Writing Bible Studies

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[00:00:11] It's something about that, you know

[00:00:13] And I think about it's handling God's word and we need to see to that

[00:00:16] You know we think of 2nd Timothy 2 15 be diligent to present yourself to prove

[00:00:20] I got a worker who does not need be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth

[00:00:25] And so I don't know what I feel like when I write I take that even more serious somehow because it's written. It's not going away

[00:00:33] Hey and welcome to When She Leads a podcast for women in ministry

[00:00:38] I'm your host Brenda Leavenworth

[00:00:39] And I want to consider the complexities and realities of leading as a woman in ministry together

[00:00:45] Kelly from team when she leads is joining me today, and we have a really unique topic today. Don't we Kelly?

[00:00:51] Yeah, we do I love this topic

[00:00:53] Writing Bible studies

[00:00:56] Can anyone write them? What's essential? What are the different styles? What should be our goal?

[00:01:02] What are the processes that we go through that you go through want to talk through that and what have we learned along the way?

[00:01:08] Because you and I have both been writing Bible studies for our church is for quite some time

[00:01:13] And so I want to know what you learned and I'll share what I've learned the little bit that I've learned along the way

[00:01:19] So how does someone get started? These are some of the questions that we hope to answer

[00:01:25] Today, so I was thinking about this and I was thinking okay. Why are we having this conversation?

[00:01:30] Anyways, and I think that when I was a young pastor's wife and feeling called to write Bible studies

[00:01:37] I had no idea. I remember the first time God called me to write just arguing with them like

[00:01:43] Lord, you know like I have trouble writing a pamphlet and

[00:01:47] You want me to write a Bible study or a book or something like that?

[00:01:51] Like you're gonna have to tell me what to say

[00:01:54] But the reason I got there is because and maybe you can share how you got in your place to write

[00:02:01] but I was using studies like Beth Moore some others popular studies and

[00:02:05] I just felt like my women weren't getting what God wanted them not that those aren't great studies

[00:02:11] Right, they didn't work for us. Yeah, and it wasn't our voice. And so I just felt like no

[00:02:16] I think I need to write something that's just in line with our vision with our direction with our values and

[00:02:23] Something I had a heart for my ladies to not only get a study that they could do but also learn how to study the Bible for themselves

[00:02:32] Right, so that's sort of what got me. I felt like I had to wean them

[00:02:36] We were doing Beth more for a while and I felt like she spoon-fed my ladies

[00:02:40] And I just I I literally thought about like I need to wean them from this type of right teaching so that they could do their own

[00:02:47] But what right? What was your process?

[00:02:49] You know, I mean it's a little bit different early on when I was really young actually young

[00:02:55] I was an assistant pastor's wife and

[00:02:58] going to

[00:02:59] Like k Arthur's seminars on inductive Bible study and leading and stuff like that

[00:03:04] I really felt like the Lord had put on my heart that he'd wanted me to write studies

[00:03:10] I wasn't the necessarily the pastor's life, but I felt he was calling me to do that. I

[00:03:17] Probably should have kept it to myself

[00:03:18] But I remember being at a conference and sharing it with a bunch of older pastors live saying

[00:03:23] I think that the Lord might be calling me to to do this and they laughed at me

[00:03:28] And I was like no it was not nice and it just was like, oh my gosh

[00:03:32] Who do I think I am why would I think I'm supposed to be called to write so and because of the insecurities that I have

[00:03:38] That stopped me for for a while and then

[00:03:42] When my husband took over as pastor, so like almost 35 years ago whenever that was

[00:03:47] um, I just

[00:03:50] still wanted to write but I

[00:03:53] Probably was still getting over those insecurities. So I started using studies

[00:03:57] Like you said Beth more different ones a lot of different ones that were good

[00:04:01] A lot of k-Arthur's too

[00:04:03] Joyful life joyful living whatever and just using them and just never quite felt like again, they're great studies

[00:04:10] but they weren't

[00:04:11] Hitting the needs of the women that I that we were ministering to

[00:04:15] And so then I just remember asking the Lord at one retreat because I was teaching a lot

[00:04:20] But I wasn't writing and I was kind of complaining to the Lord because I thought okay

[00:04:24] I thought I was supposed to write and I'm not doing it now

[00:04:27] Am I supposed to and he gave me that verse that says in the psalms my

[00:04:30] My tongue is a pen of a ready writer and he was showing me your teaching now

