Amanda Williams on The Bible is for You: A Journey Through Every Book
Our discussion centers on the profound assertion that the Bible is indeed for everyone and relevant in every season of life. In this enlightening episode, I engage with Amanda Williams, a co-founder of She Reads Truth, who shares her insights on fostering a community dedicated to daily engagement with Scripture. We explore the transformative power of God's Word, and how it shapes our perspectives and enriches our lives. Amanda recounts the genesis of She Reads Truth, illustrating how a unique idea blossomed into a vibrant community committed to biblical literacy. Furthermore, we discuss the release of their new devotional, "The Bible is for You," which aims to serve as an accessible resource for both new and seasoned readers of the Bible.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the importance of daily engagement with scripture, highlighting its transformative power in our lives.
- Amanda Williams discusses the genesis of 'she Reads Truth' as a movement initiated by women seeking to read the Bible daily together.
- The devotional titled 'The Bible is for You' aims to provide accessible guidance for individuals wanting to explore scripture deeply.
- The conversation reveals a growing interest in the Bible among younger generations, countering notions of its declining relevance in contemporary culture.
- Amanda shares her personal journey through writing the devotional, which became a means to reflect on God's presence in life's challenges.
- The podcast underscores the significance of community in spiritual growth, encouraging individuals to seek both in-person and online connections.
Transcript
Hey there and welcome back to the Clarity Podcast.
Speaker A:This podcast is all about providing clarity, insight and encouragement for life and mission.
Speaker A:And my name is Aaron Sandemier and I get to be your host.
Speaker A:Today we sit down with Amanda Williams and we get to learn from her.
Speaker A:Amanda is one of the co founders of she Reads Truth and we get to sit down and discuss why the Bible is for everyone and it is for every season.
Speaker A:So Amanda is one of the co founders of she Reads Truth.
Speaker A:Share about the Genesis story of that of an idea that how it's come to fruition.
Speaker A:And now it's a community of females that are committed to read the Bible every day and every day.
Speaker A:That's a commitment to do something every day.
Speaker A:And I think it's actually evolved.
Speaker A:There's now He Reads Truth.
Speaker A:That's also a community.
Speaker A:But just being able to read God's truth together.
Speaker A:Sit down.
Speaker A:And many of us know that God's word is transformational.
Speaker A:So we're reading it, it's transforming our heart, it's transforming our lives and it transforms how we see the world as we see the world through God's word, through love, man.
Speaker A:It changes our day.
Speaker A:So they've come out with a devotional and this devotional they put together with the title the Bible is for you and helps you walk through the different, different chapters of the Bible, different books of the Bible.
Speaker A:Very insightful.
Speaker A:I think it's very timely as we know that in Western culture.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:People are more and more becoming interested in the Bible.
Speaker A:And so this is a timely book.
Speaker A:That devotion that's come out.
Speaker A:And I think you'll find it a great resource if you're.
Speaker A:You're looking to engage in God's Word in an intentional way and it provides something different.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It kind of spices it up a little bit.
Speaker A:A different way.
Speaker A:She shares the beauty of it, the way it sits in your hands, the feel of it.
Speaker A:And those of us who like to read books know that that's important.
Speaker A:So they put a lot of time and effort into it.
Speaker A:Do want to ask you to continue to subscribe to the podcast.
Speaker A:I know the podcast I've subscribed to.
Speaker A:They're ones I listen to.
Speaker A:They show up on my feed on Tuesdays.
Speaker A:I know what I'm going to be listening to throughout the rest of the week.
Speaker A:Also send in your questions for Back Channel with Foth.
Speaker A:That's where I get to sit down with Dick Foth and get to learn from him and ye.
Speaker A:Yeah, just always a fun time to be with Dick Foth.
Speaker A:And on backchannel with foe.
Speaker A:Well, there's no time better than now to get started.
Speaker A:So here we go.
Speaker A:Greetings and welcome back to the Clarity podcast.
Speaker A:So excited to be here today with a new friend of the podcast, Amanda.
Speaker A:Welcome to the podcast.
Speaker B:Hi, Aaron.
Speaker B:Thank you for having me.
Speaker B:I'm honored to be here.
Speaker A:It's exciting.
Speaker A:And before I hit record, you know, the nice thing about being a podcast o is you feel like you get to know people even before you see them for the first time.
Speaker A:As we jumped on today on the Zoom, it's.
Speaker A:It's been.
Speaker A:It's been fun so far.
