Latest / How to Faith a Life Podcast with Faith Womack / Why Theology is a MUST for every woman How to Faith a Life Podcast Season 3 Episode 1

Transcript

Why Theology is a MUST for every woman How to Faith a Life Podcast Season 3 Episode 1 · How to Faith a Life Podcast with Faith Womack

0:00
SPEAKER_02: If you're listening to the How to Faith a Life podcast, where we wrestle with questions on how to live a life of faith, from everything from books to Bible studies, even Bible study tips.
0:07
SPEAKER_02: This is your place to wrestle with the hard questions and dive deep into what scripture really says for the Christian walk.
0:12
SPEAKER_02: Make sure you've subscribed to this podcast and your favorite podcast streaming services.
0:16
SPEAKER_02: Review this podcast so other people can find it and share with other believers who want to ask the hard questions.
0:21
SPEAKER_02: Now, with all that said, let's begin.
0:23
SPEAKER_02: Hi friends, and welcome to season three of the How to Faith Life podcast.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: Um, I am so excited to have you here.
0:29
SPEAKER_02: This is one of those things that I felt like the Lord led me to do, and also something that I really put a lot of thought about how I wanted to execute it.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: So if you don't know, I have two seasons of the How to Faith a Life podcast and I've taken quite a pod.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: It's been like a year and a half since I've podcasted.
0:49
SPEAKER_02: Now, obviously, I'm doing, you know, basically weekly YouTube videos and very frequent um uploads onto the Instagram and TikTok and Patreon, you know, doing our psalm studies.
0:59
SPEAKER_02: Like we've been busy with so many other things.
1:01
SPEAKER_02: I've since announced a book.
1:02
SPEAKER_02: So really a lot of the podcasting time off was me writing the book.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: But I've been very excited to bring back the podcast and have very intentional conversations.
1:10
SPEAKER_02: I really wanted to have conversations with people that I think will encourage you guys specifically with things that I know y'all are learning and studying and growing in your relationships with the Lord over, and really conversations that only God has opened the doors for.
1:26
SPEAKER_02: And so one feedback I got last season was that I was interviewing a lot of men.
1:32
SPEAKER_02: And that wasn't necessarily intentional.
1:34
SPEAKER_02: I've, this sounds so pick-me, but I've always been a girl that likes to learn from men, that really appreciates the male outlook and gravitates towards male leadership.
1:45
SPEAKER_02: Don't psychoanalyze that or anything, but that's just like kind of my natural leaning.
1:50
SPEAKER_02: I always think that's funny.
1:52
SPEAKER_02: Love girlfriends and things like that, but when it comes to education, I tend to love to learn from men.
1:58
SPEAKER_02: And so that was something I wanted to lean into because there are so many incredible women in ministry.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: And I'm not trying to make a theological claim here about complementarianism or egalitarianism or anything, but there are just straight up so many wonderful women that do all different kinds of ministry for the church.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: And so this season, I really felt like the Lord put it on my heart to interview so many women that the Lord has gotten me connected with in the online spaces and in person.
2:24
SPEAKER_02: Some of these people are friends, some of these people are, you know, co-workers in the gospel with me that we've we've just gotten to know each other through ministry work.
2:33
SPEAKER_02: Actually, none of these women are ordained ministers.
2:36
SPEAKER_02: All of them work unto the ministry of the church, but they all work in different denominational circles.
2:42
SPEAKER_02: And so we've got an actress, we have authors, we have charismatics, Wesleyan's Reformed.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: We have so many different wonderful women of God who I found to be so incredibly edifying and encouraging in their walks with the Lord, and all who have different focuses, different convictions, different callings, but faithfully want to pursue loving the Lord well.
3:04
SPEAKER_02: So, Lord willing, season three will be 12 episodes.
3:07
SPEAKER_02: The final one will not be an interview, but 11 wonderful interviews, most of which are already filmed as of recording this.
3:14
SPEAKER_02: And they are just so incredibly rich and edifying.
3:17
SPEAKER_02: I pray that they minister to you guys the same ways that they've ministered to me.
3:20
SPEAKER_02: These women all have like different heart cries, different focuses in their walks with the Lord.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: But I just truly feel like y'all will love learning from them because they are wonderful women who've taught me so many things.
3:33
SPEAKER_02: So strap in, get your Bibles ready.
3:37
SPEAKER_02: Every single episode, I aim to ask every single woman, what's your favorite Bible study tools?
3:41
SPEAKER_02: Like, how do you go deeper in your Bible studies, as well as learn from them in their specialties, in their personal walks with the Lord, what the Lord teaching them in these seasons of life and, you know, sharing their books that they just wrote, or, you know, their projects have just come out.
