The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Sally Lloyd-Jones and Team Jesus Storybook Bible have loved connecting with listeners the last three plus years on The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast, a place for us to share thoughts and stories from guests who give us a peek inside their everyday lives—often giving us a glimpse into the extraordinary circumstances they’ve experienced in their faith. In this episode, Sally shares a personal, special message of thanks for our listeners and recaps some of our most notable guest stories—including a never-before-shared reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Starting in January 2025, the podcast will be on hiatus so we can prepare for some exciting projects we have in the works. Be sure to keep up with Jesus Storybook Bible on social media, YouTube, and online to hear what new projects and initiatives are coming! 

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Author and mom of three boys Christie Thomas knows that when it comes to building faith in the lives of our children, there are three golden rules: keep it short and simple, keep it real, and make it playful. She shares how instilling small habits with a dose of fun can be the spark that lights a growing faith for the whole family. 

Quotes

“There are so many spots in the Bible where we just offer something really little. God is the one that takes it and makes it into something big and beautiful. When we focus on these little tiny things that we can do in our lives—following God's leading in that—then we're giving Him the glory and letting Him do what He wants in our family.” - Christie Thomas

“If you're praying about something in your life, you can point your kids to that and say, ‘Look at God actually answering these prayers.’” - Christie Thomas    

“When you bring joy into your devotional time or your prayer, they're going to be so much more likely to want to do it.” - Christie Thomas 

“Christ has come to set us free. He's a gentle shepherd, not a harsh master. He will lead us and guide us and give us inspiration. We can choose to trust in God's love. We can let Him chase away the fear that we're going to do it wrong, or the fear that we’ll push our kids away from God if we talk about Him too much, and we can let Him bring the joy of growing in faith alongside our kids.” - Christie Thomas

Guest’s Links
Christie Thomas’ website

Christie Thomas’ Instagram

Christie Thomas’ Facebook

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing

Seasonal Products

Free Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Reading Plan & Bonus Printables

The Jesus Storybook Bible: A Christmas Collection

The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book

Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story

Little One, We Knew You’d Come

My Little Library of God’s Great Love

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

At first, Monica Swanson wasn’t excited about the possibility of educating her kids at home. Sparked by her eldest son's request, Monica began to see the unique benefits of personalized education and how it has helped her sons flourish. She debunks some common myths about homeschoolers, and gives practical tips for parents considering this path. 

Quotes

“Over time as you homeschool, the confidence builds. As you see their character developing and you see their faith growing, you start to realize this is so much more than just scratching things off a list that they would get if they went to a traditional school. This was building something really beautiful in all of us.” - Monica Swanson

“My boys have really grown up with the ability to ask questions, dig in, and find the answers. I've seen my kids dig their roots even deeper, stand strong, and know what they believe because they had that time at home. They had the ability to really wrestle with things in their teenage years so that their faith was that much stronger when they went out into the world.” - Monica Swanson 

“As a homeschool mom, I think it kind of adds a special way of seeing God's love, because I get to see it in my children every day as they learn something new, as we overcome challenges and adversities, as we grow together, as I see those light bulb moments.” - Monica Swanson

“God's in everything and everywhere, but I think it's easy to miss if we're too hectic, too busy, too distracted. It's that choice to slow down for me, to open God's Word, to get my kids to take the time to start their day with God's Word and prayer. His love is everywhere.” - Monica Swanson

“I want to simply lead my children to Jesus. I want them to learn to sit at His feet, to understand His love for them and to just simply know that they're called to come to Jesus. Then as they grow up, as they develop more skills, as they understand God's Word, they'll be ready and equipped and prepared to go out into the world and make disciples.” - Monica Swanson

Guest’s Links
Monica Swanson’s website

Monica Swanson’s Facebook

Monica Swanson’s Instagram

Monica Swanson’s Twitter

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

As she navigated an emotionally unstable childhood, Laura Smith decided she needed to earn love through perfection. Today an author and speaker, Laura shares how receiving a different kind of love in adulthood, along with immersing herself in the Psalms, taught her how to trust God and experience a love not determined by achievement, but by being exactly who we are.

