can't or don't want to pay, you'll still be able to keep up with all the new episodes. You just won't be able to go back and listen to the full library. Secondly, to access the full library, you'll be able to sign up for $9.99 a month. That's in US dollars.

[00:01:43] - [Speaker 0]
If you sign up for a whole year, you'll get two months free. Thirdly, if you sign up for the next tier, which is only $14.99 a month US dollars, you'll still get access to all the episodes, plus you'll get access to two brand new things that I'm really excited about. One of them is exclusive early and full access to a new podcast called bible in your brain. This will be a weekly ten minute podcast that will help the whole family memorize sections of scripture. For example, in the first series, we'll be learning Titus two verses 11 to 14 over eight weeks.

[00:02:26] - [Speaker 0]
Each episode will help you to memorize a part of that as well as have a short section where I explain something from the verse. It'll be fun. It'll be a bit wacky at times, and it'll be great for putting god's word into your head. If you want a taste of what I'm talking about, don't worry. At the end of this announcement, I've attached the very first episode so you can see what I mean.

[00:02:51] - [Speaker 0]
Also, once a month, I'll be producing a parents' encouragement show. This will be a short show with an encouragement to help you keep trusting Jesus as you parent your kids. Parenting can be tough, and I want to share God's word with you to remind you of the joy and goodness of your great God. As a part of that show, I'll also have an ask me anything section. You'll be able to write in an ask me anything about the Bible, about parenting, marriage, church, school, brutalist architecture of the nineteen sixties.

[00:03:25] - [Speaker 0]
Although, I might have to do a bit of reading up on that one before giving a helpful answer. Basically, I wanna be a resource for you in helping you follow Jesus every single day. So that's it. Two tiers, $9.99 a month to get full access to all the episodes, and $14.99 to get all that plus a super fun memory verse podcast and a parent encouragement slash ask me anything show. That's a maximum of $3.50 a week, all to help you and your kids grow in faith in Jesus.

[00:04:01] - [Speaker 0]
I think it'll be a great investment in your family. You can also give them as a gift for someone else. Of course, I understand that plenty of people won't sign up, and so I'll still need Christians to financially support my ministry. That's why when you go to the sign up page, there'll be a few other tiers that you can sign up to. You'll still get all the benefits, full access to stories of a faithful god for kids, the bible in your brain podcast, the parent encouragement slash ask me anything show, but you'll also be financially supporting me to keep creating more resources for Christians and non Christians to trust god through Jesus.

[00:04:42] - [Speaker 0]
I hope that's clear. Feel free to get in contact with me at faithful god dot net if you have any questions. To sign up, all you need to do is click on the link in the show notes of this episode. If you really hate links, just go to faithfulgod.net, then you'll see a sign there saying join the club. I'd love for you all to join.

[00:05:02] - [Speaker 0]
I'd love to keep creating resources for you. For now, sit back and enjoy the very first episode of bible in your brain. Good day, everyone, and welcome along to the first ever episode of Bible in Your Brain. I'm Dave Whittingham. Do you know the Bible is the best book in the entire world?

[00:05:30] - [Speaker 0]
When we read the Bible, we meet God. When we read the Bible, we learn how to live for God. When we read the Bible, God is actually speaking to us. The Bible was written by a whole bunch of humans, but it was God who was showing them what to write, which means when we read the Bible, we're hearing what God said. We're hearing his word.

[00:05:56] - [Speaker 0]
And when we memorize his word, the Bible, it means we get to carry it around with us wherever we go, and God's holy spirit will use that to help us love God and love other people. So the way the podcast will work is this. Every episode, we'll have a section where we'll spend time memorizing a bit of God's word, the Bible. Then we'll also have a bit of time learning about what we're trying to memorize. Over a few weeks, we'll learn a larger section.

[00:06:27] - [Speaker 0]
So in the first eight weeks, we're going to learn Titus chapter two verses 11 to 14. Sometimes, we might be visited by a special guest who'll check how we're going with our learning. Your job during the week is to go away and memorize the part of the Bible we're learning. You might even want to do that as a family. To help, I'll also give you some special tools along the way.

[00:06:55] - [Speaker 0]
So let's start getting the Bible in your brain. The first part of the Bible we're going to memorize is Titus two eleven. When we say two, you hold up two fingers. When we say 11, you have to hold up 10 fingers, and then quickly put them down and hold up one finger. Let's try it.