[00:04:36] And a lot of what you write will be coming out of your teaching and kind of like be patient

[00:04:40] And then I was and then probably about a year and a half after that. I just felt like, you know what I'm

[00:04:45] I'm I really feel like I'm called to do this and I guess that's where I

[00:04:49] At the time a lot of people like if you're the pastor's wife

[00:04:53] Like it was a give you needed to write and I

[00:04:57] Didn't feel that way because I feel like writing is a gift like teaching is a gift and

[00:05:02] Being a worship leader is a gift. So I really do feel like you need to be called

[00:05:07] And that's what I would encourage anybody right some people like I just want to write a book

[00:05:11] And it's like do you have something to say? No, I just want to write a book

[00:05:14] I

[00:05:15] I know people that say that to you and I just feel like it's a lot of work

[00:05:18] It is a lot of work, but I think writing bible studies. It's a calling you have to feel called to and so

[00:05:23] I just started writing. I remember the first book I ever wrote

[00:05:27] Was first Corinthians and it was the longest

[00:05:30] Stinking thing that you've ever seen because we talked about that some of the things that you've learned

[00:05:35] I guess I'm jumping ahead, but I felt like everything I studied

[00:05:39] Uh, you had to be down not understanding part of it was probably just for me or the process

[00:05:45] So I also in the beginning sat down with a lot of different

[00:05:49] Harvest bible study fellowship all different people who were writing

[00:05:53] To ask a lot of questions and to find out why do you do it like that? And how do you do that and that and

[00:05:59] Then realize like I have to come up with my own voice. These were great tips, but so that was a whole process too

[00:06:05] I don't really know if that answered the question, but there you have it

[00:06:08] Yeah, I think I think though it stems from a heart of wanting

[00:06:13] To fulfill something that God has called us to do and then we say okay, lord

[00:06:19] We we're feeling this calling confirmed

[00:06:21] Now how or when

[00:06:24] What right, you know all the different things and and people write different kinds of studies some people write topical studies

[00:06:31] God was calling for me. God was calling us to just take the books of the bible

[00:06:36] We've been as a women's ministry here at reliance. We've been working through

[00:06:40] The epistles and we're almost done and it's probably taken like I feel like five years

[00:06:45] But we've gone through all the epistles in this next year

[00:06:48] We will finish all of them and so it's just taking taking a book of the bible

[00:06:54] And then writing questions, but like you like when I first started I wanted to put everything I learned in

[00:07:00] And and killing my ladies. I just wanted to write every deep question and have them look up every word

[00:07:06] And I found that I was um

[00:07:09] Taking the students on my journey

[00:07:12] Like the way the Holy Spirit was leading me through that

[00:07:14] And so the I was writing too deep

[00:07:18] And I was trying to take them through my journey

[00:07:20] So I was using like too many commentaries trying to get them to a place

[00:07:25] Where the Holy Spirit was maybe not taking them

[00:07:29] So I had to learn how to come up to like kind of that 30 000 foot view. Yeah, and let him um

[00:07:36] Let him take them on his journey, right like do more overview questions

[00:07:42] Help them learn how to

[00:07:44] Um observe interpret and apply the study for themselves

[00:07:49] And then God could take them on their journey whatever they were going through

[00:07:53] And I found that they would get confused when it was my journey

[00:07:56] I had a point that God was taking me down

[00:07:58] But then I had to try to explain that point in writing and it would get lost and so

[00:08:03] That helped me grow as a writer. That's good because then I learned I think

[00:08:08] 20 years ago homework used to be heavier too

[00:08:12] Like it was longer. There was more days. I remember Beth Morse homework is like 45 minutes of homework a day

[00:08:18] Yeah, mine too. Mine's probably longer than

[00:08:21] Yeah, and I just realized like busy moms. I was cutting people out of my out of the um, yeah

[00:08:27] Opportunity right to learn God's word because I was just making the bar like too high too long

[00:08:33] So that's I think for me one of the biggest lessons was just like coming above it

[00:08:38] doing more observation questions

[00:08:41] Then asking a few questions about interpretation and then adding some personal questions

[00:08:46] I I really try to keep it pretty simple. So yeah, what's your process knowing your audience like you said, right?

