In this episode, Jamie and Raz talk about what it means to enroll in “The School of the Father”—where the Teacher is God Himself.

Throughout the Scriptures, we find a stunning promise: God wants to personally teach His children. From the prophets of the Old Testament to the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, we see a thread of divine instruction—the Father leading, guiding, and forming us by His Spirit.

Even the psalmist understood this reality:
“I have more understanding than all my teachers . . . for You have taught me.”
Psalm 119:99–102
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A99-102&version=ESV

Jamie and Raz unpack passages like Isaiah 30, Jeremiah 31, and 1 Thessalonians 4, showing that walking with Him means learning from Him.
Isaiah 30: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+30%3A18-21&version=ESV

Jeremiah 31: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A33-34&version=ESV

1 Thessalonians 4: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+4%3A9&version=ESV

They also offer practical steps for getting into this “school”:

1. Enroll yourself – Believe that God, the Father, wants to be your teacher.
2. Open your textbook – Read the Bible with expectation that He’ll speak.
3. Listen to the lecture – Slow down and let the Spirit highlight truth.
4. Take notes – Write down what you hear so you don’t forget.
5. Ask questions – Dialogue with the Father; learning happens in relationship.

Scriptures to explore (Read these and ask the Father to teach you!):

Isaiah 30:18–21
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+30%3A18-21&version=ESV

Jeremiah 31:33–34
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A33-34&version=ESV

Isaiah 54:13 (cf. John 6:45)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+54%3A13&version=ESV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6%3A45&version=ESV

1 Thessalonians 4:9
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+4%3A9&version=ESV

Psalm 119:97–104
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97-104&version=ESV

Let the Father teach you—He’s the best Teacher you’ll ever have, and you might just learn more than your favorite Bible teacher.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-hi

In this episode, Jamie and Raz share what they’re learning through the Your Story chronological Bible reading journey—and invite listeners to jump in and read along with the church family.

They reflect on the lives of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and how remarkable it is that God the Father continually appears, speaks, guides, blesses, and keeps covenant with these men (and women), even though their lives are full of sin and dysfunction. Manipulation, deception, control, favoritism, polygamy, and violence are all part of their stories—yet God never stops pursuing relationship with them.

Together, Jamie and Raz marvel that the Father seems far more interested in their covenant loyalty than their sinless perfection. His desire has always been to be with His people.

They trace this theme forward to the New Testament, celebrating the stunning reality that we now get to experience God’s presence within us through the Holy Spirit. As believers, we have become mobile temples—His dwelling place—because of the finished work of Jesus’ death and resurrection, not because of our own performance.

Using Jacob’s dream of the stairway to heaven as an example—where he awoke and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!”—they challenge listeners to recognize the same truth in our own lives. God is with us all the time, even when we’re unaware.

The episode ends with practical ways to practice His presence: learning to turn prayer into a two-way conversation of talking and listening to God, rather than simply reciting requests.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com

Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)
https://www.mariemontchurch.org

Jamie’s website & writing:
https://www.jamiemoore.org

Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
Available on Amazon

In this episode, Jamie and Raz explore how to read the Bible more effectively by focusing on the main character—God the Father.
Too often, we read Scripture through the lens of the human characters, trying to imitate their actions or apply their experiences to our own lives. But when we do that, we can miss what the story is truly revealing about God Himself.

Jamie and Raz explain that the frame you use shapes what you see—and if we focus on the wrong character, we can draw the wrong lessons. For example, looking to Job’s friends for how to comfort someone in suffering completely misses the point—because God condemns their response!

Instead, this conversation invites you to slow down, look for what the passage reveals about God’s nature, heart, and actions, and then ask how that truth about who He is applies to your life.

Using the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, they show that Abraham’s behavior is far from exemplary—but the Father’s is extraordinary. God meets Hagar, a mistreated and forgotten woman, hears her cry, and reveals Himself as El Roi—“the God who sees.”

This episode reminds us that reading the Bible with Him means looking for the Father in every story—the One who sees, hears, and draws near to the brokenhearted.

To join the "YOUR STORY" reading plan, sign up here:
👉 https://mariemontchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/your-story-encountering-the-father-in-his-word

Subscribe to the "With Him" Podcast email list
Get new episodes, bonus content, and more:
👉 https://mailchi.mp/mariemontchurch/sub-to-with-him-podcast

Explore past episodes and resources
👉 https://www.mariemontchurch.org/with-him-podcast

Resources & Contact Info

Email Raz & Jamie: razwithhim@gmail.com
Their church: Mariemont Church (Cincinnati, OH)
👉 https://www.mariemontchurch.org
Jamie’s website & writing:
👉 https://www.jamiemoore.org
Jamie’s book, Friendship with God
👉 Available on Amazon