[00:07:24] - [Speaker 0]
Titus two eleven. Try it again. Titus two eleven. This is what Titus two eleven says. It says, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

[00:07:42] - [Speaker 0]
I'll say it again. Titus two eleven, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. One more time. Titus two eleven, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. One of the ways that I find helpful to get the words into my head is to do some actions with them.

[00:08:10] - [Speaker 0]
So for grace, grace is a gift like a present. So I hold out my hands like I'm getting a present for the grace of God. For of God, I point up to the sky, a bit like we're pointing towards heaven. Let's try that first bit with the actions. Titus two eleven.

[00:08:34] - [Speaker 0]
For the grace of God. And then when we say has appeared, we put our hands over our eyes and then take them off. Titus two eleven, for the grace of God has appeared. For the words that offers salvation, imagine your hands are chained up together like you're in handcuffs, and then break them apart. That's like you're being saved from them.

[00:09:09] - [Speaker 0]
And finally, when we say to all people, we can spread our arms wide. So it's to all people. Let's try that with the actions. Titus two eleven. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

[00:09:36] - [Speaker 0]
I'll put a video clip up for you to see the actions as well. Another way I like to learn a memory verse is to say it in different voices. In fact, I've got a special wheel here on my computer screen that I can spin, and it's got lots of different voices on it. Wherever it stops, that's how we've gotta say it. So I'm gonna spin it now.

[00:10:04] - [Speaker 0]
Okay. It says we have to say it like a sheep. Here we go. Titus two eleven. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

[00:10:20] - [Speaker 0]
Let me try spinning again. Oh, this time it says a cowboy, so I guess we better start with a yeehaw. Ready? Yeehaw. Titus two eleven.

[00:10:39] - [Speaker 0]
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Let's try spinning one more time. Oh, this time it says in a deep voice. I wonder how deep you can make your voice. Titus two eleven.

[00:11:05] - [Speaker 0]
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. I think you get the idea. I'll put the wheel of names up on the website as well at faithfulgod.net so you can have fun practicing with it during the week. Hopefully, by now, you're starting to have Titus two eleven in your head. Next week, we might have a special guest who checks how we're going with memorizing it.

[00:11:51] - [Speaker 0]
What's the best present you've ever been given? A ball? A donkey? A nostril hair trimmer? Did you earn that present?

[00:12:03] - [Speaker 0]
I'm guessing not. Because when you earn something, it isn't a present. You're just being given what you've earned. You never earn a present. People give you presents, not because you've done something good, but because they're kind.

[00:12:19] - [Speaker 0]
They've given up their money and their time and their effort to give you something. How wonderfully kind of them. The word grace that's in our memory verse is talking about a present or gift from God. We haven't earned it. We haven't done anything to deserve it.

[00:12:37] - [Speaker 0]
In fact, we've done just the opposite. Instead of earning God's kind gift, we've actually earned God's anger by our sin. We don't treat God the way we should. We don't treat other people the way we should, and that makes God angry. He knows that what we deserve is to be punished.

[00:12:58] - [Speaker 0]
But in God's grace, he gives us the free gift of forgiveness. He doesn't treat us like we deserve. He treats us like we haven't done anything wrong. He kindly invites us into his family. He saves us from death, and we'll get to live with him forever.

[00:13:18] - [Speaker 0]
So when Titus two eleven says, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people, that is an amazing kindness from God. Well, that's it for this week. Remember, your job is to go away and learn Titus two eleven for next week. I'll put a link in the show notes to send you to some of those tools that will help you. There is one thing we need to do before we go, though.

[00:14:05] - [Speaker 0]
You see, it's actually not enough to have the Bible in your brain. You need God's help to believe it. So let's pray. I'll say the words, and at the end, we can all say amen. And do you know what amen means?

[00:14:19] - [Speaker 0]
It means true or I agree or yeah. So after we say amen, let's all say yeah. Okay. Let's pray. Dear God, thanks for your word, the Bible.

[00:14:37] - [Speaker 0]
Thank you that you offer us the free gift of grace. Help us to trust you and accept your grace. Amen. Yeah.

[00:14:55] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, a whale. Titus two eleven. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.