About Justin Gerhardt
Justin Gerhardt is a chronically curious storyteller. He is the creator of Holy Ghost Stories—an episodic, immersive telling of the stories of the Old Testament with a focus on character and craft. He also serves as the founder and president of Hazefire Studios, a nonprofit devoted to expanding the intersection of story and worship.
With a degree in philosophy and Biblical studies, Justin worked for 20 years as a minister and preacher before feeling called to explore new ways to share sacred stories with an increasingly irreligious world. To cut costs as he began Holy Ghost Stories in 2021, Justin and his family embarked on a 2-year-long season of global nomadism during which they lived in England, Croatia, Ireland, Greece, Egypt, and South Africa.
Since its inception Holy Ghost Stories has garnered a devoted following, with 450,000 downloads, a listenership spanning more than 65 countries, and periodic in-person expressions in both the U.S. and Ireland that have reached over 7,000 people.
Today, Justin and his wife, author JL Gerhardt, live in the Ozarks and work as partners at Hazefire Studios, where their projects include live storytelling events, training for creatives, experiments in memoir, and The Storied Family—a workshop designed to help families establish their identity in the context of God’s story.
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Every other week, Justin publishes The Latest, a newsletter devoted to his newest projects and discoveries.
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You can contact him about speaking here or scheduling a Holy Ghost Stories live event here.
About Holy Ghost Stories
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
-Romans 15:4
I created the Holy Ghost Stories podcast to help people experience the Bible in a way that honors its weirdness and wonder, its mystery and power. I believe the narrative portions of Scripture—especially those of the Old Testament—possess a dark luminescence, showing us who God is and who we are and what kind of chemistry we can expect when we come into contact with Him.
“The Bible is my birth certificate and my family tree... it is the living vein that connects me to my Maker, pumping me the stories I need to know about who we have been to one another since the beginning of time, and who we are now, and who we shall be when time is no more.”
-Barbara Brown Taylor
In the Middle Ages, artists employed by the Catholic Church would paint pictures to familiarize non-readers with the stories of Scripture. That’s what I want to accomplish with Holy Ghost Stories. I want to share the stories of the Bible in a way that 1) engages Biblically illiterate people and 2) adds new dimensions to the understanding of those already familiar with the narrative portions of Scripture.
I hope you love Holy Ghost Stories. But much more than that, I hope you discover (or rediscover) how much you love the God who shares His heart on the pages of Scripture.
-Justin