← Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
How to Read and Deeper Understand the Bible with She Reads Truth
01:12:33
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- [00:00]
Madison Pruitt Trout
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- [00:21]
Erica Mandy
If the news has felt like too much lately, too long, too loud, too overwhelming, this is your sign to do it differently this new year. I'm Erica Mandy, host of the Newsworthy Podcast. Each weekday I break down the day's top stories in less than 15 minutes, giving you the facts, multiple perspectives, and even some lighter conversation starters so you're not bogged down by arguing pundits or alarmist clickbait. It's a simple, efficient way to stay informed, feel confident, and move on with your day. Search the Newsworthy Wherever you're listening to this podcast and follow or subscribe to the Newsworthy Today.
- [00:50]
Rachel Myers
Discernment isn't knowing the difference between right and wrong. Discernment is knowing the difference between right and almost right.
- [00:58]
Madison Pruitt Trout
How can we trust that Scripture is true?
- [01:01]
Amanda Bible Williams
The end goal of being women in the Word of God every day is not to check that box. It's to know God.
- [01:07]
Madison Pruitt Trout
What would be yalls biggest encouragement of how to resist that temptation of making our relationship with Jesus all about us?
- [01:16]
Rachel Myers
Fighting for our own minds is also fighting for our own souls.
- [01:19]
Madison Pruitt Trout
You can't chat GPT your way to intimacy with Jesus.
- [01:23]
Amanda Bible Williams
The quickest way for me to forget myself is to look at him.
- [01:27]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Why is it crucial for us to be in the Word of God daily?
- [01:32]
Amanda Bible Williams
I hadn't read it and now look at it and there are like tabs and it's like kind of like bloated because it's been like opened and like, that's good.
- [01:41]
Madison Pruitt Trout
I'm stealing that honestly. What's up guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host Madison Pruitt Trout, and I'm here with two of my good friends. I've been on their podcast, but they have not yet been on Stay True. So I'm so excited to introduce Amanda Bible Williams and Rachel Myers. They are with. She reads Truth and I'm so excited for the conversation that we're gonna have today. You guys have your own podcast, but so so many incredible devotionals and resources Bibles that I know personally. So many people that have gone through the resources you guys have put together and me personally have been going through this one resource that you guys have released kind of recently called The Bible is for you. And if you're watching this podcast, I on YouTube, you have to see this right now, because when I tell you I have, like, there's so many markups in this, because it is just. First of all, it's beautiful. So this is like a coffee table book. You guys did such a great job with designing it, but also, the content in here is just so good. So I just want to say thank you for the resources you guys have put together, and I would love just a little introduction of how you guys met, got started with she reads Truth. You guys have more than she. You have he reads Truth, Kids reads Truth. I mean, you got all the things.
- [03:13]
Amanda Bible Williams
Everybody.
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Erica Mandy
Everybody.
- [03:14]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Everybody reading Truth.
- [03:15]
Rachel Myers
Everybody reading Truth.
- [03:15]
Madison Pruitt Trout
And this is Stay True, and we're all about Truth years. It feels very fitting. So thank you guys for coming on, and I would love to just hear kind of what got you guys into this. And as we're starting, you know, a new year, 2026, I think this is the perfect time for so many people to get on a plan to dive deeper in the Word of God. And we have people, you know, listening who want to dive deeper in the Word and, you know, take their time in the Bible seriously.
- [03:40]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
- [03:41]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah.
- [03:41]
Rachel Myers
I love. As a new year, 2026, we. I mean, this is the year we turned 14. This is the year that, like, 14 years ago, she Reads Truth started, which, like, that's you and me, a decade and a half younger, for one thing. Hi. But, yeah, I mean, and like, the short of. Not too short, but, like, the short of, like, how we got started. We were like young moms with kids, and it was 2012. And I like to talk about it as, like, a time in history, in Christendom and, like, in America. But it's. I want to act like it was only then. It's still now. But at that time, as young women, we were finding ourselves not in the word of God. We were believers. We. We knew that the Bible was our authority. We knew that it was our source of life, like, our source of, like, knowing the Word. And by that I mean Jesus. And. And so we knew what to do, and we weren't doing it. And I think, like, specifically in that season, a lot of women, and I'll only speak for women here, but we were outsourcing our Bible reading to our churches, to our Bible study leaders, to, like. And we were actually struggling to go to the primary source ourselves. And there just kind of came, like, a series of conversations, one really big one in 2012, where on Twitter. We were like, what if we just did it? Like, what if we just read the Bible and went for it? And it ended up being. It was 2012, so, like, hashtags were brand new. I hadn't even heard of them. And one of the girls, there were four of us. And one of the girls was like, well, you know, like, let's just. The four of us, we had just met online. We had never met in person. And she was like, well, what if we, you know, do this because we're serious about it, but privately. But so many people have responded on Twitter that, like, they want to do it with us too. There's a thing called a hashtag. And so if we just, like, communicated on Twitter with a hashtag, maybe people could follow along. And I was like, great. I don't know what that is, but just what do you want the hashtag to be? And she was like, I don't know. She reads truth.
