{"id":303413,"date":"2015-03-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study\/"},"modified":"2015-03-10T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T15:00:00","slug":"unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Unhelpful Habits of Bible Study"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you studying the Bible correctly? Long-time Bible study leader Jen Wilkin walks us through the missteps Christians make when studying the Bible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-03-10.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"23.58M","filesize_raw":"24727781","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[5619,4403,5618,4404],"podcast_series":[7217],"cwp_profile":[3337],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303413","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-bible-studies-for-women","tag-bible-study","tag-bible-study-tools","tag-studying-the-bible","podcast_series-women-of-the-word","cwp_profile-jen-wilkin","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303413\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303413\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"AxMZCJWa5F\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study\/\">Unhelpful Habits of Bible Study<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unhelpful-habits-of-bible-study\/embed\/#?secret=AxMZCJWa5F\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Unhelpful Habits of Bible Study&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"AxMZCJWa5F\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Are you studying the Bible correctly? Long-time Bible study leader Jen Wilkin walks us through the missteps Christians make when studying the Bible.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-03-10.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Author and Bible study leader, Jen Wilkin, believes that there\u2019s a difference between being a woman in the Word and a woman of the Word.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Over the course of time, I came to be the Women\u2019s Ministry Director. It was then that I <em>really<\/em> became alarmed because there were so many things that we were calling a Bible study that were actually a study of a book that someone had written <em>about<\/em> the Bible\u2014which is fine \/ we need topical studies that are going to integrate broad concepts for us\u2014but I began to recognize, more and more, that the environments where we were simply learning God\u2019s Word, line upon line\u2014that those environments were, in many cases, vanishing from churches.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, March 10<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Jen Wilkin believes that it\u2019s time for God\u2019s women to go deep in God\u2019s Word. We\u2019ll talk about how we do that today. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You know, I remember, as a young Christian, going to Bible studies that were basically\u2014somebody would read the passage and then everybody would share their opinion on what the passage was all about.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Those were particularly unprofitable, as I remember. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, you know what it ended up being in some of them that I attended?\u2014arguments.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I mean, people\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Who\u2019s right and who\u2019s wrong; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> A lot of ignorance and a lot of arguments. We have a guest with us, who knows exactly what we\u2019re talking about. Jen Wilkin joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>Jen\u2014welcome back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Thank you for having me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> She\u2019s written a book called <em>Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow many are in this Bible study that you said you have more than 65 churches represented? How many are in that Bible study?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> We cap it off at 650.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s a lot of women.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You know what I\u2019m talking about with this pool of ignorance approach to Scripture; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019ve found that unprofitable as well?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, extremely. [Laughter] And we tell the women, each week, that we don\u2019t get to say, \u201cWhat does the Bible mean to me?\u201d until we have asked, \u201cWhat does the Bible mean?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Explain what you mean by that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> So, you know, there are a couple of levels to that. I don\u2019t get to have an opinion on how this verse should apply to my life until I\u2019ve spent some time earnestly trying to determine what the verse actually says\u2014so just looking for basic reading comprehension\u2014then to find interpretation within the context that it is in. You know, we often, I think\u2014our first misstep is that we forget that the Bible, before it was written to you and me, was written to people who lived many, many years ago in a time and a culture that\u2019s very different than ours. We need to ask, \u201cHow did its original hearers hear this?\u201d\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014because it can\u2019t mean something to us that it never could have meant to them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well you\u2019re talking about a level of study that a lot of women or men, listening to us, go, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know where to even start with that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, they get intimidated by that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, as a result, they\u2019re using what you refer to as \u201cthe unhelpful habits\u201d of Bible study\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014different methods that\u2014like the shared ignorance method that I was talking about\u2014you\u2019ve identified some particularly unhelpful approaches to the Bible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, let\u2019s go over the biggie.