Quotes

“I love Psalm 16 so much. This is someone who is terrified of something and they're saying, ‘I know you're going to give me joy. I know that you will give me what I need. I know you'll keep me secure, even though right now I am terrified.’ We don't have to be in the best of places, thank goodness, because God is.” - Laura Smith

“I can be loved for myself. Just because my father didn't love me in the way that I needed to be loved doesn't mean that other people can't or that God doesn't.” - Laura Smith

“We don't have to have it all together because God does.” - Laura Smith 

“I just think it's such a beautiful reminder to be content with where we are and what we have, and content with His love and His protection. Because when we sit in that, when we actually hang out with our good shepherds, then our souls truly can be restored.” - Laura Smith

Laura Smith’s Links

Laura Smith’s website

Laura Smith’s Facebook

Laura Smith’s Twitter

Laura Smith’s Instagram

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Psalm 16 NIV
Psalm 23 NIV

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Pastor and author Dr. Dharius Daniels believes we’ll find fulfillment when we find our purpose. Dr. Daniels shares how God places purpose in each chapter of our lives, so that can we can live with contentment in every role we play.

Quotes

“I try to help as many people as possible transform their life so that they can make some transformations in the world.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels

“I believe God has wrapped our fulfillment in purpose so that we will not find it in any other place but the place and space that He's called and created for us to occupy.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels

“Ultimately, your purpose is the compilation of the contributions you've made in the roles God’s called you to play in different seasons of your life.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels

“At different times, in different ways, God's reassures me that He is with me, and that He is committed to guiding and leading me to the place He wants to take me.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels

Guest’s Links
Dr. Daniels’ website

Dr. Daniels’ Facebook

Dr. Daniels’ Twitter

Dr. Daniels’ Instagram

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Change Church

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Kyle Petty comes from one of NASCAR’s most legendary families, as one of four generations who have raced in the sport. But perhaps the more lasting legacy comes from Kyle’s grandmother, who showed him that even amid horrible loss, we have a choice: do we choose to stay mired in our pain, or do we try to move forward with new purpose?

Quotes

“On that day, [I had] two choices. I could choose to be bitter or I could choose to be blessed. And on that day, I chose to be blessed. I chose to be blessed to have a son for nineteen years.” - Kyle Petty

“Racing gave us a platform to raise our hand and say, ‘We're going to build a camp to help people and help kids.’ And that's what keeps camps going, the love of all these fans, the memory of Adam, and people just willing to help other people.” - Kyle Petty

Guest’s Links
Kyle Petty’s website

Kyle Petty’s Facebook

Kyle Petty’s Twitter

Kyle Petty’s Instagram

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
NBC

David Pearson  

Bobby Allison

Donnie Allison

Cale Yarborough

Buddy Baker

Bobby Isaac

Dale Earnhardt

Terry Labonte

Jimmie Johnson

Jeff Gordon 

Tony Stewart 

Kyle Busch

Paul Newman 

Michael Waltrip

Charity Ride Across America

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

After years of stress and burnout, award-winning physician Dr. Sasha Shillcutt shares how a dedication to saying “no” revolutionized her life and put more joy in her days.

Quotes

“Many women struggle to set boundaries because they feel guilty, and they feel like they're going to be letting someone down. They would rather overextend themselves and live in constant burnout, which is unhealthy, so that they never have the feeling of guilt.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt

“I prayed and I asked God to help me. I said, ‘I don't know how I've gotten to this place where I feel so alone, and it's such a dark place. I am not living at all the life that I thought I was going to be living.’ And that very moment was a pretty pivotal moment.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt 

“I think I was so afraid of disappointing my family and work colleagues by saying no to things. But the truth of the matter is that I was actually able to show up more fully for the things that I said yes to when I started saying no routinely to more things.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt

“Jesus walked the earth as a human, and He set boundaries. So I need to do that too.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt

Guest’s Links
Dr. Shillcutt’s website

Dr. Shillcutt’s Facebook

Dr. Shillcutt’s Instagram

Dr. Shillcutt’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Brave Boundaries by Dr. Sasha Shillcutt

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Time and again, songwriter Fernando Ortega has seen that art has the power to carry our strongest emotions—love, joy, grief—and connect us to others who may be feeling the same. Fernando shares how he discovered a love for writing contemporary hymns, how his craft helped him heal after suffering huge losses, and the joy of watching his words give meaning to the moments of others.