- [05:47]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Like, wow, I just got chills. That's crazy how that started.
- [05:51]
Rachel Myers
That was how it started. And Maddie, it trended. Like, it was just. And again, I didn't know what trending was. Like, nobody was trying to do anything except meet with Jesus in his word, praise God. That's what we were trying to do. And it was just not something that we could have orchestrated. Not something. Had we tried to, it would have failed. I believe that. And it was just really the Lord moving specifically in our homes, but also just like in the hearts of actual hundreds of thousands of women around the world at that given. And Amanda and I met in person. She lived in Nashville and reached out to me and was like, hey, I'm a she. Like, I'm doing this, and I, like, live in that. It's like a month in, and she's like, we should meet. And so we met for tacos at Taco Mamacita in the Gulch. In the Gulch, I always say.
- [06:35]
Amanda Bible Williams
The Gulch, I keep meaning to remind you, is in Edge Hill.
- [06:39]
Rachel Myers
Edge Hill.
- [06:39]
Amanda Bible Williams
I don't know if it's still there.
- [06:40]
Rachel Myers
It's not. No, it's right by where Barcelona is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we did.
- [06:47]
Amanda Bible Williams
We had talked, but, I mean, tacos obviously, was the right first date choice.
- [06:51]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Oh, of course.
- [06:51]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah.
- [06:52]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Mexican is always the way to go, right?
- [06:54]
Amanda Bible Williams
I. You know, I feel like there were so many of us, and by us, I mean, like, the whole community of women, most of whom we have not met right in person, but we've been reading the Bible together for years who just were waiting for an invitation and Almost like permission, which that sounds weird to say, but there was just something keeping us from reading our Bibles for ourselves. And almost like it was a betrayal of like, our small groups or our church or whatever. It's like, no, you can do both.
- [07:29]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
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Amanda Bible Williams
Like, and you should in fact, do both. Like, we love our local church and we go. We love our pastors and we love studying God's word in that context. And also we want to come away and sit with Jesus in scripture.
- [07:45]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
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Amanda Bible Williams
And we want to know what scripture says and we want to be able to talk about it with our friends and discuss what we're reading. And so that really is what we do at she Reads Truth. And we're still doing that. I mean, 14 years.
- [07:58]
Rachel Myers
14 years later, later. I remember. I remember. So that happened in June, probably around July. We were like, what if we had like, a mission statement? Like, again, like, we are. We are laying bricks as we go. Yeah, we have. So, yeah, I mean, our website was. I think she readstruth.blogspot.com wow. And our. Every day there was a post and it would just say like, day one. And it would say the reference of the scripture that you should read that day. And then no text. There was no body text.
- [08:27]
Amanda Bible Williams
And then pretty like, image.
- [08:30]
Rachel Myers
Oh yeah, we do like a share image. And then there would be just a hundred thousand comments. Like, people would just like, do the reading and then just talk about it. And it was that simple. But we, like, we were like, okay, so we need a mission statement. And we wrestled it down and we were like, it's women in the Word of God every day. Like, that is the thing that matters to us. And when we said Word of God, we meant scripture and just as much we meant Jesus because he is the Word of God. And so, I mean, it's just amazing that 13, almost 14 years ago now that we were like, that's our mission statement. And as we, like, I mean, you mentioned, like, we've this book that we published in September and the title of it, as we like, wrestled that down, we were like, while women in the Word of God. While women in the Word of God, every day has been our mission. The Bible is for you. Has been our heartbeat all along.
- [09:20]
Amanda Bible Williams
That's right.
- [09:21]
Rachel Myers
Like, as we have just like looked women in the eye for 13 years, we have just said, the Bible is for you and it's meant to be read.