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> The biggie\u2014the \u201cMagic Eight Ball.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You think that\u2019s the big one?! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, yes!\u2014or the \u201chunt and peck\u201d or whatever she calls it, where you just open your Bible and\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> It\u2019s the \u201cPinball\u201d approach.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, you pick\u2014which one do you think is the biggie?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Oh, gosh, we could start anywhere. They\u2019re all equally upsetting. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe\u201d Magic Eight Ball\u201d is one that we\u2019re all quietly familiar with and don\u2019t want to acknowledge that we\u2019ve done, at one point in our lives\u2014that is where I\u2019m facing a big crisis. I want to know: \u201cIf I should marry Bob or Dave?\u201d or you know, \u201c\u2026which job?\u201d \u201c\u2026which car?\u201d\u2014those kinds of things. So, I pick up my Bible, and give it a vigorous shake, and then I open it, and point to a verse and ask, \u201cHow does this verse\u2026?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You pray first; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Oh, right, right, right\u2014sure! And ask how that verse is going to resolve my issue. You can obviously tell that, when we do this, we\u2019re saying: \u201cHey, Bible! I\u2019m going to use you on my own terms and for my own ends.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019ve heard a pastor talk about this method\u2014where he said, \u201cSomebody does it and the first thing they flip open to is: \u2018Judas went out and hanged himself.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> They say, \u201cThat can\u2019t be right.\u201d They try it again and it says, \u201cThat which you must do, do quickly.\u201d [Laughter] You can get in a really messed up spot if that\u2019s the approach you\u2019re going to take.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Some of our listeners don\u2019t know what the magic eight ball is, though. They\u2019re still hung up back there. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The old black\u2014everybody had one of those didn\u2019t they; as a kid?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> No, not today. That\u2019s \u201cWay back when\u2026\u201d Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Ohhh.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> This black eight ball\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014that on the bottom, you could read\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014there was an answer to your question. You would shake it up, like you\u2019re talking about\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> \u201cSigns point to \u2018Yes.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014and turn it upside down and then look at the answer that kind of floated to the top\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014in the little\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014in the little window.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t a digital screen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Wasn\u2019t there one that said, \u201cCan\u2019t help you now,\u201d or \u201cConsult me later\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Something like that\u2014yes; right. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, what\u2019s another approach that people have?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Another one I see a lot is what I call the \u201cXanax<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u201d approach. That is where we pull verses out of context and use them to self-medicate. For example, I\u2019ve had a really stressful week\u2014I\u2019m going to read \u201cBe anxious for nothing,\u201d \/ \u201cCast all your cares on Him,\u201d\u2014and then close my Bible and think, \u201cOkay! I feel so much better!\u201d You know? Or maybe I\u2019m really, really tired because I haven\u2019t had enough rest and I\u2019ve been running like crazy. I\u2019m going to read, \u201cCome to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.\u201d Never mind that that\u2019s a verse about rest for our souls\u2014it isn\u2019t actually about being physically tired\u2014but I\u2019ve now medicated myself and I can move on with the day.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOf course, the problem with this approach\u2014besides just pulling things out of context and using them for our own means\u2014is that it means that you will be highly selective in where you\u2019re going to go and read. You\u2019re not going to go and read, \u201cAbove all else, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; who can know it?\u201d That\u2019s not going to medicate any bad feeling that you\u2019ve come in with\u2014it\u2019s going to call you a \u201cwicked rascal.\u201d We\u2019re going to be very selective about where we\u2019re going to spend time and we\u2019re only going to spend time in passages that make us <em>feel<\/em> a certain way. There are just huge sections of the Bible that aren\u2019t going to give you an emotional dose when you read them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> In the 1970\u2019s, somebody gave me a book called <em>The Jesus Person Pocket Promise Book.