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Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith - Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Song of Solomon with Aldo Cazzullo · TAKEN TV Podcasts

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  Speaker 1: Life Audio.
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  Speaker 2: And a scripture-based bonus series where experts walk us through
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  Speaker 2: specific books of the Bible. Subscribe today for new videos
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  Speaker 2: each week.
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  Speaker 1: In a world that sometimes feels disconnected, transactional, or superficial,
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  Speaker 1: I believe the Song of Solomon.
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  Speaker 3: Is immortal, is eternal.
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  Speaker 1: The Song of Solomon teaches us to love boldly, sincerely,
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  Speaker 1: and joyfully, and in doing so, to discover something new.
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  Speaker 1: eternal in each other.
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  Speaker 2: Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus
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  Speaker 2: Calling podcast, where we hear from Italian journalist and author
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  Speaker 2: Aldo Cazzullo, who walks us through the Song of Solomon,
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  Speaker 2: a book of deeply passionate and romantic poetry, which celebrates
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  Speaker 2: love the way God designed it, to reflect his creative power.
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  Speaker 1: I think the Bible is a holy book. But Bible
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  Speaker 1: is also a cultural root, the foundation of the culture.
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  Speaker 3: Of the so-called Western world. And Bible is also a
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  Speaker 3: literary masterpiece.
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  Speaker 1: Previous generations lived constantly under the eye of God.
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  Speaker 3: For my parents, for my grandparents.
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  Speaker 1: Faith was woven into the fabric of daily life, not
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  Speaker 1: a ritual.
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  Speaker 3: Reserved for special moments.
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  Speaker 1: For Easter or for Christmas, for a funeral or for
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  Speaker 1: a marriage, but a very important part in everyday life.
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  Speaker 1: A continuous presence and source of strength, moral strength, moral resistance.
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  Speaker 1: I believe we lose something essential when we let go
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  Speaker 1: of that sense of daily spiritual rhythm by setting aside
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  Speaker 1: just a little time every day for prayer, meditation, contemplation,
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  Speaker 1: or reading the Bible, we recover that closeness, even if
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  Speaker 1: only briefly, bringing focus and meaning to the rest of life.
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  Speaker 1: Reading the Bible helps my hope and my faith. I
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  Speaker 1: think Song of Songs, the Song of Solomon.
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  Speaker 3: Is a mystery.
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  Speaker 1: A text speaking about love, spiritual love, and also physical love,
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  Speaker 1: is in the Bible.
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  Speaker 3: I hope that when.
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  Speaker 1: We read the Song of Solomon today, you approach it
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  Speaker 1: with openness and curiosity. The opposite of ignorance is not culture,
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  Speaker 1: it's curiosity.
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  Speaker 3: Often the Bible is read as a book of.
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  Speaker 1: Rules or distant history, but I believe these pages, and
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  Speaker 1: especially the song, are bursting with life and beauty. Savor
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  Speaker 1: the language of the imagery and the sheer celebration of love,
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  Speaker 1: both spiritual love.
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  Speaker 3: And physical love.
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  Speaker 1: I think there is a little lesson here about how
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  Speaker 1: we view our own bodies, relationships and emotional connections. In
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  Speaker 1: a time where we often separate the physical self from
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  Speaker 1: the spiritual, the Song of Solomon reminds us that our
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  Speaker 1: capacity for love and deep affection is itself sacred, blessed
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  Speaker 1: by God. Our relationships can and should be places where
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  Speaker 1: the divine is present. The enduring wisdom of the song
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  Speaker 1: lies in its radical affirmation. Love is a core part
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  Speaker 1: of who we are And a force stronger than death itself.
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  Speaker 3: It's not as strong as death. It's stronger than death.
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  Speaker 1: When you open the Song of Solomon, you'll encounter a
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  Speaker 1: collection of deeply passionate, romantic poetry. Unlike anything else in
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  Speaker 1: the Bible and in all the literature. I describe this
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  Speaker 1: unique text as a celebration of love. one that fully
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  Speaker 1: embraces both its spiritual and physical dimensions. The Song of
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  Speaker 1: Solomon stands out because it doesn't impose rules. Instead, it
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  Speaker 1: gives voice to the intimate longing and admiration between two lovers,
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  Speaker 1: if verses are among the most beautiful ever written. Anchored
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  Speaker 1: by the assertion that love is strong as death, The
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  Speaker 1: line that love is as strong as death encapsulates how
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  Speaker 1: deeply our bones of affection resonate and endure. It's a
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  Speaker 1: book that never ceases to charm its readers and to
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  Speaker 1: inspire other artistic works, masterpieces, paintings, classic music, also movies.
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  Speaker 3: And when I read the Song of Solomon, I find a.
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  Speaker 1: Text that completely embraces the full spectrum of love. This
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  Speaker 1: book stands as a triumphant ode because it does not
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  Speaker 1: shy away from the physical and emotional realities of human love.
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  Speaker 1: It teaches that romantic passion and desire are beautiful, are
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  Speaker 1: not a sin, are sacred. The poetry celebrates a romantic
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  Speaker 1: intimacy between a man and a woman, presenting it as
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  Speaker 1: something not to be hidden or shamed, but as a
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  Speaker 1: reflection of the divine.
