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Ep 15 :: Annie Weber with Astounding Truths of the Bible
40 Plays11 days ago
Annie Weber joins Megan today to share how the Lord got ahold of her heart and taught her to love His word before giving her a vision of how to share it. She's written a book, Astounding Truths of the Bible, which shares bite sized snippets of encouragement from the scriptures. You can connect with Annie on her Instagram or learn more on her website astoundingtruths.com
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Music:
The Success by Keys of Moon
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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Transcript
00:00:01
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.
Annie Weber Introduced
00:00:17
Speaker
Hello, my friends, and welcome back to Digging In. I'm so glad you're here. Happy Friday. Today, I've got a special guest, a friend of mine we met several years ago, who's written a book, and it's just a super helpful tool for someone who perhaps is just getting started in digging into the Bible. um Just little bite-sized nuggets, pieces of scripture and
Finding Joy in Suffering
00:00:42
Speaker
encouragements. She starts out by going through the character of God and then just some really really wonderful encouragement. And I so appreciate encouragement. I know that you probably do too. One of my favorite ones is Astounding Truth number 89. And she talks about just that we can have joy in the suffering.
00:01:01
Speaker
That's always one that I feel like I'm constantly sharing with people. So without further ado, here is some time with my sweet friend, Annie. I'm so excited you get to meet my friend Annie this week. She is such a sweetheart. If you can't see already, she is just beaming ear to ear. And that is what I can always count on when I see Annie. I know I'm just going to see her face and there's going to giant smile. um Annie Weaver, welcome to the podcast.
00:01:24
Speaker
Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here and to see the work you're doing to build the kingdom. Oh, praise God. i love it. It's so cool to reconnect. So Annie and I met back, gosh, what year was it? I don't even remember.
00:01:37
Speaker
2014. Okay. 2014. were new to the Northern Virginia area. Annie is going to share more of her story, but she was in the Northern Virginia area for a hot minute. um And so we met at a CBS community Bible study, which was just so fun. um if you've
Annie's Journey and Spiritual Growth
00:01:54
Speaker
never heard of a community Bible study and you're somewhere in the world that offers it you are struggling to get plugged into a community, I think we both would say CBS is a great place to start for sure. i know I have a girlfriend back at home and she was just really feeling the pull this fall. Like I need to get back into church. I want to get in the word. And that's what she started doing too. So it's just a great... level playing field for everyone if they need to get plugged in somewhere. so
00:02:19
Speaker
So Annie and I met at CBS. Tell us, I want you to take the floor for the most part today. I want to hear who's Annie Weber. Tell us about you. Yes. Thank you. Happy to share the Lord's work in my life. um So i was married 28 and um had a husband that went away to Afghanistan. So in that time when he was gone, um shortly after I also had a ah baby and that's the season that the Lord got a hold of me. It's because he took everything fleshy that I was chasing as a new mom and just took it away. And so I was home with a baby full time. The fleshy things I'm referring to are
00:02:58
Speaker
career, a big paycheck, a hot body, all those things, those things were all taken from me. I mean, and I say that in the best way I became a mom and was home with a newborn. Um, and I'm grateful for that season as refining as it was, it really shaped, um, it gave me the time to study the Bible. I mean, I remember thinking and I wouldn't have done this if I was in a career still, because I would have been chasing the paycheck and the career and, um,
00:03:27
Speaker
home home of the baby and studied the word for hours a day. That was before
Balancing Motherhood and Faith
00:03:31
Speaker
smartphones. That was before we even had TV streaming services. We were living in Manhattan, Kansas at the time. My husband, like I said, spent a year in Afghanistan and then came back and wanted to finish his graduate degree. So we moved to Kansas, Manhattan, Kansas, K-State. And that was the time the that the Lord saved me. And I, ever since then, that will be 17 years now. My daughter's about to graduate high school and, um, just been pursuing really just understanding the Bible, knowledge of the Bible, growing yeah in sanctification, all those things. Yeah. I love it. So you were at home with a baby, i'm sure nursing in the throes of like early motherhood. Tell us a little bit more about that.
