The Greg Laurie Show

What if 150 years of biblical archaeology hasn't produced a single find that contradicts the Bible?
That's the claim Dinesh D'Souza makes in this conversation about his new book, The Stones Cry Out. We talk about the artifacts quietly coming out of the ground in Israel — including the bones of Caiaphas, the clay seal of a minor character from Jeremiah, and the recently confirmed location of Bethsaida — and why most of this isn't being shouted from the rooftops.
We also get into:
- Why younger generations are drawn to socialism (and how "crony capitalism" fuels it)
- The modern state of Israel as prophecy fulfilled
- Why Dinesh has been publicly challenging Calvinism
- The Pool of Siloam, the Garden Tomb, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- His years inside the Reagan administration
- A lunch with Richard Nixon
- Fried bananas, My Cousin Vinny, and Breaker Morant
Dinesh is a filmmaker, author, and friend, and this one covers a lot of ground — from apologetics to American history to personal stories.
Pick up The Stones Cry Out wherever you get your books.
Timestamps
00:00 Cold open
00:18 Welcoming Dinesh D'Souza
00:50 What's so great about America
03:04 Why young people are drawn to socialism
05:04 Capitalism without a moral base
07:03 The Stones Cry Out and biblical archaeology
10:29 The Caiaphas ossuary and Pilate findings
13:44 The Pools of Bethesda and Siloam
16:14 Garden Tomb vs Church of the Holy Sepulchre
18:12 Israel's rebirth as fulfilled prophecy
20:45 The Dead Sea Scrolls connection
22:33 Balaam, son of Beor, and the skeptics
24:58 When unbelief isn't really intellectual
27:05 Atheism as revenge against God
29:20 The problem with Calvinist predestination
32:33 Rethinking total depravity
34:30 Evangelicals, Arminians, and biblicists
37:49 Reconciling free will and God's choice
38:37 Favorite comfort food
39:10 The three films Dinesh is proudest of
41:35 Islam, the left, and a common enemy
43:04 Movies he'll rewatch every time
45:03 Having lunch with Richard Nixon
47:41 Inside Reagan's ranch
49:31 Should Christians send kids to secular colleges
51:14 Advice to a younger Dinesh
53:09 Closing thoughts on The Stones Cry Out
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Rick Rubin is considered by many to be the greatest music producer alive today. His work spans the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Run-DMC, Adele, U2, Neil Diamond, and his legendary American Recordings with Johnny Cash.
He has also become one of the most influential voices in culture. His interviews include Paul McCartney in McCartney 3,2,1 and Jay-Z in the HBO series JAŸ-Z in 8. On his podcast, Tetragrammaton, he recently sat down with Neil Young.
Now add one more name to that list: Pastor Greg Laurie.

In this unusual episode, legendary producer Rick Rubin turns the microphone around and interviews Greg about his life, faith, and the Jesus Movement that shaped him. The conversation moves at the pace of a long dinner between curious friends. Greg answers Rick's questions about faith, baptism, communion, the Holy Spirit, the Sabbath, and whether the God of the Old Testament really differs from the God of the New. He also speaks candidly about losing his son Christopher and what grief taught him about ministering to people in pain.

Listen to the original episode on Rick Rubin's Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pastor-greg-laurie/id1671669052?i=1000793610276
Youtube: https://youtu.be/KGR27hIf8Ow?si=v6Zp5ihvgBCQB2Wv

Timestamps:
00:00 Open
00:06 Welcome and how the Rick Rubin interview came together
04:17 Salt and light: pastor vs evangelist
06:46 Growing up with a Marilyn Monroe mother and seven stepfathers
08:46 Meeting the Jesus freaks and Lonnie Frisbee on campus
11:54 Who Lonnie Frisbee really was
17:00 Chuck Smith, the steady father figure
18:46 Conditions that sparked the Jesus Revolution
23:00 Was it just LA, or everywhere?
25:53 Deepening faith and losing his son Christopher
32:31 Always learning: how understanding Scripture grows
39:51 Learning about Jesus after conversion
42:02 Starting Harvest without meaning to start a church
46:36 Friendship with Billy Graham
50:09 Jesus's teachings vs church theology
51:53 What faith actually is
55:06 The Holy Spirit explained
58:47 When burnt offerings stopped
01:00:43 Baptism and the recent baptism movement
01:03:25 Communion and the Last Supper
01:07:00 How Greg prepares a sermon
01:12:23 Is the Old Testament God more judgmental?
