There's a sign in our kitchen with one word on it: TOV. It's the Hebrew word for "good," the word God keeps using in Genesis 1 as he looks at what he's made. We see it every morning, and it reminds us of our calling: bring TOV.

We're Joe and Jane Oliver. We met in Boise in 2000, got married in 2002, and have been doing life and ministry side by side ever since.

Jane grew up in a big, loving LDS family. But from a young age she had questions, real ones, and there wasn't always room for them where she grew up. She came close to giving up on God entirely. Then she walked into a church in Boise full of questions and curiosity and found people who welcomed them. That honest exploration didn't pull her away from Jesus. It pulled her closer, and she went all in on his kingdom.

I didn't grow up in church. I was 15 when I met Jesus, and it changed everything. By 21 I was a youth pastor in Boise. That's the church Jane walked into, questions and all. (Best thing that ever happened to that youth group, and definitely the best thing that ever happened to me.)

Together we jumped into ministry with both feet. Youth ministry. Planting a church. Pouring our lives out for other people. But here's the thing we learned the hard way: ministry can become a machine. It demands everything and leaves very little room for real life, honest struggle, or wrestling with God. The pressure to perform, the expectations, the burnout, it nearly broke us. We walked through some hard seasons, including hidden addiction, pulling away from each other emotionally, and expectations that never got met.

And yet, God never wasted a wound. Not one.

In 2024 we launched Stories of TOV. We want to help people rediscover the goodness of God's story, especially people who feel disillusioned, hurt, or spiritually homeless. We still believe that goodness is worth chasing, reclaiming, and living into.

Right now that looks like two things.

• Barstool Theology. Every other week, we pull up some stools at a local pub or third space for anyone who's spiritually curious, skeptical, deconstructing, or burned by religion. It's not church. It's honest questions, real community, and good conversation. No pressure. No pretending.

• Whiskey and the Writings. My YouTube channel, where I pour a good bourbon and dig into the Bible. I've got a Master's in Biblical Theology, but honestly I'm just a guy who loves studying Scripture and making it make sense. We look at the hard parts, the weird parts, and the beautiful parts, without fear and without shame.

What we care about most is helping people find healing through belonging, curiosity, and seeing who Jesus really is, without all the baggage religion sometimes piles on top of him.

When we're not teaching, mentoring, or dreaming up the next thing, you'll probably find us binging our favorite shows or spending a day by the pool.

All that to say: God's story is still good. And there's a place in it for you.