00:04:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it was definitely, i would say a hard season, a lot of growth, I was learning how to be a wife and a new mom. And, you know, I mean, a lot of things I look back, and I think, you know, there's a lot. um I mean, it was our first year of marriage, but my husband and I were a apart. So growing, you know, there's just a lot, you know, the time apart was, it was like, we had to relearn how to be together, but also be a family. And,
00:04:38
Speaker
i I just know that there was a lot of a season of a lot of growth and changing and coming study in the word growing in community. So you got pregnant right before your husband deployed, correct? Correct. Yes. In fact,
Challenges Shaping Faith
00:04:53
Speaker
I found out I dropped him off um in Raleigh, North Carolina.
00:04:58
Speaker
at the location he had to report 9 a.m. m It was September 17th. I went to Kmart. oh Kmart's don't really exist anymore, except there's one in Guam still. That was, I think, the world's last Kmart. I went to Kmart, bought a pregnancy test, went to this lake I walked at every day when I was living. I actually went to school in North Carolina. did my graduate work there. So i was back in Raleigh. That's where I met my husband. He was still attached with a unit in North Carolina. Went to this park.
00:05:28
Speaker
a lake walking trail. I was by myself, peed on the stick. And that's when I found out I was pregnant. it was September of 2007. Oh, my goodness. I told Brian over text message because he was like leaving. I didn't know know what the communication would be like. um So ah yeah what was his response?
00:05:47
Speaker
um Yeah. Over text. matt He was just like, yeah, cool. was it It was it was it was. It was exciting. Were you trying? Well, I mean, yeah because I kind of like – When I got the news of the the orders, it was like, well, yeah, maybe. I mean, we'd only gotten married three months before, though. So everything happened quickly. Everything happened quickly. um We got married on 07-07. moved to Colorado and then moved out of Colorado, left everything in Colorado. It was just because of the news of the orders. Again, I got married and never expected the U.S. government to say, OK, go.
00:06:24
Speaker
Lieutenant Weber, you are called to active duty. I just he was um a reservist. So I didn't know it wasn't on my radar. But, you know, God's plan. That's and that's also instrumental. Like that experience was very instrumental in my husband's testimony of him growing in his faith.
00:06:40
Speaker
So again, God is sovereign in all the details. It wouldn't have been at the time I was devastated. Like, this is our newlywed life. I was excited. i was super fit. I was excited about my new job in Colorado. All the things in my flesh that I was excited for didn't happen.
00:06:57
Speaker
the deployment redirected a lot of things. And again, i look back. Yes, God is sovereign in the plan. um And mostly is that in in the season, is that's when he saved me. I mean, again, so I wouldn't have... i like I said earlier, in a in a career, I would have been chasing a career and a paycheck. I wouldn't have devoted
Receptivity to God's Word
00:07:16
Speaker
the time and the study to learning the Bible, growing in my faith, understanding the precepts of what it takes to be you know growing in sanctification.
00:07:24
Speaker
yeah Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it's, I think so often, and I mean, I can get caught up in this too when, i mean, I'm stay-at-home mom, you know, you would think, oh, all the time in the world to think about all things holy. Yeah. But there's all the time in the world too, to get distracted. Right. So if you don't have eyes to see it, you know, and the Lord is like, he's a gentleman. So he's just going to softly knock on the door of your heart. Right. He's not going to come barging in. And if you're not open to hearing from him, then sadly we can fill our, I know I fill my ears with lots of things, lots of good things, right? A lot of the time, like podcasts and books and sermons and all the things, but like at the end of the day, if we're not ready to receive what the Lord is trying to speak to us and studying his word to find it, then we'll miss it, which is sad.