01:15:31 Music, Love Song, and the birth of Christian music
01:22:36 Church as grassroots vs industry
01:25:08 What's stayed the same since Jesus's time
01:27:12 Social media, TV, and the vet with the loaded gun
01:29:34 The Sabbath and resting
01:31:17 Bob Dylan's conversion and Slow Train Coming
01:33:07 Did you choose Jesus or did Jesus choose you?
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What would you have done during the Holocaust? Rev. Jonnie Moore says that's no longer a hypothetical question.
In this conversation, Pastor Greg Laurie sits down with Johnnie Moore—advisor to presidents, humanitarian, and one of the most connected evangelical voices on the global stage—three years after the October 7th attacks on Israel.
We cover:
• What actually happened on October 7th (and why the world moved on too quickly)
• Hamas, Iran, and the reshaping of the Middle East
• The surge of antisemitism on both the left and the right
• Feeding Gaza while Hamas stole aid
• Sharing the gospel with Muslims and Jews
• Why Silicon Valley is quietly calling pastors about AI
• What President Trump is really like behind closed doors
• The best piece of advice Johnnie ever received — from a rabbi
Johnnie grew up moving 20 times before age 12, ended up at Liberty under Jerry Falwell Sr., and now works at the intersection of faith, foreign policy, and emerging technology. His story — and his warnings — are worth your time.
Subscribe for more conversations like this.
Timetamps
00:30 Meet Johnnie Moore
02:03 Growing up in the Deep South after his parents' divorce
03:00 The balloon-animal mentor who taught him business
04:34 Finding faith as his parents' marriage fell apart
06:40 Moving to Lynchburg and landing at Liberty
08:20 How Jerry Falwell Sr. became a father figure
11:54 Three years after October 7th
16:46 What Hamas and Iran were really trying to do
21:14 The genocide accusation and feeding Gaza
26:00 Advising Trump on Iran and the nuclear red line
30:51 Sharing the gospel with Muslims and Jews
41:03 Leading a Jewish friend to Christ on FaceTime
44:10 Why evangelicals must stand against antisemitism now
48:26 Bots, bot farms, and the global information war
53:49 Why so many pastors are afraid to speak up
56:15 Is AI a blessing or a threat?
01:01:23 Why Silicon Valley is calling pastors
01:06:19 AI as therapy and the church's human advantage
01:07:30 Advice to a younger Johnnie: take more risks
01:11:16 What would surprise you about President Trump
01:16:00 The best advice he ever got, from a rabbi
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Cartoonist Butch Hartman—creator of Nickelodeon's *The Fairly OddParents*—sits down with Greg to talk about a career built on drawing, storytelling, and eventually surrender. Butch traces his path from a chaotic Michigan childhood, where cartoons were a refuge, to CalArts, Hanna-Barbera, and the day Ted Turner told the staff they could pitch their own ideas. He explains why limited animation gave Fred Flintstone a five o'clock shadow, why confidence with ink matters more than talent, and why he left Nickelodeon in 2018 to build a studio around *The Garden*—a Christian series he self-funded when no one else would.
Along the way: how tithing broke a stronghold, why he and his wife now pastor a church that started under a tree, and his conviction that if God gives the vision, He gives the provision.