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> It was the Xanax you\u2019re talking about. It was: \u201cIf you have an issue, there\u2019s the topic,\u201d\u2014you find the verses. They\u2019re designed to encourage you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Now, can that be helpful at any level?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, it can be helpful. I think that\u2019s the basis for writing a topical study\u2014written on anxiety or that type of thing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI do think it\u2019s helpful for us to integrate broad concepts in those studies, but I think that the state of Bible study in the church today is that that is practically <em>all we do<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe time that a topical study is going to have the <em>most <\/em>impact on your understanding is when it is layered on top of a foundational understanding of Scripture rather than just isolated: \u201cHere, read this.\u201d When you do a topical study, by necessity, you\u2019re cross-referencing all over Scripture. You\u2019re bouncing all over the place, trying to integrate this broad concept. What I\u2019ve seen\u2014particularly in women\u2019s Bible study\u2014is that many times, when you get to the end of a study like that, you are actually less comfortable reading your Bible than you were before you did the study because your overwhelming sense is: \u201cOh, my goodness! I don\u2019t know how somebody pulled all of that together! That\u2019s amazing!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen, really, what we ought to be doing is giving people the tools to know\u2014just like in <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>\u2014where you finally see behind the curtain and you see how things are being done. The reason that Bible teacher was able to do that is because they <em>do <\/em>have a foundational understanding of Scripture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> They see the big picture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> They see the big picture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right; and let\u2019s just talk about that for a moment. We want to unpack this more a bit later, but you\u2019ve mentioned the word \u201ccontext\u201d repeatedly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I agree with this too. I taught a sixth-grade Sunday school class for 11 years. I taught Bible study methods.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Your reward is in heaven, by the way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, yes. It was one of the greatest privileges of my life\u2014I learned much more than they did. It helped me parent our kids [Laughter] much more than those kids have any idea.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut anyway, I would bring into the class this picture that was, I don\u2019t know, maybe 2 \u00bd feet by 4 feet\u2014big, framed, matted picture\u2014that was called \u201cCatch of the Day.\u201d It\u2019s by a very famous photographer. It\u2019s worth a lot of money\u2014it was given to me as a gift. It\u2019s a grizzly bear that is about to chomp a salmon; okay? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI would cover the entire picture with butcher paper, except for the fish. I held it up in front of the kids and I would say: \u201cNow, I want you to tell me what you\u2019re observing about this picture. What do you see?\u201d It was really funny to listen to them talk about what they were seeing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWell, it\u2019s going to be in a fish hatchery.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s going to be. . .\u201d \u201cWe don\u2019t know what this is.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a boat.\u201d So they\u2019re talking about what they\u2019re thinking they\u2019re seeing as they have this small little piece of the picture\u2014that\u2019s a picture of a fish. Then I would take the wrapping paper off. They would see this giant griz, standing in a waterfall, with his mouth about to catch a salmon in mid-air. Now, the picture of the fish has context. That really is what you\u2019re doing when you\u2019re teaching these ladies in this Bible study how to study the Bible within context. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes. The example that I often use with the women is\u2014I will say: \u201cImagine that you are taking high school algebra. You walk into your algebra class, and sit down at your desk, and there\u2019s your textbook at the beginning of the semester. You flip your textbook open to Chapter 5, and you read a paragraph in the middle of the chapter. Then you sit and think, \u2018What does that tell me about algebra today?\u2019 Let\u2019s say that you repeat this process over the course of the entire semester. When it comes time for the exam, how good are you going to be at algebra? You\u2019re going to fail! You\u2019re going to be super, super bad!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe treat the Bible in this way\u2014we treat it with less respect than we would give to a common textbook. A lot of what I\u2019m asking women to do is to demystify Bible study. Does the Holy Spirit play a role in Scripture? Yes! Absolutely, He does. But it doesn\u2019t mean that, when we sit down to open God\u2019s Word\u2014that it will magically issue up truth to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We were talking about the wrong ways to approach Bible study. Dennis was getting so itchy, talking about the wrong ways\u2014that he had to get some of the right ways out there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Oh, yes\u2014sorry!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, she kept mentioning context; and I thought, \u201cWe\u2019re missing an opportunity here to just kind of whet their appetites.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What\u2019s the \u201cPinball\u201d approach that people use to Bible study?