- [09:28]
Madison Pruitt Trout
And that's just been the invitation that's so powerful. I. I literally started going through this and it was a. It was truly a Game changer for me. I think too specifically in you were talking about when you guys like started this ministry, being young moms. Because me entering into the season of momhood, right, it, it's crazy how much it shifted and changed my quiet time. And I was like, okay, I'm not in the coffee shop for countless hours or in my prayer closet for countless hours anymore. And maybe I get back to. I hope I get back to that and maybe that even, you know, there's moments and times for that even in this season. But you know, consistently every day, what does it look like for me to. Even if I can only fit in 20 minutes of just like really diving into scripture. And I think because my brain also is like so overstimulated all the time, I just was like, I'm tired of being like, what do I want to read today? What should I do today? Like, where do I start in the Bible? And this is someone who, like, I've been following Jesus for a really long time and I think there are a lot of people that can feel overstimulated in, in just life in general. Whether you're a young mom, whether you're, I mean, a 20 something, whether you're in school, high school, college, no matter where you are in life. Just the world we live in today is very overstimulating. It's overwhelming. And we even can look at the Bible and be like, I don't know where to start. I feel overwhelmed. I feel overstimulated. Like, how do I read the Bible? Where do I start in the Bible? How do I apply it to my life? And so I would love to kind of start talking practically about those things. But I'm just so thankful truly for this devotional because it's been like. And I'm not just saying this because I'm having you guys on the podcast. I mean, you guys sent this. I got sent this by you guys a few, I can't even remember how long. I guess September. And I started going through it and it really has. You can ask my husband. Like, it's been such a game changer for me. I sent it to my mother in law and I was like, you need to go through this. Like, it's been amazing. She got it for her friends. And so I'm just really, really thankful for this resource. And I do want to say to just anybody listening, like, this is an incredible resource. You guys have other amazing resources as well. I've also gone through your gospels resources that you guys have. And what I love so much is that you guys have, like, cross references in here of other. Like, if you're going through Romans and you take through a few passages of Romans, there's also, like, you know, other, you know, an Old Testament or a psalm, a First Corinthians, like, kind of cross reference. And there's lots of, like, fun space to take notes. And it's just like, Holy Spirit, take, speak. And that's what's been so nice, is I'm kind of going through this, and it's like, okay, this is what stands out to me. And because there's, like, all this extra space and it's not like my actual Bible, it feels like I'm like, okay, I can kind of, like, ride all over it. I can do, like, different colors and underline, and I do that in my Bible, too, honestly. But this has just been really. So I just wanted to say that. That I'm really grateful for this resource and really do want to say, like, those of you listening and watching, this is great as we're starting a new year, a great resource for you to just, like, dive deeper into the Word of God. And I. I would love to. To talk about, first and foremost, just, like, why is the Bible important today? And, like, why is it crucial for us to be in the Word of God daily?
- [12:45]
Amanda Bible Williams
That's good.
- [12:46]
Rachel Myers
I. Well, I just want to, like, stop and commend you. Like, I'm. I'm just so proud of you. Like, you, like, your. You know, the foundation that you've had in your young adulthood to seek the Lord has been beautiful. And. But, like, you got that since you've had a baby. And that book has different colors of ink in it, which means you sat down different day. Like, I just. Good job. Keep going. Like, I just want to say, keep going to you because, like, you're doing.
- [13:10]
Amanda Bible Williams
It, and you said really kind things about the design, and we do love the design of this book. But when you flip through it and show us all of that writing, I know that's beautiful. And that is, like, one of our favorite things. I mean, we had the privilege of. Of being, you know, editors of the she Reads Truth Bible, which has. There are, you know, a million copies in the world, and that's amazing. The best thing that someone shows us is when they're saying, look at this. Look at my Bible. I hadn't read it, and now look at it. And there are, like, tabs, and it's, like, kind of, like, bloated because it's been, like, open. Terrible words.
- [13:49]
Rachel Myers
But you're not Wrong. Yeah, I like it.
- [13:52]
Amanda Bible Williams
You know what I mean? Like, you can kind of picture it. You're like, oh, you might need to get, like, a rubber band or something to, like, help that stay close. But it is. It is so wonderful to see because what the. You know, the end goal. And this is in part to answer your question, the end goal of being women in the Word of God every day is not to check that box and to say, like, okay, I did the thing. Because the end of it is not just to know God's word or to know Scripture, it's to know God. Like, this is our engagement with the Bible is it is for a relationship with God, for the living and active Word with Jesus. And so that is why. Because any other book that I read, if it may impact me, and maybe I'll return to it at some point, you know, there are people who will say, like, oh, I try to read this book or that book, or once a year. For me, Scripture falls in a totally different category where I need it every day. And so our mission of women in the Word of God every day, we entered into that because that is how much we needed God's Word. And we did also feel that conviction of. I say, I believe that the Bible is true, but do I know what it says? And something that Rachel said then and still says now that I have also borrowed is like, does my life reflect what I say? Like, if I say that the Bible is God's word and the Bible is true, does my life reflect that meaning? Am I reading it and also, am I living out of it? Yeah.