Speaker A:So, Amanda, those who have not had the opportunity to read your writings, to engage with the resources you put out there, can you share a little bit about yourself before I start asking you some questions?
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm happy to.
Speaker B:So my name is Amanda Williams.
Speaker B:My maiden name is Bible, so I am Amanda Bible Williams.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker B:And I. I've been married to David for about 21 years, 22 almost.
Speaker B:We have four kids, live in the Nashville area of Tennessee, and have been here our entire marriage, so quite a while.
Speaker B:And I have the privilege of stewarding a ministry and business called she Reads Truth, which our mission from day one has been women in the Word of God every day.
Speaker B:And it, you know, began as just honestly something we needed.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And still need it.
Speaker B:And also just in the Lord just kind of made it this.
Speaker B:This movement of women that he invited into His Word.
Speaker B:And so we have just continued to do our best to.
Speaker B:To show up to what he's already doing and invite.
Speaker B:Invite women and men.
Speaker B:We do have a He Reads Truth and to.
Speaker B:To read.
Speaker B:To read Scripture.
Speaker B:And so that's.
Speaker B:That's what we do.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:So you went over, you talked about a lot of story really quick there.
Speaker A:So you have.
Speaker A:You have a love for the Bible.
Speaker A:You have a.
Speaker A:You recognize how it can impact people's lives.
Speaker A:It can change and transform.
Speaker A:It's changed and transformed my family for generations.
Speaker A:A clear line in our family's history where people gave their life to Jesus Christ and just how that radically transformed our trajectory.
Speaker A:But you had this idea, right?
Speaker A:You had this idea.
Speaker A:Then you went really quickly from the real the idea and God stirring something into your heart to actually putting it in place into where it is today.
Speaker A:So can you share a little bit more about the Genesis story and how.
Speaker A:Because many people listening to this podcast, God lays a desire on their heart and that getting through those friction points can be a challenge.
Speaker A:So a little more on the Genesis side.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker B:Well, you know, there just really not much of this that I can take credit for, but I can tell you the story.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker B:Which is that we, me, myself, my partner and co. Co author, co editor of the book we're talking about today, Rachel Myers, and some women who were around us at the time, we just wanted to read God's Word more than we were.
Speaker B:We were young moms.
Speaker B:We were finding it difficult to.
Speaker B:We were finding it difficult, but also we were finding our hearts convicted that our lives didn't necessarily reflect what we thought, what we felt to be true of Scripture, that it was God's Word, that it was for us to just to build our lives on and that it was important.
Speaker B:And, and so we just felt like we kept hitting obstacles when it came to being regular, like daily Bible readers.
Speaker B:And some of those were internal obstacles, some of those were external.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:SHE READS Truth really began as an actual, just handful of who didn't even know each other in real life, like we all were, Rachel and I included, just kind of knew each other through the Internet at the time and, and just wanted to start reading the Bible every day and kind of holding each other accountable for that.
Speaker B:And so that's how it started.
Speaker B:And, and we invited whoever happened to be paying attention to join with us with a hashtag.
Speaker B:And, and that was in the glory days of hashtags.
Speaker B:And there were just women who were to me too, I want to read the Bible more.
Speaker B:I want to read the Bible more.
Speaker B:We believe that God's Word is for us and it's given to us so that we can know him and that it's true.
Speaker B:And so we're like, if those, if all of that is true of God's Word, then we need to be reading it.
Speaker B:And so that's how it started.
Speaker B:And what we did not anticipate was the echo of me too, you know, that we heard just like the women who were like, I also want that.
Speaker B:And so it very quickly became, excuse me.
Speaker B:It very quickly became like a movement of women.
Speaker B:And, and so when I say we didn't really like, it wasn't an idea that we came up with so much as a thing that we needed and then kind of looked up to realize, oh, we, there are so many of us who, who feel this way.
Speaker B:So let's, let's do this together and kind of find strength and community.
Speaker B:And so it is just, it has grown, grow there.
Speaker B:We are still women in the Word of God every day, still always in a Bible reading Plan, we read through books of the Bible.
Speaker B:We read about biblical topics.
Speaker B:And when we finish one reading plan, we start the next one the very next day.
Speaker B:And so we're just always.
Speaker B:We want to be a place where if someone is saying, I want to read the Bible, but I don't know where to start.
Speaker B:We want to be a place where they can go and just start.
Speaker B:Join in.
Speaker A:Yeah, so you hit on a few things there.
