The Rooted Podcast

How can we model God’s love, and show what it looks like to love others, by truly listening?

In this episode, Noël, Esther and special guest Siân Rees discuss how Christians can become better listeners, both inside and outside the church context. 

They emphasise that listening begins with love, humility and attention: choosing to prefer others, resist distractions and be fully present. They reflect on Scripture, including James’ call to be quick to listen and slow to speak, the unity of the early Church in Acts, and Jesus’ use of questions and parables. They explore good listening as a spiritual discipline shaped by prayer, Scripture, community and the Holy Spirit. 

The conversation highlights the need for patience, empathy and self-examination, especially when discussing faith with those who think differently.
Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(01:32) - How do we model good listening within the church and society?

(02:22) - Loving others by giving them time and attention

(03:16) - Listening requires humility

(03:56) - Focused attention and being fully present

(04:43) - Distractions, unhelpful mindsets and learning to trust God

(07:14) - What can we learn from the unity and purposefulness of the early Church community?

(12:05) - The importance of considering people’s circumstances, not just what they say

(15:13) - The motif of hearing and seeing in Mark 4

(17:34) - The need to be patient and let the Holy Spirit do his work

(18:40) - Nourishing our souls: Scripture, prayer and listening to God in community

(23:24) - Listening and deeper engagement – sharing the gospel outside the church

(26:31) - Good news stories of God at work: The Quiet Revival Podcast: what’s the story?

Rooted:
Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Send us your questions!
We'd love to hear from you.
Submit your question.

Bible Society:
The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.
 
Bible Society socials: 
Facebook
Instagram
X (formerly Twitter) 
 
Disclaimer: 
This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.
#Listening #ListeningToEachOther #LovingOneAnother #Love #Humility #Attention #Unity #Patience #Empathy #Prayer #Scripture #Community #James #Acts #Mark #ChristianLiving #ChristianPodcast

Everyday Faith Bible
Let Scripture transform every part of your life with the Everyday Faith Bible.
Created in partnership with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), the Everyday Faith Bible will help you to:
 Understand Scripture’s real-world context
 Relate to experiences and emotions in the passage
 Respond to what you read with practical action
Key features:
Up to 1,000 margin annotations throughout the Bible, to encourage ‘head, heart and hands’ confidence in applying Scripture to everyday life
Real-life stories and quotes from Christian expert practitioners across the UK
Whole-page introductions to each genre of biblical writing
Whole-page features on important biblical themes

How does God speak to people and how can they discern that it is really his voice? What does it mean to truly listen to God and obey him?

In this episode, Noël, Mark and Esther explore the close connection between listening and obedience in the life and journey of faith. 

Beginning with the idea that God listens to his people, they reflect on the wonder of prayer and the two-way nature of relationship with God. Through the story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, they consider how God speaks, the importance of learning to recognise his voice, and the role of Scripture and community in testing what we hear. They also discuss dreams, openness to God, and the dangers of spiritual abuse when people claim unquestionable authority. 

Moving on to Acts 5, the conversation highlights the apostles’ boldness in obeying God rather than bowing to human pressure. They explore how listening to God requires trust, faith and obedience, whether God speaks in dramatic ways or through the ‘ordinary’ means of Scripture, prayer and daily Christian life.
Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(01:27) - God listens to us – the foundation of relationship

(03:32) - God speaks to us and we learn to listen to him – 1 Samuel 3: God calls Samuel

(05:39) - The importance of discernment

(07:21) - Are we more open and receptive to hearing from God in dreams?

(09:31) - Checking what we think we’ve heard from God is consistent with his word and character

(11:24) - The dangers of spiritual abuse

(13:24) - Sometimes God does ask people to do ‘crazy’ things, e.g. Noah and Abraham

(14:10) - Obedience flows from what we believe about God and our trust in him

(15:10) - How often should we expect God to speak to us?

(18:54) - Acts 5: The apostles are questioned before the Sanhedrin

(19:54) - Obeying God rather than people – overcoming fear, becoming bold

(22:33) - Listening and obedience require faith

Rooted:
Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Send us your questions!
We'd love to hear from you.
Submit your question.

Bible Society:
The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.
 
