Sunny & 65 with Madi Schultz
Join Madi Schultz as she imperfectly pursues Jesus and emphatically encourages you to do the same. Through scripture, conversations, and testimonies— Madi's prayer is that you would walk away from listening to each episode with a greater affection for Jesus + experience the freedom He has for you in deeper ways.
| madi@sunnyand65.com | @madelinschultz_ | @mackandbenj
Sunny & 65 with Madi Schultz
Episode 70: Colin Provart
Today's conversation with Colin Provart has been one of my favorite conversations to date!!! This dude gets me fired up about God and His mission. Colin and his bride, Rachel, reside in Colorado, where he is the Salt Director (College Ministry) at Storyline Church. Gosh, we cover so much. Biblical literacy, suffering well, God's providence, and more.
God has also made Colin passionate about helping people discover who God has made them to be and training them to be great at that-- both within and outside the church! He walks us through super helpful tools and questions. Y'ALL IT WAS SO HELPFUL. You do not want to miss this episode! Grab and pen and paper, you'll want to take notes! Enjoy!
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FROM THE EPISODE:
#SA65Bookclub Book of the Month for April: Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems
@ProvartFam
The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken
Deep Discipleship by J.T. English
Tangible tips for someone who is longing to grow in their biblical literacy
1) See it as important.
2) See it takes time.
3) See it takes commitment.
The Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller
You’ve Already Won by Shane and Shane
Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast
Carey Nieuwhof leadership Podcast
Amy Carmichael Biography - Christian Heroes: Then and Now Set
OTHER FUN THINGS:
MADISCHULTZ.CO
My Favorite Things
Glory Presets
MUST-READ Books
30% Off Lifetime Subsc. to Dwell Bible App
The Daily Grace Co.
Hey friends, welcome back to the Sunny in 65 podcast. I'm your host, maddie Schultz, and in today's episode I am joined by Colin Provart. I don't say this lightly. This was one of my favorite conversations I've ever recorded to date. Colin gets me fired up about the things of God and I know he's going to get you fired up too. Enjoy, hi, colin. Welcome to the podcast. Hey, maddie, thanks for having me. So I know Colin from my best friend, Abby, and she's been on the podcast way too long ago and will be on it again. But Colin and Abby worked at a church in Minneapolis together in college ministry. Gosh, what a powerhouse duo. So I got to meet Colin a few times in person and, of course, hear all the bomb things about him and his wife through Abby. So, colin, so glad you're here, so excited to hear about all that you're going to share with us. Tell us the quick gist about yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, before anything shout out to Abby, I miss the bangs. Abby was so fun to work with and Micah is a dear dear friend, and so they're amazing. You should have Micah and Abby on A hundred percent.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm from Minneapolis and then went to the University of Minnesota from outside of Minneapolis, went to the University of Minnesota where I got involved in Salt Company, which was the college ministry that I ended up working with Abby at.
Speaker 2:So did that for four years out of school I guess I should back up. At the University of Minnesota I met my lovely, lovely wife Rachel. She played softball there, which means, yes, she's smarter than me, more athletic than me, more artistic than me, all the things, and so she also should be on here, because she'd say things that are better than anything. I would say she's on the list, good, good, good. So we ended up transitioning oh I don't know, seven months now, from Minneapolis, doing college ministry there, to a suburb of Denver called Arvada to work at Storyline Church and help start a college ministry there. God had already been doing really sweet things amongst college students there, bringing them to Storyline and so kind of a weird providence of God thing. Never applied for a job and just ended up at Storyline and it's been a really fun fit.
Speaker 1:How'd they find?
Speaker 2:you. Well, there was a mutual friend from Minnesota that they had a sibling in Colorado and had gotten to know that sibling a little bit. And they were like, if you ever need someone to do college ministry, we know the person. And that same week I reached out to JT, who's the pastor, and was like hey, jt, I'd love to get on the phone sometime and get to know you a little bit. So in the same week my name was thrown out and I'd reach out to JT. So kind of a crazy thing.
Speaker 2:Wow, Cool so yeah, and then the most recent update from Colorado is a week after we closed on our house in Colorado, rachel and I found out that we're expecting a baby in July.
Speaker 1:So exciting Okay.
Speaker 2:That's amazing, we're stoked.
Speaker 1:So your family's all in Minnesota still, and Rachel's is in Iowa.
Speaker 2:That's right, yep, so my family's just outside of Minnesota or Minneapolis. Hers is just outside of Des Moines.
Speaker 1:Okay, are you missing Minneapolis at all, or is Colorado really scratching the itch?
Speaker 2:That's a good question. We definitely miss the people. Yeah, we miss the people. If we could bring our favorite people out here, the life would be great. But we're loving our new family, church family and friends we're making out here.
Speaker 1:Cool, okay, tell us about when you came to know and follow Jesus year?
Speaker 2:Cool, okay, tell us about when you came to know and follow Jesus. Yeah, that's a good question. So my answer to this is a little foggy and I'll explain that. So I grew up in the church, going to church, ended up going to a Christian high school, so really grew up knowing the things of God, and why I emphasize the word knowing is because I knew them in my head, but when they became a heart, reality is kind of foggy to me.
Speaker 2:My best guess is I've lived the life of a Pharisee, someone who knew the things of God, knew, even knew, how to live the way that God wanted us, wants us to live, but didn't know what it meant to have a relationship with him in my heart until my freshman year, where a lot of these things I idolized, I held high relationships, being impressive academically and socially. All of a sudden, I went to the University of Minnesota, which is a giant school, felt really small, felt really insignificant and kind of. Throughout that year, god started to, in his grace, tear things out of my life and got to the end of my freshman year and realized that I knew the words of the gospel and could repeat them, but I wasn't. I think that's when the reality of the gospel that I didn't need to be impressive for God or for others landed on my heart in a new way, and that's really where I learned to follow him was through kind of the remainder of my college experience.
Speaker 1:I love that and I feel like that's so many people's and maybe someone listening. That still is their reality, but they don't know that yet. Of like, there is a difference between just knowing about God and knowing the living God yourself, which is I mean you'll get into it more later, but like vastly different life-changing everything different. Okay, well, we'll save more of that for later, but if you're willing, would you tell us about a season of suffering and how you saw the Lord show up in it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I wasn't even thinking this originally, but really that freshman year was a season of suffering, of God, kind of tearing things away and even bouncing off of what you just said. If I can, I just taught on Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is kind of one of Jesus's primary teachings in the book of Matthew, and at the end of the Sermon on the Mount he kind of talks about you can either build your house on the rock or you can build your house on the sand. And something that just was resonating with me when I read through that recently was you can have a house built on the sand and not know it because the wind and the storm and the waves haven't come yet. And so that was me my freshman year or kind of before. My freshman year was man, my life is okay. And then the storm of freshman year came and I was like, oh no, my house just fell over. And so even for the listener of, wait, I have a house, I think I'm okay.
Speaker 2:I think suffering actually can either refine us or reveal something that's not actually true of us. So I would say that freshman year of getting yeah, not crushing it academically, there were a lot of smarter people than I was at the University of Minnesota Not crushing it socially, kind of went through a weird breakup, which was a big deal when I was 18, 19. Yeah, and that really threw me into a season of man. Maybe my house actually hasn't been built on a firm foundation.
Speaker 2:More recently, some suffering that has refined me is when Rachel and I first got married.
Speaker 2:She has had previously, and still in some ways have, some pretty significant back pain, some chronic pain, just some things that affect day-to-day life, and so being on our feet for a long time can be really painful.
Speaker 2:And so, especially early on in our marriage, I think we just started to ask this question of what does this mean for our marriage, what does this mean for our lives, what does this mean for having kids, for our future, and those are scary things that in my head it's like 20, 22 year olds 23 year olds shouldn't be asking these questions about chronic pain and about how this could affect our lives this early on. And it is just thrown us to like upon the grace and mercy of Jesus of we don't know what the future holds, but he does and he's kind to us in. He loves us and wants to see us flourish, not in a, not in a prosperity sense, but in a he really does want us to know and love him and be. He really does want us to know and love him and cherish him above all else, and if that means stripping us of things that we hold high above him, then that's actually his kindness to us.
Speaker 1:If that means stripping us of the things we hold high, then that's his kindness to us. Oh, that's so good and it's so. It's often it's. That doesn't negate how painful it is, but then, on the other end, we're getting the best thing ever because we're getting Jesus. It's like, no, he's it. He's it Like at the end of the day, he's it period.
Speaker 1:And I know I was just talking with a friend yesterday and we were just talking about fasting and some different things and me and my husband we were we had been fasting sugar and we were talking about how, how this is a seemingly small thing but even holding sugar in my comfort above Jesus, like the amount times my husband and I during the week we were like I remember it was a hard night. Our baby wouldn't go down, both of our kids, one of our kids, our daughter, who's supposed to go down well, struggling to go down, and we're exhausted and we're both. We're standing in the kitchen and literally this was our conversation. If I could just have a peanut butter cup right now, like, like my mind it's a lie, it's not true, but like my mind believes that that would like bring comfort right now, and that's that is not true.
Speaker 1:And that is the point. That is like why we're doing this, because we, like, are dependent on Christ alone and we see how messed up my, how disordered my loves get so easily. And not that I was ever, I think, praising the peanut butter cup, but gosh, when I and obviously in a way smaller sense of stripping away, not to compare like suffering to me, fasting sugar, but like gosh, oh my goodness, are you kidding, maddie that like I thought this would like fill this little hard moment and God's in that moment, like, no like, in this hard moment, this like even this minuscule, mundane hard moment where it's just like the kids won't go down and you're frustrated and you're like, no, even in that moment, he's the one that's going to meet me there, he's going to be the one that's going to satisfy, not this sugar.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I actually, maddie, I actually love that you compared those two because in different seasons of life, for the listener, they can, they can, like one can resonate over the other, right and what I love about this like small peanut butter cup moment, if I can call it that is.
Speaker 2:Is it? It actually is a is a way for us to regularly take heart inventory of okay, this small sugar fast man, I'm suffering because I can't have my peanut butter cup. Doing that regularly actually allows us to take heart inventory. So when these hard things come, whether it's health related or some circumstance or family related, we can now say, okay, God has taught me in my peanut butter cup moments how to respond to really significant moments that are markers in my life. So I actually love the comparison. I think it's really helpful.
Speaker 1:No, that's helpful and it reminds me I feel like well with anything, and I mean we're going to get all into God's word and biblical literacy and all the things. But I remember, and I'm sure you've experienced this too. Maybe you guys now maybe still walking through suffering with Rachel's chronic pain and for your future suffering, for my future suffering, by the grace of God, having walked with him, storing up his word in my heart, even walked through past suffering and him refining me there, my future suffering or my current suffering, the way I respond looks vastly different than how you guys maybe responded, maybe at 22, 23, when it first happened, not that you weren't turning to Jesus, but wow, I'm sure maybe today it looks different of no, we know this is solid rock and like we're so sure of this foundation, what, yeah, what? Speaking to that, do you feel like it's been different?