Speaker A:One was being a young mom with kids.
Speaker A:I mean, that's a season of life, and it is a challenging.
Speaker A:Sometimes you're just trying to figure out how to keep your head above water.
Speaker A:So I might ask you any words of encouragement for somebody that maybe in that season.
Speaker A:And then the other one is, yeah, talked about this.
Speaker A:This creating community.
Speaker A:And a lot of.
Speaker A:Not a lot, but a significant amount of the missionaries that serve around the world are serving solo, and they're looking.
Speaker A:They don't necessarily have a community like that.
Speaker B:So can you.
Speaker A:Can you maybe go a little deeper on encouragement for a mom who's struggling?
Speaker A:Maybe it's a dad that's struggling in this season of life with them kids, they're just trying to find that space and then somebody else.
Speaker A:That's their look.
Speaker A:They recognize they need community.
Speaker A:And what kind of community.
Speaker A:She reads truth or he reads truth.
Speaker A:Could be for them as they grow deeper.
Speaker B:Yeah, those are great questions.
Speaker B:And they are.
Speaker B:They're kind of similar because you know that that new season of life, when you have young kids, it can feel isolating because there is so much just like getting through the day and getting all the things done that need to be done.
Speaker B:And it can feel difficult to.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:It can feel difficult to do things like read.
Speaker B:Yeah, read anything.
Speaker B:It can be difficult to have real conversations with grownups.
Speaker B:Those things are hard.
Speaker B:And so one encouragement I would have is just to recognize that life has seasons and this is the way God created us, the way he created the world.
Speaker B:And I, you know, I can't speak from the perspective of a dad in that situation, but from.
Speaker B:From a mom's perspective, I think we oftentimes women, we feel a lot of shame for those seasons of, like, not being able to do the things maybe, or keep the rhythms maybe we had before.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And so my encouragement would be to embrace the season for what it is and to not force it to be something it isn't.
Speaker B:And so when it comes to something like Bible reading, to recognize that, like, there doesn't.
Speaker B:There is not a formula that works for everyone all the time, or we would know what it is by now, right.
Speaker B:Like, we would, we would know and it wouldn't be a, a problem.
Speaker B:This, this is this issue that we had at the beginning of SHE READS Truth that like, why are we finding this so hard?
Speaker B:So I think 1 know that you are not alone.
Speaker B:And in fact, we have so many mothers of young kids or even just people that have difficult, like weird schedules, you know, up in the middle of the night for whatever reason or maybe they have chronic illness and they're up in the middle of the night with chronic pain or insomnia.
Speaker B:And so what found in with SHE reads truth is that giving us the freedom, giving people the freedom to read any time of day or night, wherever they are.
Speaker B:And so, you know, we have a mobile app and we would hear often from women who would read while they were up in the middle of the night nursing their babies or they would read when they're, you know, just awake and can't sleep.
Speaker B:And so I think just learning that it really is God's word is about.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:It is a part of our relationship with him and, and he never sleeps.
Speaker B:And so we can, we can nurture that relationship and engage in that dialogue with the Lord and, and reading His Word anytime.
Speaker B:And so if you need to set a new rhythm that maybe the rhythm doesn't even look that rhythmic, maybe it's.
Speaker B:There are some days where I can read on my lunch break.
Speaker B:There are some days where I can read before bed.
Speaker B:There are some days when I listen to the audio Bible while I'm, you know, going on a walk or maybe you're pushing a stroller.
Speaker B:Whatever it is for you commuting your kids to school, let them listen too.
Speaker B:Like it.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:When we say that God's word is for, for you, we mean it is for you as an individual, whoever you are, wherever you are.
Speaker B:But also really is a gift.
Speaker B:And there are not restrictions on the time of day or the quiet environment in which you engage it.
Speaker B:You know, I mean, a morning quiet time is beautiful and wonderful and that I think that's a great goal.
Speaker B:And also there are going to be seasons different.
Speaker B:And that's okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you're right, it's not.
Speaker A:We have the ideal and then we have the reality.
Speaker A:And I think that's, you know, a lot of us, that's life.
Speaker A:That is, that is the reality.
Speaker A:If it would all work just in that order.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Good to go.
Speaker A:So the audience has heard me probably tell this story before, but my mom, you know, she was a big believer in Reading God's Word.
Speaker A:So she used to pay me when I was a young kid.
Speaker A:I think it like started at 10.
Speaker A:She would pay me, it was like $2.
Speaker A:So this is a lot of years ago, right?