00:08:07
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. So, okay. So you found out you're pregnant, your husband deploys, go from there. Lucy was born in May of 2008. Brian did, by God's grace, he came back. He was at the birth. He met her for a few days and then went back to finish the rest of the 15 month deployment. so ah he came back the following fall, decided he was not going to go back to his job in Colorado, decided to pursue a full-time graduate degree because he had never finished it a few years before when I met him in school. um And so we moved to Kansas, K-State gave him an assistantship. So he was working there and going to school full time. We had a little apartment and I was home with a baby. And that was, that was a season where I wasn't wired to be a homemaker. I just assumed I'm going to have a career. So it was like, what am I doing? I'm home with a baby. Lucy was a great baby. She slept all the time. So I had nothing but time, no distractions before smartphones. So there wasn't like a time suck, you know, I mean, I just devoted hours a day to learning the Bible, reading commentaries.
00:09:15
Speaker
It was like, I, it wouldn't have been on my radar to devote that kind of time to study if I hadn't been taken away from a career and given the opportunity to be home. So
Community and Faith Journey
00:09:25
Speaker
Yeah, I look back and it's like, I didn't understand it at the time. Now I absolutely understand at the time, like that was God's plan for me to draw him closer or hit me closer to him rather. To him. Yeah, sure. Yeah. So then how exactly did you like, did he get ahold of your heart?
00:09:43
Speaker
Studying the word. I mean, yeah I'm a high extrovert and I'm, you know, i I know that doing all the things with other people is great, but I needed to be sitting on a couch Alone in my apartment. Again, we had a tiny apartment, you know, Lucy would be sleeping and I, it was like the, the hard work of being alone together with the Lord and just learning the Bible. I was just, I had never read the Bible before that. So I was just kind of blown away at like how it all ties together. And yeah, um I just was so sucked in kind of enamored
00:10:14
Speaker
and Yeah. that's So you went to the, you were telling me you went to the library and met a woman. Yep, I met Cynthia Ross at the public library. Really shortly after I moved there, she invited me to the Bible study. There was also a Christian fiction woman's book club. Again, I had, I wasn't really even much of a reader. i didn't even know that Christian fiction was a gen genre. I started reading and would go, i mean, again, I was new in town and, you know, happy to be meet people and socialize. so That's how I got plugged in and started going to the Bible study and was just loved on by so many faithful Christian women and i was encouraged and could bring a baby. I had you know a four month old baby. So, I mean, it was great. It was wonderful that, you know, just the way I felt so loved and cared for by going there.
00:11:06
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And I love that, you know, that speaks to two sides of the story. You know, there was you who was ah alone and in the season of like, okay, I got a lot of time on my hand, but if I just sit at home, I'm not going to meet anyone. We're not going to do anything with this time, you know, like not to redeem the time. Motherhood is a beautiful thing. And I think it's such a gift to be able to be home. um But there are those times where it's like, okay, I feel like all I do in the side of these four walls is nurse, clean,
00:11:33
Speaker
nurse, sleep, nurse, like let's get something else going. So you put yourself out there is my point. So you did that. And then also this precious woman reached out to you and invited you. So all of that to say, be the person who steps out and reaches out to others. And then also if you're the person who's alone, don't stay alone, step out and put yourself out there, be vulnerable and get plugged into community for sure. Definitely. Okay. So when you said Manhattan,
Writing "Astounding Truths of the Bible"
00:11:59
Speaker
I was like, what? I didn't know you in Manhattan, but Manhattan, Kansas. Hilarious. A little bit different than, yeah, and the little apple. i like It's a little college town in Kansas. Yeah. It's definitely different than the big apple. Yes, indeed. Okay. So from Kansas, where'd y'all head after that?
00:12:15
Speaker
After Brian graduated with his master's, he got his first position with the federal government and that was outside Seattle. So we moved, packed up everything and drove across the country, moved to Bothell, Washington, like i said, which is a Seattle suburb. And that was 2011. We were there for three years.
00:12:36
Speaker
And that was good. I had and ah had a baby in Kansas while I was there. and then I had, it so I had first baby in Michigan, then another one in Kansas. Luke came when we were in Kansas. And then when he was two months old, we drove to Washington. Then a year later, i had Lily. So all four of my kids were born in four different states. Crazy. is kind of fun. i know. I love it. el And yeah, we were there for three years. And then we moved to Northern Virginia, which is where I met you. Mm-hmm.