Speaker 2:Oh, 100%. Charles Spurgeon has this amazing quote. You're thinking of it.
Speaker 2:You're even alluding to it kind of, but where he says I've learned to kiss the wave that's thrown, that throws me upon the rock of ages. And at first that's you like, don't kiss the wave, if I can take the analogy. But it's just like I kind of hate this, but I've landed on the rock of ages and kind of it was a painful landing, if I can take the analogy too far. But you, you get to a point where it's like, oh, suffering comes and I don't love the suffering, but there's something about the suffering that throws me to a place where I'm so dependent and so near to Jesus. But I actually, looking back, when I have the right lens on, looking back at my life, I love the suffering because it leads me to a place of utter dependency which is such a beautiful place to be.
Speaker 2:Yes, but it takes time To your point in the question, that's not to the listener, who's either just learning to follow Jesus or young. I can't point to significant suffering in my life. That takes time and we don't need to be eager to suffer in a way that's not helpful. We can just trust that we live in a broken world and, okay, I can learn from those that have gone before us. I can learn from Maddie, I can learn from Charles Spurgeon and say, given time, I will learn to kiss the wave that throws me upon the rock of ages.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and the reality that if you're following Jesus, the promise is suffering, like that is the call to suffer, like Jesus did. Again, like you said, we're not searching for suffering, but it will. I have a friend that says you're either in a battle or you're preparing for one and we're always in a battle from a spiritual warfare sense, but like you're either suffering or you're preparing for, like, the next suffering. And yeah, I feel like when, like I can think of that first time that I ever suffered, it was like my whole world was rocked but I was left with the deep question to answer of do I trust you, god? And not that that question might not. I won't wrestle with that in the future, with things, but I feel like that was such a pivotal question in my first suffering that God showed me I don't have your full trust, you know and getting to answer getting to wrestle through that, through that season of dark suffering to answer.
Speaker 1:Getting to wrestle through that, through that season of dark suffering, and rely on his word and rely on him and see him grow these new muscles of like no I, I want to build my house on the solid rock. Back to what the passage that you were talking about so good, yeah, so good.
Speaker 2:And even I to kind of bounce off that, but to say someone else has told me before you you need to develop your theology on suffering before you suffer. Or the best time to develop your theology on suffering is before you suffer. And so to whoever's listening to the, to the one suffering, I would say God is not, god does punish sin, but that because you're suffering, that doesn't necessarily mean God's punishing some sort of sin or some sort of choice, or that God has turned his back on you or anything like that, because that's not who God is and that's not what God does. And to the one who is looking or listening and saying man, I'm not sure I've suffered in a significant way. Start to instill those truths deep in you. So when the suffering comes, my first response isn't well, god must hate me now, but to say, what if God's doing something in my life or cosmically that's drawing me near to him and he's revealing himself to me in a new way.
Speaker 1:I love that so good. Okay, something God has made you passionate about is helping people discover who God has made them to be and training them to be great at that, both within and outside the church. So talk to us all about that, how God stirred that up in your heart and what it looks like to tangibly help people do that. Ooh, I'm excited.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, there's so much here, so-.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:Let's do it. Interrupt me ask follow-up questions.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 2:But I would say it's helpful to know where this started. Kind of the heart for this started is I graduated college and went right into ministry. So I didn't get a ministry degree, I got a business degree. So I had a lot of friends that did business or engineering or computer science and graduated I did ministry. They went into the workforce.
Speaker 1:Did you know right away that you wanted to do ministry, or is that what you're about to tell?
Speaker 2:us. No, no, no. So that that was kind of its own uh story in college of uh God had. I kind of was like I want to make a lot of money and then got a heart for Jesus, and then I was like I'm going to make a lot of money and love Jesus, and then just the season of refining, and all of a sudden I had a moment where it's like, man, maybe God's actually wired me. The experiences he's given to me, the ways he's wired me are fit for ministry, and so this is kind of part of that story. But you'll hear more of that story as I tell this, but on my side. So my friends are starting their careers. I'm starting my career On my side.
Speaker 2:I had felt called the ministry and loved ministry, loved telling people about Jesus and opening the Bible. But all the people around me were different than me and the way I was trying to learn was imitation. How do I be like this person? How do I share the gospel like this person? How do I teach like John Piper or Matt Chandler, which is so unhelpful when you're 20 something years old? Uh, but all I knew was imitation. As I mean, I'm not like these people and so I'm, I'm insecure and I'm imitating people that aren't like me, and so I start to ask this question, like, hey, I've missed it and God hasn't called me to ministry. Well, the thing that really gave me a passion for this was a specific conversation I had with a friend, and they two friends in particular each individually sat me down and basically were confessing that it's like I think I want to do your job because your job is meaningful and it doesn't seem like my work is meaningful, and so should I do ministry Because it doesn't feel like my job is significant. I'm feeling insecure, and so should I do ministry. And there are certainly people that should ask that question at some point, and the answer might be yes. But I don't think the answer has to be yes, and I knew that to be true. I just didn't have any language to tell them. I was just lost. I was like I don't think so I don't know God's will for your life. I just don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 2:And so I'm in this place where I'm feeling insecure and I don't know what to do, and then my friends who aren't in ministry are feeling in this place. We're like I'm living a life that isn't significant and worth the calling that God's put on my life. And so, all of a sudden, we're, you know, three, four, 24 year old guys that had great ambitions, that are insecure and not understanding. And so I feel like in that moment, god birthed in me, didn't give me, but birthed in me this heart. For how do I help people and myself? I was partially selfish. But how do I help people see what God has made them to do? Because when we walk in that that's so fun, right, like when that's what we all want is to say this is what God's made me to do, and I'm doing it and I'm getting better at it and I'm impacting people because this is what God's made me for.
Speaker 2:Uh, so I'm feeling this, my friends are feeling this, and the question is how, how do we discover that? Right, they're accountants, they're computer engineers. How do I be an accountant for the glory of God? How do I be a computer engineer for the glory of God? And I think the simple answer in that for a lot of people is we just share the gospel with your coworkers, like you. Either share the gospel because it's your job, or you share the gospel with your coworkers. And what I would say to that is that is something you should do? The answer to that is yes, but that's not the whole answer to that. There's so much more to life not to life than evangelism, but there's so much more to your job than merely sharing the gospel with your coworkers. So this birthed a whole. I mean, it's really this life project that I want to continue. Who knows, maybe I'll write a book someday. I have no desire to write a book, but maybe I will. I don't know, maybe, who knows? But how do I help people in ministry and people not in ministry discover who God's made them to be and what they're to do with their life? And so I, just in thinking about this, wrote out some questions that I've found helpful for me and I've felt helpful for my friends, and even people giving maybe give some examples of people that I've seen that have done this really well.
Speaker 2:But first, I think the thing we have to start with before anything else and this actually matters, this isn't the cliche would be what has Jesus done for me? Colin, I want my life to be impactful, I want to have influence, like Maddie does. I want to be cool, all these things. We can't get to that place without asking what has Jesus done for me, that he has bought for me what I could not purchase for myself.
Speaker 2:I'm not significant because I do something. I'm significant because I'm made in the image of God and my life came at a great cost that he was willing to pay. That actually matters. And I just want to put so much emphasis on that because I think it's easy if you grow up in the church like, okay, yeah, but what has God actually made me to do? And I think if we're too eager to skip past that, we're going to miss it completely. So what has Jesus done for me? Second question goes with the first question really closely, which is who am I in light of that? So again, I'm a son or daughter of the King, I'm accepted in the eyes of my heavenly father, I'm adopted, I'm redeemed, I'm chosen, I'm all of these beautiful things, which means I'm not working for an identity, I'm working from one.
Speaker 2:And again easy to skip over. Easy if you grew up in the church to say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Colin, I got that. But what am I to do? And I'm going to say no, no, no, If you say you got it, you don't, Cause I'm. I'm figuring that out, You're continuing to figure it out right. Like I'm living out of who Jesus says that I am and that matters. That's significant, yeah, um. So then, uh, the next question would be what?
Speaker 1:story has gotten worse. Can I interrupt you for one second, please, please, with that question? I feel like and obviously you know this but if I forget that or if I don't start there, it's over. I'm spiraling, I'm striving and I'm not going to. I'm on a rat race of striving, and then I'm burnt out, and then I'm exhausted, and then I'm led to despair because I'm not starting there. So I just yes, yeah, led to despair because I'm not starting there, so I just yeah, no, no, that's so good.
Speaker 2:And actually, uh, I at the end of this I'll have I have a couple of questions that are a diagnostic, or do we need to kind of restart this? Um, so, uh, the next question I have is what story has God written in my life up to this point? So maybe you just came to know Jesus and someone's like, hey, you should listen to Sonny in 65. It'll help you follow Jesus. So this is you right now. What I would say is, in a sense, you're given a new life and your life is on a new trajectory. That's totally true, and God is sovereign and providential over your life before Christ, which means that he can use the degree you got in school, he can use the experiences that you've had with your family and your friend. He can use even the passions that you have. Some of those passions need to be redeemed, but he can use these things that he's written in your story up to this point and use them in making a significant impact for the kingdom going forward. So I think that's helpful. And so, wherever you're at, if you're a new believer or not, god's given you skills, passions and experiences that he can use in your life and so doing some serious work of. I should have prefaced all of this, maddie, with you. Don't get to. What has God made me to do in a two-minute period at one time, on a walk, listening to this podcast?
Speaker 2:It's some serious work. So we do some serious work on what is the story God's written in my life up to this point? What's my family origin like? Where did I grow up? What did I like as a kid? That's actually translated to who I am today. All these things. We do some hard work on skills, passions and experiences. Um, and this the next one, this is the fourth is uh, what have other people affirmed in me? So, uh, I think we're going to touch on this later in the in the podcast. If we don't, um, make sure to say something about it. But let's get some friendship, and what I mean by friendship is not people that laugh together on Saturday nights. Let's get some people that are serious about knowing each other, loving each other and calling each other out, like. Let's get serious about people in our life.
Speaker 2:I love that If you want to be who God's made you to be, you need people in your life that will affirm what you're great at and gently say you're not so great at that, like you shouldn't give your life to that because it's just not worth it. And so let's get serious about inviting people into our life, into our story, into our skills, passions and experiences that we trust People older people, younger, people that are peers, people that are more mature, people that are less mature, like we don't. We idolize, I think, this idea of mentor 20 years older, really mature, and that's great. I hope people have mentors. But like, let's surround ourselves with the family of God, not a family member in the family of God. Let's let's be serious about community. And so that's the next one. So I'll kind of summarize right now what has Jesus done for me? Who am I in light of that? What story has God written in my life up to this point? What have other people affirmed in me? What are other people saying You're good at that. You should do that more.