Speaker A:30 some years ago, two doll week.
Speaker A:And then if I read the Bible through, then she would give me.
Speaker A:I ended up with like 100.
Speaker A:And I don't know, it was.
Speaker A:Ended up being like 150.
Speaker A:Amazing at the end in January.
Speaker A:And then that's what I could shop for my shoes or whatever I wanted for, you know, the spring.
Speaker A:And I had money.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so.
Speaker A:But she created a love for God's Word.
Speaker A:I'm not, I don't know if I'd be an advocate for paying kids to read the Bible, but we pay kids to do a lot of other things.
Speaker A:So reading the Bible wouldn't be bad.
Speaker A:We do.
Speaker B:And you know, your kids, you know, like what speaks to your kids, what motivates your kids.
Speaker B:You have a kid that's really like ambitious, give them a goal.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker A:And she, she worked it, she worked it out.
Speaker A:So no, anyway, so that, that's that.
Speaker A:So yeah.
Speaker A:Western culture in the Bible, are you seeing a more of an affinity and desire and hunger for it?
Speaker A:You know, you hear people sometimes in, in media, you think that, you know, people are not necessarily interested in the Bible anymore.
Speaker A:It's something in the past.
Speaker A:What are you seeing as people engage with God's Word specifically in the Western culture future?
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, that's such a good question.
Speaker B:And you know, just like all of us, my, my perspective is, is definitely skewed by my immediate context.
Speaker B:I mean, I am in what some would call the buckle of the Bible belt in Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker B:And so there are churches all around.
Speaker B:But what I am seeing and what we are experiencing is that there is a renewed hunger for, and an increasing hunger for scripture.
Speaker B:And I think, you know, and we see that just that, you know, I think American Bible Society reported that scripture, like Bible sales are increasing for the first time in a long time.
Speaker B:And, and that the younger generation is really very open to, to the Gospel and to God's Word.
Speaker B:And so, I mean, it's so exciting and to.
Speaker B:It's such an honor for me to speak to your friends who are listening, who are missionaries in, in other parts of the world, in other contexts where it's very different from my context.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And, and so here I am, I have a couple of copies of scripture open in front of me and you have friends who have that luxury, you know, and are reaching the unreached.
Speaker B:And, and we do say, you know, she reads truth.
Speaker B:We spend a lot of time and energy like our, our heart is for the already reached to reach for their Bibles.
Speaker B:Like that is what, because that biblical literacy, like knowing what the Bible says, it really does change the way we walk through life as followers of Jesus and as, as people who love the Lord and those who are, you know, we talk about the isolating season of having young kids.
Speaker B:I can only imagine that it can be isolating for our friends and these other contexts who often are, like you said, are alone.
Speaker B:And I don't want to leave that question hanging.
Speaker B:I want to say to them that for one, I know that online community does not replace in person community.
Speaker B:That is never our goal.
Speaker B:However, when there are seasons where, you know, and we all experienced one five years ago where we don't have in person connection the way that we want to because sometimes the ideal doesn't, doesn't happen.
Speaker B:And especially in the context of service.
Speaker B:I just want to say to them, you are always welcome.
Speaker B:We are always reading.
Speaker B:And, and there is some really beautiful gracious conversation that happens at she reads Truth and at he reads Trut.
Speaker B:Because I think because we put forth God's word and not necessarily like interpretations of or we don't like dig into like nuanced issues as much.
Speaker B:It really is just an encouragement to read God's word and see the whole of scripture.
Speaker B:There is, we have people from all backgrounds who, who read with us.
Speaker B:And so the result is this really beautiful community where people are learning with and from each other.
Speaker B:And it's really lovely.
Speaker B:And so I would be beyond honored if, if someone considered us one of their, you know, home bases where they could go when they don't have that in person community.
Speaker B:But yeah, I mean, I think, I think and hope and pray that we are seeing a resurgence here in the States.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And, and that would be my, my assessment too.
Speaker A:But it, we're talking to the expert.
Speaker A:You're the expert.
Speaker A:So I wanted to ask.
Speaker A:I don'.
Speaker A:I wanted to ask the expert, hey, you wrote a devotional, so that's my questions are going down.
Speaker A:So you've written this, you've written a devotional.
Speaker A:What's it like writing a devotional, putting it together?
Speaker A:What are some of the joys of it?
Speaker A:Maybe some of the challenges, if you're willing to share those.
Speaker B:But what's it like for sure?