Timestamps
00:00 Prototype plush and the $8,000 Goofy maquette story
01:22 Meeting a fellow artist and Fairly OddParents' 18-year run
03:07 CalArts, Hanna-Barbera and the day Cartoon Network launched
05:16 How limited animation made TV cartoons possible
06:14 Discovering he could draw by tracing Peter Pan on a wall
07:41 Greg's chaotic childhood and the animator with the "magic pencil"
09:04 Butch's Michigan upbringing and retreating into cartoons
10:57 TV dads as father figures — Hugh Beaumont and Mike Brady
12:03 Yellow Dog, brush pens and Mad Magazine influences
16:17 Why caricaturing women is a bad idea
17:34 Drawing fast at Magic Mountain and switching to digital
19:13 First jobs: American Tail, Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls
19:55 Seizing the pitch opportunity that changed everything
21:05 Writing letters to Charles Schulz as a kid
22:38 Getting saved at 35 at Crenshaw Christian Center
24:47 Starting Church in the Park during COVID
25:13 Preaching Esther on a whiteboard
26:24 The Garden: making a Christian cartoon nobody else would
28:52 Giving vs. the culture of self-worship
30:26 Why Nickelodeon won't touch overtly Christian content
31:50 Reaching unexpected people in unexpected places
34:42 Where Butch stands on AI in animation
37:27 Voice acting and playing Dr. Rip Studwell
38:49 Favorite movies and the greatest animated film ever
42:35 Human creativity, arrogance and the last days
44:47 Advice to a younger Butch: don't be afraid
46:13 Go-to Scriptures for anxiety and trust
47:01 An invitation to make Jesus Lord of your life
50:15 If God gives the vision, He'll give the provision
51:32 How Butch wants to be remembered
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does it mean to spiral—and is it actually possible to find blessings amid devastating loss? On today’s episode of The Greg Laurie Show, Pastor Greg welcomes author and pastor Levi Lusko for an honest—and often humorous—conversation about grief, calling, leadership, and the surprising ways faith can sustain us through the worst life has to offer.
Together, Pastor Greg and Levi trace their family’s intertwined journeys through ministry, loss, and redemption. From the nostalgia of swapping cassette tapes and youth ministry war stories to the raw pain of losing a child or parent, the two open up about suffering, resilience, and the pursuit of God’s purpose in real life. This conversation is both a balm for broken hearts and an encouragement for leaders, parents, or anyone wondering how to move forward when life gets overwhelming.
Find Levi’s book on loss, Through the Eyes of a Lion, here: https://levilusko.com/through-the-eyes-of-a-lion.
Check out Blessed are the Spiraling here: https://www.blessedarethespiraling.com/.
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Want more from Greg Laurie? Visit:
https://harvest.org/.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 How a Missed Mentorship Changed Everything
02:33 First Meeting: From Fan to Friend
04:33 Youth Ministry: “If You Can Preach to Teens…”
06:38 Choosing Montana Over Harvest: Defining Your Calling
08:05 Walking Through Grief: The Loss of Christopher
12:05 “Seeing Through the Eyes of a Lion”: Lenya’s Legacy
14:09 Navigating Grief: Guilt, Healing, and Connection
16:33 Losing His Dad: “A Different Kind of Grief”
17:51 Writing About Pain: Impact Beyond Tragedy
18:25 “Success Builds Walls, Failure Builds Bridges”
21:44 How Personal Loss Changed Pastoral Ministry
22:09 Honoring Lost Loved Ones by Healing
23:50 Brokenness, Empathy, and Leadership Growth
24:20 Separating Grief: The Laundry Pile Analogy
26:14 Hope in Heartbreak: “They’re Not Lost If You Know Where They Are”
29:09 Parenting and Calling: Raising Kids in Ministry
31:09 Marriage & Hydration: Keeping Relationships Alive
32:27 “Intimacy Is Into-Me-You-See”: Wisdom for Newlyweds
35:20 Message Prep: Connections, Curiosity & “Move It or Lose It”
37:45 Preaching & Writing: The Unique Joys of Both
39:46 Writing Habits: Seinfeld, Deadlines, and Staying Creative
43:06 Staying Faithful: Why I Chose My Church Over Big Offers
45:23 New Book: “Blessed Are the Spiraling” and Midlife Crisis
47:38 From Fire to Significance: Shifting Life’s Focus
51:25 Movement Conference: Investing in the Next Generation
53:18 Learning to Champion Others, Not Compete
55:12 What’s Changed in Reaching Young People
58:16 “Make Your Bed”: Keystone Habits & Authentic Leadership
59:45 The Power of Challenge, Not Coddling
01:00:19 Last Meal? In-N-Out & Good Coffee
01:01:11 Movies, Heroes, and Becoming Yoda
01:02:19 Pulpit Bloopers: Unusual Booty and Other Slip-Ups
01:05:08 Hope, Legacy, and What’s Next
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