Speaker 2:I think God speaks. When you say that, or when you do that, god moves. What gets me up at night? What do I just like? That's kind of passion, but this can be a little bit more spiritual in some ways, of spiritual gifts. Man, that family that doesn't feel like they have a home, how can I help them feel like they have a home when they're in my home? That person that seems like they're on the outside, how do I help include them? That person that doesn't know Jesus, how do I share Jesus? Like, what keeps you up at night? What's the thing stirring in you? And that's not even to over-spiritualize it, man, there are people everywhere that are struggling with finances. How do I help people, uh, be stewards of the things God's given them? So what keeps me up at night? And the last one where is there a need? Where do I see there's a need, like someone needs to do something here? Um, so again, those two can kind of go together as well and so go through that journey, go through that journey Again, go through that journey with people, go through that journey by yourself. Uh, go through that journey, um, yeah, close friends, mentors, uh, and and just see what God continues to bring up, um, and then here I said I kind of do a little diagnostic of hey, do we need to? I said I'd kind of do a little diagnostic of, hey, do we need to re-evaluate some things? So here are the two kind of ditches or tendencies that I've seen people fall into, that maybe one of these resonates with you. And then we need to go kind of back up to one and two and restart.
Speaker 2:The first one is do you believe that you need to be successful outside of who Jesus says that you are man? I want to love Jesus and make an impact for him, but who am I if I'm not making money? I need to be a Christian and make a big influence, and the only way I'm going to have a big influence on this world is if I have a big platform and I'm really successful. So I need something in addition to who Jesus says that I am. We need to kind of go back and say let's do some diagnostic work on what's going on there. I think that can happen in ministry and outside of ministry.
Speaker 2:The second one is this one's a little harder to ask but have I too narrowly defined what Jesus has called me to? So this is where I would say my friends that were accountants and computer engineers landed is. They said, jesus uses people who are in ministry, and the answer to that question is yes. But Jesus also uses people who aren't in ministry and you can make a significant impact in the kingdom of God by being a really, really, really excellent accountant, by being great at spreadsheets, by coding things better than other people code things right, by being a retail manager, by working in a coffee shop. God can use you doing great latte art and making great coffee to bless people in the kingdom of God. Let's not too narrowly define what God can use, right? I mean we'll get into this later, but let's read the story of scripture. He uses some really wacky, sinful, messed up things. He can use you making coffee Absolutely Amen. Messed up things. He can use you making coffee Absolutely Amen.
Speaker 2:So I think those are kind of the two diagnostics. And then the last encouragement I'd give uh and uh maybe you're going to start to get me a little bit fired up but is let's, let's get a little, let's get a little Holy creativity. I think it's like oh, I'm good with numbers, so whatever. And I'm like you know who's needs people that are good with numbers Churches, followers of Jesus. Maddie, I'm not good with numbers, you know like we need people like that.
Speaker 2:So I had someone, a friend of mine at Storyline. He is great with numbers and with accounting and finances, is great with numbers and with accounting and finances and so he actually owns his own financial planning firm really successful and donates a day of his week to Storyline. And so he's at Storyline one day a week. He's sitting with our executive team. He's in our elder room and he's saying God has made me this way. I don't need to get paid by the church, but I'm going to help the church that I love and the people. He individually has spoken to a lot of our ministerial staff and has helped us. And I'm going to help our church corporately and our church members individually be great stewards of their finances because I'm good with numbers and not everyone else is. So what he would say is some people are good with kids and serving kids ministry. I'm good with numbers and so show up one day a week to help our church be good with numbers. Like that is amazing. That is amazing.
Speaker 1:That impacts lives for the glory of God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, come on, that's an understanding of who God's made you to be and just being like I don't, I don't need to do ministry. He even said to me yesterday. I talked to him at church. He said to me he's like, yeah, I thought about ministry at one point and I don't need to do ministry to make a significant impact in the kingdom of god.
Speaker 2:Our church is better because he's part of it, true, um, and he has a gospel influence with his non-believing clients. Why? Because he's really good at what he does. It's not just that, oh, he's a high character man, absolutely he is. It's not just because he shares Jesus, which he absolutely does, but kind of, the first step in with all those people's lives is he's really good at what he does. So other ones I won't spend as much time on other ones, but some people are good at making money. It's kind of like, yeah, kind of everything I touch turns to gold, which is amazing, be a gospel patron. What if it's like my sister is going to go overseas and do missions work. I'm praying. What if someone came alongside her and was like, hey, you're serving in an area of the world that I'm not serving in, but I'm going to single-handedly like help fund the work that you're doing.
Speaker 2:Not be one of your 2000 supporters, but like what if you only needed 200 supporters because I carried such a large weight?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be a gospel patron. Okay, those are kind of I'm not good at making money, I'm not good with numbers. Yeah, watch kids like love and don't just uh, yeah, man, watch kids like yeah, love, and don't just oh, I, I just watch kids. Let's stop calling it child care and start calling it kids discipleship. Let's yeah, let's make kids that love and want to follow jesus from a young age, something we say a lot of storyline is boring.
Speaker 2:testimonies, which no testimony, is boring, yeah, but let's have eight-year-olds that get in the waters of baptism and say I have a church family that loves me and I want to follow Jesus and there's an innocence to that that is beautiful. Let's not do childcare, let's do kids discipleship. Let's disciple kids. I'm good at making people feel welcome. Great.
Speaker 2:Go to your hospitality team in your church and don't just say I'll greet people at the door, but ask the question how can I make this better? How can I, like come alongside our church not tell them they're doing it wrong? But how can I make this better? How can I welcome the outsider into my home? What are rules I can put in my life? I'm gonna have lunch with someone new every Sunday, why I'm great at welcoming people into my home and I'm good at baking. Would you please invite me?
Speaker 2:Because Rachel and I are not good at baking, right, like it's just, like that would be such a blessing to us because we hate being in the kitchen. And so a little holy creativity of how can I actually bless people in the way God's gifted me, given me passions, wired me, that matter, and the impact doesn't need to seem big, but a small impact over a long period of time. I feel like this is something that's like a cliche, but it's so true of. Let's make small impact, let's make small deposits in people's lives and let's just see what God would do with that. Ask him to bless it, like spirit blow.
Speaker 2:I'm going to throw the sails up, even if the sails feel small spirit. Would you blow on this small deposit that I'm giving and would you bless it to an extraordinary extent?
Speaker 1:That was amazing, for starters.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry I just went off. I just talked for a long time. That was amazing.
Speaker 1:No, I loved all that. Well, to your last point. Well, one it makes me think of and many people have said this, but I literally have this Gospel Coalition article up in another tab the Powerful Witness of Long Ordinary Obedience.
Speaker 1:And it reminds me of what you just said of the deposits, it's just seemingly ordinary deposits that the Spirit can do. We won't even know till heaven what the spirit might do through your deposit of, like you said, making a good latte and being a smiling, joyful face at someone at the coffee shop. My D group gals, especially lately, have been just talking so much about. Hey, you don't know. You're here for four years in college and you have no idea the for them they're, they're a team. You have no idea the seeds you're planting, that one of your teammates. They might text you in a decade because God might have sent four or five, six more Christians in their life and then, all of a sudden, and bringing them understanding, and then they remember.
Speaker 1:Oh wait, I remember that my teammate loved Jesus and I feel comfortable around her. I know she loves me. I'm going to reach out to her because maybe I have a few questions. We just simply have no idea Just when we think about and I mean you touched on all of this, if I can sit here and think about the ways that God has intertwined all of our lives in just the perfect time and the perfect cross, meet, crossing paths and xyz, where you grew up, all the things you're talking about and I'm just overwhelmed with like a comfort and like an awe of like. Are you kidding me, god, are you kidding?
Speaker 1:me you know, and one of the things when you were saying earlier about I had to share a little story because I feel like you'll love it and I'm loving sharing it, because it's like how can you not believe in God's providence Come?
Speaker 2:on. I was just going to bring up God's providence.
Speaker 1:Okay, so my short story. I feel like I just want to be shouting this from the rooftops. I'll try to condense it, but I'm long-winded always. So I'm three and a half weeks postpartum. It's the first week of December this year, so not that long ago.
Speaker 1:I'm three and a half weeks postpartum, and if you've been three and a half weeks postpartum, I mean you're in the thick of it. You're in the thick of it and I take my two big kids six-year-old, three-year-old it's a whole foods to eat dinner, leave Alex and Zoe, our baby, at home so they can sleep. It's like four or five in the afternoon on a Sunday evening, and so, against all odds, I leave the house with my bigs. We're going to go to Whole Foods to get dinner. I have narrow vision, I have small vision. I'm in the thick of it. I'm exhausted. I'm not trying to make friends with anyone. We're going to eat, we're going to get in, get out, my kids are going to listen, we're going home. Right, so we go. God, I'm just laughing at God. Still, okay, we go to Whole Foods and I don't know if you've eaten at Whole Foods.
Speaker 1:The tables are all pretty close together. We love Whole Foods. Shout out Whole Foods, thanks God for Whole Foods. So we're at Whole Foods. I got my bigs. We sit down right next to us, maybe two arms length away, not that far, because all the tables are close. Our dad and his little baby in a stroller.
Speaker 1:And, of course, one thing too, that God's really, and you're going to, you're like, I feel like you, you think this too, of course, we all, but like God's just really pressing on my heart how much he really wants us to be childlike. Because children open up doors, the children talk, they don't care who it is. They oh, look at that person, look at that baby, they're cute, oh, this, that. And we just adults, want to stay, don't look at anyone, don't make eye contact, stay right here. And so kids, god's just using kids to show us how he wants us to be and just opening doors. How often am I like, oh my gosh, she's so cute. Then I acknowledge the adult. Maybe you know what I mean. Yeah, come on. And so my three year old daughter. She goes, um, that's a cute baby, that's a cute baby. And I was like, oh, she is so cute. Okay, eat your food, yep, okay, stay right here, let's eat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, please don't talk to anyone else. Don't talk to anyone.
Speaker 1:We're just here and I'm done, my capacity is done. So the wife comes and sits, she sits down and again my three-year-old daughter turns is that a boy or a girl? She asked me and I look over and I'm like I could barely see her and I'm like it's a girl. And they're like yeah, and I was like how old is she? And she's the wife. Her name's Maria, that I now know replies six months. And I'm like, oh my gosh, she's so cute. And my kids? Immediately we have a newborn baby. We have a baby at our house. We have a baby at our house. And I'm literally like pipe down, no one cares.
Speaker 2:Like eat your food. I literally like yep, we're not going to change this about us. We want to get home to that baby right now, so you need to be quiet.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and so they keep eating. The mom comes over and chats with us, goes and throws something away and I was like, oh, these two are three years. And she's like and the other one? I said, oh, they're about a little under three years apart too. And she is like my husband wants me to have another baby. Now I say no. Anyways, we're laughing, we start talking and one of the first things she says they sit back down and we're chatting and she's like we've been in Omaha. They speak, you can tell, spanish is very much so their first language. She speaks a little more English than he does, but they're translating some stuff on Google Translate, but it was so fun to get to chat with them. So she's like we've been in Omaha for 14 days and we don't know anyone. They've been in the States for three years but Omaha for 14 days, immediately in my head this is the conversation with God.