Speaker A:What's it like doing it?
Speaker B:I mean, you know, this project was really fun.
Speaker B:So devotionals and like, written responses to scripture have kind of been part of the ethos of she reads truth in the community since the beginning.
Speaker B:It hasn't been at the forefront.
Speaker B:But we, you know, we do have, like I just mentioned, where we'll read the scripture for the day and then most times we'll have a devotional essay where, you know, a member of our writing team will just sort of go first in engaging scripture and kind of just connecting it with what their own experience or what they, you know, see in the world.
Speaker B:And this is a way to encourage those who are reading with us to do the same thing to talk about it, you know, like to read scripture and then talk to talk to your friends, family, anyone, just about what you're learning and what you're seeing and learn from each other.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, to put together this devotional was really, it was.
Speaker B:The fun parts were really, really fun because we got to dream up, okay, if we're creating a devotional, what do we want it to be like?
Speaker B:And so we wanted it to be accessible for the person who maybe curious about scripture but doesn't know where to start or maybe feels kind of intimidated.
Speaker B:I mean, it's, it's a book of 66 books, so it can feel like a lot.
Speaker B:It was written in a, a different time and space than where you and I sit today.
Speaker B:And so those things can be intimidating.
Speaker B:And so we wanted something that felt accessible and kind of doable for someone to just open and, and read this some scripture and feel like they had a friend along for the ride you the journey.
Speaker B:But we also wanted it to really represent the she reads truth experience.
Speaker B:So we wanted it to be really scripture rich and scripture forward.
Speaker B:And we wanted it to be just really trustworthy, something that if, if I, you know, if you have a friend who is, is a new believer or wanting to begin the journey of reading the Bible, something that you could give them and that they would receive and feel really welcomed scripture.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, and I think I.
Speaker B:That's what this devotional represents to me.
Speaker B:It's sort of she reads truth and in it's the she reads truth experience in a devotional book, which we've never done a devotional book before.
Speaker B:And so the challenging part was that of course, writing is always a challenge because the Lord will really dig some stuff up when you're seeking to write.
Speaker B:But Rachel and I did not write this devotional alone.
Speaker B:And we curated, we have new pieces that we've written and then we had pieces that were kind of from the past decade of she Reads Truth devotionals.
Speaker B:So that it just represented more voices than just our own.
Speaker B:And so that it's challenging to.
Speaker B:To work with a low word count.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Because it is, as odd as it may sound, sometimes it's harder to write with works than with lots of words.
Speaker A:I understand that completely.
Speaker B:And so that format was challenging.
Speaker B:And we also wanted each entry to represent a book of the Bible.
Speaker B:So it was challenging to, like, zoom out a little and instead, you know, and have it represent kind of the what's going on in Genesis, but also be personal.
Speaker B:And so it really was kind of an interesting needle to thread, but it was.
Speaker B:It was a lot of fun, and we learned a lot.
Speaker B:We cried a lot because we are women and in our 40s, and we cry a lot.
Speaker B:And we had a great.
Speaker B:We had a great time.
Speaker A:I can imagine it.
Speaker A:It would be challenging, though.
Speaker A:And you talk about that word count.
Speaker A:There was a shift academically when I went from a master's degree, between my master's and my doctorate.
Speaker A:Went for my master's degree, it was all about pages.
Speaker A:Like, it had be, say, 40 pages, right?
Speaker A:And then when I went back for my doctorate, it was about denseness.
Speaker A:You know, they didn't want 40 pages.
Speaker A:They wanted 12.
Speaker A:They wanted you to take 50 pages, put it in 12.
Speaker A:And that is a dramatic shift.
Speaker A:You know, I mean, because you're used to being verbose, and then.
Speaker A:Because that was rewarded, and then all of a sudden, verbose, that's not being rewarded.
Speaker A:Now we need it to be dense.
Speaker A:And so it was a shift in my mind.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:Some days I still drift towards the verbose part, but I can imagine putting it there.
Speaker A:Yeah, and, and, and, and as you said, you want it to be meaningful.
Speaker A:You want it to be.
Speaker A:To speak to people.
Speaker A:And it.
Speaker A:Sometimes that's very.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That can be challenging.
Speaker A:That can be challenging to do.
Speaker A:So what's the title of the devotional?
Speaker A:And how did.
Speaker A:How did you come up with it?
Speaker B:So the title of the devotional is the Bible is for you.
Speaker B:It is a devotional journey through every book of the Bible.
