Scripture Untangled

Watch or listen to Bev Foster, musician, educator, and innovator, being interviewed by CBS Ambassador, Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling. In this episode, Bev talks about her life’s work in music education and performance, and her move into founding the Room 217 Foundation, a Canadian music-based health arts organization that aims to change the culture of care. Bev speaks and writes about the power of music, especially in life limiting situations. Her passion for music and its ability to enhance quality of life and care is contagious. 
In this episode, Bev and Andrew discuss: 
How Scripture became an anchor through Psalms, prayer, and daily rhythms. 
Why Psalm 90:12 continues to shape Bev’s understanding of time, stewardship, and wisdom. 
How she reads the Bible relationally rather than academically. 
Bev’s experience of singing hymns at a hospital bedside and discovering music’s sacred power. 
How Room 217 Foundation was born from loss, love, and calling, and how she is now teaching caregivers across Canada to integrate music into care. 
How prayer and surrender are central themes in Biblical worship. 
How we can pray Scripture over music, ministry, and caregiving. 
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Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s12-ep4  
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Bev Foster is an experienced musician and music educator having taught music in both elementary and secondary schools and her private studio. She has freelanced as conductor, accompanist, clinician and solo performer in community projects as well as leading initiatives such as the Ontario Vocal Festival, and David Festival. Bev has degrees in music education from the University of Toronto, and a piano performance degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music. 
Bev lives with her husband Rob in Port Perry, ON. They have four adult children and five grandchildren. 
Currently, Bev is the Founder and Executive Director of the Room 217 Foundation, a Canadian health arts social enterprise. She has successfully innovated the music care approach which includes products, education, training, and certification to effectively integrate music into the care experience.  
Bev is a Community Research Fellow of the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community. Bev speaks and writes on the power of music, especially in life limiting situations. Her passion for music enhancing quality of life and care is contagious. Over the years, Bev has released 4 solo albums of original music chronicling her faith journey, 4 family albums of original songs, and in her work with Room 217, produced four collections (24 music albums) for palliative and end-of-life care. In 2022, the Diverse Sounds Collection was named Innovation of the Year at the International Palliative Care Conference. 
Bev continues to be available on a select basis for conference speaking and contemplative worship leading. Connect with Bev by visiting bevfoster.com. You will also find Bev active on Facebook and LinkedIn. 
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Watch or listen to award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Murray Watts being interviewed by seasoned journalist, Lorna Dueck. In this episode, they discuss faith and how raw human emotion gives voice to our struggle and need for God. And how the role of creativity and creative people is an expression of feeling part of the body of Christ, and is key in bringing emotion, humanness, and the love of God into the church.
In this episode, Murray and Lorna discuss
Murray’s life as an award-winning playwright, whose life’s work brings Scripture to the stage and screen.
His play, The Beloved Son, inspired by writer Henry Nouwen’s longing for affirmation and divine identity.
How the arts help people sense the vast and personal love of God—even those unsure that they believe.
Why Christians need the arts to become fully human, not merely more religious.
How plays and films allow us to grieve, hope, and tell the truth we struggle to voice in church.
How Scripture invites believers to feel God’s love, not merely understand it intellectually.
How Biblical wisdom affirms play, creativity, and joy as part of faithful living.
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Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s12-ep3 
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Murray Watts is best known as a playwright and screenwriter.  His work as a writer in TV, radio, film and theatre has won awards and received critical acclaim.  
He is the writer of many screenplays which include The Dream, starring Jeremy Irons (BBC 2) and the feature film The Miracle Maker (BBC/S4C/ICON), which was released to international acclaim in 2000 and was ABC network’s highest rated movie for Easter 2000/1. He was the screenwriter for KJB – The Book That Changed the World (1A PRODUCTIONS/DISCOVERY CHANNEL/BBC SCOTLAND). KJB was awarded the Movie Guide Epiphany Prize for the most inspirational Programme on US TV in 2011.   
He has also written and directed many plays over the last 40 years, including the award-winning The Fatherland for Bush Theatre in 1989 (which he later adapted as The Monday Play for BBC Radio 4).  The King’s Head Theatre in London staged a season of four of his plays throughout January 2012, including Mr. Darwin’s Tree.  Mr. Darwin’s Tree was originally commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and was premiered in Westminster Abbey.  The play has been performed in many countries, including China, South Korea, and throughout the US.  
He is currently the screenwriter for several feature films in development, including Power and Glory, a film about Michael Faraday.  
Murray Watts is the founder and director of The Wayfarer Trust, an international arts charity offering support and encouragement to people in the world of arts and media (www.wayfarertrust.org). He lives at Freswick Castle in the far north of Scotland, which is a haven for visiting artists from around the world (www.freswickcastle.com)  
Website: https://www.murraywatts.co.uk/  
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Watch or listen to Dr Andrew Ollerton and Alanzo Paul being interviewed by Joanna la Fleur. In this episode, they discuss the quiet revival and spiritual resurgence of faith, and the Bible. They discuss why young people are turning to the Bible with intellectual curiosity and a search for meaning, and how Christians and the church can be confident in sharing their personal faith in a real and honest way.