- [15:37]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Amen.
- [15:38]
Amanda Bible Williams
And we can't do that if our Bibles stay closed. And so that. And also, as we have continued on 14 years almost down this road, the beauty of the invitation of Scripture has really. It has become more beautiful to me that that is also the, you know, I am invited. God invites me to know him. We serve a God who wants to be known. And that is unique.
- [16:09]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
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Amanda Bible Williams
In. In just the religions of the world, you know, the one true God, our God, knows us and wants to be known. And he has given us Scripture, His Word as a way for us to know Him. And so it really is relational.
- [16:31]
Rachel Myers
I love that you said relationship. Like, I think so often we make the mistake of looking at Scripture and thinking of it as a rule book.
- [16:38]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah.
- [16:38]
Rachel Myers
And that it's an invitation to relationship isn't just like a good turn of phrase. Like, it really is the true thing. Like, it is the truer thing. Like, I. I mean, we're talking like, we've had that, like, little history lesson a minute ago. And I'm thinking about my son who was five years old when she originally started. So he hadn't gone to kindergarten yet, and he's 19 now.
- [16:59]
Amanda Bible Williams
Wow.
- [17:00]
Rachel Myers
And he's in college. And to, like, think about that I got to be a woman in the word of God every day for the last 14 years of kindergarten to freshman year of college. And that now he's calling me and just going like, you know, this is. Is it okay that I'm like, I'm reading a spurgeon in Psalms book, but is it okay that it's not? Like, actually. And I was like, a buddy, I love your questions. I think you're doing so good. And, you know, asking questions about, like, you know, like, I get how to pray when I'm, like, alone in my dorm room. But, like, what does prayer look like when I'm just walking around, like, these questions that, like, just make me sit back and look at the faithfulness of God because he, for all of those years, saw his mom opening her Bible and, like, and reading it. And I. I think about having a two and a five year old at the time. And, like, one of the things that got me through those, like, crazy toddler seasons was I'm not going away to read, but to sit in the middle of the living room, have toys, puzzles, whatever that thing is. And rather than just quietly doing my own thing while they quietly do their own thing, I'm such a, like, verbal, like, audible processor. And so I would just read it out loud.
- [18:09]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [18:09]
Rachel Myers
And I remember, like, seeing my kids, like, playing on the coffee table, and I would just be reading Matthew, reading the stories, and they're hearing it. And so, like, I would encourage you.
- [18:18]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [18:18]
Rachel Myers
Even though your little one is little still, but just, like, to hear, like, the word of God coming from her mother's mouth.
- [18:24]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Oh, it's just beautiful. It's so powerful. And I love what you're saying because they. Kids are such a sponge and they're just, like, taking in what you're putting out. And that is something that I have noticed. Like, Hosanna's just constantly watching me and looking at me and turning to me to see my reaction for things and all the things. And something that I love is memorizing scripture and memorizing chunks of scripture by even, like, books of the Bible. And so, so often we're like, I'm practicing that with her. And so I'm just, like, speaking. You know, I've talked about on the Podcast memorizing the book of James and the book of First Peter. And so speaking that out loud with her and just like, she's just taking it in. It's so not only helpful for me to remember it. And I'm like, trying to teach her in a way. Like, I'm like, okay, this is, you know, we. We have a living hope. And what does that mean? And I'm like. I'm like, okay, just like, walking her through that as well as, like, trying to remember it myself. Hey, friends, it's Maddie. If you've read my new book, Dare to be True, I would love to hear what you think. Your reviews mean so much to me. They help more people discover the message and the heart behind this book. So if this book has encouraged you, challenged you, or remind to live with bold faith and honesty, would you just take a minute to leave a review? It truly makes such a difference. And if you haven't gotten my new book yet, Dare to Be True, you can go and find it anywhere books are sold. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey and for daring to be true right alongside me. Stay True Merch Drop. We got a new Stay True Merch collection, you guys. And this is my favorite collection yet. I am wearing the jersey from the Stay True Merch collection. And you guys, it is so amazing. It says Stay True on the front, stay free on the back. It's got John 8:32. It is the coolest jersey you've ever seen. But we have sweatshirts, we got T shirts. This is seriously my favorite collection yet. This is the perfect Christmas gift, birthday gift, New Year gift to yourself. You guys, you need to check out this new collection. I'm so excited about it. And you can go to statue podcast dot com. We'll also include the link to the exact merch landing page in the show notes. You guys gotta go and check it out. Let me know what you think. If you rep it, tag us. We want to see it. Go and check it out, you guys. But I. I loved at one thing you hinted at too, of just the importance of being in the Bible for ourself. Because I think we live in a time where so much of our understanding of scripture is secondhand revelation. It's from other people. It's from podcasts, which are great. It's from, you know, books, which are great. But are we in the Word of God ourselves?