Speaker B:And so we came up with that title.
Speaker B:You know, titles are interesting beasts because you usually start somewhere.
Speaker B:Usually you start somewhere, and then you end up somewhere totally different.
Speaker B:And so where we ended up with this title is that's actually something that we have said over and over again in, like, the past 13 years since the Shearers Truth community has.
Speaker B:Has existed.
Speaker B:And we would say, you know, we did a Bible study years ago called Open your Bible.
Speaker B:And, and the goal was just to teach, you know, how.
Speaker B:If someone is saying how.
Speaker B:How do I read scripture?
Speaker B:Like overarching, like, what should my posture be?
Speaker B:What is this?
Speaker B:What is this book?
Speaker B:And, and so one of the things we would say then was God's Word is for you, and it is for now.
Speaker B:And so this, it actually happened where someone in, in a, in an email thread accidentally said the, the title wrong.
Speaker B:And we were like, wait, but that's actually better.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:And so, and so that's where we, we landed with the.
Speaker B:The Bible is for you.
Speaker B:And it's because that's, you know, women in the word of God every day is, is the mission statement of she reads truth and it always has been.
Speaker B:But if I had to tell you the heartbeat, like the why, it's because we really, really believe that God's Word is for you.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker A:And you say every day, like, you say that real quick.
Speaker A:It's not, it's not.
Speaker A:It's not most days, it's not some days, but it's.
Speaker A:It's every day.
Speaker A:I know it's not a legalistic thing.
Speaker A:That's not what I'm saying.
Speaker A:Yeah, but emphasis on every day and.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Can you just share what's.
Speaker A:Because you could have chose other words, right?
Speaker A:You could have chosen almost are times.
Speaker B:We kind of wish we had because it's a tall order, right?
Speaker A:Oh, I guarantee every day comes every day.
Speaker A:So that's Right.
Speaker B:So for us, the, the posture really is that God's Word is true every day.
Speaker B:It is for us every day.
Speaker B:And, and we are invited into to it every day.
Speaker B:And so we want to be our, our heart posture is to be women who read scripture every day because every day is how often we need it.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, we need to be reminded of the truth we need.
Speaker B:And God's Word is so unique and beautiful in that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through it.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And so it is living and active.
Speaker B:And when we read that, we've read a hundred times before or even for the very first time, God can reveal himself to us through it.
Speaker B:And so I, I need it like, I need it to be like Amanda in the Word of God every moment.
Speaker B:Like that's, that's how, that's how deep our need is.
Speaker B:And so what it isn't is a formula like we said.
Speaker B:And it is not, it is not a source of guilt or shame that like, oh, well, I missed today.
Speaker B:Am I the worst?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:We all, we all and in fact we build in, we call them grace days in our reading plans where just recognizing that like, hey, take a, take a beat and, and breathe and like in maybe just meditate on a verse that we've read this week.
Speaker B:And so, and even that, even the, the reading, you know, our reading plans are, are designed for seven days a week with that kind of breather on the weekends.
Speaker B:But even those like I, we fully recognize that that doesn't fit every season or every, every person.
Speaker B:And so we've always said that like our goal is not women.
Speaker B:And she reads truth every day.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Our goal is women in the Word every day.
Speaker A:And so very good differentiation there.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker B:It is because I, I, I have the Holy Spirit, but I am not the Holy Spirit.
Speaker B:And so we want to be a resource and a tool for people to, to use and feel like they really can read God's Word for themselves.
Speaker B:And in between formal meetings of their Bible study group or church or whatever like that.
Speaker B:It doesn't have to just be limited to that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, and also, you know, the Lord knows us and we, he, he knows our, our ebbs and flows.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:As a writer, I know when you write something, a lot of times there's changes that go on in you as you're going through the writing process, as you're developing anything that stands out as you wrote this devotional, anything that, that jumped out of and how God maybe changed the way you saw something, maybe something he spoke to you clearly in the process.
Speaker A:Because I know, I think that is, you're right, writing is work.
Speaker A:At the same time, it's interesting to see as we write what God does in us through the process, anything that jumped out to you.
Speaker B:Yeah, it really is a, interesting process.
Speaker B:So one kind of behind the scenes note is that I and Rachel too, we don't, we wrote a lot in the first like half of the life of she Reads Truth like in those first years because we wore a lot of different hats.
Speaker B:And so as, as the things kind of morphed and changed and we found ourselves doing more leading and like leading our team and, and, and guiding them in less like actual writing.
