QUICK Qs: When Does the Bible Come Alive for You

The moment scripture transforms from just words on a page into living wisdom that speaks directly to your heart—that's what the Boundless Bible podcast explores in this thoughtful conversation. 

David Shapiro, Javi Marquez, and Jason Holloway dive deep into the question: "When does the Bible come alive for you?" Their answers reveal remarkably different spiritual pathways that may resonate with your own experience or open new possibilities for connection.

For David, scripture truly blossoms through community dialogue. "The Bible is not a document that's meant solely for reading alone," he shares, describing how conversations with others consistently illuminate passages he's read countless times before. Jason finds his connection when passages speak directly to his personal circumstances: "God works in a weird way of just speaking right to my heart." Meanwhile, Javi explores how environment shapes our receptivity to scripture, whether it's on a sailboat under stars or in the peaceful quiet of early morning.

This conversation beautifully illustrates that there's no single "correct" way to engage with scripture. The Bible proves remarkably adaptable, meeting each person where they are—whether through community discussion, solitary reflection, or moments of awe in creation. Your own spiritual path may share elements with all three hosts or follow an entirely different route.

What about you? When does the Bible come alive in your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation on social media using #BoundlessBible. We'd love to hear how scripture speaks uniquely to you.

Send us a text

Support the show

Have a topic, verse, or story you'd like us to cover?

• Tell us on the socials at @theboundlessbible:
  Facebook / Instagram / TikTok
• Join the new Facebook Group: The Boundless Bible Discussion Group

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review—it helps us reach more people like you.

Episode Transcript

David (00:02):
Welcome to the Boundless Bible.
My name is David Shapiro, hey,I'm Javi Marquez and I'm Jason
Holloway.

Jason (00:12):
Quick questions with David.
Okay, we're back.
I love it.
We're back with questions withDavid.
It is Monday.
We have a good question.
I think let's get it started.

David (00:21):
All right, let's jump into.
When does the Bible come alivefor you?

Jason (00:25):
Let's get it started.
All right, let's jump into whendoes the Bible come alive for
you?
This is actually an easyquestion for me, because while I
enjoy reading the Bible, whileI enjoy studying the Bible, the
Bible comes alive for me mostwhen I'm talking with other
people about it.
The Bible is not a documentthat's meant solely for reading
alone and processing alone forme, and I've found that I need

(00:46):
other people's perspectives andI need other people's thoughts
and experiences to help itblossom, because I mean, how
often are we just talkingamongst ourselves, guys, and
something I've read a thousandtimes comes up and I'm like I
have never thought about it likethat and then just cascading
thoughts.
So for me, it's about being ina group setting and being able
to talk to other people aboutthings and hearing their sides,

(01:07):
and that it just.
It just.
That's why we're doing apodcast.
No, I can relate.

Javi (01:11):
I can relate to that in our group right, that we're in,
but also discussions like this,doing the podcast, and our own
discussions talking to others.
Yeah, I would say, for me, whatcomes alive about the Bible is
really reading the passages, andI think God works a weird way

(01:31):
of just speaking right to myheart whenever I read, like a
devotional or just kind of apassage, when I really break it
down, yeah, and I start to feelit's alive because it becomes
personal to me.
Yeah, I go, wow, that'ssomething that I've been through
or I've thought about or I'mgoing through right now and this
passage helped me to oversee itor see it more clearly, and
that's when it becomes alive forme, that's great.

David (01:53):
I'm going to drop two names of two friends.
One is there's a gentleman, hisname is Buck, and he says that
he feels closest to God when heis on a boat, when he on a
sailboat.

Jason (02:04):
Oh yeah, the ocean at night.

David (02:06):
And then a gentleman, kevin, who says that when he
sees the sunrise, come up yeah.
And it makes me think that, justwhen you really are in touch
with nature and I say it all thetime you know we are three of
us right now or you know in acity area and it's hard when
you're in a city and you havebuildings and you have lights
and you have things going on allthe time and people, it's

(02:26):
sometimes hard to connect.
But when you're in the middleof nowhere, when you're camping
and just under the stars or youjust appreciate everything that
was created around you in adifferent way, if you, at that
moment, jump into a Bible studywith people, with your text,
whatever you, do In the rightmindset right and you jump into
it, man, there's just nothinglike it.

(02:46):
Yeah, what comes out of you isall emotion, and it's beautiful,
yeah.

Javi (02:51):
I feel that way in the morning, when I have the early
rise mornings, that I might wakeup and actually read my Bible
and have the time to pray andkind of really take in what I
just read or just pray about it.
I really feel that peace, likeif I was in the wilderness or
just kind of seeing the sunrise.
I really feel that peacewhenever I do wake up If I wake

(03:13):
up early, because I don't dothat often.
So when I do wake up early I dofeel this like this overcoming
peace.
There's this quietness that'shappening in the morning and I'm
able to do that.
I'm able to feel that, I'm ableto hear God more audibly.

Jason (03:26):
Yeah, you guys have seen me at 7.30 in the morning.
I'm not a pleasant person, sothat's not my time.
That's not my time.
I'm a night owl.
But all right, guys, goodquestion.
Thanks a lot.
Have a good day.
Thank you, bye.