Breaking Bad, the TV series which aired from 2008 to 2013, is a work of creative genius; a tapestry of interweaving characters and storylines. It is modern storytelling at its finest.

I recently re-watched the series and I wondered how it could be that I was enjoying my 3rd re-watch even more than when I’d first seen it. Why am I still enjoying a story that I already know?

It is because it was my 3rd time through. With each watching, more and more of the story revealed itself to me.

As with Breaking Bad, so it is with the Bible. It's the repetition. Hearing the Bible's repetitive story repeatedly is how come to know it & hear its lessons.

We are obsessed with Jesus. He is our hero, our superstar – our divine ideal. We try to follow his example; to imitate him. We not only want to be like him, we want to be him!

In today’s episode, Andrea argues that this obsession is misplaced. It’s a projection of our own desires which we impose on the gospel narratives.

The Jesus that we meet in the New Testament is not to be imitated but to be heard.

If you’re a church-going Christian, you’ve probably attended a Bible study. Bible studies, the way they are conducted today, don’t work.

We’re comfortable with the common approaches but what do we really learn? We either select a few verses of text & then discuss them or we select a popular topic & then use the Bible as a lens. What does the Bible say about money or faith or forgiveness?

These approaches are not Bible “study,” but rather, Bible manipulation. They turn the Bible into a mirror which we use to understand ourselves.

In today’s episode, Andrea proposes a better way.