Peter shares important updates about Old Paths New Steps, including Josh Lott's decision to step back from regular hosting to focus on family, and our move to bi-monthly episodes. We honor Josh's incredible contributions while looking ahead with excitement to continue meaningful conversations about faith and life. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Pastor and former police officer Lonnie Arnold shares his journey from black church upbringing through interracial marriage and law enforcement to founding the Racial Reconciliation Network. Drawing from personal experiences and scripture, Lonnie explains why racial reconciliation isn't just a social issue but a gospel issue, arguing that while the church excels at vertical reconciliation with God, it struggles with the horizontal reconciliation between people that Ephesians 2 demands. He offers practical wisdom on crossing racial lines, creating safe spaces for difficult conversations, and moving toward the multi-ethnic expression of God's kingdom that reflects heaven's diversity.

In this episode, Peter and Malissa chat with biblical scholar Hakeem Bradley about his journey from the Five Percent Nation to New Testament PhD studies and his recent work at Bible Project. Hakeem shares his passion for reading Genesis through ancient eyes, explaining how biblical authors "sampled" creation stories like hip-hop artists sample classic tracks. He also discusses his leap of faith in launching Sacred Patterns, a new organization creating biblical literacy resources for families and children. The conversation explores the power of community discernment, authentic relationships, and helping the next generation engage Scripture as both sacred text and beautiful literature, offering listeners scholarly insight and practical wisdom for their faith journeys.