Speaker B:This project was really interesting because it was like, like, you know, kind of felt like a baby writer again getting thrown into the pool, you know, or just like, just like really diving back into to being in it and to like, you know, oh, that's a good writing prompt, like jotting down notes.
Speaker B:So it really is kind of a different mindset, like frame of mind to be in which like writers who Write all the time are in it always.
Speaker B:But we weren't in it at the time, you know, kind of had to get, you know, shake off the rest a little bit.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so what was.
Speaker B:I think what happened for me then was the past few years of my life kind of start to bubble up.
Speaker B:And as you're, as you're mining, you start, you know, your experience.
Speaker B:You know, it's not usually a secret, the things that are going to kind of come to the surface.
Speaker B:And so for me, it's a lot of coming to terms with and learning to see God's presence in suffering and in hardship in life and, and learning who.
Speaker B:Who God is and how that.
Speaker B:How that changes or doesn't change, how that looks, but doesn't change.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And because he doesn't change, I'll be clear, in different seasons and so, like in really difficult seasons.
Speaker B:And so we have.
Speaker B:Our youngest child is very medically complex, and that's not a secret.
Speaker B:That's a known part of our.
Speaker B:Of our story.
Speaker B:But he has been through a lot and lived a lot of life in the past five years.
Speaker B:And, and we have seen the inside of a lot of hospital, you know, a lot of hospital time in the past five years.
Speaker B:And so just do intentional deep dives of, you know, big, big swaths of scripture or a book in scripture, and, and kind of look at it with that lens of like the God who is with us and who really is.
Speaker B:Whose presence is a reality and whose presence is our good.
Speaker B:That really kind of colors a lot of the way that I read scripture right now.
Speaker B:And, and so, you know, sometimes when you have big life events, there are things that can.
Speaker B:You can kind of start to feel like a broken record because you feel like, oh, I'm just.
Speaker B:I'm constantly thinking about this or talking about this, but I'm learning to be, I think, maybe not as hard on myself about that and also just more open to what the Lord is doing.
Speaker B:That, like, that's not.
Speaker B:Not.
Speaker B:That's not an accident.
Speaker B:Like, that is on purpose that this is our story.
Speaker B:And, and so just to.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I think I really engaged this project in that posture, which was interesting and, and, and good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Thanks for sharing.
Speaker A:Thanks for sharing the.
Speaker A:The realities of.
Speaker A:Of life.
Speaker A:I think sometimes, you know, when we recognize the challenges people that go through, I think it draws us closer.
Speaker A:Draws us in rather than if we.
Speaker B:Well, we all have them, right?
Speaker A:Well, we do.
Speaker A:We do.
Speaker B:And if we're not in one, we've either been in one or we're going into one like.
Speaker A:Or we're walking with somebody.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:It's just true.
Speaker B:And that age old question of like, okay, where's God in this?
Speaker B:And I think for me the answer is, is he's right there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And sometimes that's a hard.
Speaker B:That's a hard answer because.
Speaker B:Okay, well then why.
Speaker B:And it's real.
Speaker B:It's tough.
Speaker B:It's tough, but it's.
Speaker B:It is not something that scripture shies away from.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So one or, one or two more questions for you, then we ask you to pray for us.
Speaker B:Of course.
Speaker A:How can people, how can people access the resource?
Speaker A:And what.
Speaker A:When you wrote the devotional, obviously you wanted it to have an impact on, on the community that already exists.
Speaker A:And he reads Truth.
Speaker A:Some thoughts on that.
Speaker A:And then where can people access it?
Speaker A:And then I'm probably going to ask you to pray for us after that.
Speaker A:But I might have another question.
Speaker A:So try that.
Speaker B:I would love that.
Speaker B:So you can access it anywhere.
Speaker B:Release date September 2nd.
Speaker B:And so we have it at she Reads Truth in our shop.
Speaker B:Shop.
Speaker B:She readstruth.com but it's also Amazon Barnes Noble.
Speaker B:It's all the place.
Speaker B:Places.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:And it.
Speaker B:What I.
Speaker B:What our hope.
Speaker B:I love that you mentioned our community, our she Reads Truth community, which is not a close community.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:Y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker B:Y' all come, as we say in the South.
Speaker B:You all are invited.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:We really want it to feel like it's a new.
Speaker B:It's a new book.
Speaker B:Most of the writing in it is new.
Speaker B:It's not something we've ever done before.
