The Holy Wonder Podcast

Neal Mathis
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Christianity

The Holy Wonder Podcast is for people of faith who aren’t content with easy answers. We believe that the deepest truths often emerge in the questions we’re brave enough to ask. Here, we explore the terrain where scripture and lived experience intersect, where theology meets the texture of ordinary days, where art and beauty reveal what words sometimes cannot. This is a place for the curious and those who understand that wonder is not the opposite of understanding but often its beginning.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 005 - The Mountains of Wonder

    In today’s episode, Neal and Andy turn to First Kings 18 and 19. Elijah’s story takes us from one mountain to another. On Mount Carmel, fire falls from heaven, the prophets of Baal are silenced, and no one in Israel can doubt who is God. It is one of the great mountaintop moments of Scripture. But only a chapter later, we find the same prophet exhausted, afraid, and running for his life, asking God to let him die. He ends up on another mountain, Sinai, where the glory he saw at Carmel seems nowhere to be found. So how does a man go from the heights of Carmel to the valley of doubt so quickly? And how does God respond to him there? It's not as difficult as it might seem. Along the way, we’ll see a God who is powerful over every false pretender to His throne, and patient with the doubts of His servants.  Chapters (00:00:01) - Introduction and Recap(00:00:40) - Setting Up Elijah's Two Mountains(00:03:13) - Peaks and Valleys of Life(00:06:24) - Background: Ahab, Jezebel, and the Northern Kingdom(00:10:03) - Baal vs Yahweh: The Setting of the Conflict(00:13:41) - Right and Wrong, Volume vs Truth(00:16:51) - God's Timing and Patience (Noah, Job, Pentecost)(00:19:22) - 1 Kings 18 Begins: Elijah, Obadiah, and Ahab(00:22:48) - Gathering at Mount Carmel(00:25:46) - How Long Will You Waver(00:30:28) - Idolatry and Modern Parallels(00:32:24) - The Contest: Prophets of Baal Fail(00:36:12) - Elijah Rebuilds the Altar and Fire Falls(00:39:15) - God's Jealousy and Judgment on the Prophets(00:43:20) - Society, Idols, and National Reflection(00:47:05) - Elijah's Victory and the Coming Fall(00:50:58) - Break and Transition to Chapter 19(00:52:23) - Jezebel's Threat and Elijah's Fear(00:57:13) - Elijah Flees and Asks to Die(00:57:52) - Confusion at the Sudden Collapse of Faith(01:05:22) - God's Provision and the Journey to Horeb(01:07:54) - What Are You Doing Here, Elijah(01:10:44) - Selfishness, Despair, and Modern Culture(01:16:18) - The Cost of True Self-Sacrifice(01:20:07) - Personal Reflection: Coaching and Human Failure(01:25:00) - The Still Small Voice at Sinai(01:28:07) - God in the Whisper, Not the Noise(01:31:28) - Elijah's Commission and Legacy(01:35:21) - Closing Reflections and Parallels to Peter(01:38:46) - Final Thoughts and Episode Wrap-up

    Episode 005 - The Mountains of Wonder

  2. Oct 20

    Episode 004 - Wonder in the Work

    Join your hosts Neal and Andy as we walk through the events of Genesis 6 and sit in the wonder of a God who waited. When the world turns away from Him, we pause to marvel at His patience rather than rush to the flood. For 120 years, God gave people time to turn back. Noah's faith was quiet and steady. He heard God's word and built a boat on dry ground, even when it made no sense to anyone watching. We close by looking at the grace in the ark. God didn't save Noah alone. He asked Noah to build the boat so his family could be saved with him. The same God who judges sin makes a way for a household. Chapters (00:00:03) - Introduction and Series Recap(00:02:28) - Setting the Stage: Noah's World(00:04:03) - Understanding Wickedness(00:09:18) - Comparative Righteousness vs True Righteousness(00:13:47) - Learned Righteousness and Modeling Christ(00:16:14) - Noah's Blamelessness Explained(00:18:00) - Noah's Family: Saved by Association?(00:22:21) - Grace, Instructions, and Collateral Blessings(00:28:33) - The Time It Took to Build the Ark(00:29:36) - The Hamburger Analogy: Patient Obedience(00:33:44) - Grace as Instruction and Judgment Day Parallel(00:36:15) - God's Patience Amid a Worsening World(00:39:47) - Break and Transition to Modern Application(00:40:45) - Wrestling with God's Justice and Judgment(00:46:24) - Justice vs Judgment and God's Mercy(00:50:51) - Noah's Humanity and God's Enduring Grace(00:54:15) - Building Our Own Arks Today(00:58:19) - Closing Thoughts: Legacy and Impact(01:01:39) - Outro and Podcast Information

