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Ep 5 :: How to Study the Bible :: Katie Arey with Every Word Collective
73 Plays2 months ago
Megan is joined by Katie Arey from Every Word Collective to discuss how to study the bible, do's and don'ts to help avoid pitfalls as well as some encouragement for what can sometimes seem like a daunting journey. Megan and Katie have served together in Women's Ministry for years and have hearts to help women dig in to the scriptures and grow in relationship with Him, moving from sipping on spiritual milk to chewing on the meat of God’s Word.
You can connect with Katie on Instagram and her website / shop Every Word Collective
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The Success by Keys of Moon
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Diggin' In'
00:00:02
Speaker
Hi friends, welcome to Diggin' In. I'm your host, Megan. This is a place where we discuss the things that really matter in life. We cut through the surface to dive deeper. So pull up a chair because here we're Diggin' In.
Meet Katie Eary,
00:00:19
Speaker
Welcome back to Digging in It is a very special day here. I've got a good friend of mine, Katie Eary, joining us with Every Lord Collective. And I'm just so excited. She has such a hunger and a passion for God's Word and a passion for teaching women how to study God's Word for themselves. And so welcome,
First Meeting and Friendship
00:00:36
Speaker
Katie. Glad you're here.
00:00:38
Speaker
Thank you. I'm really happy to be here. It's awesome. We've been talking about this for a long time, so I'm excited that it's finally in motion and we're making it happen. So tell us, let's start with how did you and I meet? How do we know each other?
00:00:54
Speaker
um So I often think back on this. um All I remember is you were the one smiling at me. that's like um what i When I think of you, I think of um just your smile. And that was the my first impression of you. So it was... Um, now you have to correct me if I'm wrong, whether I was just sharing or it was a workshop. Um, and I had previously had a Facebook message from someone and then, uh, you came up to me and then I put your face to the instant message and I was like,
00:01:30
Speaker
Oh, yes, you're the one that was smiling at me. So I think it was after um some sort of devotional or teaching, but um we had already talked before meeting. And then I made the connection because you were smiling at me like it's me. So that's how we met. We met at church. And I think it was probably three to four years ago now.
00:01:49
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I took your first – I mean, you had been – you served with women's ministry there for a while, and so I had seen you come and go. And, of course, social media and all the – you may know this person. So your face had popped up before and that kind of stuff. And i remember when they announced your class the first time, was like, – So she taught a summer like summer course. It was a four-week course on how to study the Bible and just like dig deeper into it. And I was so craving that. And so, yeah, I took your class and it was amazing. And I love that you were like, oh, you're the smiley person. yeah If I'm going to be known for something, I think that that's a good one. So I'll take it. Yeah, agreed. I love it. So yeah, so we've known each other for several years now and that that we had coffee one day after class and it just blossomed from there. Just
Katie's Life and Ministry Journey
00:02:34
Speaker
so sweet. Found out we've got a lot of similarities and some things in our past that are, you know, similar and all that good stuff. So I want to toss it to Katie today and just let her tell you more about who she is and how like she developed this hunger for the word. And yeah, so let's start with that. Tell us a little bit just about who you are, Katie.
00:02:55
Speaker
So i just currently um live in Northern Virginia and I'm married to my husband, Nick, and we have three kids. I have, it's it's kind of stacked, middle school, elementary school, a rising kindergartner. And my husband is on staff at church. He's been full time for about 18 years, which is as long as we've been married. And i ah since becoming an adult, have had many jobs. He's had one consistent job. And I just admire those people who just know what they want to be when they're young and they become that thing and it never changes. yeah i I have not walked that road. So I've had ah multiple jobs, but my trade is I'm a hairstylist ah by education. i have my bachelor's in biblical studies from Bible college and I've tried...
00:03:50
Speaker
other small part-time things. I worked for two years full-time at the school that our church launched, where my kids currently still go. But after last school year, I resigned and then just went home and ah prayed a lot.
00:04:07
Speaker
And um the Lord opened the door to come on part-time at the church and as our women's ministry coordinator. And so that is a dream come true because I've wanted to be on staff, you know, for a long time and um have have always volunteered. I, that's one thing I really, really believe in um,
00:04:31
Speaker
Being a part and plugged in to your local body ah through volunteering. And the body has many parts and it needs all those parts to function even on a Sunday or a Wednesday. So I really believe in serving your local church. And that's how disciples are made. That's how the gospel spread. Other than...
00:04:53
Speaker
ah you know, one-on-one evangelism or outreaches and things like that, but disciples are made in the house of God because of the people of God.
Spiritual Journey and Bible Study Approach
00:05:01
Speaker
And so i I have always loved just being at church and being with God's people. And so my favorite place is in women's ministry and Bible study, small groups, events, conferences, and that's where we've volunteered together too, which I always love. And,
00:05:20
Speaker
Um, so that's what I'm doing now is a part-time work, which that is the sweet spot for me as far as my schedule. Just that 20 hours is so wonderful being a wife and a mom and wanting to be at church and, um, to do things well. And that's just what I've learned is my capacity and,
00:05:41
Speaker
um So I'm still transitioning a little bit. I can still feel that. And we've had, I came in right before Christmas and then there's sort of January, nothing going on, but we're ramping up for Bible study, which I'm really excited about.
00:05:55
Speaker
um So i before all ah all of that, came to know the Lord when I was 12 and and so that was middle school and then in high school when i was 15 is when youth leaders invited my friends and i into a small group bible study in their house um throughout like in the middle of the week so we'd have youth group on sunday and small group during the week and it was a smaller group and our leaders uh instead of you know just studying right from the bible which we had our bibles out
00:06:28
Speaker
our leader just had a printed page of James chapter one. And I was like, Oh, this is interesting. And I've never looked back. That'll come full circle. But um that's how i love to study the word. And so now every word is sort of um everywhere collective is my current, so you know, supplemental part time, part time, part time.