Quotes

“The process of writing, the challenge is always to take something that's your experience and then letting somebody take their own meaning from it, making it universal.” - Fernando Ortega

“The idea that there's a song that has been sung through all eternity is something that has become more and more real to me.” - Fernando Ortega 

“The Jesus Storybook Bible came into my life, and I read that thing to Ruby every night when she was a little girl for years. The theology in it is so beautiful. As an adult, it just broke into some of the coldest parts of my heart. I would read it from cover to cover, and then we would just start again, and we did that for years.” - Fernando Ortega

Guest’s Links
Fernando Ortega’s website

Fernando Ortega’s Facebook

Fernando Ortega’s Instagram

Fernando Ortega’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
“Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega

“Mi Abuelito” by Fernando Ortega

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

As she navigated a season of loss in her twenties, author and podcaster Anne Snyder discovered the foundations that hold up our lives—our families, our workplaces, our churches and neighborhoods—can also hold us when we suffer and help us find meaning when we’re ready to move forward.

Quotes

“The crucial questions in life are not what questions: ‘What do I do?’ They’re who questions: ‘Who do I follow? Who do I serve? Who do I love?’” - Anne Snyder

“[Growing up] my family dinner table often revolved around this observation that all people are products of their culture. It felt like from as early as I can remember, it was a way of expressing curiosity and attunement to questions of how one's environmental conditions shape your way of seeing the world, shape your habits and your character. And I think that, no doubt, had a deep impact on the way in which I approach people today.” - Anne Snyder 

“I was interested in the pathways that form the will and the mind and the heart and soul of an individual, such that he or she will be equipped to navigate life in all of its complexity and sort of ups and downs with courage and hope.” - Anne Snyder 

“I have this deep hope I can't quite explain, that somehow God is always working in our suffering, that as reality seems to fracture and relationships break and countries shudder, and the earth on which we live is begging us to take better care of it—in all of this, somehow Christ is still present and still healing and walking with us and walking into the fray.” - Anne Snyder

Guest’s Links
Anne Snyder’s website

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Comment Magazine

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Just when we’re getting comfortable, God shows up (in his impeccable timing!) to ask us to step toward something new and scary. That’s certainly been the case for Jodi Benson, the original voice of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Jodi shares how her career soared to unexpected heights, and how she strives to be salt and light wherever she goes, even if it’s in the pages of a book she never expected to write.

Quotes

“God doesn't call us to be comfortable." - Jodi Benson 

I'm like, ‘God, this is just this is not me.’ And He's like, ‘You know what? I can do extraordinary things through ordinary people who obey me. And if you can walk in obedience in something that's terribly uncomfortable, then let me take it from there.’” - Jodi Benson 

“It's been incredible, the fact that I have total freedom to be able to just be myself, that I can love other people well, and be light and salt, and use every opportunity that God gives me and every platform opportunity that He gives me to the best of my ability.” - Jodi Benson

“The tough things we go through, we can use to comfort others with the same comfort that he gave us. That's when beauty comes from the ashes.” - Jodi Benson

“God called me to do something out of my comfort zone, and it's very frightening and very scary. But there is a sense of indescribable peace, knowing that I did what he asked me to do, even though I didn't want to. Then I get to step back and let God do what he's going to do.” - Jodi Benson

Guest’s Links

Jodi Benson’s Facebook

Jodi Benson’s Instagram

Jodi Benson’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Part of My World by Jodi Benson

The Little Mermaid

The Walt Disney Company

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Cinderella

Thumbelina

Toy Story II

Toy Story III

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*