Bible Society socials: 
Facebook
Instagram
X (formerly Twitter) 
 
Disclaimer: 
This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.
#GodSpeaksToUs #ListeningToGod #Discernment #Faith #Trust #Obedience #Boldness #1Samuel #Acts #ChristianLiving #ChristianPodcast

Everyday Faith Bible
Let Scripture transform every part of your life with the Everyday Faith Bible.
Created in partnership with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), the Everyday Faith Bible will help you to:
 Understand Scripture’s real-world context
 Relate to experiences and emotions in the passage
 Respond to what you read with practical action
Key features:
Up to 1,000 margin annotations throughout the Bible, to encourage ‘head, heart and hands’ confidence in applying Scripture to everyday life
Real-life stories and quotes from Christian expert practitioners across the UK
Whole-page introductions to each genre of biblical writing
Whole-page features on important biblical themes

What does the Hebrew word Shema mean and what is the significance of the Shema prayer?

Welcome to the first episode of our series on the Shema prayer and what the Bible has to say about listening. 

In this episode, Noël, Mark and Esther explore the scriptures in the books of Deuteronomy and Numbers that form the Shema and discuss how this daily prayer can shape our identity, desires and the way we live.

They reflect that listening to God is about more than just hearing his words; it involves obedience that displays itself in practical action and personal transformation.

They consider how distraction, especially from smartphones, weakens our attention on and love for God and other people, before sharing practical ways we can listen better in prayer, relationships and everyday life.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(01:38) - What is the Shema prayer?

(04:48) - The Shema prayer in its original context and today

(06:14) - The role of daily prayer in spiritual formation

(08:59) - Hearing, listening and obeying – living out the two greatest commandments

(11:05) - Prayer keeps our focus on the Lord

(13:12) - The meaning of the Hebrew word Shema and its use throughout Scripture

(13:50) - Hearing, listening, obedience and transformation

(15:50) - Listening, true relationship and the things that distract us

(18:12) - The importance of community and accountability

(19:48) - Ideas for practical action


Rooted:
Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.

Send us your questions!
We'd love to hear from you.
Submit your question.

Bible Society:The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.
 
Bible Society socials: 
Facebook
Instagram
X (formerly Twitter) 
 
Disclaimer: 
This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.
#Prayer #Listening #Identity #SpiritualFormation #Deuteronomy #Numbers #ChristianLiving #ChristianPodcast

Everyday Faith Bible
Let Scripture transform every part of your life with the Everyday Faith Bible.
Created in partnership with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), the Everyday Faith Bible will help you to:
 Understand Scripture’s real-world context
 Relate to experiences and emotions in the passage
 Respond to what you read with practical action
Key features:
Up to 1,000 margin annotations throughout the Bible, to encourage ‘head, heart and hands’ confidence in applying Scripture to everyday life
Real-life stories and quotes from Christian expert practitioners across the UK
Whole-page introductions to each genre of biblical writing
Whole-page features on important biblical themes

Help us improve The Rooted Podcast by taking our survey.

We’re taking some time to work on the podcast and make it the best it can be so that more people like you can learn about the Bible and what it has to say for us today. We’re looking forward to re-launching the podcast in 2026 but in the meantime, we’d love for you to fill in a short survey so that we can make the podcast better.
We want to know things you like, things you don't, and let us know what you'd like us to try moving forward!
We look forward to hearing from you and we are excited to get back to recording in the new year.

What is pentecost? What can we learn from the early church?
Join us as we discuss the significance of Pentecost, exploring its historical and Biblical context, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the early church.  We also reflect on the courage and community of the early believers, and the lessons that can be applied to the church today.
Join us for a week of Pentecost devotionals.
Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(02:00) - What is Pentecost and where does it come from?

(04:40) - What happened at Pentecost? Acts 2

(05:40) - Why does God come in the form of wind and fire?

(07:30) - Speaking in tongues

(08:55) - Babel and The Great Commission

(11:50) - Why do the disciples have to wait for the Holy Spirit?

(17:00) - Why did the disciples go on missionary journeys?

(19:00) - The end of Luke vs the beginning of Acts

(20:45) - What can we learn from the early Church?

Rooted:
Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Send us your questions!
We'd love to hear from you.
Submit your question

Bible Society:
The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.

Bible Society socials: 
Facebook
Instagram
X (formerly Twitter) 
Disclaimer: 
This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.
#Pentecost #EarlyChurch #WhatIsPentecost #Acts2 #ChristianLiving #ChristianPodcast

Everyday Faith Bible
Let Scripture transform every part of your life with the Everyday Faith Bible.
Created in partnership with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), the Everyday Faith Bible will help you to:
 Understand Scripture’s real-world context
 Relate to experiences and emotions in the passage
 Respond to what you read with practical action
Key features:
Up to 1,000 margin annotations throughout the Bible, to encourage ‘head, heart and hands’ confidence in applying Scripture to everyday life
Real-life stories and quotes from Christian expert practitioners across the UK
Whole-page introductions to each genre of biblical writing
Whole-page features on important biblical themes