Unmarked Trail is a podcast for curious people who want to approach the Bible with fresh eyes. No church background required. No pressure to arrive with all the answers. We’ll learn how to read the Bible carefully, honestly, and in context, and then put those tools into practice by reading books of the Bible together. Hosted by Don Hornsby.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/20/23/7640780f-9dd8-43cd-a1f3-cc278ecc982f_ut_4.mp3

In this fourth episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby revisits a Bible study idea he once used at summer camp: putting the Bible “on trial” and asking it to testify about itself.What does Scripture say about its own purpose, authority, and function?We look at passages including 2 Timothy 3, Psalm 119, Hebrews 4, Luke 24, and John 20, and ask what these texts actually claim before rushing to conclusions.Along the way, we return to a principle that continues to shape Unmarked Trail:Know what you see, not see what you know.This episode is not about pretending every question is settled. It is about listening carefully to the testimony, asking good questions, and reading the Bible for yourself.If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.And if this was a helpful episode, and if you know someone who might appreciate it, please share it with them.You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.Just come curious. ﻿Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What does the Bible claim about itself?

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/10/23/15cfa91a-494b-44b0-a7e9-340bcd7f6ab0_ut_episode_3.mp3

In this third episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby shares a simple way to approach any Bible passage with three questions:What does it say? Observe.What does it mean? Interpret.What should I do, think, or feel in response? Respond.Along the way, Don explores the importance of context, genre, curiosity, and the willingness to say, “I don’t know.” He also shares a principle a mentor taught him: “Know what you see, not see what you know.”Then we put the method into practice with a short passage from Mark 1.If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.And if this was a helpful episode, and if you know someone who might appreciate it, please share it with them.You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.Just come curious. ﻿Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How do you read the Bible well?

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/28/23/200df939-8723-49a6-930c-28e5dfd2ea22_episode_two_-_unmarked_trail_.mp3

In Episode 2 of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby asks a basic but important question: What is the Bible, anyway?Beginning with a childhood memory of receiving a small red New Testament in fifth grade, Don introduces the Bible as a library made up of many kinds of writing, including law, history, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospels, letters, and apocalyptic literature.Along the way, he explains why genre matters and context matters, and why not every part of the Bible should be read the same way.If you’d like a copy of the Unmarked Trail study card that goes with this episode, send a note to hello@unmarkedtrail.org.You don’t have to belong anywhere to be here.Just come curious.

What Is the Bible, Anyway?

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/24/22/9c66c564-ef02-47dc-8de6-a15130c24e58_unmarked_trail_-_episode_1.mp3

In the first episode of Unmarked Trail, Don Hornsby shares three things he wishes someone had told him when he first became curious about the Bible: it is not always easy to read, it is not always clear, and you should learn to read it for yourself. Along the way, we begin exploring what it means to approach the Bible carefully, honestly, and in context.

Three Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About the Bible

Approaching the Bible with Fresh Eyes

Unmarked Trail is a podcast for curious people who want to approach the Bible with fresh eyes. No church background required. No pressure to arrive with all the answers. We’ll learn how to read the Bible carefully, honestly, and in context, and then put those tools into practice by reading books of the Bible together. Hosted by Don Hornsby.