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> This is one that tends to happen when we just don\u2019t really have any particular direction set for us on what to do with our time in the Word; okay? I think a lot of times, when we talk about, \u201cOh, I had my time in the Word,\u201d or \u201cI had my quiet time,\u201d we think that just because we have honored setting that time aside, and we sat down and cracked open our Bibles, that it\u2019s going to be beneficial. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut if we\u2019re sitting down, during that time, and we just think, \u201cOh, I think I\u2019ll read John 3:16 and then I think I\u2019ll turn over here and read Psalm 23,\u201d\u2014or whatever it is\u2014we just sort of ricochet aimlessly from passage to passage\u2014as we like to say, \u201c\u2026as the Spirit leads.\u201d We may indeed reap some marginal benefit from this, but we\u2019re not building any comprehensive understanding of Scripture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, if you\u2019re not doing that, what\u2019s a better approach?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Well, I\u2019m a big fan of: \u201cStart at the beginning of the book.\u201d Ask some questions about it: \u201cWho wrote it? To whom was it written?\u201d So, reading the envelopes or getting into the archaeology. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You\u2019re not just talking about the book of Genesis. You\u2019re talking about <em>any<\/em> book in the Bible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Any book in the Bible. So there are two issues with context; right? You want to understand the context for the book that you\u2019re reading and then you want to understand the context for where that book fits into the big picture of the Bible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> You want to know: \u201cWho wrote this? Who was that person?\u201d and \u201cHow does the human author shape the story? What was culture like? What was going on in history at the time that this book was written?\u201d You cannot pull things out of context or you\u2019re off the rails.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes, if you\u2019ve got\u2014for example, an algebra textbook, written by me\u2014[Laughter] \u2014and you found out what that was, you could quickly dismiss that as heretical! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, exactly! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> What\u2019s another one of the <em>wrong<\/em> approaches to Bible study?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> One that I think women are particularly susceptible to is the \u201cJack Sprat\u201d approach\u2014or the \u201cPicky Eater\u201d approach\u2014you can call it either. That is where we love the New Testament, but the Old Testament kind of freaks us out\u2014or maybe, in the case of women: \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to do another study on Ruth,\u201d or \u201c\u2026another one on Proverbs 31,\u201d or \u201c\u2026Esther,\u201d because, you know, those are the books that are the <em>women\u2019s<\/em> books\u2014you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The women\u2019s texts\u2014yes; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> We end up with this situation of\u2014we have lost sight of what it means when Scripture says, \u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed; all is profitable for teaching and correction.\u201d That means that even Leviticus is profitable. It means\u2014this semester, I\u2019m teaching through Joshua. Have you read the end of Joshua? You know, right about the time that attendance tends to drop off in a Bible study, I have to hit the part where we\u2019re doing the land allotments. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I have to keep reminding myself and these women that: \u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed and profitable. There is something in here that counts and we\u2019re going to find it! There are not pink parts of the Bible and blue parts of the Bible\u2014it is all there for the follower of Christ.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> But you know, if you\u2019ve ever started one of those \u201cRead through the Bible in a Year\u201d things, Genesis goes along pretty much okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes, sure!\u2014lots of stories.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Exodus is good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You get to Leviticus, and Numbers, and\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Song of Solomon is better! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, yes, I know!\u2014but if you\u2019ve got to trudge your way through\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s where we need to get couples started\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014in Bible study\u2014right there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What do you do if you\u2019re trying to read your Bible, as a serious student, and the passage you\u2019re in today is Leviticus 12, 13, and 14\u2014that\u2019s what\u2019s on the assignment\u2014and it\u2019s genealogies or it is food laws; and you go, \u201cWhy am I here?!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> You know, there are some passages of the Bible that rely more on commentary than others. So, in the book, I talk about the right use of commentary. What we tend to do is get our study Bible; right?\u2014that\u2019s what we\u2019re using. I hit the dietary laws and I\u2019m thinking, \u201cSomebody give me an ice pick to jam into my temple.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> And then I think: \u201cBut wait a minute! If I just glance down here at the bottom of the page\u201d\u2014abracadabra!\u2014\u201cI\u2019m a Bible scholar.