Speaker 1:This is me. No, no, god. I literally am three and a half weeks postpartum. I do not have the capacity for new friends to invite anyone in. No, it's a no, it's a no. We keep chatting with them and me and God are just wrestling in my head. They're the sweetest things. We're chatting, my kids are loving them and I'm warming up to the idea. Okay, god, I'll invite them to our Citigroup Christmas party this Wednesday. Okay, god, and we're chatting. They're talking about why they left Columbia, hearing why they're here. They're here for maybe just four to five months.
Speaker 1:He's an electronic engineer, she's a graphic designer. At that time, in Spanish, her husband says to her you should look up her, you should get her Instagram. We've been chatting for like 15, 20 minutes at this time and they're so sweet. You should look up, you should get her Instagram and be trying to be friends with her. He says in Spanish, but obviously I don't know that. So she's like what's your Instagram? Also, my sweet six-year-old boy. When they said they speak Spanish, my son, I speak Spanish. Uno dos tres. I'm like, yeah, you do, big dog, let's go.
Speaker 1:So I type in my Instagram and she goes you Christian, we're Christian. I said, yes, I'm a Christian. Are you a Christian? We are. I was like, oh my goodness, I literally was just going to invite you to our small group. It's like a Bible study. On Wednesdays we have our Christmas party here. Let me pull up our church's Instagram in case I don't communicate this well, but I'd love if you came to check out our church here. It is, here's when it is, and she grabs her phone and she says, basically broken up. She says, just in the last two weeks they were trying to find a coffee shop and they ended up at our building and she saw this logo and she said this is God and I'm like you're kidding me. Okay, I was like that's amazing and she's, and we were laughing because she's a graphic designer and she remembered liking the graphics. She couldn't go somewhere that they don't got good graphics. She's a graphic designer, come on.
Speaker 2:So, anyways, graphics, she's a graphic designer. Yeah, come on, be a graphic designer for the glory of God. Sorry to interrupt, but it's like that 100%.
Speaker 1:Yes, and so, anyways, we leave, I get her information, I text her the information about the party that Wednesday. Oh, I should probably chime in. My husband speaks Spanish. He was a Spanish major in college. So we get home and I'm like, oh, I wish my husband was here, but you'll meet him on Wednesday. They come Wednesday, call in when I tell you that first week we saw they just so much joy even at Wednesday at the city group. Wednesday night had our Christmas party. It was so funny I'm explaining a Christmas game that we were playing that night and I remember they're there. So I like kind of turned to them and I'm talking a little louder and she's so funny calling.
Speaker 1:She goes Maddie, just because you speak louder doesn't mean I understand you and I'm like yes, right, maria, I'm so sorry, and they're talking how I talk way too fast for them. I'm working on talking slower when I talk to them. Anyways, that first week even saw them Wednesday. They came to our. We had a carol hymn sing that Friday at church. They came to that. They came to church Sunday. Even in that first week I'm going to bed Even after the Christmas party.
Speaker 1:I told Alex gosh I almost missed out because of my narrow vision on the joy that God had that they've already brought to our lives One, two, that God who's bringing Galatians 6 to mind. You know, do not go away and doing good, for at the proper time you will reap if you do not give up and take every opportunity to do good, especially to those in the believer, especially to those in the family of believers. And God just kept, even that first week as I was like. This is me, when I feel that even someone's remotely dependent on me in my sin and my self-protection, I'm going to move away. Nope, I'm going to need to protect myself, my boundaries. And so, even after that first week, god's like I'm going to give you the capacity to what I'm calling you into. I don't care if you're three weeks postpartum. I'm going to give you the capacity for that.
Speaker 1:So we're at home and we're just like I can't believe that we almost missed out on the joy this week from this family and how God wanted to bring them into the family of God here in person in Omaha, nebraska, through us. And I almost said no, he was trying to take care of his kids and I almost said no, you know, and even after we left Whole Foods she had texted me and said and even after we left Whole Foods she had texted me and said I was like I can't believe God's providence. Of course he'd put us at the. It had to be the perfect time, perfect tables. Of course he'd put us there. And she responded back like how good is God? He knew I was longing for the physical church and physical people here.
Speaker 1:Wow, and I'm like yep, so it gets even better. It gets even better. Yeah, so I don't know if you know this, collin. We have a full apartment in our basement. The whole back half is an apartment that we rent out the first time at Whole Foods. Talking to them, she says that they're in an Airbnb until January 14th and I literally in my head, say I don't even know these people yet. I say, god, I know exactly where this is going, so fast forward. I don't even tell them. We're inviting them to tons of things. We invite them to hang out with us. We're getting to know them. They're so sweet, they're so wonderful, and New Year's Eve we're hanging out with them. And Maria says Maddie, do you know anyone renting an apartment? I can't help but try to talk like her when I'm talking and I just love it. Do you know anyone renting apartment or a good apartments? And I was like Maria, I do, and it's my house.
Speaker 2:I know a landlord. Believe me, I know a landlord.
Speaker 1:I don't know that you'll like her, no, and it's my house. And yes, and it was so funny because even in that moment I knew, even though I said yes, my heart wasn't there yet God hadn't brought my heart there yet I was still self-protection. God, I can't have people needing me. My kids need me and my capacity is already taken by them and so, and Maria's great, it's not like they're the like needy at all. And if, by God's grace, like God could have given me someone really needy. But he did it.
Speaker 1:But like, even in that, in my self-protection, god's kindness to bring us to say yes where he's calling us. And then he brought my heart around. I knew that I was supposed to offer up our apartment, but I was like gosh, this is way too close for comfort. But then God's kindness to then bring my heart around and yeah, they are wonderful, they're not needy at all. But God was asking us to step into what he's doing, bringing them to Omaha. So, anyways, they literally move into our apartment January 15th. So it's been like almost what is today the.
Speaker 1:It's been like four weeks, almost four weeks it's been yeah, wow, and, like Colin, four weeks almost four weeks. It's been yeah, wow. And, like Colin, when I say how much joy they've brought our family, how close we've grown. We love their daughter Emma Like it has felt like such a natural so much joy, oh, my goodness, I can't get over it.
Speaker 1:And over and over again, even that first week of meeting them this was what brought me to share the story was my husband, alex, god giving Alex a Spanish teacher that he loved in high school. God had this moment in time in mind. God had this family in mind when he loved his high school Spanish teacher. When God led my unbelieving husband as a freshman in college to say, I think I'll major in Spanish. I already have a minor, I might as well major and become fluent. He had this family in mind. He had this moment in mind, and I don't even know how much he still has in mind. They're already, have like, become part of our family. They're now I don't know what God has for them, but they're already like, maybe we'll stay here.
Speaker 1:We love it here. We love the church family here we, oh, my goodness, maybe we'll stay here. We love it here. We love the church family here. Oh, my goodness. I mean I could talk for days and days and days. But just God's providence in everything and using our story from when Alex was dead in his sin and God was still providence over that, to use him in the now to make? Oh, they probably feel a little bit more comfortable that someone speaks their native language, that they're living with, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, come on. Okay, let me just. Can I just encourage your listener God wants to use you. Like if that story says nothing else, just open your eyes to say, man, I don't know where, but I'm going to have open eyes, believing God wants to use me in significant or seemingly insignificant ways that turn out to be really significant. I am so encouraged by that. That's so good.
Speaker 1:Thanks, colin, and I'm just like exactly to what you're saying. I need God to be continually reminding me to get my eyes off myself. Get my eyes off myself, which I feel like we'll we'll talk about, because we have similar favorite books and all the things. Okay, we're going to, we're going to move on from there, although I could talk about God's providence forever, but we'll keep talking about it. Okay, wait, I have a few more questions, actually about your whole thing. We're not leaving yet.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, have you, um, have you thought about, or have you made like ever thought about, making a PDF for like that you could send to people to like walk through this type of thing?
Speaker 2:No, I should. Okay, this is. I can't believe I'm saying this on a podcast, maddie because, I, yeah, here we go.
Speaker 2:That's the best way to just preface that is here we go. So Rachel and I are doing a this was probably two years ago are doing a little spiritual retreat kind of individually together. We're doing some individual inventory, some marriage inventory and just getting to spend time with Jesus. And we're at this coffee shop kind of in this little town in Northern Minnesota and I have this thought it's like one of the weirder moments of my life. What I'm going to say this isn't how my life typically is. Let me just say that I'm sitting there, I'm praying, my Bible is open and all of a sudden I open my journal and I start writing really facts.
Speaker 2:Rachel said it was one of the weirder things she's ever seen happen to me before and I like it's like it was like an entire thought came to mind at one time Not oh, the thought built, it like built and progressed how it typically is for me. It's like I had a whole thought at one time so I started writing really quickly. She's like what just happened? And I was like I think I got this like outline and God maybe wants me to write a book someday. It wasn't like I need to start writing tomorrow. It wasn't anything like that, but it was this stuff of.
Speaker 2:So I can't believe I said this on a podcast because, frankly, I have no desire like I have no desire to become an author. I have no desire. I have no desire for any of those things. I really don't. But I think what it really instilled in me is I actually want to help people in this area, and doing college ministry is so helpful because so many people are graduating this time and what they want to do where they're going to be who they're becoming.
Speaker 2:What if I could just give them a little bit of help in getting a glimpse of having a kingdom mindset towards the things that God might have for them?
Speaker 1:So no, I haven't read the.
Speaker 2:PDF. But that's my side tangent. So we'll see maybe a book someday, but a PDF in the meantime.
Speaker 1:And, like you saying, of course, people in college, they're definitely in that season, but I'm like it's so funny that you're even just passionate about this and talking about all this, because I feel like I am at a point in my life currently with, just like I'm, especially in these last couple of months I feel like God's putting different things, that because I'm trying to figure out God, what I feel like I have a few different things, but I'm like trying to figure out God, what. What is it that you're like wanting me to do or keep doing or stop doing? What is it that you're like wanting me to do or keep doing or stop doing? Like kind of one of the rubber meets the road and I'm going to need to, like I need to. I have my yeses laid out, but it looks like God, are you leading me in this direction. So all that to say, I literally, when you're talking about this, I'm like God, thanks again. Like I feel like you're giving me helpful tools.
Speaker 1:So all that to say, I feel like adults, people in the middle of their life, older, like they're going to need this and we're longing for it and we're longing for just like helpful guidance, and I think you even speaking on this helps free me up and encourage me because I think it can be easy to. So there again, like you were talking about, there's always like two ditches, like I don't, and there's like somewhere in the middle like it's easy for me to think you don't have to sift through that much. Just it's not that big of a deal. I don't know what I'm trying to say Like just keep keep doing what you're doing.