- [21:09]
Rachel Myers
Thank you.
- [21:10]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Are we building a relationship with the Word ourselves? And I think that's why there is such a hunger for Teach me how to read the Bible. I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do because it's become so easy in today's world to just take it in all of this content and to rely on other people's revelation and other people's relationship and intimacy with God rather than cultivate that yourself. And that is such a danger because you can't replace, like, you can't have that. It's even the book of Revelation as one of the letters to the churches, one of the seven churches, like, don't lose your first love. You've got to have that intimate relationship. It can't just be about what other people think or feel like. What does that look like for you? And I love that your son is even asking those questions and trying to figure that out for himself. Because I had to learn that. I went to college and I was like, oh, it can't be my parents relationship with Jesus. It can't be my pastor's relationship or my friends. Like, it's got to be my own relationship with Jesus. And so for the person who feels overwhelmed by the word of God, doesn't know where to start, what would you guys say? Where do you start reading in your Bible? And how do you even go through it in a way that you can remember what it says and apply what it says to your life?
- [22:31]
Rachel Myers
I love that. I love that. You said you can't have secondhand revelation or just somebody else's. It really just has to be like we said, go into the primary source for yourself. I mean, you've been on our podcast. We have a Bible reading podcast. And at the end of every episode, almost not every, but just about everyone, we're like, hey, as a reminder, don't outsource your Bible reading to us. We've gone first. Now you go and do this for yourself. But to answer your question, like, how do we start? And, and truly, it just kind of goes back to like, as we got our feet under us as women in the word of God every day, like, we were just like, what would we need? What would help us? And, and really that is what we now do for a living. Like, we've given our lives to answering that very question. Like, if you're intimidated, if you don't know where to open your Bible, like, if you wake up today or if you, if you're watching this podcast right now and you're like, okay, yeah, my life doesn't reflect the thing I say. I believe, like, I'm not opening my Bible and I want to. But, like, okay, but then do I, like, go back to Genesis 1:1 and, like, start at the beginning and then just, like, plow through? Or, like, what do I do? And that's what we do. Like, we're women in the word of God every day. Which means today, this very day, women all over the world are reading from the Book of Acts right now. Like, we're all reading it together. When we're finished, like, we'll go into Lent because Lent is coming up. But, like, I would invite anybody who's watching who is just going, like, I want to read the Bible, but I don't know where or how to rely on somebody who's, like, been a little further down the road, has figured out what works not just for us, but for millions of women. And our approach is a lot of times we'll read books of the Bible, but just like in the devotional, every day, let's say you're in Acts, you're also going to get supporting scriptures. It's curated scripture. So before anybody with a human voice responds to the scripture, we let scripture interpret scripture, and we really thoughtfully curate that so that if you read with she reads truth for a year, you're not going to read the Bible in a year, but you will have read whole swaths of the Bible every day that year. And you're getting this, like, curated, thoughtful. Like, watching the way it all ties together really intentionally and beautifully. And then there's devotionals and things like that. But the important part is feeling like you don't have to guess knowing that you're not alone and knowing, you know, today I open my Bible and read it, and I do that same thing again tomorrow.
- [25:03]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah, the accountability piece is huge. Like, knowing you're not alone in it. I love that you spoke to that, because I've even seen that in memorizing Scripture. People like I've talked about on this podcast that, you know, go and memorize Scripture. It's so important. But even people asking, well, how do I do that? I don't know how to do that. Truly. If I didn't have accountability in it, I wouldn't do it, because it's just. It's hard. So I'm like.
- [25:24]
Rachel Myers
And no one would know, and no one would know. Right.
- [25:26]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Because I'm not held accountable to it.
- [25:27]
Rachel Myers
Wait, what's your accountability? I want to hear.