\u201d That <em>feels<\/em> like it is really great because I felt the dissonance of what I did not know and then I immediately resolved it, down there in the footnotes. But, oftentimes, that Bible study feels, to us, like even those foot notes at the bottom are the inspired Word of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> And they\u2019re commentary; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> So, one of the things that I try to ask the women to do is to start with a copy of the text that does not have those notes at the bottom because it\u2019s just too easy. Does that mean that you have to spend 30 years, reading through the dietary laws and wondering what they mean without consulting a commentary?\u2014no\u2014but does it mean you might read them four or five times, repetitively, so that you know what they <em>say<\/em> before you go to find out what someone else thinks they mean?\u2014absolutely!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow will you judge?\u2014because anybody knows\u2014if you\u2019ve sat down with three different commentaries, what are you going to get? Three different\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014opinions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> \u2014opinions on what it means.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What about the \u201cPersonal Shopper\u201d approach to the Bible?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> The \u201cPersonal Shopper\u201d approach is pretty prevalent. That\u2019s where I feel like I\u2019m not an expert but everybody else is. Rather than spend the time to gain a comprehensive knowledge of Scripture, I\u2019m just going to take my favorite parts, and I\u2019m going to send someone else out to go get them: \u201cI\u2019m going to let\u2014insert name of a famous Bible teacher here\u2014tell me what I should think on this topic or on this doctrine.\u201d I mean, it\u2019s not always just these topical things\u2014sometimes, we become so enraptured with doctrine\u2014and that\u2019s a great thing\u2014we need to know doctrine \/ we need to know theology\u2014but not in place of. It should, again, be something that\u2019s built on a foundational understanding and a first\u2013hand understanding of Scripture. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, you mentioned, \u201cWhere do you start?\u201d I keep wanting to ask you the question: \u201cAfter someone has read your book, what Bible study\u2014other than ones that you\u2019ve written [Laughter]\u2014what Bible study would you point them to as a place to kind of begin?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014to apply what they\u2019ve read in your book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Exactly; exactly!\u2014because I can hear listeners, right now, going: \u201cOkay, okay; I\u2019m getting it. I\u2019m getting motivated.\u201d But is there one you would recommend as kind of a beginning process for a person who wants to become a student?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes. I actually wouldn\u2019t say, \u201cHey, just sit down and do this on your own.\u201d I would describe the book as: \u201cHey, this is how you fish; but I don\u2019t want to just tell you how to fish\u2014I want to <em>show<\/em> you how to fish.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey can start with reading and just getting a basic idea of good ways to gain comprehension\u2014because I really do think that the comprehension piece is the piece that most of us go right past\u2014we move right to interpretation and then application.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You\u2019re talking about the repeated reading of a book. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Take the book of James and read it through.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Read it repeatedly and annotate the text\u2014write your questions about: \u201cI don\u2019t know what this means,\u201d \u201cThis is the weirdest thing ever!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know\u2014highlight words that you see repeated. You can come up with whatever system you want. My preference is to print out a double-spaced printed copy of the text and just start writing because there\u2019s not room in any copy of the Bible that I own for me to mark it up the way that I need to. One of the series that I really like\u2014that I think is accessible\u2014is the NavPress <em>Life Change<\/em> series. They have these series over almost every book of the Bible, I think, at this point. I often use those, even as a starting point, for when I\u2019m writing my own stuff.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> We kind of rushed by it, but here\u2019s what you\u2019re talking about\u2014the kind of Bible study you ought to dig into\u2014it\u2019s a Bible study that forces you to find answers to questions but doesn\u2019t answer it for you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Doesn\u2019t answer them for you\u2014that is right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Not a spoon-feeding deal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> No. And here\u2019s the thing\u2014I think that we\u2014we are like, \u201cI want to be a good student!\u201d And we remember, in school, when we got the question wrong. There was a big red \u201cX.\u201d Bible study is <em>not really<\/em> like that! None of my women are getting graded at the end of the semester. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI tell them: \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to leave a question blank,\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to write\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things I ask them to do is paraphrase: \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to write an absolutely terrible paraphrase of a verse. No one\u2019s going to read it in your small group. The exercise itself holds value because it\u2019s <em>forcing<\/em> you to focus on what the verse actually says.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want to make sure our listeners just felt the permission you gave them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It\u2019s okay not to know.