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  Speaker 3: Image in which we are created. Because our faith is
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  Speaker 3: the faith of God.
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  Speaker 2: These uncertain times bring anxiety and fear. But Jesus Listens
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  Speaker 2: Prayers for Every Season gives you daily prayers of comfort.
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  Speaker 2: With seasonally inspired illustrations, this beautiful book includes prayers that
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  Speaker 2: speak to your situation, whether it's a time of stress
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  Speaker 2: or strength. Look for Jesus Listens Prayers for every season,
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  Speaker 2: wherever you buy books.
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  Speaker 1: I sing the Sarno Salmon as revealing the deeper love
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  Speaker 1: between God and His people. For centuries, these passionate verses
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  Speaker 1: have acted as a powerful allegory for the relationship between
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  Speaker 1: the human soul and the divine, a longing, a pursuit,
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  Speaker 1: and a delight in intimacy. The boundary between physical and
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  Speaker 1: spiritual love.
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  Speaker 3: Is not as rigid as we imagine.
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  Speaker 1: By embracing both, the song shows us that.
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  Speaker 3: At their best.
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  Speaker 1: Our human connection is a glimpse of how devoted, personal
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  Speaker 1: and loving our relationship with God might be. If the
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  Speaker 1: great mystery why this kind of love belongs in Scripture
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  Speaker 1: We don't know exactly, but I think I understand why
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  Speaker 1: so many are surprised to encounter the romance and passion
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  Speaker 1: of the Song of Solomon inside Scripture. At first glance,
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  Speaker 1: it might seem jarring. Most people expect commandments, laws, stories,
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  Speaker 1: ancient battles. Yet to me, the presence of this poetry
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  Speaker 1: within the Bible is not accidental, but essential. I see
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  Speaker 1: the Bible not just as a rule book or collection
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  Speaker 1: of doctrines. but as the comprehensive autobiography of God and humanity.
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  Speaker 1: It holds a mirror up to every aspect of human existence,
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  Speaker 1: including the joy, the desire, and vulnerability that come with
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  Speaker 1: romantic love. Including such an unabashed celebration of love tells
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  Speaker 1: us that God values not only our spiritual life, but
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  Speaker 1: also our.
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  Speaker 3: Emotional and physical experience. The Song of Solomon teaches.
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  Speaker 1: That the human body, desire, and intimacy are not separate
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  Speaker 1: from the divine, but in fact reflect God's creative power.
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  Speaker 1: I love an Italian poet, Dante, who imagines to travel
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  Speaker 1: in afterlife to discover.
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  Speaker 3: Hell, purgatory, and heaven, paradise.
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  Speaker 1: At the end of his travel, he asks to see
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  Speaker 1: the face of God. God says, yes, okay, it's me.
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  Speaker 1: Dante don't remember the face of God. All'alta fantasia qui
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  Speaker 1: manco possa. It means a man cannot describe God. But
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  Speaker 1: Dante knows he has seen God. And he remembers one thing.
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  Speaker 1: In God's face, I saw my face. Because I and
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  Speaker 1: all the mankind, we are created by God. And we
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  Speaker 1: have our face is the face of God. And we
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  Speaker 1: can recognize God. in the face of other people. We
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  Speaker 1: can see God in the eyes of people we love.
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  Speaker 1: This is the lesson of the Bible. This is the
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  Speaker 1: lesson of the Song of Solomon. In a world that
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  Speaker 1: sometimes feels disconnected, transactional, or superficial, I believe this book
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  Speaker 1: urges us to invest more fully in the bonds that matter,
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  Speaker 1: to treasure intimacy, and to seek the presence of.
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  Speaker 3: Beauty in our everyday lives.
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  Speaker 1: No matter the year, The Song of Solomon is immortal,
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  Speaker 1: is eternal. The Song of Solomon teaches us to love boldly, sincerely,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: and joyfully, and in doing so, to discover something eternal
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  Speaker 1: in each other.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to this special Scripture-focused bonus episode.
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  Speaker 2: To learn more about Aldo, follow him on social media,
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: and be sure to check out his book, The God
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  Speaker 2: of Our Fathers, available at your favorite retailers. Enjoy our
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  Speaker 2: entire series of scripture studies, each with different Bible teachers
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: and experts, guiding us through specific books, topics, and people
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  Speaker 2: in the Bible, on the Jesus Calling YouTube channel. To
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  Speaker 2: discover more inspiring stories of faith, visit jesuscalling.com slash podcast.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to the Jesus Calling Stories of Faith
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  Speaker 2: podcast on the Life Audio Network. Every week we'll bring
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  Speaker 2: you stories from people who share their journeys of faith
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  Speaker 2: and how prayer and a relationship with God transformed their lives.
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  Speaker 2: Be sure to follow us on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or
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  Speaker 2: wherever you listen to podcasts. And leave us a review
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  Speaker 2: so others can be inspired weekly by these stories of faith. Finally,
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  Speaker 2: you can find encouragement, resources, and more on the Jesus
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  Speaker 2: Calling website at jesuscalling.com.