3:55
SPEAKER_02: And so I just know that there's so much that y'all are going to love about these conversations.
3:59
SPEAKER_02: So make sure that you've subscribed.
4:01
SPEAKER_02: Like if you have a favorite podcast streaming platform, we're probably on it.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: Make sure you've subscribed so you don't miss any of these episodes.
4:09
SPEAKER_02: I'm assuming that some platforms that start with why are going to not want to promote it.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: If you're listening to this not on YouTube, I'm like, hey, that is awesome.
4:22
SPEAKER_02: But I am well aware that my largest platform is YouTube.
4:25
SPEAKER_02: And it probably is not going to like these.
4:27
SPEAKER_02: It's probably going to kind of suppress the spread of these podcasts on the algorithm because it's just not catered to their algorithm.
4:36
SPEAKER_02: But, you know, watch God prove me wrong, right?
4:39
SPEAKER_02: But I say all that because you'll probably want to follow this podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services.
4:44
SPEAKER_02: That way you get the notifications of when it comes up.
4:46
SPEAKER_02: Or you can just turn on your notifications on YouTube.
4:48
SPEAKER_02: These will be audio and video recorded.
4:50
SPEAKER_02: Like I said, Lord willing, there'll be 12 episodes, and I'm so incredibly excited for every single one of them.
4:55
SPEAKER_02: So grab your Bibles.
4:56
SPEAKER_02: This first interview is one of my favorites.
4:58
SPEAKER_02: We're talking with Felicia Masenheimer.
5:00
SPEAKER_02: She is a mutual that I came across on Instagram.
5:03
SPEAKER_02: And I've so loved her daily day in the life on her Instagram story and answering questions and giving just very practical theological advice.
5:11
SPEAKER_02: If you guys haven't already found her on Instagram, you definitely need to go check her out.
5:16
SPEAKER_02: And on that note, let's dive into this conversation.
5:18
SPEAKER_02: Hi friends, welcome back to the How to Faith a Life podcast, a ministry of Bible Nerd Ministries.
5:23
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited for our guest today.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: We have Felicia Masenheimer, and she has been such a blessing to me in the online spaces.
5:30
SPEAKER_02: If you don't know who she is, where have you been?
5:32
SPEAKER_02: Felicia is founder of Every Woman a Theologian, a ministry that equips Christians, especially women, to know what they believe and why they believe it and to live their faith with conviction, clarity, and grace.
5:43
SPEAKER_02: She's a best time, nationally known author, Bible teacher.
5:47
SPEAKER_02: Her most recent book is Every Woman a Theologian, and that's also obviously the name of her ministry.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: Born and raised in rural northern Michigan, Felicia's inquisitive upbringing, encouraged by her parents, shaped her lifelong love of truth seeking.
6:00
SPEAKER_02: After earning a degree in religion, she launched a writing and speaking ministry to address the pressing questions confronting her millennial peers, from dating, sexuality, and modesty to politics and theology.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: She and her husband Josh, now COO of Every Woman a Theologian, live in a small farm in northern Michigan with their three almost four children, or fourth on the way, I should say.
6:20
SPEAKER_02: Together, they've steered the ministry through seasons of personal struggle from financial vulnerability to pastoral challenges into a thriving platform that includes print books, courses, and a vibrant community.
6:29
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show.
6:31
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me, Faith.
6:33
SPEAKER_02: You are such a blessing in my life and in the online space.
6:37
SPEAKER_02: I'm just so honored that you would come on here and share a bit of your heart and your ministry.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: I know my audience is just going to gobble you up if they don't already know about you.
6:47
SPEAKER_03: Well, I've I've realized when we first interacted on Instagram, I was like, oh my goodness, like I have seen your Instagram reels and finally made the connection because I had always loved them and found them just so in-depth, so helpful, and just so like, I don't know, you have this like vibrancy to you in your Bible teaching that is so fun, so attractive, which I think is the Bible is fun.
7:12
SPEAKER_03: So it's just awesome to get to meet you and talk with you in person.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: I agree.
7:16
SPEAKER_02: I agree.
7:16
SPEAKER_02: It's so much funner than I think a lot of us think of it.
7:19
SPEAKER_02: We think of it as a boys' club, which I feel like you do a really good job of inviting women in particular into theology and really kind of empowering them to be like, these are tough topics, but let's talk about it.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: Let's make them simple.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: Where do you think that passion came from?
7:32
SPEAKER_03: Well, I know that from pretty young, I really wanted to know why things happened the way they did.
7:39
SPEAKER_03: I wanted to know the why behind things.