[00:08:53] You can't

[00:08:55] You know not not everyone can do an hour homework a day

[00:08:58] It just depends what season of life you're in and even the season as far as your spirituality

[00:09:03] If someone's just saved or they've been saved 20 years like I don't know

[00:09:06] It's just different and so I think that's part of the challenge is knowing your audience and what is capable if you're writing a lesson

[00:09:12] And no one ever comes

[00:09:14] With it all done

[00:09:16] I think I I was stubborn at first. It's like they need to get this done

[00:09:20] You know and then realizing if no one can get the homework done

[00:09:23] I have a problem here, right because what good is that if they can't do it

[00:09:27] They can always go deeper on their own right or you could add a digging deeper type section or something

[00:09:33] Challenges we do I I've written a lot of different things

[00:09:37] We do

[00:09:38] I I think one of my favorites always and I think I felt like I had to do what you said just books of the bible

[00:09:44] Which is great. Um, I did I have done some topicals. We've done various Psalms, which I've loved

[00:09:51] We've hop skipped and jumped through the Psalms on different ones. I've done

[00:09:56] Like ladies we called them life lessons from the ladies and they were all topical on women from the bible both good women

[00:10:03] Quote bad women

[00:10:04] So we had life lessons from the ladies part one and then the next year was life lessons from the ladies part two

[00:10:10] And then we will interchange it

[00:10:13] With a book study. That's that's I feel comfortable in that, you know, that's my history right now. We're doing

[00:10:20] It stemmed from a retreat that we did but they're all the one another's

[00:10:24] It's called one another's and every week and I've written it

[00:10:27] It's on a different one another in scripture and it has I don't know what is going on

[00:10:33] but my women have loved it and have embraced it and

[00:10:37] You know a scriptually we define it. What does it mean?

[00:10:40] What places in scripture do we see this practice, you know

[00:10:44] In a good way in a bad way and then obviously how are we called to practice it?

[00:10:48] And what is it?

[00:10:48] what is this one mean and

[00:10:51] I think what's been fun is that if someone's just got saved or someone's been saved for a long time

[00:10:57] It it can be as deep or as practical kind of as you want it

[00:11:01] And we've just seen the Lord do something incredible this year through that study not not in the way that I'm writing it

[00:11:07] I'm saying just in the topic. So I think it's fun to change it up

[00:11:12] I've done two different regular books the books that you buy and do

[00:11:16] Never was happy with them some ladies loved them. It's not my

[00:11:19] I I didn't like mine that I chose. So, you know, we've done that a few times and and

[00:11:25] They they always do fall a little short for me personally. I do like like summer book clubs and stuff, but we're getting off topic

[00:11:32] Book clubs are good. That's a little bit. But clubs are good

[00:11:35] But I like what you're saying because really what you're doing is you're teaching them how to take like a

[00:11:39] systematic theological approach to the bible like

[00:11:42] Okay, so we might be in first Corinthians, but you know if we're talking about

[00:11:47] Idolatry well, what does the whole bible say about idolatry?

[00:11:50] So if you do a topical study, then you have like an overview of like, okay

[00:11:55] What does this whole picture look like? Yeah

[00:11:57] When we take these 66 books and look at a topic and it's fun to change it up, you know

[00:12:03] I think it's fun to in the one study. I did I included like

[00:12:07] uh in the back

[00:12:10] For a while everybody was into those coloring pages and I just included them in like

[00:12:15] I'm not a colorer, but like in the back of the bible or crossword puzzles

[00:12:19] We just added things for their own fun and that was fun. I just think that didn't take away from the actually study part

[00:12:25] It was just fun things to add so but I think knowing your audience is knowing your women

[00:12:29] Yeah, and I think writing a bible study. I think it's very serious to me

[00:12:34] It I think teaching the bible is serious

[00:12:37] But writing it like the words on the paper that will be there forever

[00:12:41] I have something about that, you know, and I think about it's handling god's word

[00:12:45] And we need to see there's that you know

[00:12:47] We think of second Timothy 2 15 be diligent to present yourself to proved by god a worker

[00:12:52] Who does not need be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth?

[00:12:55] And so I don't know what I feel like when I write

[00:12:58] I take that even more serious somehow because it's written. It's not going away

[00:13:02] If I say something dumb I can say well, I didn't mean like you can explain it

[00:13:06] When you're writing it

[00:13:08] Yeah, and yeah

[00:13:10] You and I talked about another thing and in the differences in the way we write and you had asked me the other day

[00:13:15] Like do you write out like commentary or do big explanations?