00:06:50
Speaker
um ministry, if you will, small business, small Christian business, where I do create digital tools on how to study the Bible. One of them being my treasure method handbook, and i am in the a process of turning it into a course where you can see more videos and my face and my tone and my passion for explaining it as opposed to just reading the words on the page. So that's under construction right now. But that's me. That's what I love to do. That's what I do day to day. So yeah we can talk more about any of that if you want to. but Yeah, absolutely. um I'm curious, you said in middle school, you came to know the Lord. Can you tell us just a little bit more about what that looked like um you know when you first became a believer? And then when did you really make that transition from you know, hearing the word and then really being like, wow, there's so much more here and wanting to dig deeper.
00:07:49
Speaker
Yes. So I, the circumstances of coming to know the Lord were going to church pretty much for the first time. and we went to a church in Maryland and after a couple of weeks or maybe a month or so i um had already heard the pastor give the gospel invitation maybe once or twice. um But hindsight, I could see that the Lord was already working on my little 12-year-old heart or my my heart even when I was younger. I was thinking about this this morning that I i feel like I've always had a ah sensitivity to the Spirit of God. I didn't know what that looked like, but I i think seeds were planted from my mom taking me when I was really little. I still have a um new Testament Bible that some, a Sunday school teacher gave to me and her name is actually written in the book. And um I guess that was something they did for discipling children was they gave them a little book. And then the Sunday school teacher signed her name as like, she was the gift giver. um And so i want I still wonder to this day what she's up to. but um And that's what I'm talking about.
00:09:07
Speaker
You know, when I was sharing a second ago is that local body and and volunteering in your church and just those faithful people, especially the Sunday school workers are some of my favorite people. Mm-hmm.
00:09:17
Speaker
And um so I, it's funny to say this, but I feel like as a child, I was looking for God. I was searching for him and I didn't know who he was. And i tried to ask friends who, funny enough, said that they were Christians or I knew they went to church and I'd ask them questions and we're jump roping and I'm having an existential crisis at seven years old. yeah.
00:09:42
Speaker
Do you ever feel like God is just watching you? or do you ever feel like God is um like like right here? and And my friend is jump roping and she's like, I don't know. And I'm like, I need some answers. I need some answers. Yeah.
Insights from Obadiah and Philemon
00:09:59
Speaker
So when I was 12 and I heard the gospel, I was like, that's it. That's what I've been searching for. And then the spirit just bared witness to the truth of the gospel. And I raised my little hand when nobody else was looking, put my hand back down and I was saved. um So that was at 12.
00:10:18
Speaker
And then continue to go to church and um and youth group. I loved youth group. I loved camps and things like that. And I automatically was like, put me in Lord, like put me in coach. And i at one point was a small group leader for kids my age. And I was like, I don't know how this happened. um I don't know that much, but this is what I do know. And I remember, you know, even ah kids coming in and I was like explaining the Trinity and kids were like,
00:10:50
Speaker
Whoa, that's too much. Like, I'm only 15. can't understand. and I was like, Jesus is God. They were like, what? And so um early on, I just loved sharing anything about the Lord, anything about his word um from the time.
00:11:08
Speaker
Especially when I went to that small group and started digging in deeper. And so that was when I was about 15, got really serious about the word and wanting to just learn more. And then um post high school, I did go to the community college. So for two years, I just got my associates because I didn't know what I wanted to do.
00:11:32
Speaker
I almost went down one of the last semesters of my community college education was a theater class. And so I thought I was going to go to theater because I got an A. ay And I do love theater and I love um the backstage.
00:11:48
Speaker
um I loved costumes. And so i was like, maybe I'll go into costume design. But um I went to an open house and it just didn't feel at peace. And I had wanted to go to Bible college. I didn't know that was a thing. i had a friend that came home from Bible college. And I was like, what is that? You can go to school and just study the Bible. But I had to wait a little while. And so when I finished my associates, that's when I went to Bible college and of course, Bible college. is going to, by default, grow your hunger for God's word and teach you even more how to study it, how to dig in
00:12:23
Speaker
You know, there were classes that were just Genesis or James, Revelation, 1 Corinthians. And my favorite class was hermeneutics, which is how to study the Bible. And I remember everybody knew it was a first semester class and you can't do your other classes till you learn this class. And all of my classmates kind of begrudgingly went to that class and I'm like, guys, this is awesome. And so um i was kind of weird then with it that um I just loved how to study. Like if I'm going to do this, how do I do it?
00:12:57
Speaker
Right. And so loved hermeneutics and that fan the flame and, I remember one of the first days of the class or first weeks or second week when, you know, because the first is the syllabus and introduction and the next class is like, okay, this is observation, interpretation, application. And I was like, that's what I did. it I was in that small group Bible study when I was 15. You know, fast forward, I'm 20 at that point, 21. And um I was like, oh, so this is normal. This is a thing. This is something people have been doing for generations, decades.
00:13:33
Speaker
You know, it's how communication works, which is wonderful that anybody can do it.
Curiosity in Bible Study
00:13:38
Speaker
And ah so, yeah, it was that small group Bible study and then Bible college.
00:13:44
Speaker
And then I'm a big believer in that not everybody has to go to Bible college to to learn how to study or to even have that hunger get deeper. So. Yeah, that's awesome. yeah Yeah. So it's funny listening to you and just hearing like how the Lord was already in motion, already doing things. I mean, even before, i love, you know, just that i thought of you as a little girl jumping rope and asking these questions that, you know, you you don't necessarily, I mean, now as adults, I mean, at least I'm a deep thinker and I think about these things and you are too. I know this about you. Like we think about these things deeply on a day-to-day basis, but even littles, right? And I always think about, you know faith like a child, right? Like even in that moment, jumping rope, the Lord is pursuing your heart. And then when when the gospel is presented for you, it's like Charlie Brown, that's it, you know? yeah
00:14:31
Speaker
That's what I was looking for. And I didn't know i was I needed it or what it was or what couldn't put my my finger on it. So that's really cool. So as far as like digging deep into the word, what would you say, like you love hermeneutics, how to...
00:14:45
Speaker
dig in, what is your favorite thing or topic to dive into in the Word? At least right now. I know that can probably vary between seasons of life, but what are you working on or what's really like just pulling on you right now?
00:15:00
Speaker
Yeah. So i have um an answer to that because it's something that I was just thinking about and it's something New that I've discovered in the sense of I have a online community, i have um my every word circle, and we studied Obadiah and then Philemon.