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> D.L. Moody was having a bite of fish over lunch one day with a young man who said: \u201cDr. Moody, do you have any questions about the Bible? I\u2019ve got all these questions and all of these doubts.\u201d Dr. Moody pointed at the fish they had just eaten and said: \u201cDid you notice I pushed aside all the bones to the side?\u2014but it didn\u2019t keep me from enjoying the meat.\u201d He opened his Bible and showed the young man\u2014he began to leaf through the pages. There were question marks on the pages\u2014he still didn\u2019t have answers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the greatest evangelistic preachers in all of church history didn\u2019t have all of the conclusions\/all of the answers that he was looking for.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> We are finite minds, searching to understand an infinite God. No one should think that they can or ought to have all of the answers, but we ought to die trying to find them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great word.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And a great goal! I mean, that\u2019s what we ought to be all about as we head to God\u2019s Word\u2014that we want to know everything we can know about God\u2014everything that He has revealed about Himself to us in His Word\u2014and not be easily satisfied, as you\u2019ve said here today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to encourage listeners\u2014get a copy of Jen\u2019s book, which is called <em>Women of the Word<\/em>. I\u2019ll just tell you what, guys\u2014I know it\u2019s called <em>Women of the Word<\/em>, but it would not hurt a man to read this book either. I just am really impressed with how you lay out for us, in this book, what good, solid, healthy, deep Bible study ought to look like. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got copies of Jen\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, where it says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d That will take you right to the area where you\u2019ll see a copy of Jen\u2019s book. Click on that link and you can order the book from us, online. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the \u201cGO DEEPER\u201d link in the upper left-hand corner of the page and you can order Jen Wilkin\u2019s book <em>Women of the Word.<\/em> Or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to order the book. Call 1-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d Ask for the book, <em>Women of the Word<\/em>,by Jen Wilkin. We\u2019ll get it sent out to you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I have to say, Dennis, I wish that sometimes our listeners could be here with us as series like this series are being aired and could see the emails that come in, the notes that we get from listeners, the phone calls that we get because it\u2019s so encouraging to know how God is using these conversations that take place, every day on this program, in people\u2019s lives. I mean, we get to hear from wives and husbands \/ from moms and dads, who share with us some of the very dramatic stories that are going on in their lives and how God will use a particular program to encourage them, or to equip them for challenges they\u2019re facing, or to help them grow deeper in their walk with Christ, as we\u2019ve talked about here today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe owe a debt of gratitude to a group of listeners who are, in large measure, responsible for all of this happening. If it weren\u2019t for those folks, who support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today, <\/em>we could not do what we do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re so grateful for the listeners who, in addition to tuning in\u2014also write to us, or call us, or go online\u2014and support us with financial contributions that help cover the costs of producing and syndicating this daily radio program. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you can help with a donation today, we\u2019d like to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a set of Resurrection Eggs that you can share with your kids or your grandkids \/ pass them along to a neighbor or a friend. It\u2019s a great, interactive way for younger kids to understand the Easter story by opening up a plastic egg and seeing a symbol that will remind them of an event that took place in the last week of Jesus\u2019 life\u2014His death, His burial, and His resurrection.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis tool is yours when you help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> with a donation. Simply go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that says, \u201cI CARE.\u201d You can make an online donation. We\u2019ll send you the Resurrection Eggs as our thank-you. Or call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u2014make your donation over the phone and mention that you\u2019d like a set of Resurrection Eggs. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr you can donate by mail. Our mailing address is PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR. The zip code is 72223. Be sure to ask for a set of Resurrection Eggs when you get in touch with us. Again, we appreciate your partnership and your financial support.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back again tomorrow. Jen Wilkin will be here again, and we\u2019ll continue talking about how we go deep in God\u2019s Word. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with help from Mark Ramey. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2015 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303413"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303413"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303413"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}