Speaker B:And also we really want it to kind of feel like home for our sheath community that they, that like the format, even like some of the design choices.
Speaker B:We really want it to feel like a devotional book representation of the beautiful thing that God has created in this community.
Speaker B:And we want that for them to have it personally and we want them to be able to use this resource to invite others in.
Speaker B:And so my hope is that people will buy it for themselves and enjoy it and even more than that, that they'll gift it to someone that they think is, is interested maybe, you know, either reading the Bible for the first time or, or wanting to really, you know, understand and see the whole of Scripture, but doesn't know where to start.
Speaker B:It feels like a really good on ramp and welcome into that.
Speaker B:So I would love that.
Speaker B:That's our, that's our hope.
Speaker B:What was the second part of that question?
Speaker A:Oh, you answered it.
Speaker A:You answered it.
Speaker B:Was that it?
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:You got it, you got it, you got it.
Speaker A:Where would.
Speaker B:I don't want to ignore any of your questions.
Speaker B:We're friends now.
Speaker A:You, you, you.
Speaker A:I asked them where they could.
Speaker A:The impact you hoped it would make.
Speaker A:That's probably the.
Speaker A:So my last question for you, and then I'm gonna ask you to pray, is if I was a better podcast host, what question should I have asked?
Speaker A:So if you're thinking, you're thinking Aaron.
Speaker A:You know, if Aaron was a really good podcast host, he probably would have asked me this question, but he hasn't asked yet.
Speaker A:So is there one of those questions?
Speaker A:And then, Then you can pray for us.
Speaker B:I, I think he did a great job.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker B:As, As a podcast host, I deeply understand that question, but I, Yeah, I, I, I don't know what I would have.
Speaker B:I think you did great.
Speaker A:I always like to, I like to ask that question at the end just in case.
Speaker A:Sometimes when you come on, there's something you want to share, you're like, oh.
Speaker B:Man, I really want to say this.
Speaker A:I want to say this.
Speaker B:I will.
Speaker B:I'll add this.
Speaker A:And Aaron did.
Speaker A:Go ahead.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:This is less a question, more just to like.
Speaker B:I really, I do need them to know, specifically for the ladies in your audience.
Speaker B:It is a really beautiful book.
Speaker B:And it is.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's.
Speaker B:It is in the.
Speaker B:It feels good.
Speaker B:It's got this painting on the front.
Speaker B:It's so beautiful.
Speaker B:It lays flat there.
Speaker A:It does.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker B:Ministers to my heart.
Speaker B:So, yeah, intentionality.
Speaker B:You don't get to see it.
Speaker B:It's got this exposed spine.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:It's a.
Speaker B:It's something you need to see.
Speaker B:So I'll, I'll leave you with that.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Will you pray for us today?
Speaker B:I would.
Speaker B:I would just be honored to.
Speaker B:Father, we come before you with so much gratitude and awe that you are God and that you are the same.
Speaker B:You are the God of the Bible.
Speaker B:You're the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament, and you're the God of creation and of our stories.
Speaker B:And so I just pray for my brothers and sisters who are just scattered around the globe.
Speaker B:I pray that you would just minister to them, even right now and in.
Speaker B:In ways that only you know that they need and in ways that they know that it's you.
Speaker B:And I pray that the places in their story and in their hearts where they are feeling unsteady or afraid or even doubtful, Lord, that that would be just an open door into your word, where they would lean on you.
Speaker B:Truth that you have revealed and in your word and in the gift of your Son and that.
Speaker B:And that you would meet them afresh there and that you would steady their feet and their hands.
Speaker B:And God, I just.
Speaker B:I pray that as they spend their very lives pouring out to others, sharing, you know, not only the truth of the gospel, but also their very lives, like Paul did, that.
Speaker B:That you would pour into them, that they would have.
Speaker B:Have some sort of community, whether, Lord, ideally in person, but whether it's online or in person, Lord, that you would use your.
Speaker B:Your body of believers to.
Speaker B:To encourage them and that.
Speaker B:That it would be like in Isaiah 41, where it just says that.
Speaker B:That everyone would see and know that the hand of the Lord has done this.
Speaker B:That's what I pray for the work that they engage in and for the comfort that they experience own hearts.
Speaker B:That it would be so that they know that it is your hand that does this.
Speaker B:And so just go with them wherever they're.
Speaker B:Wherever their feet step.
Speaker B:Lord, just.
Speaker B:We thank you that you're with them.
Speaker B:In the name of your son, we pray.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