00:15:21
Speaker
And one of my favorite things to study or look for or find are connections. in the Bible itself. And so there are so many pictures like word pictures.
00:15:36
Speaker
Um, I don't want to say metaphors cause it's more than that. It's, it's overlaying like a type of story. Like this type of story is the same as this type of story. And, um, Genesis actually sets the precedence for a lot of those. And so,
00:15:53
Speaker
Um, I recently, an example is Obadiah is a story where relatives of the Israelites did not come to the aid of the Israelites. So the Edomites.
00:16:05
Speaker
which are descendants of Esau. And so there's a judgment on the Edomites and Obadiah is the prophet, you know, prophesying against this this judgment against them. and um And then how he prophesies the future that nevertheless, God's kingdom is still going to come to pass. And then we study Philemon.
00:16:25
Speaker
And so you had Obadiah and essentially let's just call them brothers. Like Jacob and Esau were brothers, the Israelites and Edomites, let's just call them brothers, right? Like, the they're the And it says brother that those brothers did not come to the aid of their brother and um just historically. and But in Philemon, you have Paul asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back to him like a brother and that they're now brothers in the Lord and that there is reconciliation that needs to happen. And Paul is calling Philemon higher
00:17:00
Speaker
And i did not organize. i mean, I did, I planned, let's study Obadiah and then let's study Philemon mostly because they're both short. They're both one chapter. So that was the reasoning.
00:17:10
Speaker
But when we were done studying Philemon, and this happens to me a lot, I'll be driving in my car and i love the word because it gives you things to think about, or I'll be cooking dinner or I'll be taking a shower. Or i'll be putting groceries away. Just my day-to-day tasks. And because I've put something in my mind that is so amazing to think about and that's so...
00:17:38
Speaker
interconnected and so just the mind of God, like, i you know, I can't even articulate it right now. But to sit there and doing something mundane, like dishes, and then thinking about, wait a minute, these brothers didn't come to their the aid of their brother.
00:17:57
Speaker
But in the New Testament, we're seeing a picture of reconciliation of brothers And it was like they were at the complete like mirror of each other of like what not to do and what to do. And I was just like, I can apply that.
00:18:11
Speaker
yeah Like I can apply that to my life. I am going to any chance I get come to the aid of my brother. Right. And because I see what happens when I don't and I can see what happens when I do. And so that was a recent a recent light bulb moment even for me.
00:18:30
Speaker
But I I love. seeing repeated patterns and stories and pictures. That's like my current favorite thing. I love it. That's so cool. Yeah. And you have ah an ability to, because you know God's planted this in your heart and then he's developing it. you know He started that good work and he's in the process of bringing it full you know through to completion. And so this has been such an ongoing thing. And it's like he planted that seed and then gave you this burning passion. And you're like, you can't keep that to yourself, you know? And yeah I love what you were talking about at the very beginning is like being a part of your local church. And that's something that we talked to regularly.
00:19:10
Speaker
as many people as we can as well. Like you don't do church. You don't go to church. Sure. There is the church building, but you are part of the church. And just like you said, it's a body and the body needs all the parts to function properly. Um, and so I just love that. And I love when we studied, i don't know if it was the first time or the second time that I took your class, but we did Ruth. I think it was the second time and Ruth. I mean, it was just amazing, you know, cause like as a woman, you, tend to, at least I did when I first started studying the Bible, I was like, okay, like what are some godly women? what are some godly examples of what a woman is and, and all of that. And so have read through or heard about Ruth, you know, plenty of times. And it's like Ruth and I had this one girlfriend I'll never forget. She was like, I don't want to hear about Ruth anymore because she was a single gal and she was just struggling with being single and being patient with like, she had this desire and everything. But when we went through Ruth, it was like, I had never read it before. it was incredible. And it was so simple. And the biggest thing that I think you know one of the things that you've taught me is just like coming to it with a fresh perspective. And that's one of the things with the sheets, right? Like take it out of the Bible. You can mark up on it. You can ask questions in the margin. You can recognize things. And it just takes it out of that like
00:20:28
Speaker
pattern of behavior, which can be so detrimental. And that's one of the things that when you approach the word is like, you've got to leave that all at the door. So can you talk us through just a little bit about how to, how would you study the Bible? How would you teach someone? Like, give us your elevator pitch. How would you study the Bible in the elevator on the way from the top floor down? yeah Yeah. um I don't think there would never not be enough time unless it was like, i don't know how many stories. Yeah.
00:20:58
Speaker
That's a palette. Speaking just to what you said, if you're going to study, and this is a tool that you have to have like in your toolbox is curiosity and curiosity fights against
Tools and Methods for Bible Study
00:21:14
Speaker
familiarity. And the familiarity is like, I've read this before. I've read this before. I know she's the one who goes with her mother-in-law and the other girl doesn't. And then she meets a guy and they get married and they, I think they have a guy named, I don't know, but David something, you know? So we have, um,
00:21:32
Speaker
What we try to is we try to remember what we've already read about it before or what we've been told about it and then um or what the meaning is. And then ah so I just really encourage people ah the curiosity part. You need to have it all the time. You got to have it observing. You got to have it when you're interpreting and you've got to have have it when you're applying. um, asking questions. Um, another part of that is slowing down take fat and because if if you're not going slow, you're probably not asking questions. Uh, I think that's one of the biggest tools we can have is curiosity. And, um, yeah, because one thing leads to another. So if you're going to ask a question, then you get an answer, or maybe you don't, and that's fine. It might be a mystery, or you might not just understand it yet, which is another really cool thing.
00:22:26
Speaker
um But yeah, I would say studying is something, if we were gonna do it with anything, right? not just the Bible, we're going to be curious about our trade or we're going to be curious about whatever knowledge we're trying to acquire or we're going to be curious about whatever thing we're trying to learn how to do. Like even if I'm going to go to YouTube and learn how to do sourdough, I'm going to be very curious. Okay, well, wait, how do I measure this out? okay how long can this be on the shelf okay what's the difference between shelf and fridge like if you're going to learn something what you're doing is you're curious about it and so many times too studying the bible we just over complicate but um
00:23:08
Speaker
we We learn, people learn the same way over and over in how God created us to learn. There's different types of learning, but the way we're made to learn, you can apply it to studying the Bible. so Yeah, totally.