7:40
SPEAKER_03: I wasn't ever content with just like following the rules without knowing if they were good rules to follow, which made me a very challenging child to raise, I'm sure.
7:49
SPEAKER_03: But when I came to Christ, I just wanted to know.
7:53
SPEAKER_03: I was like, why do we believe what we believe?
7:56
SPEAKER_03: I started studying the Bible and just wanting to understand it from pretty young.
8:01
SPEAKER_03: And I enjoyed breaking down passages and kind of following the cross-references.
8:05
SPEAKER_03: And it felt like just such an adventure to figure out like, what's the context here?
8:10
SPEAKER_03: What's the story behind the story?
8:12
SPEAKER_03: And so I guess kind of like a curiosity was the beginning of it all for me when it came to the Bible.
8:19
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
8:20
SPEAKER_02: I feel like the curiosity is really evident in your book, Every Woman, a Theologian.
8:24
SPEAKER_02: Can you tell us a little bit about that book and what you would hope readers would get from that?
8:28
SPEAKER_02: Because I feel like my audience needs to read it.
8:30
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
8:31
SPEAKER_03: So that this book was really born out of, you know, the name of our ministry, but it's what's called a systematic theology for lay women.
8:41
SPEAKER_03: So women who are maybe not going to go to seminary or haven't gone to seminary.
8:45
SPEAKER_03: Um, I didn't go to seminary.
8:47
SPEAKER_03: A lot of people don't realize that.
8:48
SPEAKER_03: I have an undergraduate degree in religion.
8:50
SPEAKER_03: I did not go on to get an MDiv yet.
8:53
SPEAKER_03: So um I'm I'm speaking to women who want to understand the depth of the Christian faith, to understand the Bible, who maybe have already disqualified themselves.
9:04
SPEAKER_03: They're like, I'm not smart enough, or I'm not capable enough, or I'm not equipped enough.
9:08
SPEAKER_03: I don't have enough time.
9:09
SPEAKER_03: And I just want to encourage them: you are equipped.
9:12
SPEAKER_03: You are called, you are capable, you're you're able to do this, you're smart enough.
9:17
SPEAKER_03: So the book itself just breaks down like what are the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith?
9:22
SPEAKER_03: Like, what's the theology of sin?
9:24
SPEAKER_03: Like, what is sin?
9:25
SPEAKER_03: What does it do?
9:26
SPEAKER_03: Who is God?
9:27
SPEAKER_03: What is the Trinity?
9:28
SPEAKER_03: What did Jesus do on the cross?
9:29
SPEAKER_03: Like, just those basics that like we we technically know.
9:33
SPEAKER_03: But if you were to have to sit down across from somebody and explain it, you'd you'd kind of be like a goldfish.
9:38
SPEAKER_03: You're just like, I don't know what to say.
9:42
SPEAKER_03: Um, and so it kind of just breaks that down, like in an accessible way of how to understand those basic doctrines and explain them to other people.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love that because we're the ones oftentimes doing the one-on-one discipleship with kids.
9:55
SPEAKER_02: We're the one raising them up in the meals, you know, at mealtime, talking about God and all those things.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: How do you feel like theology has shaped your day-to-day life and discipling your kids?
10:04
SPEAKER_03: Oh, oh, a lot.
10:06
SPEAKER_03: You know, my kids, like all kids, they they ask such great questions.
10:10
SPEAKER_03: They're thinking so hard so young.
10:13
SPEAKER_03: I mean, we've all had like the four-year-old asking about the Trinity, and we're like, uh, do I compare it to like ice, water, and I gas?
10:21
SPEAKER_03: Do I compare it to an egg?
10:23
SPEAKER_03: Do I compare it to a clover?
10:24
SPEAKER_03: Like, I thought it's so offensive.
10:26
SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, where you're just like caught off guard.
10:28
SPEAKER_03: And even like last night I was putting my daughter to bed and she was like, So, like, what happens at baptism?
10:35
SPEAKER_03: Does like baptism save you?
10:37
SPEAKER_03: You know, and that's a huge theological question that Perky's answered differently.
10:43
SPEAKER_03: So we talked about it, but it's really my own study.
10:47
SPEAKER_03: It's so interesting because like we're doing a baptism book launch next week.
10:51
SPEAKER_03: So I have actually studied this extensively and was able to answer her question.
10:55
SPEAKER_03: But like a couple of years ago, I didn't, I had not studied it that much.
11:00
SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, my initial response would probably be like, no, the baptism doesn't save you based on stuff I've heard in church, but I couldn't really give you a compelling like scriptural answer why I believe that.
11:12
SPEAKER_03: And so when you kind of take ownership of your faith, you get answers to questions you didn't know you had, and then you're able to engage with the questions of others with more confidence.
11:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love that.
11:24
SPEAKER_02: Mom to mom, I just have to ask you, did you present like, well, Lutherans view it this way, and then Catholics view it this way, and some people dunk, other people like how in-depth did you get with your daughter?
11:35
SPEAKER_03: So the way that I do this, I kind of this is that's a great question because I think a lot of parents feel paralyzed by this.
11:41
SPEAKER_03: Like when your five-year-old is like, Did God create the world?
11:44
SPEAKER_03: And you're like, Do I talk about theistic evolution and regular evolution and create, you know, young earth creationism?
11:52
SPEAKER_03: You're like, when do I introduce these?
11:53
SPEAKER_03: What I usually do is kind of like a classical model.
11:56
SPEAKER_03: In the classical education model, you start with like memorizing basic facts in the young years, and then you introduce alternatives in the older years, and then at the final stage, you teach them how to debate ideas.
12:09
SPEAKER_03: So in the really young years, I keep it extremely simple.
12:13
SPEAKER_03: Like God's the creator of the world, right?
12:15
SPEAKER_03: Baptism is an important step in salvation.
12:19
SPEAKER_03: Like it's a non-negotiable.
12:21
SPEAKER_03: Does it actually save you?
12:23
SPEAKER_03: We as a family don't believe so.
12:25
SPEAKER_03: But when they get to 12 years old and like they have that foundation, we can say, okay, here are some other denominations and what they think and how they arrive at those conclusions.
12:34
SPEAKER_03: So you've given them a really solid foundation in what scripture says, and then you kind of introduce the other alternative ideas and let them begin to compare and contrast and come to their own conclusion.
12:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's that can be so helpful, but so tricky on when to do it.
12:49
SPEAKER_00: And my husband and I definitely struggle with that.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: We got a really smart seven-year-old and he wanted a crucifix.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: And my husband's like, no.
12:56
SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, it's okay, it's not the end of the world.
12:59
SPEAKER_03: He's like, My buddy at school has one.
13:01
SPEAKER_03: You know, it's a whole thing.
13:02
SPEAKER_03: So I get it, I get it.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: Hiya, friends.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna interrupt this podcast really quickly because I wanted to make sure you don't miss out.
13:08
SPEAKER_02: You see, most Christians say they want to go deeper in their Bible, but here's the hard truth.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: Most of us are studying it completely wrong, and that's why we can't go any deeper.
13:18
SPEAKER_02: But my new book, published by Zondervin, comes out November 18th, and it's titled No More Boring Bible Study.
13:24
SPEAKER_02: I wrote it because I'm tired of watching Christians settle for shallow devotionals and misused Bible verses that just end up robbing the word of its power.
13:31
SPEAKER_02: This book gives you the tools you were never taught, the stuff pastors learn in seminary, but most Christians never even hear.
13:37
SPEAKER_02: We're talking how to actually handle different types of biblical literature, how to stop twisting scripture to fit into your life, and how to finally hear God's word in truth.
13:46
SPEAKER_02: If you believe the Bible is true, you cannot afford to keep skimming it or even not understanding it.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: If it really is true, let's treat it like it is and feast on it.
13:56
SPEAKER_02: If you care about being faithful to God's word, this is the book you're going to want to pre-order.
13:59
SPEAKER_02: So here's my challenge: pause this podcast right now, go to Amazon and pre-order No More Boring Bible Study.
14:05
SPEAKER_02: It's also on all the other websites that you get books.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: But don't wait until you forget.
14:09
SPEAKER_02: This is your moment to choose.
14:10
SPEAKER_02: Do you want shallow, flimsy faith or deeper, richer study of the Bible that will actually change your life?
14:15
SPEAKER_02: It's No More Boring Bible Study by me, Faith Womack, and you can pre-order today so that as soon as it's out, it's on your doorstep, reminding you, oh yeah, this is what matters.
14:24
SPEAKER_02: Let's read this.
14:25
SPEAKER_02: Don't miss out and forget because if we really believe the Bible's true, we're gonna prioritize it.
14:29
SPEAKER_02: Now let's get back to the podcast.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: So you've covered everything from like legalism to mysticism to denominational differences in your videos and content.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: What's an area that you've seen the most spiritual growth in your own walk with the Lord from studying and teaching?
14:44
SPEAKER_03: Oh, that is such a good question.
14:46
SPEAKER_03: I would have to say my biggest challenge, oftentimes, you know, your strengths are your weaknesses, right?
14:53
SPEAKER_03: So when you're a communicator with words, your strength is words while your weakness is also words and being maybe too harsh or too quick to speak when you should have been silent.