Speaker 1:And it's not that big of a deal to like figure out exactly where God's calling you to, but like which is which is true, like I could not do any of the things and God would still be faithful and he'd still use me exactly where I am. But he's made me a dreamer and he's made me to like have different ideas and I want to. I literally just had a conversation with someone last week that essentially was like you're not stewarding this. Well, like, kind of, like gently. She kind of was like you're not stewarding, and I want to be a good steward of the things, and she was like one of the some of the harshest language that Jesus uses when he's talking about the servant that didn't steward the gift that he gave him.
Speaker 1:Well, when he returned it, it was the same, and so I'm like this frees me up to be like no, it's not everything that I need, that I'm going to have to do this or this, but and also, god's created me this way and he's put ideas or thoughts in my mind and I want to steward those well and my story before and asking some of these questions he can help lead me into that answering those. So all of these are such helpful questions and they free me up to ask those and to say no. This is important to like talk through and sift through with the Lord, and these questions are helpful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's, that's so good, and I even want to just reiterate what you said there's two ditches of idolatry of exactly what God has called me to Like.
Speaker 1:I actually hold above Jesus what he's called me to, which is like oh wait, wait, wait, don't, don't confuse it. Yes.
Speaker 2:That's it. But what I love about the emerging generation college students, young professionals, even people even younger is they're kind of gritty. They're like man, I want to make a big impact, I'm going to work hard enough to do it, and so it's like, if that's what the emerging generation is saying, let's not just have them do that blindly, but let's say, hey, that actually matters for the kingdom of God and you can think strategically about the kingdom of God too.
Speaker 1:So I love that.
Speaker 2:I love that. It's worth asking. It's like taking hard inventory of suffering and our idols it's worth doing hard inventory of. I'm like stewarding the place God has me right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the balance in between of and I feel like people, sometimes college students and probably every age, and even your friends that were asking this question, when they're like, does this matter? It's the in-between of, like I don't want to miss out on what God has for me, and making this big thing you won't Like, we won't.
Speaker 2:Yes, come on.
Speaker 1:You know, we don't have to like live in this fear that we're not doing enough, like no, as we seek the face of God and are with him in the secret place and we're just abiding in him and relying on him like we're not. We're not, we can't, we quite literally cannot miss out on the story he's already written for us and a lot of times it looks like the starting the conversation at the Whole Foods, like you know, so good, so good. Any other thoughts on that before we move on to biblical literacy?
Speaker 2:I mean, I probably do have thoughts, but another time Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay. Yeah, colin, it's just seeming like we might need like a quarterly chat with Colin. Okay, another thing.
Speaker 2:It would be a joy for me. I don't know about you but it would be.
Speaker 1:Oh, it would be. I'm living for this, okay, and Abby is gonna be just already. I can just see Abby. I can see you. You're laughing. You're probably walking outside and you're laughing at us and you're just loving this along with us. Okay, um, and also true, good friends. This is a shameless plug to Abby. Some of my I found out. I told Abby this is last week. Abby is a friend and I have a few of these, and not that you have to listen to my podcast to be a good friend to me. But, like Abby and a couple of other of my friends, listen to my podcast and then, like, text me what was encouraging about it. I'm like I think this is one of my love languages that, like you care, you don't have to listen to. Wow, you don't have to listen to these podcasts. Half of this stuff we're chatting about, all the you're already hearing me talk to you enough. You know what I mean. Like, I'm like, yeah, totally and again.
Speaker 1:If you're one of my friends and you don't listen to ever and you just listened for the first time. I'm not saying that you're not a good friend, but I was like this. It's really sweet and I'm like thank you, lord, for like these sweet friends that encourage me to keep going in this.
Speaker 2:Boom, boom, boom Friendship. Come on, okay, okay, just quick shout out because you gave a shout out. Friend Devin, when I was first starting to teach the Bible, he listened to probably my first 30 to 50. I mean, he still would listen to every message, but without me asking, listen to my first 30 or 50 messages gave me feedback. It's like you could either be listening to John Piper, matt Chandler, tim Keller. You're choosing to listen to me just to encourage. I'm not giving you food for your soul at this point in my ministry career you probably weren't, but you're doing it because you're a good friend.
Speaker 1:And didn't that? Yes, don't you. And didn't that I? I literally am like this is no light thing. When someone, even now, if someone encourages you on your message, encourages you like, if anyone ever like has emailed me to encourage me about an episode, I'm like I genuinely need you to know that this is no light thing. This is God.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:This is God encouraging me, through you, to keep going.
Speaker 2:You know what.
Speaker 1:I mean yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, this is God encouraging me through you to keep going.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Yes, yes, yes, okay, okay. Another thing God has made you passionate about is biblical literacy. You said that we need to know the story of the Bible in order to understand the stories in the Bible. First, can you explain what biblical literacy is, talk to us about that, why is it important, important? And then tell us what is the story that is woven throughout the whole Bible?
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, you're going to have to remind me because you're good at asking like a million questions at one time. That are all big questions, I know I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll remind you.
Speaker 1:Start with the first one what is biblical literacy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, biblical literacy is that? I mean, it's basically what you just said. We need to know what our Bible says and not just words in the Bible Like, oh, I have this verse memorized, though that's great and we should memorize our Bible. We need to know the story the Bible is telling.
Speaker 2:Like you're going to get me fired up. I want to talk about this more. But the bible is a beautiful story. Yeah, it's not just. It's not just like a verse to memorize to help me fight this sin or help me. Proverbs 31 oh, I gotta look for a proverbs 31 like, yeah, it is that. But it's not just that. It's the story of god unfolding who he is and what he's done and what he's like and what he's going to do. Yeah, and we won't. We should just get wrapped up in that Like we need to know it and then get wrapped up. Anyway, you're getting me fired up.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I love that. I feel like my husband's going to listen to this and my friend and laugh that you're saying fired up so much, because that's like the two words I've only said. Have you read the Insanity of God by Nick Ripken? No, if you want to get fired up, add to cart today, but literally by like the only two words I've been saying for the last, like since I had a couple of weeks after I had Zoe, like God's got me fired up, so I'm just loving that you're also getting fired up. Okay, well, okay, talk to us. Why, why is it so important to know the story that's woven throughout the Bible? Why is that important? And then, what is?
Speaker 1:then what is the story that's woven throughout the Bible?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, let me, I'll try to make these quicker because we spent. But it's important because it's God's revelation of himself to us. This is how God has, primarily in the person of Jesus, by the inspired spirit, revealed himself to us and it's written in scripture. And I think, if I can borrow my pastor, pastor JT's kind of language on discipleship is I think we can look at, oh, biblical literacy. That sounds like big words that are for pastors.
Speaker 2:And he has this whole thing where he says we've misdiagnosed the problem. We think the problem is people are trying to give us too much Bible and we just need the simple stuff. We need to know that God loves us, that God saves us Absolutely. You need to know that. But we've misdiagnosed the problem. We're not giving people too much, we're giving people far too little. People need more Bible, more understanding of its scope and of its context and ways that it actually impacts our life in light of scope and context. And so let's be Bible people and not because, oh, that's like we're nerds. Let's be Bible people because that's what Christians are, that's what discipleship is.
Speaker 1:Let's be Bible people. That's what Christians are. That's what discipleship is.
Speaker 2:Let's be Bible people. So story of the Bible simply is God receiving glory. That's important to start like that. God gets the glory by redeeming himself for himself, a people, and even more than just a people. God is redeeming for himself all of creation, all of the cosmos. He's redeeming it back to himself the way it was intended to be, In fact surpassing the way it was intended to be. Because of God's redemption, we actually see it from a greater perspective than we could have ever seen it before. So, story of the Bible God redeeming all of creation back to himself for his glory.
Speaker 1:I love that Also. I loved his book Deep Discipleship. Is that the one you were quoting? Yes so good, so good. I'll link it in the show notes Deep Discipleship. You got to read it by JT English. Okay, can you give us an example of possibly wrongly understanding a story in the Bible, because we don't know the story of the whole Bible?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. So let me kind of fire a few quick ones. So, david and Goliath you're the David and you need to fight the Goliaths in your life, right? Like no, no, no, you're really the people of Israel that are too scared, and God has done for you what you could not do for yourself.
Speaker 1:Jonah Jonah's about a whale.
Speaker 2:We're going through Jonah right now. It's storyline. It's like Jonah's not even a like. It has a whale in it, but it's not about a whale. It's about a rebellious prophet who doesn't want to see people far from God saved because he, like he's a prodigal, even though he's a prophet. Hosea, I need to be faithful to the unfaithful people and unfaithful things. In my life, no, God has been the faithful husband to his rebellious people. That's the story that God's writing. Now. Is there an application for you being faithful to unfaithful people? Sure, but what's the story of Hosea about? Hosea is about God, who's been faithful to you. Now I need to get your permission first, Maddie. Can I be a little edgy?
Speaker 1:Of course you can be a little edgy, please. The edgier the better.
Speaker 2:Okay, let me get a little bit edgy. Story of Abraham and this is going to kind of go into even the way we approach our Bible. That, I think, robs us of healthy biblical literacy. Abraham was a good guy and so God chose him. And it's like okay, no, no, no, even that we got the story wrong.
Speaker 2:Abraham believed God. This is what Genesis says. Abraham believed God and he was credited to him as righteousness. Okay, why did Abraham believe God? Oh, he was a man full of faith. No, no, no. He believed God because God chose to reveal himself to Abraham.
Speaker 2:Like we need to start with God, god's revelation of himself to Abraham. And so, okay, colin, where are you going with this? Why does this matter? And I think what I'm trying to get at is we live in a world that's fluent in grace and not fluent in judgment, and so I think a lot of times when we read our Bible, we're like why doesn't God? I'm struggling that God doesn't save this or save this person, or save this person, and that's hard.
Speaker 2:I want to say, like that is genuinely hard, but I think we need to step back and say the fact that God has saved anyone is a remarkable display of grace, like the fact that anyone goes to heaven is a remarkable revelation of who he is and what he has done. We need to understand our Bible. The fact that God reveals himself to us is incredible. Like oh God's. You know, we live in kind of this over-spiritualized world. We're like God's kind of everywhere, like it's kind of atheistic or over-spiritualized and it's like no, god dwells inside of his people. He tabernacles with his people, and now that was in the person of Jesus, and now he has made his people the church, a temple of the living God. God dwelling inside of his people is remarkable, like let's read Genesis they screw it up continually Exodus.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's read Genesis. They screw it up continually Exodus. They can't figure it out. And God continues to dwell with his people. And so now, if I actually understand that the remarkable thing is that God dwells with his people, saves his people, shows grace to his people. That changes the way I live in light of grace right now. So that's me getting a little edgy on how we approach our Bible, and even biblical literacy of God's judgment is really strong in the Bible, which is actually helpful because we don't live in a judgment-driven world. We live in a judgment-driven world actually allows us to see grace through a more beautiful lens, which is how I think God intended it when it was first written in the first century and before the time of Jesus, because they were a judgment-driven culture, and so for them to see grace the way God intended it, I think, is like wow, this is amazing.
