Of the 10 years Josh Summers spent as a missionary in western China, the last few months were by far the hardest: Twice he was hauled into jail by Chinese police for interrogation, the second of which lasted 17 days. And as he sat alone in a cold, barren holding cell with nothing, not even his Bible, he tried to take inventory of what scripture he could remember by heart—and realized he didn’t have nearly as much of it down as he thought he did.
When Josh and his family finally returned to the United States, he vowed he would always have the entire Bible at the ready. That started him on a new mission: to memorize the entire Bible, a mission he talks about with Nate Dewberry in this week’s episode. It’s about much more than just mastering Biblical trivia, Josh says—it’s about using scripture to replace the voices of negativity and self-doubt that we all hear sometimes, and achieving a deeper, more satisfying understanding of the love God has for each of us.
Segments/chapters
0:00 Intro
1:09 Stuck in a Chinese jail cell
5:34 Josh’s background and life as a Christian missionary in China
12:21 Another arrest, and a much longer detention
20:16 Interlude 1/small group promo
20:40 What Josh’s incarceration taught him about himself and his faith
23:36 The end of Josh’s interrogation and his return home
28:32 Josh’s decision to attempt to memorize the entire Bible
36:32 How community has shaped Josh’s Bible journey
42:15 Why take the time to memorize the Bible?
45:33 Practical tools and tips for learning scripture
49:14 Interlude 2/online group promo
49:38 Closing thoughts
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