00:23:23
Speaker
um So in that sense of going and wanting to learn about sourdough, If I were to go the internet and ask and try to learn about sourdough, well, nowadays, you know, I can just say how to make sourdough and whatever AI tool is already preloaded is going to take all the information out there, put it together and then spit out on the other end, you know, like a conglomerate of all the things that it has found on how to make sourdough. inevitably there's some good advice in there and then there's probably some not at actually totally accurate advice so then how would I sniff that out and that takes a deeper a deeper digging I would say and um and mining you know as you put it and talk about just mining for those treasures so how would someone find like a good tool do you recommend asking chat GPT or crock
00:24:17
Speaker
Uh, when, when the rapture is going to happen. Yeah, I do not um i recommend. Do not. Uh, so even as you're asking that question, I was just thinking about the beauty of like apprenticeship, like the, probably the best way for me to learn sourdough would be to get shoulder to shoulder with you and you show me. Um, and then there's something else to the fact of,
00:24:43
Speaker
Going and like learning and yes, but and teaching yourself, which I've learned that term is an autodidact. And um so that is one of the best ways that I learn is just to teach myself. And I i know it will be painful and I know there will be struggle.
00:25:01
Speaker
But when I try to teach myself and learn something myself, and it's just me, then when I end up learning it, I will never forget it. I just i just won't because of the the time it took to get to that place and to learn that thing.
00:25:20
Speaker
And no one could ever take it away from me. That's the other beautiful thing about especially scripture. And later, two months from now, will I be able to recall it from the front of my mind? Maybe not, probably not. But that's the beauty of scripture is that it goes from here to here. And so there'll be something about it being in the recesses of my mind or actually I've embodied it, that I'm living it out. I'm not just reciting verses and chapters. And that's the goal too, is to be transformed by it. And so I don't recommend chat GPT. I recommend, sorry, can you say that one more time? yeah
00:26:03
Speaker
I'm not saying I don't use it for certain things. And um so i think again, with learning, we sell ourselves short and we do want the easy way out.
00:26:18
Speaker
And this, you probably will even ask me this, but this just leads to talking about like devotionals or pre-made Bible studies where they have their place.
00:26:29
Speaker
I, what I do and what I teach and what I coach or what I share, what I encourage people to do is if you're at the place where bypass those and you're ready to move on from those, you can study the Bible for yourself and you can understand it. and you asked about tools. i i would love to say, and I'm like almost confident enough to say that you don't need any other tools. I'm i'm getting to the point where i'm confident and I can say you don't need any other tools other than your Bible or your sheets if you want to print them out.
00:27:07
Speaker
and a pen or pencil and notebook if you want to write down a verse or I don't like the question always of what jumped out at you because something can jump out at you just because it sounds weird. Right. um And it's going to be curious about that thing that sounds weird, but to,
00:27:27
Speaker
Be in the word, you're tuning your ears to God's voice. So then when you do hear God speak to you through his word, which all of it is his word, so he's always speaking, but if there's something specific to you to write it down and date it, and you can do that if you're not a journaler.
00:27:41
Speaker
um You can, and it doesn't have to be every day, but back to tools, you really could study things. And think that's really thing with the Bible be the Bible just the Bible, a notebook and ah Beyond that, what what I do with the digging deeper and the treasure hunting, if you will, and the every word or the treasure method is...
00:28:04
Speaker
is digging deeper and um tools I use beyond that are a Bible dictionary and a concordance. I don't study with commentaries and I'm not saying I don't ever look at a commentary, but it's it's not my first resort. It's my very, very, very last resort. And i'm very selective on which commentaries I would read, but If you are able to look at the original language with a concordance and cross-reference a verse that has that same original word, and you're able to look in a
00:28:38
Speaker
thorough Bible dictionary, maybe some sort of custom, like you spoke of Ruth, like what was the threshing floor? I'm like, I don't see any threshing floors in my town. Like, I don't know what a threshing floor is. i can kind of pick up on it a little bit with context, like the wheat is being sifted or the barley, actually, I should say.
00:28:58
Speaker
But um there's meaning to the threshing floor. And I don't know what that meaning is. Again, context, I could kind of figure it out. I know there's some threshing floors in the New Testament and Gospels that Jesus talks about. And so, again, I would maybe jump over to the New Testament and kind of look at that.
00:29:17
Speaker
Um, but if I had a good Bible dictionary, I could look up threshing floor and it would tell me what it is, what it was for, and maybe some spiritual significance that it has. And then I would, in my treasure method studies, I would chart and just, you know, what's a threshing floor.
00:29:36
Speaker
And I'd write that question down and I'd answer a threshing floor is a place of decision. So, yeah. Yeah. I love it. That's awesome.
00:29:48
Speaker
So yeah, I love what you said and I love that you you've gotten there because I'm right there with you. you know, at the end of the day, do you need anything else? Yeah. The Bible's the best commentary on the Bible, right? Like yeah God always confirms his word. He doesn't deviate from it.
00:30:04
Speaker
um right And that's one of those things that I've learned over the years. You know, you hear someone, well, God told me, I'm like, really? Where in here did he say that? Because I want to make sure that it's there first um before I just go and and hear well God told you. So it's got to be true. If he doesn't confirm it in his word.
00:30:20
Speaker
You need to be really leery. Or someone comes to, when we've talked about this before, someone comes to you and says, God told me that he wanted me to tell you. yeah Like, well, okay, I'll listen. you.
00:30:30
Speaker
But I'm going to put a filter up and I'm going to go back to his word and make sure that he has actually said that first because he's not going to contradict contradict contradict himself in his word. So, um yeah, you really don't need anything more than the Bible, which I love. Yeah. um So I love that you just talked about the the threshing floor. So there will be some women out there that are like, I've never even heard of the threshing floor. What does thresh? What does thresh mean? So even just, you know, if there's one other tool, that Bible dictionary is great. Are there any online resources that you like and that you would recommend?
00:31:02
Speaker
Yes. So my favorite go-to website is Blue Letter Bible, and it has digital online Bible dictionaries and concordances and ways to look up the original word from a verse and get that original definition, whether it was Hebrew or Greek.
