PAPA’S BIBLE STORIES

“I’m just a regular guy telling Bible stories to my kids,” says David Kozarichuk with a quiet smile. “But somehow, God took that and reached thousands of hearts.”

It started as something simple. Every night, David would tuck in his two young children, Jacob and Leah, and tell them stories— some about his own childhood adventures, others drawn from Scripture. “They loved those stories,” he recalls. “Even when I ran out of new ones, they’d beg me to tell the old ones again.”

Around the same time, David’s wife, Caroline, was searching for Bible-based audio content for their kids—something screen-free, simple, and true to the Bible. But what they found left them wanting. “Some of the lessons were way off,” David remembers. “And many podcasts skipped over the tough parts of the Bible entirely.”

That’s when David felt impressed to do something bold. “I thought, why not tell the Bible stories myself? Like I do at bedtime— honest, heartfelt, and Bible-centered.” With a basic microphone, a laptop, and a whole lot of prayer, he launched Papa’s Bible Stories in January 2020.

Since then, this humble little podcast has been downloaded over one million times.

What makes Papa’s Bible Stories different? “I don’t water things down,” David explains. “Kids can handle more than we give them credit for.” That includes tough stories—like the rebellion of Korah, Jephthah’s tragic vow, or the battles of ancient Israel. “I go deep. I quote Scripture directly. And I always try to show where God’s love and justice meet.”

That honesty has made the podcast resonate—not just with children, but with adults too.

“One lady from Texas told me she wanted to become a Christian but felt too embarrassed to walk into a church because she didn’t know anything about the Bible,” David shares. “So, she started listening to my podcast for kids. By the time she finally stepped into a church, the sermon was about Joseph—and she felt completely prepared because she had just listened to my telling of the story of Joseph.”

Another listener wrote that her husband, previously uninterested in faith, began listening in the background with the kids.

“Now he’s reading the Bible,” she wrote. “It’s opening doors I never thought possible.”

David chuckles. “Honestly, some parents tell me their kids know the Bible better than they do now.”

And that’s the point. “When kids know their Bibles, it shapes their whole worldview,” he says. “They’re not easily shaken when questions come later in life.”

Behind each episode is careful prayer, study, and preparation. David reads the biblical passage multiple times, studies Patriarchs and Prophets, and consults the SDA Bible Commentary. “I pray, asking the Holy Spirit to help me see the story through fresh eyes—so I can help kids feel what it would’ve been like to walk in those ancient sandals.”

David is convinced: God is calling each of us—parents, students, truck drivers, nurses—to find our voice and share His message in our own way. “Maybe it’s a podcast. Maybe it’s something else. But don’t wait. God can use even the smallest voice to make a big impact.”

To hear the full inspiring episode on “Papa’s Bible Stories,” watch It Is Written Canada this month on CTV or the dozens of networks where it is aired across Canada and around the world. Or visit iiw.ca or the It Is Written Canada YouTube channel and click on the program entitled “Papa’s Bible Stories Podcast.”