Speaker 1:Even all the examples that you gave about. Here's how we are seeing this story wrong, and if we see it rightly, as you're speaking I mean each one, really what you're saying it brings us back to a right view of ourself. If we're not reading it right?
Speaker 2:it doesn't, but when we are.
Speaker 1:It brings us to this place of laying on the ground in humility, because I've done nothing here and God's done everything, and brings us to then this awe from a place of humility.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's so good and I think that's helpful. We need to approach our Bible rightly for us to understand our Bible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is a piece of advice or tangible tips that you have for someone that is longing to grow in their biblical literacy, to grow in their biblical literacy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so let me hit three things really quickly. See it as important. It's kind of the best diagnose the problem. You need to know that knowing and loving and cherishing your Bible is important. It's God's revealed word to us. Knowing the scope of scripture, we often forget Revelation because it's this weird book, Like we often forget Revelation because it's this weird book, which it is. But Revelation matters because it teaches us that God's not done with redemption yet, Like it's fully accomplished. It's fully accomplished but not fully seen and we're going to see him redeem all things back to himself. That matters, Like it's important for us to know that. Or even something JT says I love, quoting my pastor the ascension a forgotten part of the gospel that Jesus actually has ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the father, ruling and reigning. Jesus is king right now.
Speaker 1:Anyway, why does that matter? Why does remembering that he ascended? Why does that matter?
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness, Sorry. Should we restart a podcast or are we going to?
Speaker 2:go again, we might have to do, but I mean the fact that Jesus is ruling and reigning gives me so much comfort. He's providential, it's what we just talked about Like. He's in control, he sees, he's not surprised All those things and he's given us a kingdom to live in. If there's a king, he rules in a kingdom, he has a people. We get to live in the kingdom of God. It's not like, oh, I have to live in the kingdom, we get in joy to live in the kingdom of God.
Speaker 2:So those are quick, quick, fly through hitters on why it matters that Jesus ascended. I love that so much. It's super important.
Speaker 2:It takes time, maddie, I'm truly genuinely I don't know you that well, but grateful for the example that you set to women and men that listen to this podcast and that know you from church and other areas.
Speaker 2:But the encouragement I want to give to your listeners is you know your Bible, you've read other books and I think it's easy to be like well, I'll never be like Maddie, and it's like well that has been sown over a long period of time, like you don't have many verses memorized.
Speaker 2:You have one verse memorized and then you have two and then you write like it just is sown over a period of time and I think understanding that patience is key, that we give deposits If you want to be retired one day. It's really hard to write one big check to your I mean, the government won't even let you do it but one big check to your 401k and say, great, now I can retire. How it works for almost every American is we say take a little bit out of my paycheck Every month, take a little bit out of my paycheck so that over a long period of time I'll have stored up a deposit that now I can live off of. Same thing with your Bible. What if you just I'm going to read it a little bit every day, I'm going to memorize a little more every day as a deposit that I can draw from one day.
Speaker 1:Have you read the Liturgy of the Ordinary by? Is it Tish Warren Harrison? I might get her name wrong.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure I've read it. Maybe I've read an excerpt. I'm familiar with it.
Speaker 1:I think Okay, what you're saying reminds me of the way her book is outlined, as each chapter is like a different part of your day and she's just walking through how God is working, through the ordinary and the liturgical timeline of our everyday lives. And in her lunch chapter she basically compares eating lunch to reading God's word and she says what did you eat for lunch last Wednesday? I have no idea, I mean maybe, if I thought, really hard? I have no idea.
Speaker 1:But the point is is that I ate it and I needed to eat lunch in order to stay alive in the same way, even though, as we need to eating it every day to literally stay spiritually alive Like that is how we are staying alive by God's word, in the same way that we eat lunch every day. Was it a grand lunch? Did I get to go to this massive steakhouse every single meal? No, I had an avocado before we recorded this.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:It wasn't a medium steak, but in the same way, is every day going to be this grand, wow? These words just jumped off the page like none other. No, some days totally. But you know what it's going to be keeping you alive and following God and Him changing you. And I mean just that thought, a tangenting to another thought, me reading this morning. You know that I might not, that might not, come off the page to me today, and God might bring those words to mind in two months when I'm like in this scenario and I actually needed.
Speaker 1:You know, first Corinthians, that like that I read two months ago then and like you, uh, something that my pastor I love that he encouraged me in, regarding like reading my Bible. I asked him, you know, I just got done reading the Bible all the way through for the first time, so this is probably four or five years ago. I did like a plan and I was like what should I do this next year? Should I just like study one book of the Bible, maybe like the whole year? And he was basically like I think you should read as much of it as you can, not that you shouldn't, not that you can't and shouldn't like study deeply.
Speaker 1:You know, keep reading all of it, don't just like, not like keep reading as much of it as you can, as as many books of the Bible through the Bible. And I feel like that encouraged me to keep like reading you know, old Testament and new Testament all the time, cause, like you said, then we forget about revelation or I forget about Genesis. I just restarted the Bible in the year plan again because I feel like he encouraged me to just kind of like keep doing the Bible in the year plan, not that I'm have to be finishing it, but it just keeps me going. And then, oh, maybe I'll read all of first Corinthians today, or I'll like study this, or you know like I'll hop around and do that.
Speaker 1:But like I loved that encouragement, it's changed my life because like you were saying, you then you're, you're knowing, oh, leviticus is all of a sudden, the third time reading it through really impactful. Because guess what I don't have to do today, after I maybe sin against my husband or my children, I don't have to get a spotless lamb to sacrifice because the lamb came and he died for me.
Speaker 1:So I get to remember in Leviticus. Maybe I didn't like when I read it the first time. That didn't really I didn't, that didn't sink into my heart. But it's cool. As we're reading God's word over and over again, different stuff is going to pop out of the page. God's going to bring us more understanding. It's inexhaustible.
Speaker 2:Yes, come on, that's so good. I mean come on.
Speaker 1:We can talk about this forever, okay, so I have a third. Yeah, you go, yes, oh, yeah, yeah, sorry, I interrupted you.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, You're good Unless you have something else. But no, I know, see, it is important, see, it takes time. Here's my last one. See, it takes commitment. Uh, you, at some point this is like I say this in all love, I know I have edgy moments, but I say this in all love Say at some point, you just have to kind of pull up your bootstraps and decide I'm going to be someone that reads my Bible, that knows my Bible and that's committed to studying my Bible. It is a small deposit, it is a patience.
Speaker 2:It does matter that we see it as important and at some point there's a little bit of like I'm going to start setting my alarm earlier and not hitting snooze so I can read my Bible and so I can study my Bible and I'm going to talk to people about my Bible and I'm going to study it in community and I'm just going to commit to it and and know that it's good, even if I don't always believe that it's good. It's like crud. I have a 7am meeting today. I got to wake up early. Like. I have a 6am meeting some days. I got to wake up early, shoot, and I'm going to commit to it. So, uh, that sometimes that's the encouragement that people need is like, yeah, yeah, I know I should see it as important. I know it's going to take time and it's like great, just set your alarm early tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Yes, you know what, before you go to bed tonight, you could read a chapter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 1:And it reminds me of what we were kind of talking about before is that the command is to meditate on God's word day and night, Like the command is to know his word. And so oftentimes you know we're praying, you know we could pray for years. God, give me just a desire to read your word. Give me a desire Not that he will not to negate that or that he won't answer that and also it's a command, and oftentimes God's going to change that desire after obedience. So after we say, yes, God, okay, you've commanded me to read your word, to know it, ultimately, to then know you. Okay, I'm going to, I'm going to discipline myself God helped me to be disciplined and I'm going to have accountability. Maybe I need accountability. I'm going to be in your word. And then it reminds me of a quote that I feel like God rings through my head every other week, that I heard in college when I was like not even following Jesus you hunger for what you feed on.
Speaker 1:If I'm feeding on social media, I'm going to be hungering for it. If I'm feeding on my chocolate peanut butter cup, I'm just going to be hungering for it. If I'm feeding on eating healthy and working out, I'm going to be. Oh, I'm excited to eat healthy today. I'm hungering for it. If I'm feeding on the word of God, guess what? God's going to change your heart to hunger for it. Now, colin, I probably can attest to you too that, by God's grace, after being in his word for years and years and years, gosh, I wake up and I'm hungering for it. That's not a perfect hunger. That's not to say that I am not perfect in that or I'm like perfectly hungering for it every day, but there is a hunger that he's grown in me from feeding on it that my day feels off.
Speaker 1:if, oh, I got to spend time with God, I got to get along with God.
Speaker 2:I'm longing for that you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 1:And then Abby had said something to me I think, when she was in college. I'll never forget she, I'll never forget she was wrestling through God, showing her is sleep more important than God? Is sleep more important than God? Like how you were saying and I was like shoot, I can't unthink about that. Now, if you're listening to this and you're two weeks postpartum or you're three months postpartum and you're like there's totally grace, I'm not saying am I? Am I waking up before my three month baby? Right now? No, but I'm also. I'm. I also have other hours in the day that I'm awake, that I am fighting to be in God's word. When I'm rocking her to sleep for her nap time, I have my Bible app and I have. You know, I'm still.
Speaker 1:We have so much time. That could be a podcast in itself If we want. If we say we don't have time, let's just. Let's be edgy and let's look at how much time we're on our phones, like, like, we, we got time. It's not that we're we don't have time, it's that we need to prioritize. Let's prioritize God, the living God.
Speaker 2:Yeah or okay. Another one looking at Spotify listen two minutes Like we can listen to the Bible right, but I'm with my kids all the time.
Speaker 2:It's like what could be better than surrounding your kids with the word of God Mom. What does it mean by this? Wow, what an opportunity, not just to watch my kids, not just to care for my kids, but to disciple my kids, to say I'm going to form you into the person that God wants you to be, starting when you're three months old to when you're three years old, so that it pays dividends when you're 30 years old.
Speaker 1:So good. One of my friends this last month had invited me into 21 days of 21 minutes of prayer and getting to just set. I'd split it up into chunks and I'd set a 10 minute timer and I'm like Shay and Zan, I'm going to. I'm right here in the room with you, but I'm going to be praying. I'm praying right now. Wow.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:And then, like the next day, and I, just I prayed silently that day. The next day it was just me and Shay Zan was at school. I was like Shay, I'm setting my timer and I'm praying for our city group. Do you want to pray for our city group too?
Speaker 1:And we both prayed out loud my three-year-old's like thank you God for thank you God, and she's just going on, you know, and it's like gosh. I want my kids to know that I think of the, I think of the like quote someone once said if someone followed you around, you maybe say that you love God, you're a Christian. If someone followed you around for a 24-hour period, would your life look?