00:31:23
Speaker
And um so I do spend a lot of time on there when I study. And I just try to balance out not always just studying with the screen right there. And it's hard to not get distracted because then an email a notification will pop up. So, um but it is my favorite tool. And i learned how to use it in Bible college. The um Blue Letter Bible, I guess, company sent representatives to our class. And so we had some Blue Letter Bible people come and give us some tutorials on our, I think at that point, we did have screens. It wasn't a projector, but we have we did have a, was like a screen that dropped down. And then they had ah their computer plugged in and they showed us how to use it in real time. And there are some videos and tutorials on the website if you need help getting familiar with where some of the tabs are some of how to use some of the tools. And yes, so I use Blue Letter Bible a lot.
00:32:28
Speaker
That's awesome. yeah So this will be the perfect transition because that's for someone who's like, okay, i really want to read the Bible and then go dig in and find out because there's probably more in
Striking a Balance
00:32:38
Speaker
there. um And perhaps that people have had their encounter with a Bible study on a book of the Bible or a devotional like you referenced earlier. And, um you know, I think I'll let you speak for yourself, but I know for myself in my walk and spiritual journey that those definitely had a place and there was a season. And especially at the very beginning, at least for me, I was so overwhelmed by just the the fact that I had the Holy Spirit now living in me and like, but what does that even actually mean? And like, do I need to be careful with my body now? Cause I got somebody else in there too. know, like, I mean, there are so many things and it was just like, ah, where to turn.
00:33:17
Speaker
And so just starting with something a little more simple than diving in and being like, what about a threshing floor? There's gotta be meaning there. You know, so there's that in between. So those do have a place. But just why don't you give us some of your thoughts on those types of tools?
00:33:55
Speaker
crazy about is this author trustworthy is this author trustworthy and this or that. And um I tend to like the older stuff, like my atmosphere is highest is probably my favorite devotional. And it is very short. There's no question really to even like ask yourself. i There's like a little theme in a verse and maybe one paragraph, but he packs a big punch in a short amount of words, little amount of words. Okay.
00:34:21
Speaker
And it always, it is by the day of the year. And so it always seems to be like, oh, how did he know on January 13th? And, um, so i um also had a season of, you know, the Bible studies, especially when I was in communities or, you know, Bible study groups, I have gone through Bible studies where it was, um,
00:34:47
Speaker
You get together, you watch the video, and then you discuss your homework questions and your homework questions were five days worth. And you would read. It was never what I, my, some of the ones I did, it was never really the whole book. You would never really read the whole book of something. It would be bits and pieces. And then the questions that are asked of you were predetermined.
00:35:12
Speaker
Again, it's what somebody else wanted to ask, not what you would have wanted to ask. And, you know, you can only ask those questions and then answer them. And i do think what was good or is good about those is they would have you look in other places. You know, if it's the book of Ruth, like, oh, we'll go look in Matthew when Jesus talks about the threshing floor. I do appreciate that they were having you bounce around. Mm-hmm.
00:35:37
Speaker
And um it's like it was a good guide for a group because then you have things to talk about and you have answers. and But what if you had different answers? um And so again, I think they have their place, but um I also have done this type of study in a group setting and it works just as well and where no one's determining what questions to ask.
00:36:06
Speaker
But again, maybe my level of digging is I would ask a question like, what is the threshing floor? And what is not only what is it? What is it? But what does it mean?
00:36:17
Speaker
Someone who's new might say, well, who was Ruth? You know, let's start there. And they would dig in to a Bible dictionary and it has a auto or a biographical insert of who this woman was. Okay, let's start with Ruth. And then Let's start with, I wouldn't even say Moab, because that that's a whole other level and story. ah Or, you know, what's a famine?
00:36:44
Speaker
You know, so I think the beauty of digging this way is there are layers and you can dig as deep as you want.
00:36:58
Speaker
You can stay on the surface and still learn so much and still have so much to apply. um Or you can dig as deep as you want to. And you can go off on a journey or a rabbit trail. And, um you know, you can get into the weeds and the weeds are really fun. Like I love the weeds.
00:37:20
Speaker
But, um there's also this discipline of like, okay, but what's the main point? What is God saying with this story? What is God saying with this narrative? What is God saying with this wisdom? What is God saying with this poetry? And so having the discipline of like coming back around out of the weeds and saying, well, what is the main point? Okay.
00:37:40
Speaker
um But a lot, treasures are found at every layer. And the treasure is, is yours. And so if I discovered who Ruth was and she's someone I want to emulate, that's a treasure for me that I just like call it my treasure box. I just put it in my treasure box. yeah And, um, so yeah, the, uh, devotions and studies have their place and, uh, I have some that I've enjoyed and I'm just at a point now where
00:38:16
Speaker
If I opened one of those studies, i would be like well, why aren't we asking about this? Why aren't asking about this? Who's this? Why, why, why, why, why? and um Yeah, so I can do that with a that my own like method, this this the digging in deeper. so Yeah, absolutely. I love that. And that was something that at least drew me to your class for sure was because i knew it was not going to be someone else's thoughts or words about what they learned from the Bible study to then ask you questions to draw to this, not intentionally, but you know just naturally. I think well-intentioned for sure, not not saying anything against that, but just naturally you're going to ask questions that are drawing people most likely to the same conclusion that you already came to yourself as well. um And, you know, I wrote down just a few different places in scripture where God talks about like in Jeremiah eating his word, you know, and yeah um Peter talked about the spiritual milk. And then in Hebrews, it talks about going from spiritual milk to eating more meat. And I think that that's where i have just loved digging in with you because I
00:39:32
Speaker
you know For so long sipped on spiritual milk, not because I wanted to, but just because no one else ever told me really like, no, you can actually go dig for this yourself as well. um And then just, I love Psalm 119 where it that he says, how sweet your words taste. They're like honey on my lips, you know, and it's just...
00:39:52
Speaker
God's word is so full you know and rich and we can we can get there with him. And I think that that is one of the most beautiful things that I've discovered through using your method and and taking time to, that was the other thing I was going to say, but you hit on it, slow down.
