What Do You Intend Podcast

S2:E25 (FGT) The Firmament Series: Replacing The Heavens

In this season opener, Jem and Dustin begin their investigation into one of the most overlooked words in all of Scripture: Raqia, commonly translated as Firmament. Why did ancient translators render the word as Stereoma and Firmamentum, while many modern translations now prefer Expanse? Did the Hebrew text change, or did our assumptions change? Together, they explore the origins of the Septuagint, the meaning of the Hebrew word Raqia, the role of the Mishnah and Talmud in Jewish tradition, and the growing tension between biblical cosmology and modern cosmological models. Rather than asking listeners to reject science, this episode challenges a deeper question: Are we observing reality, or are we interpreting reality through assumptions we rarely examine? As the discussion unfolds, Jem argues that observations and conclusions are not the same thing. Evidence may be legitimate while the explanation built upon it may not be. This distinction becomes the foundation for the entire season ahead. Join us as we begin asking difficult questions about the heavens, the waters above, the floodgates of heaven, and the cosmological framework that emerges when Genesis is taken seriously on its own terms. The investigation has only just begun.

S1:E24 (FGT) — The Real Enemy in Your Relationship (Hint: It’s Not Your Partner) | Hollywood, Deception & NASA

In this episode, Jem and Dustin explore how Hollywood, cultural narratives, and modern influence shape the way we think about relationships, marriage, and identity. From subtle messaging in entertainment to deeper questions around deception, truth, and systems like NASA, this conversation uncovers how these patterns may be influencing everyday life more than people realize. What if the tension in your relationship isn’t actually coming from your partner? What if there’s a deeper pattern at play—one that’s been working its way through generations, shaping expectations, behaviors, and beliefs? This is Part 1 of a two-part series focused on identifying that pattern—where it started, how it evolved, and how it shows up in relationships today. Because before you can fix what’s broken… you have to understand what’s actually working against you.

S1: E23 (FGT) Division Before the Fall: The Origin of Choice

Why does Genesis call every day “good” — except Day 2? In this episode, Jem and Dustin examine the first divisions in creation and ask whether contrast itself was part of God’s design for freedom. Drawing from Scripture, philosophical traditions, and reflections on love and marriage, they explore whether the separation of light and darkness laid the foundation for choice long before the Fall. If love requires the possibility of rejection, then division may not be a flaw in creation — but the condition that made relationship possible.

S1: E22 Why Believe At All?

After years of exploring mysticism, physics, evolutionary theory, and alternative narratives, Jem kept running into the same three questions: Where did this begin? Who defines what’s real? Why does meaning feel binding? She shares why evidence wasn’t the real obstacle — authority was — and why belief became less about religion and more about bending toward truth.

S1: E21 (FGT) Genesis 1:11-1:12 When Matter Responds

In Genesis 1:11–12, God doesn’t simply create plants. He speaks, and the earth responds. In this episode, Jem and Dustin slow down and examine what Scripture is actually claiming about reality itself. Is matter passive, or is it designed to respond? What does “good” mean before sin ever appears? And what does creation’s obedience reveal about intention, order, and accountability? Together, they explore the tension between modern scientific assumptions and the biblical framework, unpack key Hebrew terms, and trace how ideas like materialism, animism, and deism emerged in moments of historical pressure rather than neutral discovery. This isn’t a science-versus-faith conversation. It’s a question of alignment. If creation listens when God speaks, what does that say about us?