- [25:29]
Madison Pruitt Trout
So I just. I just have friends, and then I have, honestly, my team.
- [25:32]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
- [25:32]
Madison Pruitt Trout
I'm like, hey, guys, we're memorizing the Book of First Peter together. We're memorizing, you know, this James together. And. And we just have due dates. It's like, okay, by, you know, February 3rd, it's due this day. And it has just been such a game changer, I think, putting an actual, like, date on it of like, when it's due, but then having accountability because again, without it, it just would be really hard. And I think that's true for even reading your Bible every day. That's why I think for some people, truly, like, if you don't have that accountability, it's gonna be easy to just. Well, nobody knows if I read it or didn't read it. So, like, oh, well, I just. I missed, you know, I missed a day. And then all of a sudden it's like, oh, I've missed a week, I've missed a month. I haven't really opened up my Bible. And so I love that you guys, like, really speak to and bring people on this journey of doing it together. Have you seen that be a huge difference for people, this accountability piece of reading the word of God together?
- [26:27]
Amanda Bible Williams
Absolutely, yes. Because we need the accountability. I mean, I'm a person who needs accountability and a deadline. Otherwise it is not happening. And so I need that. But here's the thing. I think the community piece, it is so crucial for that, for getting on track, for staying on track. But if we don't read the Bible in community or, you know, we're reading alone and then we're processing in community, we are missing out on so much beauty and wisdom. Because I love to read God's Word. I love to make connections and see connections that exist in God's Word. And I love to deep dive in something that I'm, you know, really interested in or intrigued by. But if I don't come together with someone else and help, like, process that and also, like, see what you're learning. First of all, I. There's. We need accountability for the purpose of doing the thing. But then we also need accountability on how we're. How we're interpreting and processing. Because it's an old book and it was written to an audience thousands of years ago. And is it for us? Absolutely. We have a devotional called the Bible is for you. And I firmly believe that it is for us, but it was written to a primary audience. And so we do need help. We need help and helps. We need tools to dig deep. And one of those tools is the community of believers and the fellowship of believers. And so it is so fun to read the Bible in community. And I mean that. Yeah, like, it is so much fun when Rachel and I sit at the table with you or someone else, like another friend, someone we've never met. You know, we've had people on, I think, well, no, we had met you before you sat down the podcast with us. But sometimes someone will come to us through a mutual friend, and we'll sit down and the very first conversation we have is a conversation of reading God's Word together. And I just think that that's how God made us. We need that accountability and that community and those supports as we're reading through. And so it's both. It's read on your own and also with others. We need both of those things. And I think we see both of those modeled in scripture, like in the early church.
- [28:59]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah, I love that you spoke to both, because I do think there is. There should be that. Just how Jesus withdrew and would spend time connecting with the Father, but he also did life in context of community. He lived on mission, on purpose, with community. And so I think that is so important to touch on, because having that quiet time alone with the Lord, but also having accountability and processing through scriptures. Like, I even ask my husband, I oftentimes, because he knows the Bible so well, but. And has amazing mentors around him. You know, what. What did. What does this mean? You know, what do you think about this? Like, what? And then. And then sometimes he's like, I don't know, let's, like, look it up together. Let's talk to somebody else about this together. And then a lot of times he just knows the answer. And I'm like, praise God. And so that. But I found that to be really helpful or having, like, a friend group, having resources like this. I mean, it really is so helpful to have those tools and have those people to also process through things together, not just relying on other people, you know, kind of searching it out for yourself, which I would love to ask that question, because I know that for some people, they don't like to read, and some people have a really hard time. Like, school was never their thing, and they don't like reading books. They don't like reading the Bible. That's a really hard way for them to connect with God. It's like, oh, no, no. I'd rather just, like, listen to worship music or I'd rather. Why is it important for us to read the Bible every day? And what would you say to the person that has a really hard time reading? And what would be your encouragement of maybe how to approach reading the Scriptures? If that's Maybe not something that comes easily for someone.
- [30:37]
Rachel Myers
Yeah. A couple things, like, along that, like, one of them would be like, I heard you say, like, well, I'd rather do worship music than scripture. And like, to that I would go, no, no, no, no, no. Like, I really would, like, in like, care, I would say, I. I think there's such a beautiful time and a place for worship music. Often, like in response to what we've read or what the Lord is doing, like, all of those things. It's such a gift. But worship music isn't your authority.
- [31:04]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah.
