Cedar & Cypress Podcast

Episode 36 | What Every Young Woman Needs to Hear About Motherhood

Happy Mother’s Day! Today, we bring you a special episode about the biblical beauty of motherhood, including a critique of culture’s common standpoint on motherhood and the family. As Christians, we dare to be countercultural and challenge the worldview that motherhood hinders a whole, beautiful, and fulfilled life. We reject the world’s wisdom, which is foolishness, and pursue God’s plan and design instead. Whether you’re a mother or not, you don’t want to miss this episode.
Scriptures
Genesis 11:1-9
1 Samuel 1-3, 15-16
1 Kings 3:16-28
Proverbs 22:6
Mark 10:41-45
Luke 11:33-36
1 Corinthians 3:19
2 Peter 1:3-4
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Crosswalk, “The Top 10 Most Extraordinary Mothers of the Bible”
Got Questions, “Who was Eli in the Bible?”
John MacArthur, “Bible Introductions – 1 Samuel”
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 35 | Should Christians Care About Environmental Conservation?

Are environmentalism and eco-friendliness noble pursuits from a biblical perspective? Should Christians care or make efforts to contribute toward this ever-growing movement? And what did the secular humanists get wrong about environmental conservation? We answer all these questions and more today in a sincere endeavor to understand how we can honor the Creator based on how the biblical authors described and considered creation.
Scriptures
Genesis 1-3, 6-9, 19:24
Exodus 3
Joshua 6:1-27
Job 40-41
Proverbs 16:18
Ezekiel 37:1-10
Matthew 8:23-27, 12:34, 14:22-36, 21:1-11, 28:16-18
Mark 4:36-41, 6:45-56, 11:1-11
Luke 8:22-25, 19:28-44
John 6:16-24, 12:12-19
Romans 14
Ephesians 4:1-6
2 Peter 3:10–12
Resources
ESV Study Bible
“43 Bible Verses about the Power of God”
“100+ Easy Ways to Be More Eco-Friendly”
Blue Letter Bible, “Miracles Recorded in the Old Testament”
Blue Letter Bible, “Our Lord’s Miracles”
Henah Velez, “99 Sustainable Swaps To Incorporate Into Your Daily Routine”
Got Questions, “What does it mean that heaven and earth will pass away?”
Got Questions, “What are the New Heavens and the New Earth?”
John MacArthur, “Jesus’ Power over the Natural”
John Piper, “All Authority in Heaven and Earth: The Sovereignty of Jesus and His Unstoppable Mission”
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 34 | My Thoughts on the Asbury Revival

In February, Asbury University in Kentucky took the news by storm with its spontaneous and continuous worship service, which continued for over two weeks after a routine chapel service should have ended. What are we to make of spiritual revivals? Should we be joyful, cautious, or both? Are spiritual revivals even biblical? The scroll of Nehemiah has much wisdom to offer about revival, reform, and how God-followers should approach this topic.
Scriptures
Numbers 18:21–24
Nehemiah 4:15-23, 8, 13
Acts 2:1-13
Galatians 5:22-23
Philippians 1:6
Hebrews 4:16, 8-9
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Asbury University, “Statement from Asbury President Dr. Kevin Brown”
David Guzik, Enduring Word Commentary, “Nehemiah Chapter 13”
Fiona Morgan, “The Asbury revival is over. What happens now?”
Got Questions, “How was God Himself the inheritance of the Levites?”
Got Questions, “What does it mean that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”
Inside Higher Ed, “The Aftershocks of the Asbury Revival”
Samuel Sey, “Is the Asbury “Revival” A Real Revival?”
Wikipedia, “2023 Asbury Revival”
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Episode 14 | Get Your Priorities Straight: A Study of Haggai
Episode 20 | Biblical Principles & Practical Tips for Financial Stewardship
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 33 | Turn Your Face to Death: A Holy Week Meditation