Speaker 1:any different than anybody else and like I often think about that and I'm just like I want my kids to know, no, we depend on the living God to move and we depend on his word. My six-year-old son he's getting funnier because in the morning I'm morning. If he wakes up at the same time years before me, I'm like, hey, I got to spend time with God and it was after we've had the baby and I'm not able to wake up earlier. Right now I'm sleeping in and so I'm more spending time with God, like the first chunk that we're all awake. And one day he goes oh, mom, I miss when you'd wake up at seven to spend time with God, so that you're done by eight when I wake up. And I'm just like I love that. You know that. Yes.
Speaker 2:But let me say what you won't say. What a testament to your kids that seasons change. Like to the moms that are listening. There are so many seasonal changes that it's going to look different, but it can still be prioritized. I'm guessing your time's more interrupted now than it was when you woke up before your kids. You know what God's honored by your kids interrupting your time with him. Because it's not interrupted time with him. You're communing with God when you're communing with your kids, so I I'm so thankful for that. Can we do a podcast at the beginning of July where I ask you all the questions on how to kill us as a parent? Cause I'm just listening to you like, oh, I'm so in over my head. Oh no, here we go.
Speaker 1:So, uh, god's grace alone at some point I love talking about all things parenthood and literally God's grace alone Alone. Thanks for saying those kind words, and genuinely I mean parenthood. Me and my husband joke that and we tell anyone that's getting married married that we have found out that marriage is continually humbling yourself and apologizing until we die. Come on, that is marriage. So real.
Speaker 1:You know the amount of days that I actually don't want to humble myself. Yeah, oh, my gosh. But that's parented too. When I'm messing up, it's all just humbling myself back to having a right view of myself. When I don't have a right view of myself, I'm not a gracious parent. It's my schedule, it's me, me, me. Okay, that could be another. Okay, I want to get into that. Okay, okay, okay, okay. What is one habit you have cultivated that has changed your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean we just talked about Bible reading, bible studying, and so I kind of feel like bases are covered there. Not that they don't matter, but we've hit it pretty hard.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So two come to mind. One we did kind of touch on earlier, but committed community I mean, I just want to be someone that's known. One first because I need to be reminded that in my brokenness I'm loved Before I can give myself. I just need people around me that are holding up my arms.
Speaker 2:So to speak are just carrying me, are helping me, are allowing me to see the grace of God. If we believe that in the indwelling spirit, then one way for me to be regularly reminded of what God has to say about me and encouragements God has to give me. I need to be surrounded by God's people, so good.
Speaker 2:So if people are new, like me and I feel like I have good friends but I'm not sure I've committed community, here's an encouragement I give to people a lot. Give people permission. Like hey, you have permission to call me out on things in my life, you have permission to ask follow-up questions. I have a few people that I was like hey, here's my figurative all-access pass. You can ask about my finances, you can get my tax return, you can ask me what. The last thing I Google searched is All-access pass, because I know my sin is in me, like I know that, and so I'm going to give all access pass to people, and so that's that takes work. It takes time. We just moved and Rachel and I my wife and I are like man.
Speaker 2:This is like a harder season of committed community because we're in new community and we're trying to hold onto this old like not old community. It's people we still love, but in a new place, and so it takes time. It's work. It's different in seasons and I'm the first to attest to that, but it's something that I've committed to as a habit in my life that I want to continue to work towards. Second, one can be a quick hitter, but I've really struggled with insecurity throughout my life, like am I good enough, am I going to work hard enough? And if you want to kill insecurity, be grateful and be an encouragement to other people and I heard that and I'm just like I'm going to be a grateful, like I want to be a grateful person.
Speaker 2:And so I've gone through seasons and my wife still does this to me today, which I'm so thankful for. She's amazing. But it's like, hey, colin, what are three things you're grateful for? Like let's be people of gratitude and then let's let our gratitude translate to encouragement. I've I've heard multiple people say it. I'm like no one ever receives too much encouragement and I feel like everyone like hears that and it's like, oh so who's going to encourage me? Like you know, it's like I'm going to be like Like you know, it's like I'm going to be, like I mean, I want to have a Barnabas legacy, son of encouragement. Like what if my gospel legacy wasn't? I mean, I'm the Paul that brings the gospel to other places, but I'm the Barnabas who just like stood behind Paul and said you matter to God first, before you do anything else. You matter to the King Second. You're doing great kingdom work. Let me know how I can be an encouragement to you. Like that's an amazing gospel legacy. So gratitude and encouragement kind of go together as a habit that combats.
Speaker 1:Really that was birthed from combating insecurity. That's so encouraging, wow. Are there any new habits you're currently trying to cultivate or long to cultivate in the future?
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, I mean right now, just season of life. I need to get back on the physical health train, you know it's like a little it's winter. Uh, it's winter, rachel. Uh, you know, coming out of first trimester, but first trimester was real, so I was doing a lot, a little bit more around the house, so thankful for her though, uh, but need to get back on the physical health, Um, and then another one.
Speaker 2:Her though, uh, but need to get back on the physical health, um, and then another one, just uh, cultivating fun and enjoyment, I mean again, it's like, oh, is that a habit? It's like I want to make it one. I want a regular rhythm of our family to be like we have fun, we laugh together, we do things that are just like we make time to have fun.
Speaker 2:Yes, so that's something like, as we're pregnant, as we're thinking about being parents, and even as we're in a new place that we're not as comfortable in, with people we're not as comfortable with. Yet what if we just made it a habit of fun, enjoyment, laughter? That's something we're thinking about and we want to be true now and going forward.
Speaker 1:And I feel like people forget that we have a God. Jesus came so that we could have life and have it abundantly, have it to the fullest, and not that he's after our quote unquote happiness. But I think people don't believe that we have a joyful, erratically joyful king.
Speaker 2:Yes, come on.
Speaker 1:We forget that he is joyful. Oh, my goodness, he's delighting in us. He's, he's joyful, he's looking at us and we can think that it's just like read your Bible and like don't do these things, no, like yes, to like reading your Bible and and like an abundant life comes out of, like knowing him, and then we get to enjoy these common graces and laugh and have fun Like he is a joyful God. He's not just an upset grandfather like follow these rules and let's do this, yeah.
Speaker 2:Read your Bible. Underline the words joy and rejoice Right and like. Sometimes it's worked for, like sometimes it's like. I mean rejoice in suffering. That's worked for. That's not like oh, let's go throw a party and it's fine. Pretend like nothing happened. But there is something too. We cultivate in our habits a regular rhythm of rejoicing and joy. So when suffering comes, I might have to work a little harder for it, but it's not unnatural, if that makes sense, Like I can do something that may feel harder, but it's not unnatural.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it reminds me how, like when I'm just in Exodus and God just brought the Israelites out and he's like commanding them, like you're going to celebrate, you're going to celebrate the Passover, you're going to celebrate for seven days, like what God just commanded them to literally feast party, celebrate for seven days, like you know, like that, ultimately to remember his faithfulness. Right, it's not just a flippant like celebration, it's like no, as we're following God I'm sure you've found this too. It's like everything becomes like this everything. You've found this too. It's like everything becomes like this everything. And again then, I'm reminded of Paul like we're sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, so we're walking in a fallen world, and this is like really stinking hard. And then we have this supernatural joy that it's coupled with of like my hope is somewhere else and I'm like so enjoying this common grace of this peanut butter cup, like like thanks God.
Speaker 1:Like I get to be like so grateful because, like I know this, this, my hope isn't in this, but I get to enjoy it. This is a gift from you. Like we just get to see everything in color, even when it's hard.
Speaker 2:Yes, talking about an apologetic to an unbelieving world is being a people of joy. That was an encouragement. Like man, you want to share the gospel with people around you. I was encouraging college students. You want to share the gospel on your campus. What if, instead of whining about your homework, you just said oh my goodness, God, what an opportunity to be at a school where I can learn with people on a team. Like what a joy that that is Talk about being weird to a watching world in a really awesome way.
Speaker 1:I love that so much. What is a lie that you've believed, that God has had to, or maybe still is, uprooting in your heart, and what gospel truth has he been reminding you, or has he reminded you to squash that lie?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so good. I mean, I feel like there are so many of them that I'll pick one. That's been kind of a primary theme, which is that kind of back to the insecurity like God uses impressive people. That's the lie. That's not true. But just to clarify for the listeners. But I believe I sometimes believe and more historically I still do now, but more historically that I need to be impressive for God to use me and the more impressive I am, the more likely God is to use me. And before I talk about the gospel truth, the thing that that just robbed me of was prayer and intimacy. I just had a friend that heard me like what would God do if we started to spend significant time in believing prayer?
Speaker 2:I'm just like yeah, like, come on, you know, um, and so I. I'm just thankful that God chooses what is weak to shame the strong. But God, like in our weakness, we rejoice because we see in that the power of Christ is perfected, like that's not theoretical or like those are real truths. And so I'm going to boast all the more gladly in Christ and him crucified alone, because I don't need to impress people with my words. I can just rely on the simple gospel truth and ask God to bless it.
Speaker 2:And he might and he might not In life and in ministry. I can say that as someone who does ministry but also we live in an impressive world. We live in a world of resumes our social resume on our Instagram. Our job resume that we're trying to get the next job that gives us to the career point we want to be in resume. That we're trying to get the next job that gives us to the career point we want to be in. Our mom resume right of like the kind of school pickup line of of oh, here's kind of how I'm killing it as a mom, or the things that I do or the product I bought.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like we live in a world of resumes, and what if we were just a people that that didn't like? We've talked about working hard a lot of this podcast, um, so working a hard matter. But like, let's just not boast in that, let's boast in Jesus Christ and him crucified man. How's being a mom? You know what it's hard some days and I'm thankful for the mercy and grace of God. I'm so thankful for that encouragement that you gave. Like, let's just be, people like that. That's so encouraging to the world, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's so good. You even saying how we build our mom resume. Earlier this year, god just wanted to completely squash my plate of pride in motherhood by way of my first time being embarrassed by my child and it was two different times. He really was honing in because embarrassment is ultimately my pride Cause I'd like that someone would think something about me, you know. And so God just showing me that my embarrassment was an invitation into humility, no, my, my child gets to be free from my expectations of them, and I get to be free of, like I'm not.
Speaker 1:I am, by God's grace, going to steward them to be respectful and honor others in X, Y, z, and I also currently have kids that are dead in their sin and I'm pleading that God will save them. But I don't know, and so I don't. I don't get to um, I get to carry a healthy amount of responsibility. I don't get to wear that pressure that it's only on me, even though I get to walk in responsibility a healthy amount. But yeah, god, just Ooh, it was painful, colin.
Speaker 2:I got the story for another day.