- [31:05]
Rachel Myers
Worship music isn't the way the truth and the life. Like, that's. They. They help us respond to and praise and worship Jesus, but that's not how we know Him.
- [31:15]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [31:15]
Rachel Myers
And that's not like we have. And I, like, I think about. Because we've just had so many conversations about the privilege of living in a time and a place where we have access to scripture and our awareness, I think has probably actually increased about how many people, groups and languages don't have access to scripture. Whereas I think, you know, the recent surveys are going, oh yeah, the average American household has 3.5 Bibles or, you know, so. And I would just like, with like tears in my eyes go, don't. Don't starve yourself. Don't fast scripture when you are invited to feast. Like, there is an actual Bible famine, there is Bible poverty in the world, and we have a feast before us. Like, why would you fast when you confused? So like, that would be like, my first answer is just like. And then respond and worship and like do all of those things also. But I, my heart would break for the person who didn't know and, and really realize like the invitation.
- [32:22]
Amanda Bible Williams
Right.
- [32:22]
Rachel Myers
I. I was actually reading Acts this morning before work on, on my sofa. And there's this part and I like, I think it's. I was like in 13 to 17, so I was kind of in that zone. But there's this part where it like in a certain translation it says like, that we are like feeling toward God, like reaching toward, like looking for Him. And this, this, the heart of what the scripture said was just like. And little do we know how close he is, how near he is. Like that all we have to do is reach out and he is there. And like, there's just like this whole world of people who just won't reach out for him. And he is just right here. And so my invitation is just to go to him because he really like. And I can talk about being a woman in the word of God every day, like for most of my life. But also if today was the very first day that I opened the Bible, he's right there.
- [33:18]
Amanda Bible Williams
I am so excited for that person. Like, I think about that. That person who is like, you know, is daring to kind of start that journey. And I know I can feel it. I can like feel it in my body right now for them. And that it is, it can be intimidating and overwhelming. And also not just the thought of approaching this book that maybe we're not familiar with, but even in different seasons of life, like it sounds, you know, you so beautifully incorporating scripture reading into this life of having a young child. And there are moms who are like, oh, I don't know how to do that. Like, that sounds awesome. But like, how. And so they're overwhelmed by their circumstances. Or maybe you're in a really dark season. Whatever the case may be, there are a number of reasons that, that keep us from that, Rachel, that are like, that are feel like it's just these walls that are between us in the Bible. But I do think that the reality is that simple. It may not be easy, right? But it is that simple that it is available to us and we really can just start and is. I think in the time of like we've mentioned, we've kind of alluded to like this society, this time that we live in where everyone's an expert. And at the same time it feels like no one is right. And so to start something new, especially something that feels as weighty as reading the Bible. Or maybe you're even admitting, like, I don't know the Bible, but I've been following Jesus for a long time. I've been a Christian all my life, but I haven't actually read the Bible. And maybe we're embarrassed by that or there's shame attached to that, but there doesn't have to be because I think if we think about the posture of the Father toward us, I don't think that's of him, that shame or even that saying, like, you can't do that. You should be an expert ex. You know, you're not an expert. Or you know, look at so and so. They're so good at it. I think the Father wants us to just come to him.
- [35:27]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [35:28]
Rachel Myers
I also want to say to your other question, you were like, what if, like, what if we're not readers? Like, what if we like, that's just not our like, cup of tea or whatever. Can we all go back to the first century church? They nobody had 3.5 Bibles per household. How were they interacting with the Word? How were they interacting with the Old Testament? They were listening to it. That's awesome. Like, that was the way that the early church primarily learned the scriptures and knew them.
- [35:53]
Amanda Bible Williams
They would gather.
- [35:54]
Rachel Myers
I mean if you had high level access. Yeah. You got to go read a scroll. But not most many people, not most guys, and definitely not many girls.
- [36:03]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [36:04]
Rachel Myers
So like the, like the Bible is for you that, that extends all the way to audio Bibles. Like absolutely. That's one of my favorites. And I always doubled it. Like again, like where I was telling you, like, like when my kids were little, I would sit and read out loud because that would help me process and focus. I. If I'm not reading out loud because like if I'm alone or whatever, I will also just turn it on. Like this morning I was reading Acts. I was reading it and listening at the same time.
- [36:28]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yep.
- [36:29]
Rachel Myers
Like, it's so helpful.
- [36:30]
Amanda Bible Williams
Was your brain so happy?
- [36:31]
Rachel Myers
My brain was so happy. There was highlighters involved. I was just, I was. And then I was cross referencing because Acts quotes a lot of the Old Testament.