The podcast is back and better than ever! After a two-month hiatus, Allison returns with a (belated) Holy Week meditation on the Christian calling to approach death with the resolve, love, service, obedience, and humility of Jesus. What would compel someone to sacrifice himself for others willingly? We will explore that today!
Scriptures
Ecclesiastes 8:15
Isaiah 22:13 50:7
Matthew 21:1-11, 26:36-46
Mark 10:45
Luke 9:51-56, 12:19
John 3:16, 10:18, 10:31-39, 15:33
Romans 5:8, 8:12-19
Philippians 2:8
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Jameson Steward, “8 Times in the Bible People Wanted to Kill Jesus”
John Piper, “Dietrich Bonhoeffer Was Hanged Today”
John Pier, “Love to the Uttermost” Holy Week Devotional
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 32 | Podcast Updates & Hearing from God

Have you ever wished you could hear from God about something you’re experiencing? Maybe what job to pursue, if you should date that person, how you should handle conflict, or feeling like you’re at a crossroads with something in your life? Wouldn’t it be nice if the sky opened up, the clouds parted, and you heard a voice telling you exactly what to do and how to go about your life? The truth is that God is much more complex than just that. Tune into this episode to learn how we can hear from God.
Timestamps
(02:06) Podcast news and updates
(07:06) What’s the big deal with hearing from God?
(12:45) Seven helpful steps to hearing from God
(28:50) Practical steps you can take today
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 3:10
Isaiah 30:21
Matthew 7:15-20
Romans 12:2
Resources
ESV Study Bible
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 31 | Gospel Encounters in the Life of King David

Did you know how much David’s life can convict you about sin in your life and your need for a perfect, holy Savior? Have you ever wondered if David’s story has more to offer than a trivialized message about a sling, a stone, and a giant? We’ve shaped many conceptions about King David by imposing our culture on him and our desire to cherry-pick stories from his life so we can identify with him. Today, we will journey together through the major movements of David’s life – and surprisingly, encounter the Gospel at every turn.
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 8, 9:1-2, 16-17, 19-31
2 Samuel 2, 6:14-22, 7-24
1 Kings 2
Psalm 51
Mark 10:45
Romans 7:15
Hebrews 11
Revelation 5:5
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Got Questions, “What is the Davidic Covenant?”
Keith Mathison, “The Davidic Covenant — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology”
John Piper, “God's Covenant with David”
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 30 | Spiritual Warfare Part 3: End Times & God’s Eternal Victory (Conversation on Revelation)

Eschatology (the study of the end times) is an incredibly broad and challenging topic in the Bible. What should we think of final judgment, the end of the world, armageddon, the new heaven and earth? What about the troubling images of the beast, dragon, lamb, and other spiritual beings? Today, we skip the drama and debates about when certain events will take place and return to the roots of Revelation. Revelation is the vision given to the Apostle John when exiled by Rome for his faith on the island of Patmos. This book offers spectacular insights into the person of Jesus, our Kingdom work here and now, and the responsibility of Christ’s bride today. Tune in for our meditation on Revelation as we explore the world’s end as the Bible depicts it.
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
Daniel 7:13-14
Matthew 16:24-28, 23:27-28, 25
Mark 13:32-37
John 1:1, 1:29-32
1 Corinthians 2:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 5:15-17
Hebrews 4:12
1 John 4:19
Revelation 1-3, 5:6, 1:12-18, 12:11, 13:8, 21:1-7
Resources
ESV Study Bible
BibleProject, “Apocalyptic Literature”
BibleProject, “Revelation-1-11”
BibleProject, “Revelation-12-22”
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 29 | Spiritual Warfare Part 2: Angels, Demons, & the Satan