00:40:09
Speaker
That is one of the biggest things is just to slow down and hear directly from the Lord what he wants to speak to you through his word. And then again, keeping in mind that he's never going to contradict himself. So if you've got something that sounds a little like, huh, did he really say that? Be sure to confirm it with scripture. And that's where, again, being a part of your church and community yeah so that you have other sisters in Christ to be like, hey, girl, so God said this to me in his word. What do you think about that? Am I way off base? And that's one of those things that I've discovered too in digging in. Like I love digging in and
00:40:43
Speaker
into the Greek and in the Hebrew and you can, you can be a little dangerous with a little bit of knowledge because you start digging. I'm like, well, I don't want to get heretical. Yeah. So, um, well, if someone came to you and was like, okay, I want to get started today. How do I do that?
00:41:03
Speaker
What would you tell them? i would tell them to um Again, have your Bible, have your notebook, have a pencil. If you want to, I think at this point you kind of have to define a couple different things or there's a different a couple different like categories you could be falling into if this is something that's new to you.
00:41:28
Speaker
Sometimes I, I just want to tell people if you've never read it, just read it. So have a plan. And i think, you know, there's the read the Bible in a year plan. It does take, I think about 15 minutes a day to do the whole, to do the whole thing in a year.
00:41:45
Speaker
But you could also be reading it and also studying at the same time. So i definitely think you have to have some sort of regular reading. And if you started today and you read a chapter a day, it would take you longer, but you would still be having a regular routine of reading and a regular pattern of reading. And reading, i do consider different than studying.
00:42:13
Speaker
so a regular routine of reading. And then if you wanted to study, i mean, even there's kind of like a middle ground that if you're reading and you're journaling, or you are writing down things that you feel God is saying, or something you want to remember, a verse, you want to write down a prayer, and you or you write a question like, I am so confused about this, but just like a little bit of journaling, not that you have to be a journaler,
00:42:41
Speaker
That is what I would consider but Bible journaling. so that's another category that's kind of in the middle. But if you wanted to dig deeper today, I would, another website I love just for cutting and pasting passages, because I use that for a lot of different reasons. If I'm going to make...
00:43:02
Speaker
my son a flashcard of something he has to memorize for school, I'll cut and paste from BibleGateway.com. It's much easier to cut and paste. If I'm going to prepare a devotional to share at church, I will use Bible Gateway to copy and paste my passage, even if I'm just going to study it in depth. So I would get the text on paper okay And even before that, to decide what you would dig into or what you would study, I would say that starting small is an easier way to gain confidence and to gain the skills and the know-how with the different tools, whether it's Blue Letter Bible or the dictionary or a concordance or just a regular rhythm.
00:43:52
Speaker
is to start small. And often people will say, well if I'm going to start reading the Bible again, reading the Bible is different than studying. A lot of people say John. And I'm like, well, even if you're just going to, because it's like know who Jesus is, which a thousand percent. and i'm like, well, what about Mark? Mark is shorter than John, you know?
00:44:12
Speaker
And so what i would say, if you've never read the Bible before, start with Mark and then go back to Genesis. But um just because I just, it's like being a kid, right? Again, small steps, little steps. um You know, a kid takes one step when they're learning how to walk and they get like the biggest cheer, which is the biggest vote of confidence, which makes them want to do it again. And nothing nothing changes with humans. And so, and again, if we're going to learn something new.
00:44:40
Speaker
Why are we going to start with, you know, calculus 202? Like, so... Start small. And i what have one of my favorite pages in my Treasure Method handbook is books of the Bible shortest to longest by chapter.
Importance of Community in Bible Study
00:44:57
Speaker
And so if you were going to start digging into the Bible today, I would say study Philemon, Jude, Obadiah,
00:45:07
Speaker
Haggai has two chapters. um But Philemon Jude Obadiah is only one chapter. And you would learn how to research the context of a book.
00:45:19
Speaker
Who's the author? Who's the original audience? And then you would learn how to observe the text. You would learn how to ask questions of the text. You would learn how to look from that book to you know into other parts of the Bible. So that cross-referencing, I call it illumination. And um then you would learn how to, or what questions to think about when you want to apply the the scripture and the passage and the chapter or the book.
00:45:53
Speaker
But I think application, that's a tricky one that i'm so I still struggle with. Okay, now it's time to think about how am I going to apply this? And it's like, I don't know because I haven't been ah faced with the situation yet. I haven't been faced with a threshing floor recently, you know? So I think application is sort of happening behind the scenes of our hearts and minds when we don't realize it.
00:46:22
Speaker
And, but to be able to sit and reflect on what we've read and what we've learned, I think is a great muscle to exercise. And so there is a place in the treasure method and the handbook to to say, okay, I've studied this. And that's another thing. You're never really finished studying a book of the Bible. And so I have a hard time with that.
00:46:43
Speaker
ah Whenever I have to move on, I feel like I'm leaving a friend behind and um i I don't ever want it to be over. Like when I was studying Philemon, I didn't want it to be over studying Obadiah. I didn't want it to be over, but um but I've studied them Again, it's relative to me. I've studied them to a depth where I feel very comfortable with them. And so i think just starting small. And then you have other books. I think we forget that there are 66 books in the Bible
00:47:18
Speaker
And even on in this on this page, I have, and how long it takes to read each of them to yourself. Again, if you're going to read the Bible, it would take you three minutes to read Philemon. It would take you three minutes to read Jude. And so we get in our heads about how long this is going to take or how much time do I have to give to this. yeah And um so other short books are Titus. um You have quite a few minor prophets that are short like Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Joel.
00:47:47
Speaker
And then you've got your four chapter books like Jonah, Malachi, Ruth, Colossians, and Philippians. So those are some amazing books. absolutely to start with that are small and short.
00:48:02
Speaker
And um you'll get that confidence and rich. Yeah. You'll, you'll just get that confidence and you won't feel overwhelmed by learning how to study. If you only have one or two or three chapters in front of you, you'll get more overwhelmed. If you're like, I want to study Even Esther, you know, talking about like a woman of God, that's 10 chapters.