[00:13:19] And I said I used to but now I

[00:13:23] Sometimes when I'm starting a chapter I might give like I'll give an introduction for the book like one page

[00:13:28] Overview and some days I might starting a new day. I might give a paragraph

[00:13:34] I rarely if I want to use commentaries

[00:13:37] I'll

[00:13:38] I'll try to tell them to go to it because like I said one of my goals is to teach them how to use

[00:13:44] software

[00:13:45] And where they can find studies how to define words

[00:13:49] So we want to teach them so we give a page on like how to use this study and all the resources and and all of that

[00:13:57] So that they can then if they want to look something up, then they go back and go

[00:14:01] Oh, wow, I learned how to do this which I think is really important for me another thing that I have to

[00:14:07] Do and if you're writing and you think oh, I'm not a writer like I think all the time

[00:14:12] I still don't think I'm a writer. I know to say I'm a writer. I shut her inside

[00:14:16] Yeah, it's like everybody knows better

[00:14:18] Yeah, but I have a good editing team. Yes because I need it. Yeah, like I need I don't need micro editors

[00:14:27] I need macro

[00:14:29] I need people to like rewrite my words because I have a tendency to write like I speak and

[00:14:34] Teaching writing for teaching and writing for someone to read is completely different

[00:14:40] Can you explain like maybe the differences in that? Yeah, um

[00:14:45] I definitely edit for sure. Like I don't mind

[00:14:49] I like when my women say oh when I'm reading I can hear you

[00:14:53] Because it's personal enough that they can hear me

[00:14:56] But like you said there it needs to be a lot of editing so I think like you

[00:15:01] I have someone who reads all the verses to make sure I didn't quote something weird

[00:15:04] Which I usually have you know, you skip a two or a one and whoa that verse is weird

[00:15:08] So they look those up. I have ones that are very good grammar

[00:15:13] And then they do that so I have two or three that also do it

[00:15:16] And then they give it back to me or they change a sentence structure or things like that

[00:15:21] And sometimes I like what they changed and sometimes I didn't so I always go back and look what they change

[00:15:26] And I know I was telling you one time I was in a writers critique group and trying to get something published

[00:15:32] I also write devotions for women and there was a time period in a season in my life that I was submitting them to get

[00:15:39] Published and stuff. So I went to a writers critique group a christian writers critique group in town

[00:15:45] And man, they're they're brutal. Oh my gosh, they're brutal and they're sit there with their red pens

[00:15:49] And you've spent hours on this baby and they're you know

[00:15:53] Smashing apart you're like, oh well anyways, I had a title of one that I really liked my title

[00:15:57] I thought it was catchy and the whole group was like you got to ditch this title. No christian

[00:16:03] Group will call it that

[00:16:05] And I'm like, no, I like the title. No, you can't do it and

[00:16:09] All the red marks on it and I went home and I prayed about it and prayed about it

[00:16:11] And I thought I don't I don't like their critique and I'm gonna stick with it and it got published right away

[00:16:17] like

[00:16:18] So you have to listen to the lord you look at the edits

[00:16:21] I mean if it's grammar, you got to do the right grammar but

[00:16:24] About writing they say you have to know the rules you can break the rules, but you have to know you're breaking them and

[00:16:32] You just can't be lame and just write whatever and so I edit at church for a lot of different things too

[00:16:37] And so again when you're editing you got to make sure you're not changing their voice

[00:16:41] So that's a whole another beast in itself

[00:16:43] But I think learning too to use um and the commentary thing to go back to

[00:16:48] I include commentary sometimes more than others

[00:16:52] It depends what book i'm writing if i'm writing an old testament book that has a lot of history or something that

[00:16:57] I end up doing more the one and others

[00:17:00] Hasn't had to have a lot of commentary except just leading maybe from question to question but um

[00:17:07] I'm learning how still after all these years to what I can say

[00:17:12] In 20 words don't use 50. It's good to be descriptive

[00:17:16] But overly descriptive is just like just stop just say what you mean and so

[00:17:20] Learning how to do that and if you take that sentence out do I need that sentence?

[00:17:26] so

[00:17:28] Yeah, uh exactly and I I think talking about editing

[00:17:32] I think we have to have thick skin too because I feel like um in editing

[00:17:37] Um it's kind of like someone telling your babies ugly

[00:17:42] It kind of hurts a little bit

[00:17:44] Um, well because it's like it's your baby. Yeah time and everything in this. Yes. And so

[00:17:48] For me we do it with a team

[00:17:51] Yeah

[00:17:51] And so in the spring I'll usually write like in winter and and i'm trying to develop a writing team because I also think that

[00:17:58] I want to disciple people to be able to write I've done it with teaching and that's worked out really well

[00:18:03] I have a large teaching team and I wanted to do it with writing and so we get together as a group

[00:18:09] and

[00:18:10] I have people in there that are you know really know the word

[00:18:14] We have a couple of editors and then we just so we do the home. We actually do the homework

[00:18:20] Yeah, and go through it and then they can say well like I didn't get this question

[00:18:24] Right the way you ask exactly. Do you mean? Yeah, what were you looking at here?