15:06
SPEAKER_03: And in my own walk and study, uh the Lord has worked such grace in my understanding of my own sin, my own flaws, my own need for him, that yes, I was aware of, but I I needed a greater consciousness of that in order to do the work of ministry.
15:27
SPEAKER_03: That I'm I might think like, oh, I have the most accurate theological idea on this topic.
15:36
SPEAKER_03: But have I even considered the other ideas?
15:39
SPEAKER_03: Have I even read about them?
15:41
SPEAKER_03: Um, and I might not change my mind.
15:43
SPEAKER_03: I might stay right where I am.
15:44
SPEAKER_03: You know, I've I'm a Protestant, I've studied a lot of Catholic theology to understand their viewpoint.
15:50
SPEAKER_03: I am still Protestant, but I have a better understanding of their theology.
15:55
SPEAKER_03: Um, so just like that grace, like willingness to listen, even if I'm still gonna say, you know, I have theological and logical objections to this viewpoint, not being so quick to just run my mouth about something or someone or another ministry, you know, just do unto others as I would have done unto me.
16:19
SPEAKER_03: I would like to be listened to.
16:20
SPEAKER_03: I would like my ideas to be heard.
16:22
SPEAKER_03: I would like to have a chance to be respected as a person.
16:27
SPEAKER_03: Um, so if that's what I want, that's what I have to do.
16:30
SPEAKER_03: And that's what the Lord has probably worked in me the most through studying his word and and going deeper in theology.
16:36
SPEAKER_02: I feel like you do it well too.
16:38
SPEAKER_02: Like you have a strong, like you present, I told you this off screen, but like you really do.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: You present it convicted, strong, confident.
16:45
SPEAKER_02: You do such a good job with like making complex stuff very simple, but you're also still gracious in the midst of it.
16:51
SPEAKER_02: Like you can disagree on me on this and not be heretical, you know.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: But I think a lot of Christians aren't educated in that.
16:57
SPEAKER_02: Like, what are the bounds for heresy?
16:59
SPEAKER_02: What are the bounds for lowercase O Orthodox Christianity?
17:01
SPEAKER_02: You know, and then what is debatable?
17:03
SPEAKER_02: What's gray area or secondary issues?
17:05
SPEAKER_02: I think you do a really good job of explaining that and presenting that in your ministry and work.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: So it's, you know, you can see the fruit of it when people consume your content.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: You're a wife, a mom, a ministry leader, and an author.
17:18
SPEAKER_02: How do you practically stay rooted in scripture in the midst of doing so much?
17:22
SPEAKER_03: This is a challenge.
17:24
SPEAKER_03: And one of the commitments I made early on was not to use my personal quiet time as a funnel to content.
17:30
SPEAKER_03: This was something, I mean, real early, probably 15 years ago, when I started blogging and was beginning to see that people were reading what I was writing.
17:41
SPEAKER_03: Um, I just had this deep conviction, and I think I was seeing it online a lot.
17:47
SPEAKER_03: That was the era when Instagram first came out.
17:49
SPEAKER_03: We would take pictures of our Bibles, and then we would have like this long caption about what we'd read that day.
17:56
SPEAKER_03: And I get it, like it's it's like, I just want to share what the Lord's speaking to me.
18:01
SPEAKER_03: But what I started to see, at least in myself, was like this is like instead of becoming a sponge for the word, you are literally just a funnel.
18:12
SPEAKER_03: It's just running through you to somebody else.
18:15
SPEAKER_03: And so it's never soaking up, like it's never like really changing you because your quiet time is just content, and that's dangerous.
18:26
SPEAKER_03: And that was just the conviction I had real early on.
18:28
SPEAKER_03: And so that's something I still try to do that I have a separate quiet time from research time.
18:33
SPEAKER_03: Now, of course, your quiet time, your time with God, that shapes you and in turn shapes your ministry.
18:38
SPEAKER_03: So it's not like it's totally separate, but that makes it challenging because it means that I am doing my study for you know, speaking engagements or books or projects separately from my personal quiet time, and it is a lot more work.
18:58
SPEAKER_03: But what I found is that I have to be okay with my season changing and my quiet time, my devotional time changing too.
19:08
SPEAKER_03: And I tell this to my my readers all the time like, your quiet time doesn't have to be quiet.
19:13
SPEAKER_03: It wasn't for most people in Christian history, like this modern ideation of like perfect armchair coffee.
19:20
SPEAKER_03: Like, this is new.
19:22
SPEAKER_03: Like, this is not what it is, even for people outside of an American context.
19:27
SPEAKER_03: Like, this is the privileged Christian reality.
19:32
SPEAKER_03: So I need to be okay with like my quiet my quiet time the other day.