00:13:06
Speaker
And that was 2014. We were there for eight years. Many years later, I have a big gap. And then my youngest, Levi, who's six now, was born there. and So you're in Northern Virginia, you're involved in ministry, and then God laid something on your heart. And what was that? Yeah.
00:13:25
Speaker
You know, I feel like i was sitting there, I was breastfeeding a newborn, a little cleft baby. My fourth baby had a little cleft. So I just was so tender towards him and holding him and struggling to get him to eat. You know, looking back, it's like you can't eat when there's a big hole in your lip. It wasn't until that was repaired at seven months that he finally got a good meal. And I have a lot of guilt about that. But anyway, holding him, holding him. And I felt like I heard the Lord say, right about the Bible,
00:13:54
Speaker
write about it, like to the person that you were at 28 learning the Bible for the first time. ah and So I started typing these, you know, like little Bible commentaries, one finger on an iPhone holding a baby. And that's kind of just how it you know, and even got the download, you know, what to call it astounding truths of the Bible, but just write to the person like you, you know, like you, you know, your reader when you you understand your reader when you were your reader. So that's it just helping Helping someone that's new to the Bible understand the context. Here's, you know, here's the situation. Here's what Jesus was teaching.
00:14:30
Speaker
Here's, you know, what he wants us to learn from this text. Like just little bite-sized devotionals to draw someone to better understand God's word. So that all started one finger on an iPhone with a baby struggling to eat. That's that's the back story. love it.
00:14:47
Speaker
And so that, you know, I kind of did that for a while. Then we got an opportunity to move to Guam, which was amazing. And at that point, it was like, okay, if you're going get serious about this, you know, a book, I knew it was a vision for a book, you know, get them off a phone, get them, you know, we're done typing one finger on an iPhone, get them on a laptop, put them in a Word document.
00:15:07
Speaker
So all that came with the transition of moving to Guam. And
Living in Guam and Writing Experience
00:15:11
Speaker
um The blessing there was that, you know, moving to Guam completely cleared my schedule, you know, an island. where You know, I didn't know anybody. So it was like I had nothing but time to work on this project when my when my kids were in school. My little guy at the time was in preschool. So that's when I did it.
00:15:27
Speaker
Oh, that's so sweet. i'm like That sounds like when you would write a book. Yeah. Going away to an island, that sounds magical. But I know that you also talked about that there were times that it was just like head down, saying no to social events and things of that nature because you just had this call in your heart to write this book and get it out there. Yes. I felt like it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do because like I said, I'm a high extrovert. So sitting at a desk with my butt in the chair at a computer is so not my personality. Again, the lord really had to work with me and refine things. Lots of my character in that process. um I knew it was a call and I knew I wanted to be obedient to do it.
00:16:08
Speaker
But there were many days I'm like, I would much rather be out exploring the island. The beauty of Guam is stunning. The hiking, the beaches, like everything. It was a lot of like saying no to what the flesh wants to do to to make it happen. Sure. That's awesome. But you did. You said no. And now there's a book here, Astounding Truths of the Bible. I love it. It's so awesome because like you said, it is this these little bite-sized pieces. um of ah Mine, one of my favorite ones is towards the back. And it is God equips us to rejoice in suffering. It's the astounding truth number 89. And just, you know, it's a couple of pages a day. It's a really good like supplemental, you know, just encouragement. Or if you don't go through it straight through, it's great to like pick it up, go to the front and be like, oh, I'm struggling with X, y or Z. And just to get a little nugget of encouragement and you give like a little anecdotal story. that helps to like kind of like bring the scripture to life in like nowadays. And this is how it could really, ah you know, be applicable to our lives. yeah And so it's just such an encouragement. I love it. That's awesome. Thank you for saying that. That was the goal. Make it relatable, make it lighthearted, but yeah, grouped into themes. So there's the first 25 are all about the God of God's character rather. So explaining who God is. And then there's a section on God equipping his people, seeing the testimonies of God's people. There's a section on, um,
00:17:29
Speaker
the curious parts of the Bible, kind of like the things that are, i don't want to say weird, but like quirky and, you know, just the odd stories of the Bible that, I mean, again, God is the ultimate creative writer. So in, his you know, much of the Bible, it's like, oh, he's using this very unique story to teach his people.