[00:18:28] We might rewrite it and you do have to like

[00:18:31] You have to be ready to say I care more

[00:18:35] About this study. Yeah

[00:18:38] Um

[00:18:39] For the ladies then I do yes for my own ego, right like it's not about that

[00:18:44] It's about getting a study better and if you're willing

[00:18:47] They'll actually make your study better, right? You know, yeah

[00:18:51] So then they'll handle the grammar things and in the way they want to rewrite and

[00:18:55] Sometimes they'll want to read structure sentence and it's like yeah, but it's lost its meaning

[00:18:59] So you have as the author the ability to go no. I want to leave that. Yes

[00:19:03] Let's go for that. But it was funny because I have I've had this group a couple of times

[00:19:09] You know for several years now and they've always been just free to critique it well

[00:19:16] This year I've had a lot of them, right and the first girls was like they came in she goes. Oh my goodness

[00:19:22] I I've never thought about it from this perspective that I'm gonna be the one at the table

[00:19:26] That everybody's gonna be critiquing and she said I've just shared freely all these years

[00:19:31] About your study so so we do have to put on that that thick skin

[00:19:35] So what's you know, what's your when we're talking about like maybe goals?

[00:19:40] What are what are your goals when you're writing?

[00:19:44] What are some of the things like that you think about when you open up a book and you start are you just sort of

[00:19:50] Going through the book and just drawing out what the text says initially

[00:19:55] What's that like what I'm studying what I'm getting right when you're just your process like okay, you're gonna go write a study

[00:20:03] Right. What do you do? Right? What do you do first pray? Yeah

[00:20:07] Seek the Lord pray cry do all that I usually walk around the table of zilling times before I start starting is very difficult for me

[00:20:14] I don't know if you find that once I'm in the groove

[00:20:16] I'm good

[00:20:17] But the actual starting like the first lesson of every year

[00:20:21] It's really difficult for me because I think it's so overwhelming. Where am I taking it? Where am I going?

[00:20:26] What's my end goal? So I think it's looking at the book and again depending what you're looking pray

[00:20:31] What is my heart in this? What is my and like you said?

[00:20:35] I'm always I want them to think inductively in their head

[00:20:38] Even automatically if you if you write that way you get them to do that. So

[00:20:43] Where do I want where what is the main point the big idea as far as the whole thing

[00:20:49] We have memory verses every week and so I want to make making sure if you're pulling out with the main verses of that chapter

[00:20:56] You want to make sure you're supporting that?

[00:20:59] And so I think if you're doing a book again, you're just I think

[00:21:04] the first

[00:21:06] Getting the main idea of what the book trying to say

[00:21:10] And then breaking it down into smaller sections like you said the the overview

[00:21:14] I know we do that of every chapter but we start with taking the overview of the whole book

[00:21:19] And then breaking it down chapter by chapter. So I'm sure you do that too. So it's just like a flyby

[00:21:25] so sometimes the first one is hard because

[00:21:28] I'll have them read the whole book not everybody likes that

[00:21:30] L they might have one or two weeks to do it and so that when they're in chapter one

[00:21:35] They're already seen how this is tying into chapter six or whatever and then we're breaking it down

[00:21:40] I think that and making sure that I understand

[00:21:44] What's uh, who the author is what's the author's intent?

[00:21:47] What was his purpose in writing this book because I want to make sure that I'm getting across the author's purpose, right?

[00:21:54] of of what

[00:21:56] I don't want to grandstand. I don't want to make sure that I'm getting my own agenda in there

[00:22:01] I want to make sure that I know his agenda. I'm not saying don't ever use application from your own life

[00:22:06] But it needs to support what the text is saying. So I think I just have the notepad

[00:22:11] I have the paper I'm the yellow pad person and I just make tons of notes and I find my keywords in the whole book

[00:22:18] And um, how does that chapter support that chapter?