Speaker 1:But Ooh, let's just shatter that prideful plate now, because this is going to be. This is not going to be the last time I'm embarrassed by one of my children. This is not going to be the last time I'm embarrassed by one of my children. My parents were embarrassed by me many a times probably still, you know and it's like no, okay, god, thank you. Thank you Because I'm not the perfect parent.
Speaker 1:I'm raising sinners by the grace of God to the best of my ability with your help, thank God, but no, I've learned to kiss the wave.
Speaker 2:Kiss the wave. Kiss the wave because guess what it came.
Speaker 1:Guess what follows kissing the wave freedom. Yeah yeah freedom, like following that, that plate being of pride being smashed, oh yeah, and I'm probably gonna need to be reminded of that again. But, god, thank you that I'm just. I'm so free to boast in my weaknesses because your power is being made perfect, like you said. Okay, what is the best advice, or one of the best pieces of advice, you've ever received?
Speaker 2:Yeah, someone told me this, it's uh, but it was more how I saw it lived was take the gospel seriously, but not yourself, uh. I was so I just like take myself seriously in that. It's just like kind of who I am a little bit, which I'm thankful.
Speaker 2:I'm thankful for in some ways, cause it allows me to work hard and there's a level of grit that I'm thankful for Um, but just like me and Jesus is so worth laying everything down for Like surrendering all my life for the sake of him and the gospel. I believe that to the core of my being. Yeah, and I don't have to take myself too seriously. I can laugh, I can have fun. I'm like it feels like this podcast is an embodiment of that. I'm just like let's share stories of how God's using us and share stories of like ways we're messing up and kind of like goofy things or where we have a bad heart but God's still choosing to use it.
Speaker 2:You know, like that's just like what it feels like God is calling his people to, and so I just want to embody that.
Speaker 1:I love that that's so encouraging.
Speaker 2:What is?
Speaker 2:a piece of scripture the Lord is using to encourage, exhort or convict you with lately. Yeah, our church is going through the book of Jonah and I'm just thankful for our pastoral team. They're so fun. They're so fun to listen to.
Speaker 2:The book of Jonah is simple in a lot of ways, complex in others, but there's grace for sinners, like there's grace for a prodigal prophet, there's grace for sailors, there's grace for a pagan city of Nineveh, and the invitation is not like it's even being impressive. Jonah's gospel presentation is terrible. It's like in 40 days you're going to burn. I can't remember exactly what it is. It's like the worst gospel. It's like not a gospel presentation. The king of Nineveh is like how do I repent? How do I come and surrender to Jesus? I'm just like, oh, that's so encouraging because I don't need to be impressive and God wants to save people cosmically, globally. God has not just ordained for the people of Israel or the people we think that should be saved, to be saved, but God has ordained for all tribes and nations, for people to be saved, and so I'm thankful for that.
Speaker 1:I love that so much. Someone is out there listening to this and, maybe for the first time, thinking I want to respond to the gospel, I want to know and follow Jesus. What is a tangible next step for them? What advice do you have for them?
Speaker 2:I mean praise, God Praise.
Speaker 1:God Please.
Speaker 2:Lord, you should be laughing to yourself right now. If you came to know Jesus, you should be like hallelujah. Jesus is amazing, truly, and that's a good response. I think it's not just like, oh, that's funny, it's like, no, that's a great response. Oh, my gosh, god has chosen to save me. How awesome. But a few quick hitters Pray. God wants to commune with you. If you've been saved, you are a child of his. He wants to hear from you.
Speaker 2:But I don't know how to pray, you know. You know how to talk to a parent, a friend. God has, now you've become part of God's family. He wants to hear from you, open your Bible, start with Mark and just like, see the work that Jesus has done for you. And last one that maybe is hopefully not unique, but I'm passionate about it is find a local church. God has not only saved you for his glory by his grace, but he's also saved you to his people, and we want to be formed into the image of God, primarily through our local church. I'm thankful for the resources. The internet has allowed podcasts. I'm not like digging on anything, but God wants you to be a part of his people through a local church. So find one and then get baptized. That'd be cool.
Speaker 1:I love that, so good. Okay, we're going to need to wrap this up, um, but you can. You can take it to the bank that we're going to call him back on the podcast, the chat about the 7,000 other things that we didn't get to today. Okay, to end to wrap up our time today, rapidfire questions keyword. Rapid keyword fire. Are you ready? Let's go?
Speaker 2:Okay, most impactful verse on your life all time and you can read it out if you have it. Yeah, philippians three, I'll just do kind of, there's a, there's a whole chunk there, but I'll just do the first two. But everything that was a gain to me, I've considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I've considered everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.
Speaker 1:So good.
Speaker 2:Favorite book all time Tough one toss up, but probably Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller.
Speaker 1:So good Favorite song right now.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm not a huge music person, which is kind of a hot take.
Speaker 1:I know it's kind of lame. You're free in Christ.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Our worship team has been singing You've Already Won by Shane and Shane, which has been encouragement to my soul, so I don't know if it's favorite song right now, but it's been most encouraging right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, favorite song all time.
Speaker 2:The band Camino. Anything by the band Camino, that's not a song, that's an artist, but they have a soft spot in my heart.
Speaker 1:Love it, favorite food.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'll go weird. Think Ikea, Swedish meatballs, potatoes, lingonberries, gravy it's amazing.
Speaker 1:Amazing Favorite Bible teacher to listen to.
Speaker 2:My local church pastor, jt English, but if that's too corny for you, you should listen to him. He's amazing. But outside of that, mark Vance at Cornerstone Church in Ames, and then the Gospel Legacy of Tim Keller.
Speaker 1:So good, so good, so good. Favorite podcast.
Speaker 2:This one, obviously Okay, I have to give two layup answers. First one is this one. Second one is Knowing Faith JT's on it. If you haven't listened to it and you're listening to this, Knowing Faith is amazing, but my personal favorite sorry, JT probably the Keri Newhoff Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 1:Okay, I've never heard of that one. I'm excited to listen to it Am.
Speaker 2:I going to get fired up. Maybe they're longer episodes, but you got to find the right one. He has different guests on. Find the right one and they're great.
Speaker 1:Okay, something not many people know about you.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be a dad, but I told that at the beginning of the podcast. That doesn't count. But I've been to an Olympic opening ceremonies before. That's pretty cool. When? Where? 2012, London.
Speaker 1:What Okay?
Speaker 2:It was so cool.
Speaker 1:What are you loving right now? Could be literally anything Cooking.
Speaker 2:What are you loving right now Could be literally anything Cooking on my Blackstone Griddle top. Outside you can eat chipotle stir fry burgers. Breakfast is amazing. I would recommend.
Speaker 1:Okay, how can our friends listening today be praying for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a good question and I'm thankful for the question A lot of ways, but I'm feeling a lot of new right now. We're starting a new ministry. Rachel and I are in a new place. I'm going to be a new dad, so feeling excited about the new, but also feeling the burden of the new. We're creating and cultivating right now something that hopefully people stand on for a long time, whether it's my kids or hundreds of college students, and so just feeling that Cool, if you are listening, would you just pause for a moment and take time to pray for Colin and Rachel?
Speaker 1:and just, yeah, the newness of the season they're in that God would provide supernatural energy and capacity as they enter, as they welcome a baby this July. But yeah, that God would just build a sweet foundation for this ministry to to last long past Colin and Rachel Okay. I'm not going to ask the question Anything else. We didn't talk about that. You wanted to, because we probably would then talk about another hour. We'll talk about that another time. Okay, great, where can our listeners find you, if you want to be found?
Speaker 2:Uh, we Great. Where can our listeners find you? If you want to be found, Rachel and I have a combo Instagram. We have individual ones. We use our combo one. I love that it's called ProVartFam I need to follow so. P-r-o-v-a-r-t-fam on Instagram.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Okay, colin, we just created a record-length podcast of almost two hours because I was so encouraged by all that God's shown you and all the wisdom that he's brought you. This has seriously been such a blast, and definitely having you back on the pod it's been so fun.
Speaker 2:Oh, that would be a joy.
Speaker 1:Thank you for being here, colin, and we'll see you next time An hour and 45 minutes later if you are still here. You're a real one. But that was such a fun conversation, gosh. I love getting fired up about the things of God, isn't it just sweet? My friends and I, I feel like, are always talking about this, and always talking about this with my D group gals. This is why we get together and read God's word and talk about God, because then we get to encourage one another and get excited about what God's doing, remind each other of the mission that we're on to bring God's name glory, to remind each other of our purpose and just to remind each other how good and faithful living God is. So if you're listening today and you're like gosh I don't do that often or I'm not really fired up about God right now Is there a friend that would get together with you and read God's word and talk about God with you? If you're thinking, I don't know that I really have any friends that are following Jesus. This is why we are a part of a local body of believers. So I just want to urge you to get involved in your local church and get plugged into a small group or a Bible study there. This is why we talk about God day and night as much as we can, so that he can re-stir up our souls for a deeper affection for Him than leading us to act in obedience and live on mission and encourage one another. Often, when I'm not in a season of fired up for God and then I get to hear about God's faithfulness in someone else's life, I'm reminded oh, my gosh, yeah, he is that good. I was just talking to one of my D group gals actually about I'm currently reading the biography of Amy Carmichael's. It's rocking my world. This won't be the last to hear about it, but it's like, gosh, if you're struggling right now to be fired up about the Lord, go read the testimony of a saint, go pick up a biography and just see what God does, what he did. Pick up your Bible, it is true, and see what God did and is still doing today.
Speaker 1:Gosh, I loved getting fired up about the things of God. I love dreaming about how God might use each of us for his glory and our good and sanctification. He wants to use you, friend. How has God gifted you? Has he made you hospitable? Invite someone over for dinner. Has he made you a good listener? Ask questions and be that friend that sits and is there for someone and listens. Well, do you love children? Join serving in your kids' ministry at your church, or offer to serve a family in your church by watching and loving their kiddos.
Speaker 1:If you don't know, if you're listening and you're like I don't really know how God's gifted me, ask the people in your life. I would bet that they know very well how God's gifted you. We are all so uniquely and specifically gifted and we are all necessary in the body, in the church. All of our gifts are necessary. We need every single part of the body to function. Your gift that God has given you, your gifts. They are so, so needed.
Speaker 1:So, friend, if you were encouraged by this podcast episode, would you be willing to leave a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcast? Would you be willing to text this episode to a friend or share it to your social media spaces? I would so appreciate it. As always, I would love to hear from you. I would love to hear what God was showing you or convicted you or encouraged you in, during and throughout this podcast episode. It's so wildly encouraging to me to hear from you guys and hear that God is encouraging you through these. You guys seriously have no idea how encouraging it is and it truly feels like encouragement from the Lord himself, as he uses you guys to encourage me. So, thank you, I would always love to hear from you. You can reach me at maddie at sunnyand65.com. That's M-A-D-I at sunnyand65.com. Friends, go be bold and love big, and we will see you next time.