    Episode 004 - Wonder in the Work

  3. Oct 15

    Episode 003 - The Wonder of Pentecost

    Join your hosts Neal and Andy as we walk through the events of Acts 2 and sit in the wonder of what happened that day. When the Spirit arrives in Jerusalem, we pause to marvel rather than rush past. The speaking in tongues was clear, not confusion or noise. People from many nations heard the mighty works of God in their own languages. We close by comparing the two temples: the physical one in Jerusalem, where the crowds had gathered for the feast, and the spiritual one God begins building at Pentecost. The place where God dwells moves from stone to people. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Pentecost(00:02:06) - Welcome Back and Series Recap(00:03:36) - What Was the Feast of Pentecost(00:04:52) - The Diaspora and the Crowds in Jerusalem(00:07:41) - One Heritage, Many Nations(00:09:06) - Jehoshaphat the Elamite: Gospel Spreading Home(00:13:45) - Waiting in the Upper Room(00:20:16) - Wind, Fire, and God's Presence(00:24:03) - Tongues of Fire Resting on the People(00:25:47) - God's Word as Breath and Power Today(00:29:28) - The Crowd's Bewilderment and the Miracle's Clarity(00:35:34) - Babel to Pentecost: Clarity Over Confusion(00:38:11) - 120 People Who Changed the World(00:40:32) - Break and Return to the Sermon(00:41:49) - How Was the Sermon Heard in Many Tongues(00:47:32) - Faith Without Knowing the Mechanics(00:51:00) - Peter's Sermon: Joel's Prophecy Fulfilled(00:54:00) - Jesus as Lord and Christ(00:59:23) - Cut to the Heart: What Must We Do(01:00:46) - Responses to the Gospel Then and Now(01:05:32) - The Ordinary Made Extraordinary(01:09:48) - The New Temple: God Dwelling in His People(01:13:47) - Fulfillment of Prophecy and the Church's Growth(01:17:19) - Closing Reflections and Call to Action(01:20:13) - Final Thoughts and Sign Off

    Episode 003 - The Wonder of Pentecost

  4. Oct 7

    Episode 002 - The Wonder of Job's Story

    Join your hosts as they step into the story of Job, a man who lost nearly everything and still found the faith to hold on. His endurance is well known, but the heartbreak in his lament (chapter 3) is what makes the story so honest. Job doesn't hide his pain. He brings it, raw and unfiltered, before God. And through every cry and every unanswered question, God is patient with him. He doesn't rush Job's grief or turn away from his questions. Then, in the end, as story comes full circle: the one who suffered is restored, and the God who waited is revealed. It leaves us with awe at who God is and how faithfully He meets us in our darkest hours. Join us as we wonder our way through the story of Job. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Job and the Series(00:02:34) - Welcome and Setting Up the Discussion(00:04:23) - Job's Background as a Patriarch(00:11:06) - The Doctrine of Retribution(00:15:26) - God's Challenge to Satan and the Heavenly Court(00:19:31) - Trusting God's Belief in Us Through Suffering(00:23:12) - Would We Love Job Without the Happy Ending?(00:25:47) - The Totality of Job's Suffering and His Worship(00:32:37) - Unrecognizable to the World, Known to God(00:36:06) - Deep Rooted Faith Amid Frustration(00:38:19) - Break and Transition to Chapter Three(00:39:09) - Job's Lament: Cursing the Day of His Birth(00:44:00) - Job as Human: Encouragement in His Despair(00:47:33) - Judging Others Who Suffer(00:50:26) - Shaking a Fist at God and Personal Grief(00:56:06) - Learning Through Loss and Purpose(00:58:39) - God's Answer from the Whirlwind(01:03:42) - Job's Repentance and Seeing God Truly(01:07:16) - Facing Mortality and Closing Reflections

    Episode 002 - The Wonder of Job's Story

  5. Sep 29

    Episode 001 - Welcome to the Holy Wonder Podcast

    In the first episode of the Holy Wonder Podcast, Neal Mathis and co-host Andy Yant lay out what the show is for: a space where the sacred meets the everyday, where ancient wisdom meets modern questions, and where wonder is the defining characteristic of the world around us. They then turn to the name itself. In modern English, "I wonder" usually signals doubt. Biblical wonder is the opposite: the overflow of knowing something too big to hold. Neal and Andy trace it through the Old Testament, from the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, to the Psalmist's remembering in Psalm 77, to Isaiah's praise of God's plans "faithful and sure" in Isaiah 25. They then move to the Gospels, where words like thaumazo, thambos, and ekstasis describe crowds, disciples, and parents who are amazed by Jesus. The episode's central observation is that wonder often comes before full understanding. It is the doorway to understanding, not the reward at the end of it. Chapters (00:00:01) - Podcast Introduction and Mission(00:02:44) - Meeting Andy and Podcast Origins(00:03:29) - Standing in Wonder: Personal Experiences(00:05:21) - Defining Biblical Wonder vs Modern Usage(00:07:05) - Wonder in the Old Testament: God's Mighty Acts(00:11:22) - Wonder in the New Testament: Jesus and Marveling Crowds(00:16:18) - Living in Holy Wonder Today(00:17:48) - Introducing the Top 3 Awe-Inspiring Moments Countdown(00:19:52) - Number Three Picks: Job's Endurance and Pentecost(00:21:54) - Number Two Picks: Noah's Ark and Elijah's Mountains(00:25:58) - Number One Picks: The Fall and the Fiery Furnace(00:30:01) - Wrap-up, Homework Assignment, and Farewell

  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Holy Wonder Podcast is for people of faith who aren’t content with easy answers. We believe that the deepest truths often emerge in the questions we’re brave enough to ask. Here, we explore the terrain where scripture and lived experience intersect, where theology meets the texture of ordinary days, where art and beauty reveal what words sometimes cannot. This is a place for the curious and those who understand that wonder is not the opposite of understanding but often its beginning.

Information