News and Events
The BEMA Messenger
Sign Up for the BEMA Messenger — Get an email from us about once a month with the latest news and stories.
BEMA Messenger Archive — See past editions.
Session 1 Reboot
Weekly episode releases are ongoing, every Monday (US time zones)
• Learn more with BEMA Messenger #64, by listening to Episode -1 now, or see our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Wild Wild West Tour
Marty in western Washington
May 20–26
• May 21, meet-and greet, 6–7:30 pm at HopTown Pizza in Donald (Yakima Valley)
• May 22–23, Prayer Journey in Centralia (contact us if you wish to participate)
• May 25, Marty preaching at Venture Church, Mill Creek Campus (Seattle area)
Live Q&A w/ Josh
May 21 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty in Las Vegas
June 3–5, family vacation, no public events
Live Q&A
June 16 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty and Brian in Ft. Myers
June 17–26, ICM Team Leaders Conference (no public events)
Marty in West Lafayette, IN
July 8–11, ACM E4 Conference (no public events)
Live Q&A w/ Reed
July 13 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty in Acadia region of Maine
July 17–20 (no public events)
Marty in southern Texas
July 24–28
• Jul 25, meet-and-greet in the Austin area (details TBD)
• Jul 27, Marty preaching at Grace Crossing Church in Conroe (Houston area)
Marty in Nashville
July 31 – August 3 (no public events)
Live Q&A
August 4 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Study Tours to Israel and Turkey
We currently offer study tours in even-numbered years (2026, 2028, etc.) as Marty takes the odd-numbered years to be with family and have a rhythm of rest. Sign up for the BEMA Messenger to be the first to know when we release information about upcoming tours. Currently available tours will also be posted here.
BEMA Israel 2026 (Low Contact) — Registration Closed
Dates: March 14–28 (estimated)
Cost: TBD (around $6,000)
Orientation Details: BEMA Messenger #70
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZeSzRZaUqk
Preregistration: March 5–31, 2025
BEMA Turkey 2026 — TBA
Dates: May 30 – June 11 (estimated)
Cost: TBD (around $5,500)
Orientation Details: TBA (June 2025)
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcHnz0SPOOg
Preregistration: June 4–30, 2025
BEMA Israel 2026 (Full Contact) — TBA
Dates: October 3–17 (estimated)
Cost: TBD (around $6,000)
Orientation Details: TBA (October 2025)
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ91s0GB4Sk
Preregistration: October 1–31, 2025 (estimated)
*Finalizing Details
Dates and Cost: These details cannot be finalized until about ten months before the trip. The last elements to fall into place are the airline schedule and ticket prices. Once those are released by the airline, we can lock in dates for flights, hotels, and so on. When we have dates, we will publish them as best as we know, but they could change prior to that time. We cannot know the exact price until the schedule is finalized. Either way, a $500 deposit is due upon registration with GTI.
Registration: Sign up for the BEMA Messenger to be notified when preregistration is open. You will have a set amount of time to preregister. After that, participants will be randomly selected. GTI Tours will contact you if you have been selected. You will then have a set amount of time to submit a deposit and complete your registration.
Waitlist: These trips fill up! However, someone who is selected may end up having to decline or cancel. As slots open up, we will make additional selections from the preregistration list. This could potentially happen relatively close to the trip dates. Watch the orientation video ahead of time and be fully informed if you intend to go.
What’s Included: Flights from Chicago. (You will be responsible for getting to Chicago.) Hotel accommodations with breakfast and dinner buffets. Lunches are provided on site. (Water will be available throughout the day. Other beverages may be purchased by participants at meals.) Transportation, entrance fees, taxes, and tips. Other miscellaneous items (detailed when registration is announced).
What’s Not Included: Travel to Chicago. Drinks with meals (besides water). Insurance. Optional activities (e.g., hot air balloon rides). Souvenirs.
Itinerary: This depends on the dates and is determined when the airline schedules are released. In general, Israel trips include time in the desert around the Dead Sea, in the Galilee, in Jerusalem, and possibly other sites (basically the content of Sessions 1–3 of the podcast). Turkey trips include time in the cities of the letters of the New Testament and the seven churches of Revelation (basically the content of Sessions 4–5 of the podcast). The itinerary is always subject to change, even while on the ground, with safety as a priority. For example, the itinerary for BEMA Israel 2022 (Low Contact) changed during the trip to account for possible flash flooding in the desert.
Orientation Videos: These are almost an hour long, but they are designed to be informative and comprehensive; if you’re interested in going on a trip, we ask that you watch its video in full to make an informed decision. Please watch before registering.
Join the BEMA Slack Community
The BEMA Slack is a great place to discuss the podcast, share ideas, and build community. Maybe you haven’t been able to find a local discussion group, or your group has just started but you want to talk about current episodes. With designated channels to discuss episodes from each session, as well as upcoming trips, discipleship, and other topics, there’s a place to go deeper with your fellow podrishioners.
The BEMA Liturgy
A simple approach to lead you through the Church calendar, building community and pursuing Jesus together.
Also available as reading plans in the YouVersion Bible app.
BEMA Merch
BEMA T-shirts, hoodies, notebooks, mugs, and more…
BEMA Discipleship on TeePublic
FAQ: BEMA Session 1 Reboot
Why are you doing this? How will it work?
Episode -1, the refreshed version of which is available now, will answer most questions about the reboot. You can also read about it in BEMA Messenger #64.
I am only seeing the episode from 2016. Where do I find the new one?
Reboot episodes will replace the original episodes in the podcast feed. They will not automatically appear as new episodes in your podcast app, and the original publish date will remain.
How do I know I am listening to the new version of the episode?
As far as the audio, the easiest way to tell will be the new music, although you will also notice improved sound quality in our voices. You will also see changes to the show notes, explained in the next question.
What if I want to listen to the old episode?
The original recordings and transcipts will be preserved in the show notes under Legacy Episode Content.
Will transcripts be available for the new episodes?
Not only transcripts, but also The Companion, our newest study tool that should be helpful to guide your efforts in wrestling with the Text, whether personally or in your discussion group.
When will new episodes appear?
Beginning with Episode 0 on December 30, 2024, reboot episodes will be published every Monday. We will post reminders on our social media accounts.
What if I am not seeing the new version of the episode?
The most reliable way to know an episode is updated is to look at our website. Most podcast apps look directly at our podcast feed from your phone and will see the change in short order. If you are seeing updated show notes, you should also get the updated audio. Spotify, however, updates show notes much more quickly, but the updated audio can take up to 24 hours since they are rehosting the file.