[00:22:22] Is that I'm pretty similar to what you do. Um

[00:22:26] Bro for really similar

[00:22:28] I think for me

[00:22:30] The way that I'm doing it right now and it always changes but right now

[00:22:33] Day one, I'll say if you I'll do day one and five to me are usually always the same for every chapter

[00:22:39] So we'll start every chapter kind of asking the question right now my question sometimes I change them

[00:22:44] But right now it's if you had to tell somebody what this chapter was about

[00:22:48] How would you explain it just so they could get it into their own words?

[00:22:52] And then what are some of the major themes?

[00:22:54] Words that stick out to you phrases

[00:22:57] Verses like just kind of let them highlight some things

[00:23:01] Then we just break it up and go into days two three and four and just basic observation interpretation

[00:23:06] I don't do a lot of any like personal commentary

[00:23:10] In in my studies like there's no it's just basic question answer, but I hate filling the blank

[00:23:18] Questions. I'm not a fan. I just

[00:23:20] It's like i'm dumber now. Yeah, like don't ask me to put

[00:23:24] Something in the line like I just don't it's not my thing. Yeah, but and I'm sure it's not yours either

[00:23:29] We've talked about that. It's like that just yeah, don't do that so

[00:23:34] But basic observation questions interpretation application and then day five will switch it up sometimes we've done a digging deeper

[00:23:41] For people who want to go further or going further. You can call it whatever you want

[00:23:46] This year i'm gonna have them do

[00:23:50] Take a theme from this week or something god is

[00:23:54] Sharing with you and write it out into a prayer like kind of journal through it. That'll be day five

[00:24:00] So we change it up. I like changing things up

[00:24:04] But um, I try to have more personal sounds like you. I mean, I don't write it all about myself

[00:24:08] But I do have some personal applications in mind

[00:24:12] Like you tell stories about you like give an example

[00:24:16] Yeah, but like like to this week we're studying be hospitable to one another

[00:24:22] And so as i'm drawing it out of them we look at it. What does it mean? Look at scripture?

[00:24:27] Who did it and then um, if they had to think of someone in their life that

[00:24:33] When you think of someone hospitable, who would you think of and why?

[00:24:36] And so then I follow that up with a paragraph about who I chose and why which was my grandma and how she made me feel

[00:24:43] And this and that and it's just a paragraph. It's not long but um, I

[00:24:48] Maybe i'm more prone to do that than than you are and it depends on the lesson and what the questions are but

[00:24:54] Sometimes it helps them see sometimes they can't figure out how to apply it

[00:24:59] And then if you give an example, they're like, oh, yeah, that's really good

[00:25:03] A lot of people ask how many questions do you put in per day because we do per day

[00:25:09] We do five days of homework. Yeah, um, but how many questions do you think are enough?

[00:25:15] Not enough. I've kind of come to my sweet spot. What's yours? Well, I started with doing. Oh my gosh

[00:25:20] I was a hundred. Yeah, like why are there 750 questions? It might have been 15 for goodness sake and then it landed

[00:25:27] I know then it landed on um 10 and there was uh five days and

[00:25:33] But it has shortened and this year this past year. I've changed it

[00:25:37] I don't even break it down in today's anymore. We experiment with that and it's actually working very well where it's just uh

[00:25:45] About 20 questions and without breaking day you do as long as you want

[00:25:49] I'm a person. I'd rather sit down one day and just do it because my head's in it missing that

[00:25:53] And sometimes the day break and I don't know the ladies have really responded to that. Well, so this year

[00:25:59] I took the day I took the days out and I did um let them I had a memory verse

[00:26:04] But each leader figured out how they wanted to bring that to the table

[00:26:08] You know because before it would be like every day was like, you know practice your ver

[00:26:12] You know the typical one and I just thought I'm I'm just changing this up this year

[00:26:17] And they've really responded to it. So that's what's your sweet spot

[00:26:20] I like to do between like three and five

[00:26:24] Occasionally, I'll go to six or seven

[00:26:26] depending but then

[00:26:28] I'm I've kind of

[00:26:30] Like realized that sometimes I'll have like three questions in one. Yeah, so you're still getting your 15 in

[00:26:37] But there's a thought process like it's a progression. It's not like three separate questions

[00:26:41] Yes, but I do have a tendency to ask a few questions in yes in one place one of the things that

[00:26:50] Something that I just learned like this week

[00:26:53] This month with having other people, right?