00:48:24
Speaker
um And there's so much in there. i want to study Daniel. That's 12 chapters. So back to the person who would start today, I would say start small. That's a great, great piece of advice. I think that was something that you definitely ah hammered home in our classes together too, is yeah don't get overwhelmed. And that was always such a great reminder, you know, especially, you know, we had some non-English speakers in our class too, I remember. And they were just as as excited and, but they they were learning in a different language and just like yeah hungry for the word. And I think that the yeah one of the biggest things to remember there too is God put that hunger in your heart.
00:49:04
Speaker
it's yeah for him he's going to bless that he's going that will be fruitful no matter what yeah um yeah and so I think to community just going back to a community right like yeah yeah having a community and so can you tell us a little bit about every word circle yes so it is my online community through um it's it's stan but it um It's really nice because it takes care of everything essentially for me, but it's every other Monday. The meat of it is every other Monday. We have a Zoom call for an hour, a little bit longer, but we study a book.
00:49:44
Speaker
together while I'm also teaching you how to do these different things, whether it's how to use the concordance or how to look up the original language or how maybe how to think about asking questions of the
Overcoming Roadblocks
00:49:57
Speaker
text.
00:49:58
Speaker
um So it's in real time. So we're studying and I'm teaching the treasure method at the same time. this last call we had, I was really excited because I finally assigned homework and i hadn't done that yet. And the beauty of this is everyone can study.
00:50:18
Speaker
ah We're in Haggai right now and everybody can study Haggai on their own and again, ask their questions. But I Haggai. of my favorite things is hearing what somebody else found because it's almost like they're sharing their treasure. They're like, this is my treasure. This what I found. And it it just, it blesses me. And i'm it, I know it had already blessed them. And for, this is the other thing about learning. It sinks in more when you share. Yes. What you found. So again, back to school, back to school, you know, okay, little Katie, like stand up, tell everybody what you learned in this chapter from these comprehension questions and it's your turn. Okay. And like, for me to say back, what I learned is going to make it
00:51:05
Speaker
sink in even more. It's narration, basically. It's retelling. And so, again, nothing changes with how we learn. And so when someone says, this is what I dug up, we actually use that language. This is what i dug up. This is my treasure.
00:51:20
Speaker
And ah this is the gem I found. And so i just love that the ladies are able to share what they found. And so in assigning homework and in this, because it's still very new and I'm trying to figure out the best flow of everything is you can do this type of study in community. And there's like two different ways, but one of the ways okay,
00:51:42
Speaker
okay Sally, can you over the next two weeks, cause it's every other week and I'm not putting a heavy burden on anyone, you know, we're doing one chapter a month. And so I'll say, Sally, can you go look up who was Haggai?
00:52:02
Speaker
You know, maybe why did God choose him? um what is this timeline where Haggai is on the scene? Okay, so someone is going to research Haggai. And then, okay, um Maria, can you go look up, um I'm trying to remember, you know, something about like the temple and why the temple is not being rebuilt. And can so-and-so so go look up this phrase? Can so-and-so go look up this word? Can so-and-so so go look up um a cross reference for this verse and so now everyone the next time we have a call is we're going to come back together and we're going to essentially teach each other and record in our chart um these different things that i sent the ladies out to go find um And I have some of my own that I'm going to research. Meanwhile, we're doing our study because we do want to look up any words.
00:52:55
Speaker
We don't know the definition to, we don't want to assume or presume that we know what something means. And, you know, we don't want to... gloss over. There's a couple strange things. Like in the book of Haggai, it talks about holy meat being in someone's pocket. And I'm like, there's meat in someone's pocket. This is weird guys. um And then we just had this great conversation where someone was like, well what if it means, or what if it has to do with, you know, and she had this whole thing that like a light bulb was going off because she was remembering back in Exodus about,
00:53:31
Speaker
the setting up of the tabernacle and all the different parts of the tabernacle, which became the temple. And so it's just repetition, you know, it's just, and that's how God's word was, is laid out is a lot of repetition and stories. And patterns. And um so um one of my other favorite things to explore and talk about, i've kind of alluded to it already, is, well, how do we as humans learn and how can I apply that to learning the Bible? And so I love just ah brain science and
00:54:06
Speaker
and you know spaced repetition is the idea of returning to something over and over um you know if you're gonna even not necessarily memorization it's not about again memorizing it's not ah but about like i know the book of obadiah from top to bottom i have it memorized i'm an expert no it's i remember that um You know, the whole the whole point of it is that these brothers did not come to the aid of their brother. And um and that's so powerful. And again, that harkens back to i don't know if I said it earlier to Cain and Abel.
00:54:44
Speaker
You know, there's that pattern. And when Cain says to God, am I my brother's keeper? God never really answers him. But the answer is yes, you are your brother's keeper. And um so it goes all way back to Genesis. And like I said, Jacob and Esau and just these patterns and Um, I would like to believe that the Bible to some degree, it gets deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. There's so much more you could always learn, but to some degree it gets more and more like, Oh, this all ties together. Oh, i can understand this. Oh, this was a real person in real time. i remember that person or wait, who is Silas again? Like I hear that name and I'm like, I cannot tell you who Silas is. Yeah. I need to go back and look him up and I know where to look. Yeah.
00:55:31
Speaker
But like, I haven't studied the book of Acts in depth recently. Right. right You know, so it's like, I'm not, this is not about memorization. It's not about knowing everything. hu It's about everything.
00:55:44
Speaker
having a real thriving, vibrant, rich relationship with the God of the Bible and the word made flesh, Jesus, the person of Jesus. And i just, we can talk to, if you want to, about something i'm pretty passionate about, again, our brains. And if we were wired to learn this way, and that's how God designed the Bible, then what's keeping us from doing that And so I get very passionate about talking about what I call roadblocks. Again, I'm like, OK, what is the metaphor I could use for treasure? And it's like, well, I'm going to go. I'm going to go dig in my digging site. I'm going to go to the site today. i have my permit. I'm going go excavate this one site. Oh, no, there's a roadblock.
00:56:30
Speaker
Nope. You can't dig here today. And we have roadblocks. And um so I get pretty passionate when someone um has a reason for why they're not reading or studying their Bible. And more often than not, it's because of a roadblock. And I believe...