 
In this episode, Andrew, Alanzo and Joanna discuss:
- The successful “The Bible Is Trending" tour and why the Bible is truly making a cultural comeback.
- Why young people are turning to Scripture for meaning and truth, and how encountering the Bible can be a matter of life and death.
- A challenge for the church to be ready for honest, informed, and searching questions.
- How young people are calling for full-depth faith rather than simplified or shallow answers.
- Exploring practical ways ordinary Christians can grow in Biblical depth, and how Studying Scripture in community can deepen insight, faith, and transformation.
- An encouraging call to become modern day “Philips” for a searching generation.
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Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s12-ep2
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Dr Andrew Ollerton is a theologian, pastor, author and presenter who makes complex ideas simple and relevant. Andrew lives in Wales (UK) and regularly speaks at conferences, festivals and churches and films video content on locations around the world.  
Andrew recently developed a new edition of The Bible Course with Bible Society and published a new title with Hodder called God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics.  
Andrew also works closely with the explorer Bear Grylls. They’ve published a Bible called the NIV for Young Explorers, produced a TV series in Israel and Andrew recently helped Bear develop a brilliant new book called The Greatest Story Ever Told. 
Andrew has degrees in Geography (BSc), Theology (BTh) and History (MA). He completed his PhD in Historical Theology and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Andrew loves climbing mountains and exploring the great outdoors. He’s married to Charlotte and they have three kids, two fish, a snake and a dog. 
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Alanzo Paul is a full-time speaker with the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and the Director of Reboot (OCCA’s youth apologetics initiative). He is passionate about literature, philosophy and theology. His work primarily focuses on questions such as, ‘Why does God allow suffering and injustice?’ and ‘What is the meaning of life?’. Additionally, he enjoys exploring topics such as the Occult, identity, Gen Z, difficult passages in the Old Testament, and the case for the historical Jesus. 
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Alanzo became a Christian in 2009 after grappling with drug addiction for over ten years. Since then, he has dedicated his life to Christ by engaging the questions of others and speaking to audiences worldwide. 
Alanzo has a degree in theology (BTh.) from the University of Oxford (Wycliffe Hall) and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MA) from the University of Toronto, from which he earned the Margaret Muckle Trust prize for his work. He is undertaking a doctoral programme (DPhil) in philosophical theology at the University of Oxford. 
Alanzo lives near Oxford with his wife, Khadij
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Listen to Pastor and Theologian, Domenic Ruso, being interviewed by veteran journalist Lorna Dueck. In this episode, Dom talks about his work in Quebec leading the180 Church in Laval, and shares his insights on reading and using the Bible as a living guide, connecting faith to everyday life, and how we can help people engage with the Bible in a secular age.
In this episode, Lorna and Domenic discuss: 
Dom Ruso’s work as a pastor and theologian engaging with faith in an increasingly secular age. 
How Dom helps Christians understand Scripture in a culture that often feels disconnected from the Bible. 
The unique spiritual landscape of Quebec and why it presents both challenges and opportunities for the church. 
Dom’s experience planting and leading the180 Church in Laval and what he has learned about ministry in a post-Christian context. 
How curiosity, doubt, and honest questioning can become pathways that lead people back to faith and the Bible. 
Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s12-ep1
Domenic Ruso is from Montreal, QC. He is a pastor, communicator and cultural thinker passionate 
about helping a new generation discover their purpose with a renewed focus on God. As a sought-after speaker, Dr. Ruso brings an authentic and fresh vision for what it means to follow Jesus while helping people navigate doubts about God, church and the Bible.  
He is the author of The Bible for a Shifting Secular Age and the founding Lead Pastor of The180 Church (the180.ca) in the greater Montreal area. 
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Listen to Ruth Ann Onley, married to the late David C. Onley, the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, being interviewed by Lorna Dueck. In this episode, Ruth Ann leads us through her extraordinary life as a renowned Christian singer and the wife of the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
In this episode, Ruth Ann and Lorna discuss: 
Ruth Ann’s journey, that began with a strong Christian upbringing before leading her into a secular music career and a season away from faith. 
Encountering God and with the support of a church community, Ruth Ann rediscovered her calling and found that music became an expression of worship and ministry. 
Ruth Ann's unexpected love story with David Onley, and how she navigated marriage, motherhood, and life alongside disability with grace and resilience. 
Stepping into public life as the wife of Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, and how faith, patriotism, and service became deeply intertwined. 
The grief after David’s recent passing, and how Ruth Ann continues to live out a calling of worship, resilience, and witness in the later seasons of her life. 
Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s11-ep12
Ruth Ann Onley is an award-winning Christian recording artist who has touched hearts for over 35 years with her concert singing ministry. 
Married to the late David C. Onley, the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 2007 to 2014, Ruth Ann had the opportunity to perform at many patriotic, military, and cultural events. She also flew into the far Northern communities, on David’s behalf, to continue his Aboriginal Literacy programs. In 2008, Ruth Ann and David had the honour of meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace.  
She is a contributing author to the Word Guild award-winning book called; “Faith, Life and Leadership.” 
Ruth Ann is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Canada Christian College, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal. 
Nana to nine precious grandchildren, Ruth Ann continues to delight in sleepovers and soccer games and to pursue her love of singing as she lifts the name of Jesus. 
Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
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