19:35
SPEAKER_03: I was I had a meeting in a coffee shop and I had 20 minutes after that, and that's when I did that.
19:41
SPEAKER_03: And it was really loud, actually, and and not super pleasant, but I can still remember the takeaway I had from spending my time in the Word.
19:49
SPEAKER_03: And like I like to write out my prayers because it helps me focus.
19:52
SPEAKER_03: And I still had that time with him, you know?
19:55
SPEAKER_03: So just being okay with it not being perfect, not looking like Instagram, not being like protected and removed from reality, but understanding you can come to God in the midst of your reality.
20:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:07
SPEAKER_02: If I get interrupted by my kids, it doesn't ruin everything, but people kind of think it will, you know.
20:12
unknown: Yeah.
20:12
SPEAKER_03: It's like and they get to see you.
20:15
SPEAKER_03: They get to see you in the word.
20:17
SPEAKER_03: That was actually a formative thing for me from my parents, was my parents taught us scripture.
20:23
SPEAKER_03: They taught us, you know, they discipled us, took us to church.
20:27
SPEAKER_03: Myself and my five siblings, we are all in the faith today.
20:31
SPEAKER_03: And I look back on that, and there's not, it was not perfect.
20:35
SPEAKER_03: But I do look back and I think that every morning I would see my dad like up reading his Bible.
20:40
SPEAKER_03: Later in the morning, I would see my mom in her armchair reading her Bible.
20:43
SPEAKER_03: And I think it just impressed on me that this isn't just something they're telling me I should do, it's something they're actually doing.
20:49
SPEAKER_03: And so, like letting your kids see you, interrupt you, it's actually a gift because they see that you're trying to make it a priority.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: Grab some crayons and join me and have your own little Bible study.
21:01
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
21:02
SPEAKER_02: Hey friends, I'm gonna interrupt this podcast real quick because what if I told you your Bible study could actually change someone's life half a world away?
21:09
SPEAKER_02: Not just your life, but their life too.
21:11
SPEAKER_02: In Kaungwari, Kenya, families wake up every day with zero access to clean water.
21:15
SPEAKER_02: But for$50, we can step in not only with a water filter that lasts 20 years, but with three discipleship visits, gospel conversations by local missionaries, and a connection to a solid local church.
21:24
SPEAKER_02: This isn't charity that replaces the church, it strengthens it.
21:27
SPEAKER_02: And the best part, it's not Americans flying in to save the day, it's local Kenyans, neighbors discipling neighbors in their own community.
21:34
SPEAKER_02: I went myself to check it all out.
21:36
SPEAKER_02: I paid my own way, it's not like they asked me to come out, but I can tell you, this mystery is the real deal.
21:41
SPEAKER_02: And they're doing kingdom work, and that's why I want us Bible nerds to be a part of it.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: Joe and I already gave$5,000, which is 100 water filters with the discipleship and the missionaries coming to the homes and all of that.
21:51
SPEAKER_02: But I'm asking the Bible nerd community to join me to do something bigger.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: Let's fund 2,000 filters together.
21:57
SPEAKER_02: That's 2,000 families with clean water.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: In the living water.
22:01
SPEAKER_02: Please don't assume someone else will cover it.
22:03
SPEAKER_02: If you're hearing this, the need is still real.
22:05
SPEAKER_02: There's something so valuable in the worshipful response of saying, Yes, Lord, use me, even with my couple of bucks.
22:11
SPEAKER_02: So before you keep listening to this awesome podcast, pull up the show notes.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: You'll see there a link to give as a Bible nerd, and even the map of where you can track the impact of our Bible nerd community in Kawangwari.
22:21
SPEAKER_02: You can see their faces, their names, some of the families I even got to meet who now have water because of you guys.
22:27
SPEAKER_02: Let's stop just reading the word and start living it out in our lives, even where it hurts, even in our wallets.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: Will you join me?
22:33
SPEAKER_02: Open the show notes now as we get back to this podcast.
22:36
SPEAKER_02: Now I want to ask everybody this season this question.
22:39
SPEAKER_02: So, what are some tools or practices that have helped you grow in studying the Bible deeply?
22:44
SPEAKER_03: So, my favorite tool, and this is like an old-fashioned one, but I think we've kind of I was talking to a Bible publisher about this, and they said that Bibles with cross references are not selling as highly as they did 15, 20 years ago.
23:01
SPEAKER_03: Like most people do not buy Bibles with cross-references anymore.
23:04
SPEAKER_03: And I was shocked because cross references are like my favorite thing in the world.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: Totally, totally.