Today’s episode is all about the spiritual beings (the Elohim) we encounter in the Bible – angels, demons, and the Satan (the Adversary). Spiritual beings are somewhat of a mystery to us, but Scripture is very clear about some aspects of spiritual beings. In this episode, we will dive into their characteristics, abilities, and their position with their Creator. We will tie it all together at the end by discussing the commonalities between all created beings, spiritual or otherwise.
Timestamps
(00:00) Welcome to part two of the spiritual warfare series
(05:47) Discussion on angels, their characteristics, and their purpose
(32:48) Discussion on demons, their motivations, and their fall
(41:34) Discussion on the Satan, how to avoid being outwitted by him, and how we win our spiritual battles
(57:53) Conclusion and thoughts on how all created beings relate to the Creator
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
Genesis 3:24
Exodus 25:10-22
2 Kings 19:15
Job 1:6-12
Psalm 18:10, 91:11, 148:2
Isaiah 6:2-4, 37:16
Ezekiel 1:5-9, 10:9-14
Daniel 8:16, 10:13, 21
Matthew 1:18-25, 9:34, 13:25, 24:29, 25:41, 26:47-56
Mark 3:7-12, 3:22, 5:9
Luke 1:26-37, 2:8-20, 4:10, 11:15, 21:26
John 3:16-21, 12:31, 14:30, 16:11
Romans 8:37-39
2 Corinthians 2:10-11, 11:12-15
Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 4:18, 6:12
Philippians 4:8
Colossians 1:16
Hebrews 1:14, 13:2
James 2:19
1 Peter 1:12
2 Peter 2:4
1 John 4:1-6
Jude 1:9
Revelation 4:8, 12:7
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Bible Project, “Spiritual Beings” Video Series
Don Stewart, “Why Is Satan Sometimes Called Lucifer?”
Got Questions, “Who is Michael the Archangel?”
Graham Cole, “10 Things You Should Know About Angels”
Jeffrey Kranz, “The 8 Kinds of Angels and Demons in the Bible”
Corrections & Notes:
At 10:08, Liv attributes the authorship of Hebrews to the Apostle Paul – this is not known for certain, but many people do ascribe to the idea that Paul wrote it due to its similarity in themes and style to Paul’s New Testament epistles.
Allison says around 24:50 that two Cherubim were sent to guard the entrance to Eden, but we don’t know how many there were because the Bible does not say specifically. Genesis 3:24 says, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (ESV).
The text read by Liv about Michael the Archangel from 27:15 to 28:08 is a direct quotation from the Got Questions article referenced above. Our apologies for not citing this verbally as well as here in the show notes.
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 28 | Spiritual Warfare Part 1: An Introduction

Welcome to our three-part series on spiritual warfare. What is spiritual warfare, and where did it come from? Where is it mentioned in Scripture, and what does it look like? How can we identify and fight the reality of spiritual warfare in our world today? Tune in for answers to these questions and more.
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
Proverbs 4:23
Isaiah 14:12–14
Matthew 4:1-11, 27:27-31
Luke 8:26-33, 10: 17-20
Acts 19:11-20
Romans 8:18, 8:35-39
2 Corinthians 4:8-12, 10:3-6
Ephesians 6:10-18
1 Peter 5:6-11
James 2:14
Resources
ESV Study Bible
Bible Project, “Spiritual Beings” Video Series
McKinion, Steven A., ed. Isaiah 1-39. (Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 169-170.
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.

Episode 27 | The Power of Purposeful Prayer

Prayer is a sometimes baffling part of our journey and lives as Christians. How do we know we’re doing it right? How do we hear back from God? How often should we pray? What is the purpose of prayer, anyway? In this episode, we welcome the new year and answer all these questions – and more!
Thank you for joining us! Below, you can find the information we studied for this episode.
Scriptures
Nehemiah 1:4-11
Psalm 27:13-14
Matthew 6:5-15
Ephesians 6:10-18
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Hebrews 4:14-16
Resources
ESV Study Bible
To be alerted of new episodes, please follow us on Instagram @cedarandcypresspod! If you have questions, want to suggest an episode topic, or connect with us, you can reach us at cedarandcypresspod@gmail.com.