[00:26:57] Um is that I realized that when I was writing studies

[00:27:01] um sometimes

[00:27:02] We have a tendency to

[00:27:05] Want to study the texts that we're going through

[00:27:08] um to teach

[00:27:10] And I wondered if it was necessary like when I go to study to write

[00:27:16] What I found with some of my ladies is they were studying it so much kind of like you studied to teach

[00:27:21] That it almost became too much because then I wasn't asking the questions

[00:27:25] That you would when you first look at the text like what kind of questions am I asking?

[00:27:31] So then it ended up being like I studied so much

[00:27:35] Now I'm asking questions based on my knowledge

[00:27:38] That I've studied based then then it was different just being on the text

[00:27:43] And so I try not to actually study a ton because the key is asking good questions

[00:27:50] It's not so much about

[00:27:52] Me knowing the information. It's me asking good questions about the text

[00:27:57] And so I've been I I just realized I've been

[00:28:00] Doing that so I got to share that with my group like if you study too deeply

[00:28:05] You tend to take people on your own journey and then you also tend to write questions based on

[00:28:10] Um knowledge were except for not just based on like what they're seeing right in the text

[00:28:15] So good questions and then a progression through those questions like

[00:28:20] Transitions like I'm on idolatry. You know, maybe stay that I don't know why I'm talking about

[00:28:25] So much to say she just was my first example

[00:28:30] Maybe I got issues every day

[00:28:32] But um, so what do you think about that? Does that does that ring true?

[00:28:37] I don't know. That's true. I think that's the same with teaching as well as well to over study

[00:28:42] Um

[00:28:44] This is hard too. So like sometimes if you

[00:28:47] I guess I'm jumping into teaching but you tell someone they have 20 minutes to share

[00:28:51] And with you over study, they can't keep it to under an hour

[00:28:54] You know, it's just that that's a danger and sometimes writing shorter is even harder than writing longer because you're not explaining

[00:29:01] You have to be more specific. But no, I think you're right, especially if you're not one who's writing any commentary in it

[00:29:09] That would be harder if I'm writing more commentary then maybe I can do that a little bit more if I've

[00:29:16] Uh, depending on what I've kind of lay a foundation. Yeah, I've laid that foundation

[00:29:21] So it really depends what the rest of your study

[00:29:23] I think looks like to me a lot of these questions are it just depends what I'm writing and what

[00:29:30] Uh, if what kind of book uh, new a lot of times new testament ones are easier for the ladies to grasp than old testament old testament ones have been

[00:29:40] Typically involve more commentary

[00:29:43] Because I do want to write it because if they don't use if they're not comfortable using a commentary

[00:29:48] I still want them to get a basic grasp of it. So I'm going to include something

[00:29:54] so

[00:29:55] Yeah, a lot of it is just it just depends

[00:29:59] Yeah, what's the hardest thing that you found about writing?

[00:30:05] The hardest thing

[00:30:08] Making sure I don't know. I guess maybe it's in my own

[00:30:12] Making sure that it's what god's wanting me to say and not what I want to say

[00:30:16] Even just this one another I really struggled because I changed the format some and it was different for me

[00:30:23] Is this what the lord wants?

[00:30:25] Am I just doing it? Am I making it shorter? This was a big struggle for me this year. Am I making it shorter because I'm lazy or because

[00:30:34] I'm really supposed to and that's what the lord wants me to do. Am I saying this because of it like

[00:30:39] Maybe it's am I projecting my own personal life and experiences

[00:30:42] Yeah, and I'm tired and I have a shorter amount of time. So am I doing that?

[00:30:47] So I think I think that's I think one of the hardest things for me every year is where what book am I doing now?

[00:30:53] We've done almost all the New Testament, but I'm not always that systematic

[00:30:57] About sounds like maybe you are on what follows what and so

[00:31:02] What am I supposed to write? What am I supposed to do? I think that's the hardest and the first week

[00:31:07] That's always I think anything anything. I've ever written. I just walk around the house for like hours

[00:31:14] Right thinking through it. Yeah, or doing other things to distract myself because I just feel like

[00:31:19] I don't want to start wrong. Yeah, I don't know like I need to sit down and write. Oh

[00:31:25] Get the dishes. I need to sit down and write. I do have a love hate relationship

[00:31:29] I don't know about you with writing. I love to write and I hate to write at the same time

[00:31:33] I'm not so many people in that critique group that I was in for years

[00:31:37] It's like they would say I can't go to bed until I've written some words like they're like word nerds

[00:31:42] I never felt like that I don't feel like that but if the lord gives me something