23:12
SPEAKER_03: And so we I have a Bible that was out of print and Christian Standard actually brought it back with us, which was such a gift because so many people wanted it.
23:21
SPEAKER_03: It's the CSB Extended Note-taking Bible.
23:23
SPEAKER_03: I sound like I'm an ad right now, but I've used the same Bible for 11 years and they brought it back.
23:27
SPEAKER_03: So I'm just saying, like, I love it.
23:30
SPEAKER_03: It has the note-taking space, which is popular now, but they kept the cross-references in it.
23:36
SPEAKER_03: And usually you have to choose.
23:37
SPEAKER_03: You either have to choose a Bible with cross-references or a Bible with note-taking space.
23:41
SPEAKER_03: So, what the reason that I'm so passionate about this is because I could just have my Bible and I could follow these little references all over my Bible without anything else.
23:52
SPEAKER_03: Like I didn't need another book.
23:54
SPEAKER_03: I could take just my Bible and I could, I could do that.
23:57
SPEAKER_03: And so that to me, that was how I started.
23:59
SPEAKER_03: That was how I like I followed those little maps around my very first book, which was on John 4, The Woman at the Well.
24:05
SPEAKER_03: That whole book was born out of following a cross-reference from Jacob's well, where the woman sat, and realizing that it was the same place where Dinah in Genesis 32 was attacked.
24:19
SPEAKER_03: Like the two women both experiencing abuse and neglect by men, both in the Bible at the exact same place.
24:27
SPEAKER_03: And like I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't followed that past reference.
24:30
SPEAKER_03: So just these little references, they allow you to kind of map out other parts of the Bible that line up with what you're reading.
24:36
SPEAKER_03: And so that's a huge one for me.
24:39
SPEAKER_03: Um, I do a lot of note-taking and it's really helped me hand by hand.
24:44
SPEAKER_03: I know some people like electronic note-taking, but I get really distracted easily.
24:48
SPEAKER_03: So just hand writing my notes and you know, noting like, what's the what's what am I learning about God from this?
24:55
SPEAKER_03: Uh and then reading through the Bible chronologically.
24:58
SPEAKER_03: So in the order the events happened, that was really transformative to me too.
25:02
SPEAKER_03: I love all of that.
25:03
SPEAKER_02: And I so agree.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: I think cross-references are gold.
25:06
SPEAKER_02: Even in like a sermon, when a pastor mentions them, like I notice nobody else is writing these down.
25:10
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, guys, these are gold.
25:12
SPEAKER_02: We got to go check them out after the sermon, you know, to see the interconnectedness of scripture can just change everything, I think.
25:19
SPEAKER_02: So 100%.
25:21
SPEAKER_02: Like a sermon.
25:21
SPEAKER_02: Now, yes, yes.
25:24
SPEAKER_02: And there is so much richness there, whether it's an illusion or typology or what oh, hello, I'm knocking my mic.
25:30
SPEAKER_02: No matter what it is, like there is so much to be feasted on.
25:34
SPEAKER_02: We'll never scratch the surface or the bottom.
25:36
SPEAKER_02: We'll never even cover it all.
25:38
SPEAKER_02: There's so much there.
25:39
SPEAKER_02: So I love that you said that.
25:40
SPEAKER_02: Now, what do you do?
25:41
SPEAKER_02: This is just a selfish question, really quickly.
25:43
SPEAKER_02: What do you do whenever you read the cross-reference and you're like, okay, I don't know why that's a cross-reference here?
25:48
SPEAKER_03: That definitely happens for sure.
25:50
SPEAKER_03: Where I'm like, were y'all just picking this randomly because it had the same word in it?
25:55
SPEAKER_03: I just sometimes I'm like, okay, well, that one was a miss.
25:58
SPEAKER_03: I'll just check the other ones and see.
26:00
SPEAKER_03: And then if if the if I'm like, I really have a question and these cross-references aren't answering it, then I would pull out a commentary and see, like, okay, what what could I be missing here?
26:10
SPEAKER_03: I also love the IVP Bible background commentary series because those go into more of cultural context.
26:16
SPEAKER_03: So if I'm like, what was happening?
26:18
SPEAKER_03: Like, why?
26:19
SPEAKER_03: Like in the old testament, we'll be like, and Abraham made the man swear upon his thigh.
26:24
SPEAKER_03: And you're like, what does that mean?
26:26
SPEAKER_03: And then you find out, you're like, oh my god.
26:28
SPEAKER_03: Like, but you need the cultural context to kind of understand what's going on there.
26:34
SPEAKER_03: That's when I'll be like, okay, I have no clue what's happening.
26:36
SPEAKER_03: But there's also other like study Bibles.