00:56:49
Speaker
Most of them are spiritual and it's spiritual warfare and it's the enemy keeping you from being in the word, because why wouldn't you? And I don't say that in a judgmental way. It's like, why would we not be reading this amazing, beautiful, rich text that,
00:57:10
Speaker
makes our faith so real and vibrant and rich. And our faith is our living out our day to day. Like my day to day is vibrant and rich and alive.
00:57:21
Speaker
When I realize i am still part of the same story being written, right? Like, cause this is a, this is, this is a ah timeline of events that have really happened from long ago in the beginning. We don't know when that was Genesis.
00:57:36
Speaker
That wasn't the point to, Okay, then this happened. You have the nation of Israel to Jesus coming to now we are in a period of time. And then we have what's coming. And so I am in this story.
00:57:52
Speaker
I'm a part of the story. i am just as much of a character in God's story as Ruth and Esther and Philemon and Paul, you know, and that is wild to me. yeah And it just makes me want to, um,
00:58:10
Speaker
just Haggai's talking about just building God's house more than I would want to build my own house. And so that's been very convicting for me as I've barely scratched the surface of this little book. And knowing that that's what that's about is it's challenging to not want to just build my own house and um not ask God like what he's up to.
00:58:31
Speaker
And so again, the Bible is just something that makes our faith and our life just, exciting and and real. And then when the trials and the suffering come, when it's like, okay, I know the God of the Bible. I know works.
00:58:55
Speaker
operates, even though he's mysterious. I know he's merciful. I know he's compassionate. I know he sits with me. i know he cries with me. You know, I know he has a plan. I know anything that he's ever said is going to come to pass. And I only know that because I read the Bible. i studied it a couple times.
00:59:14
Speaker
um And ah so, yeah, I just, why, why wouldn't we, you know? Yeah, absolutely. I
Ministry Name Meaning and Conclusion
00:59:22
Speaker
love it. So sweet. um Well, probably a good time to tell people that I'm going to have you back and we we're going to have some fun discussions about, I would love to talk about roadblocks and yeah spiritual warfare. That's definitely a topic. And then, you know, some other fun topics. will We'll keep those in the bag until later. Okay. Yeah. Sounds good. um But can you tell us why every word collective? Why did you name it that?
00:59:45
Speaker
Ooh, great question. So everybody always wants to quote, and I'm like, this sounds terrible. Everybody always wants to quote Jesus. Yeah. But he's actually quoting Deuteronomy. So he says, man shall not live by um bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God or out of the mouth of the Lord. But he's quoting Deuteronomy 8.3. And um he you know it's just this idea that we don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, which is the scriptures, which is the Bible, which is the word.
01:00:19
Speaker
But every word has the connotation that we don't skip any parts. It's not a buffet. We study word by word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, nothing gets forgotten.
01:00:35
Speaker
ah Nothing is too uncomfortable or hard to study. And again, we might walk away with more questions than answers and that's okay. But it's just the idea that we we survive and live spiritually on the word of God. And it's it's our daily bread. It's our bread of life. It's our manna. yeah And it's our show bread. It's the only thing that satisfies the hunger in our day to day, you know, because the Lord is there. And if the Lord is there, then the, the the hunger is there. Like the, he, he kickstarts that, okay, you need my word. He kickstarts that hunger. And that's why
01:01:27
Speaker
You know, if you ever get to that place of feeling, i call it spiritually famished, where you're just famished, you need to be reading the word. If you feel far from God,
01:01:39
Speaker
nothing Nothing else will fix it. Like you have to go into the word of God um for that sustenance. If you um get to the place where you're apathetic towards the word of God, then you have to go back to the word of God because I did a little bit of study again with Ruth and famine and why did they leave Bethlehem.
01:02:00
Speaker
And the idea of a famine and being hungry, you actually get to the point where you don't even realize you're hungry anymore. Like our physical bodies go through, i forget what it's called, but there's this whole thing where you're basically going into starvation, which actually unto death.
01:02:15
Speaker
your body kind of, you don't feel the hunger anymore. And that happens to us spiritually. And it talks about that in the book of Amos, where God is going to send not a famine of like crops and food, but he's going to send a famine of the word of God, that you're not even going to desire the word of God. And I'm going to take that hunger from you. and it's almost like we have to overcome and say, no matter what,
01:02:43
Speaker
I'm going to open these pages again and I'm going to get back in the word and and let the Lord do what he will do. But it's it's an act of faith and it's a step of faith to step back towards the thing that we need when we don't think we need it. And um so I'm pretty passionate about that too. Kind of like diagnosing people. Like, are you are you in a famine? Because I heard someone share one time,
01:03:08
Speaker
you know I hadn't read the Bible in almost eight two years. And I was like, you were in a famine. Like I could just tell and I could hear the language and the words that this person was using. and But that's okay because it's so cool that God will use a famine to have you cry out to him. And then he says, because I went through one too. It's actually how every word kind of came about.
01:03:32
Speaker
But um it was just, I was in a famine. And I'm like, what is going on? And I just like was very honest in a moment of crying out to the Lord and everything is falling apart. And he just whispered to my heart, you haven't been in my word.
01:03:47
Speaker
And I was like, you're right. I'm sorry. And but and it's just like, I knew i should be again, like background Bible college, all that regardless.
01:04:01
Speaker
i I knew it was the answer, but I didn't feel the hunger, didn't want it, was apathetic, but it's what I needed. And it's almost, I i would hope for everybody else, almost instantaneous when you feel that first bite of that bread again, or that first drink of that water again, you're like, oh my goodness, why did I put this off? yeah And ah so every word came out of that verse.
01:04:26
Speaker
Don't skip any of the, ah literally any words and of the word. And it being something that we ah live off of and is our sustenance because we don't live on bread alone.
01:04:41
Speaker
Amen. I love that. Well, if people want to get in touch with you, follow you, learn more, reach out and be a part of your circle, whatever it may be, how can they find you?
01:04:53
Speaker
Yes. So the place I'm active the most right now is Instagram and handle is every word collective and my link in bio has everything. so yeah.
01:05:05
Speaker
Awesome. well We'll put all that information in the show notes so people can find it easily. And I can't wait to have you back on again, but thank you, Katie, for coming on. This was great. Yes, it was. I love it. All right. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Thanks everybody for joining us and we will see you again next week.