[00:31:46] I need to write it right then and um, and so

[00:31:51] I don't always like writing but I like to have written

[00:31:56] I don't know if that makes sense. I read that quote once and I thought that that's true at the end

[00:32:00] I'm really glad and full of joy and blessed at what God did, but I don't always enjoy the process

[00:32:07] It's hard. I have to have it on my calendar

[00:32:09] So I have to have study even for teaching. I have to have like blocked out on my calendar

[00:32:15] This is what I'm going to do this lesson. This is what I'm going to do that

[00:32:18] This is when I need to sit down and write this is the due date because if it's not on my calendar

[00:32:23] It it's going to get squeezed out and then I can't do it

[00:32:26] But then sometimes you write it on your calendar

[00:32:28] I know that you've experienced this and the lord just not giving it to you that no

[00:32:31] And you're like I just like each last night at church and I had a very busy week

[00:32:36] And so I scheduled it like he said and one day

[00:32:39] I mean I just sat there and stared at my paper and just thought lord

[00:32:42] I know I need it right now, but it it don't sound like you're giving it to me

[00:32:46] I'll have to I'll have to figure this out and so scheduling is great

[00:32:50] But it didn't always work out that way or he gives it to 3 a.m. Sometimes I'll text I'll text myself

[00:32:57] Yeah, because I need to you know, I need to know it or I'll throw it in my notes

[00:33:02] But usually I'll text it to myself like okay remember this

[00:33:05] I have notepads everywhere. Oh, I know just right next to my bed

[00:33:08] Like I have no pads everywhere legal pads, but I do the texting to myself on points or oh, yeah

[00:33:15] I do that a lot

[00:33:16] So if I would say look if you are just beginning to write take the risk

[00:33:21] Just just throw it out there write a chapter

[00:33:25] Write a devotional right just write something have people read it get a group that you trust

[00:33:30] To read it and sit down with you and say did you understand it?

[00:33:33] What did god show you you'll know if people are going wow god really spoke to me

[00:33:38] That's the best thing people can say to me. Wow. God really spoke to me through this day through this question

[00:33:44] This is what he showed me that's that's warms my heart and and that is what I want to happen

[00:33:51] So I would say just try it. Yeah, I could have really easily just discounted it and moved on

[00:33:58] Because I'm I'm I'm not even joking when I say I'm not a writer. I'm not right

[00:34:02] But imagine somebody laughing at you when you finally told somebody

[00:34:06] Talk about that. Then people laugh at me all the time

[00:34:10] I laugh at myself

[00:34:12] Um, but but I think yeah just getting getting pen to paper

[00:34:16] sitting down giving in a whirl

[00:34:18] And just trying it trying it just trying to take that risk jump do it scared

[00:34:23] That's our because it takes practice even if you're called it takes practice

[00:34:27] Look how long we've been doing it and the things that we've learned over the years anything

[00:34:31] Any gift that god's given you

[00:34:34] As you do it longer you learn how to do it better that and he should be so

[00:34:39] You got to start somewhere. Yeah

[00:34:41] And with someone you trust and if you on are as the listener are the one who's critiquing somebody's especially when they're new

[00:34:47] Be gentle and do it with grace and

[00:34:50] But be truthful be truthful. Don't laugh at them

[00:34:54] But you know, just don't tell them they have an ugly baby. Tell me how ugly baby, but um

[00:34:58] Just use grace because it's hard especially in the beginning

[00:35:01] Well, it's very vulnerable because you're putting your your thoughts on paper

[00:35:05] For everybody to read and seeing can and it can be vulnerable writing a book is different

[00:35:10] Yeah, we're talking about bible studies and maybe we'll talk about that

[00:35:13] Another time because that's a different sort of kettle of fish in itself. Well, thank you for this conversation. Kelly

[00:35:20] This is so great. Yeah, thank you for joining us today

[00:35:22] And we want to invite you to visit when she leads org to find out about everything that's going on

[00:35:28] We have cohorts that meet we have conferences all over upcoming in portugal and in spain and

[00:35:35] I'll be in england and hungary in july and we'll be in colorado in just a a week

[00:35:41] I don't I don't know if this is if it's past may second then just disregard what i'm saying right now

[00:35:47] But um, if not pray for us. Yeah pray for us exactly but exciting things go check it out

[00:35:52] We have our annual conference coming up in october

[00:35:56] In muriata california, so exciting things happening, but thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time. Thank you