00:17:46
Speaker
x y z Yeah, absolutely. I love it. That's so awesome. So, okay, you were telling me about, it Island Fever? what what are What is it called? Tell me about Island Life. Yeah, it's just, it's this it's a small, Guam is a smile a small island. If you're listening and you're not familiar with Guam, you take a plane...
00:18:05
Speaker
to Honolulu and then you're another seven hours west of Honolulu. um So it's far. i mean, I didn't realize until we moved there. I'm like, it really is on the other side of the world. It's above Australia and just east of the Philippines. It's a very tiny island. It's a U.S. territory. So there's a lot of history. There's a lot of military presence. Fascinating. I never was a World War II nerd until I lived on Guam and just learned the history there um what all happened during the war. But um yeah, I mean, to date, I think it was the coolest experience of my life. I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity. It came at the most perfect time. It was 2022 when we moved there and it was like we needed a reset. The marriage needed a reset. The family life needed a reset. Leaving Northern Virginia and just the you know the highly charged political environment and all that was going on. It was like the perfect reset to like, we're going to leave you know, the craziest, most hyped up city in the world and take you to this tiny little nowhere island. yeah that is
00:19:08
Speaker
so i mean, the whole speed limit of the island is only 35 miles an hour. Like there's no interstate in Guam. It's different. It's not like, you know, mainland USA. Yeah.
00:19:20
Speaker
It sounds magical, but you're saying you were there for two years and you were like, i could stay there for longer or was it time to go? I mean, could have stayed. was content to stay. There was definitely some challenges with living there. mean, you are on an island, so getting things there, food supply, I mean… We were able to shop on the military base and that's where my kids went to school. But I mean, you definitely have a different perspective of living on an island, just how hard it is to get things there. But yeah, my husband was ready to move on, try a different opportunity. He was blessed with having an opportunity. He took a federal job and we're in Carson City, Nevada, which is northern Nevada, the capital of Nevada. which is beautiful. We're in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's sunny every day. It's a really, I hadn't, Nevada was nowhere on my radar. When you said I had a job in Carson city, Nevada, I was like, where's that? What that? I don't even know. But it is beautiful here and the people are a vibe. We're 20 minutes from Lake Tahoe. So lot people. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Yeah. It's a beautiful area. Really, really funny. Unfortunately, when I think Nevada, my mind immediately goes to Vegas. Right. Like, that's what everyone says. And there's Nevada is a huge state. There's so much more to Nevada than Las Vegas. Of course, everyone knows Las Vegas. Las Vegas is eight hours away, so that's the southern part. Oh, hallelujah. But we're up in the northern part. That's awesome. It's just a vibe here. It's a vibe.
00:20:52
Speaker
Yeah, that's so cool. I love it. And so now what are you working on? and What have you transitioned into in Nevada? You've been there two years? Is that right? About a year and a half. Year and a half, okay. Yeah. Continuing to write, I wrote another book last year on the people of the Bible that I am praying for the Lord's discernment on the publishing path. But the overall concept of the book is how these ancient players of the Bible relate to you and me today in 2026. And then, of course, I'm weaving the salvation plan through the book. So the first 10 people, here's the major sinners of the Bible. And oh, by the way, you're also a sinner, you know, you need for for Christ, you know, and so explaining the salvation plan, but through the testimonies of the Bible. so
Settling in Nevada and Future Plans
00:21:35
Speaker
just
00:21:36
Speaker
kind of explaining, again, to the reader that's lukewarm in their Bible understanding or doesn't know the Bible, here's here's the player of the Bible, here's their life, here's what God can teach us, here's how they're relatable. Again, thousands of years ago, but their testimony still is like us. So through the sinners of the Bible, how God shows mercy, then the faithful and obedient people of the Bible, that's the testimony of the Christian life, and then wisdom and leadership of the Bible. So no matter if you're a corporate executive or a homemaker, you know, learning biblical leadership and wisdom is important.