26:38
SPEAKER_03: There's an NIV application commentary series, is a series I really like.
26:42
SPEAKER_03: And they have a study Bible that uses the commentaries and they made it into a Bible.
26:47
SPEAKER_03: ESV study Bible, CSB has a new women's study Bible.
26:51
SPEAKER_03: So there's like a lot of good resources you can use that don't involve having like as many books as are behind you and me right now in this video.
27:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: I love though that you mentioned the IVP.
27:04
SPEAKER_02: I've definitely talked about those before on my channel, but they love to hear about people's favorite commentaries.
27:08
SPEAKER_02: Do you have another one that you go to grab?
27:10
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
27:11
SPEAKER_03: Well, so I like to use both older and newer commentaries to have kind of the older perspective and also the newer perspective, kind of crossing the two.
27:22
SPEAKER_03: So I have Adam Clark's whole Bible commentary, which I like.
27:26
SPEAKER_03: And then Baker illustrated Bible commentary is good as well.
27:30
SPEAKER_03: That one's lighter.
27:32
SPEAKER_03: And of course, if you can afford to use book by book commentaries, they're going to be more in depth, which I have a couple here on my shelf behind me.
27:40
SPEAKER_03: Um, they're going to be more in depth than a whole Bible commentary is.
27:43
SPEAKER_03: So when I can afford to do that, I will do book by book.
27:48
SPEAKER_03: Um, New Beacon is a Wesleyan series.
27:50
SPEAKER_03: So that one I really like.
27:52
SPEAKER_03: And then NIV application.
27:53
SPEAKER_03: But one thing a lot of people don't know you can do is through your interlibrary loan at your local library, you can actually order commentaries from universities in your state.
28:04
SPEAKER_03: Like so seminaries will have commentaries that you can actually rent.
28:09
SPEAKER_03: You just have to be patient for them to get in.
28:12
SPEAKER_03: But your interlibrary loan, that's what I use to write Bible studies.
28:16
SPEAKER_03: I order them from seminaries, borrow them, and then return them.
28:20
SPEAKER_02: That's brilliant.
28:21
SPEAKER_02: I've spent way too much money building out my commentaries.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: Um, I love that.
28:25
SPEAKER_02: I need to do that.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: Definitely try it out.
28:27
SPEAKER_03: I also spend too much money, but you could save a tiny bit of money if there's a library.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: As my favorite commentary lately has been the ESV expository, which is a newer one, but it's so expensive.
28:39
SPEAKER_02: It's like 60, 70 bucks a volume.
28:42
SPEAKER_02: And my husband's like, you can order maybe one every two months.
28:46
SPEAKER_02: Because we're gonna cut you off, girl, or I'll order the whole set.
28:49
SPEAKER_02: I'll be like, I love them and want them all now, you know.
28:52
SPEAKER_02: Oh my goodness.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: We gotta, we gotta pace myself.
28:54
SPEAKER_02: So, where can listeners connect with you and your work?
28:58
SPEAKER_03: They can find me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
29:02
SPEAKER_03: I have a podcast, Verity Podcast.
29:04
SPEAKER_03: Um, it's usually talking about specific issues.
29:07
SPEAKER_03: So, like right now we're in a false teaching series.
29:10
SPEAKER_03: Not that I'm teaching falsely, but that we're out uh false teaching.
29:15
SPEAKER_03: Um and then we have a series that we did a beginner-believer series, we've done a church history series, a canon series.
29:23
SPEAKER_03: So the podcast kind of goes through these seasons.
29:25
SPEAKER_03: We're on a slight break at the moment, but there's still a whole backlog in iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
29:31
SPEAKER_03: And then online, we have every woman a theologian has its own Instagram account, Facebook page.
29:37
SPEAKER_03: That is where a lot of our books are promoted, our conference, things like that.
29:41
SPEAKER_03: And then I have my own personal Instagram at Felicia Masonheimer.com.
29:45
SPEAKER_03: And that's the same as our website.
29:48
SPEAKER_02: Well, I know that they're gonna be so blessed by this podcast.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for coming on.
29:52
SPEAKER_02: And everyone, go order her book, go check her out, hit all the followers or follow buttons and um show her some love from the Bible nerd community.
30:00
SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for coming.
30:01
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Faith.
30:02
SPEAKER_02: If you're listening to the How to Faith a Life podcast, where we wrestle with questions on how to live a life of faith, from everything from books to Bible studies, even Bible study tips.
30:09
SPEAKER_02: This is your place to wrestle with the hard questions and dive deep into what scripture really says for the Christian walk.
30:15
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30:19
SPEAKER_02: Review this podcast so other people can find it, and share with other believers who want to ask the hard questions.