00:22:09
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. So are you plugged into a good community out there in Nevada now that you've put down some roots for a little bit? Yes, we have a church family we love and i met great friends out here. i mean, everywhere we go, we've made met great people. i mean, great people are everywhere. But yeah, the church family and Yeah, lots of lots of good opportunities for ministry out here. Definitely.
00:22:33
Speaker
I love it. I love that if, you know, if somebody is going to be a person that travels and has, still you know, like lives in all these different places, you're the type of personality to do well in that environment. oh is I do love it. I'm thankful. Yeah. This is the buzz of like new people and new adventures. It is.
00:22:53
Speaker
it is a blessing that I'm very thankful for and don't take for granted. Yeah, that's awesome. So are you kind of staying put for now? Are you guys, is it, this is a temporary thing? and then No, as far as I know, we'll we'll be here and until we're not. It's, I don't have any plans to go anywhere. Yeah, I love it.
00:23:11
Speaker
um I'm thankful to be here and every, all my kids are thriving and doing really well and they're still in their schools. I admire just that like open handedness, you know, like, yeah, I mean, I don't think we're going anywhere. We're here, but the Lord could say go there. Yeah. I feel like a lot of things now in life are holding everything with open plans. I mean, I I'm on my knees every morning, like Lord, what, like have your way with the book plan and getting it out there and everything, like just how I use my time and you know what I'm doing and
00:23:43
Speaker
Yeah, every every day holding everything with open hands for sure. i love it. Well, if somebody wanted to connect with you, where would they head? How could they find the book and then how can they find you?
00:23:55
Speaker
The books on Amazon and Target.com, Walmart.com, all the major booksellers. My website is astoundingtruths.com. I'm astounding.truths on all the socials. Instagram is where I most like to hang out. I'm And yeah, it's it's on Amazon. There's also an audio version for people that love audio. That's perfect it's another that's another um opportunity. It's on Kindle and then paperback and hardcover.
00:24:24
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. I love it. Now the question is, did you do your own reading? Of course. Yeah. that um it I had so much fun. bet. Because the book is goofy. There's a lot of like goofy stuff. Like the editors that read it were like, okay, cut that out. That's inappropriate. I mean, it's just Bible talk, but you know, I mean, some would say there's a lot of inappropriate parts of the Bible and yeah,
00:24:50
Speaker
It's it's the Bible. I had fun. i had fun reading it. It was it was a lot of fun. Plus, like you said, it's a lot of like, qui you know, each each chapter, there's 100 short chapters, but the first couple sentences are something like personal and relatable. um And then it goes into the so the scripture. But yeah, I recorded it, um read it. And it was that was a fun I didn't know how much fun that would be. That was something I learned. I can't wait to do the next one.
00:25:15
Speaker
Oh, that's so cool. I love it. well Well, we'll link all of your information in the show notes so that people can get in touch with you, connect with you, get the book, and keep an eye out. Perhaps join an email list to hear when that next book launches. We'll all be excited for that as well. But thank you, Annie, so much for coming on. It was so fun chatting with you. yeah we both share a love of green. If you can't see, since we don't post the videos here, her but her book is absolutely beautiful.
00:25:44
Speaker
Green. Yeah. It's a palm tree. Because it was written on Guam. So I wanted the cover to represent my time on the island. My daughter was like, your next book should look like Lake Tahoe, like the blues and the emerald greens. I'm like, that's a good point. it Every book cover could look like where it was written. I like that idea. I like it. Yeah, that's so awesome. That's great. All right, my friend. Well, thank you so much for being here. Thank you all for listening and joining. And we hope you have a great week. We'll see you next time.