- [36:38]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [36:38]
Rachel Myers
Like find those connections. It's. God's word is so deep and so wide.
- [36:44]
Madison Pruitt Trout
It's so deep. And you could study it your entire Life and be 99 years old and still be absolutely born and learned and.
- [36:50]
Rachel Myers
Learned that very day.
- [36:51]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Things. That is the power because it's alive and active and it's literally the very words of God. It's. It doesn't matter if you're the smartest person in the entire world or someone that you feel like. I'm not a very good reader and I don't know the Bible at all. It really is. The Bible is for you wherever you are, whatever your, you know, IQ is. Like, I, and I would say it's, it's, it's really is a muscle. Like in the same way that, you know, they say memory, like you have to like work that muscle. I would say even in the same way, reading your Bible, studying your Bible, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it. I mean, as someone who grew up in a very strong Christian family, like I loved the word of God, but I was a very emotional reader. It was kind of like when I felt like reading, I would read the Bible and it was definitely the, like, what do I feel today? Let me just see where the Bible lands, you know, and it's like, let's see, what do you have for me, you know, and it would be like in Job and I'm like, I don't think that's what you have for me, Lord. Then I like, switch again. And I'm like, All right, Ephesians 03, 20. We like that. Okay, we're gonna believe that for today. And it was very out of context. It was very emotional, and there's no shame if anybody's listening to that. And that's been your story. That used to be my story. But I found so much more joy when I started, you know, practicing. Like, let me actually research the context. Let me actually, you know, just spend, like, you know, 20 minutes, even if it's just on three verses and taking those three verses and saying, okay, where is Jesus in this and what is he trying to say to me? And how can I then apply this to my life? And then maybe I want to take a second to pray it right now and pray it out loud and worship. I love that you were saying, take scripture and then begin to worship and begin to pray. God's promises over you, over your family, of your friends is one of my even favorite ways to, to connect. And I love of what you're saying, too. Of, of listening to it is also one of my favorite things to do. Just listening to scripture, and that was huge for me as I was preparing to go into labor. And even as I was laboring, I just, like, had scripture, like, playing, and I was like, yeah, you know, doing my breathing and just like scripture was, was playing. And it was so soothing. It was so peaceful. It was so encouraging to me and setting my, my eyes hope. And I, I, I found that to be really, really helpful. Stay true. Podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.
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Chris Gethard
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- [40:00]
Madison Pruitt Trout
And I love what you're saying because my husband and I were talking about this the other day, but man, I think that we in America treat God's Word with so much casualty. There's very little like fear of God. There's very little like true deep gratitude for the fact that we have access to the Word of God and that there are people in other parts of the world who do not have the Word of God translate like in their language and that there are people who can't afford or they, I mean, there are situations where people don't have access to the Word of God. And so many of us have multiple Bibles. We probably have 30 something Bibles in our house, you know, and a lot of them are she reads truth and he reads truth. But a lot of people, we just, we don't, I think oftentimes approach the Word of God with a reverence, with an acceptance, excitement, with a gratitude. What encouragement would you even give to those who maybe have been kind of treating it like it's just something I have to do. It's something I, I know I need to do, like, okay, I know I need to read my Bible, like, maybe I'll get to it, you know, and it's been seen a little bit more as a chore or a little bit more casually. How can we view the Word of God with such respect and with such gratitude and accept excitement if that hasn't been our story?
- [41:31]
Rachel Myers
I learned a phrase from Amanda, from my friend Amanda.
- [41:34]
Amanda Bible Williams
Oh, I think can't wait to hear which one.
- [41:37]
Rachel Myers
Amanda hasn't been in seminary, so I get to learn all sorts of like cool phrases from her. But one of the phrases that Amanda taught me and she learned was a range of faithful options. Oh, I love this. But, but there is, in Bible reading there's a range of faithful options and how to approach, approach that. And so like a really good example would be, well, and you know, we can get into like the genres and how we would read different genres. But let's just go. You mentioned Ephesians earlier, like Paul's letters. I think there's 13 of them. Most of those, like Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, they'll take you 9 minutes, 12 minutes, 15 tops to like, if you just read the letter as a letter. And so often we are going to like, you know, dig in and be like, I'm going to read this little section. Range of Faithful options. That's okay. Other range of faithful options is like, sit down and read that letter. Maybe read it out loud so you can hear what it must have been like to hear that letter as a whole. To take that full. That arc of messaging from the greeting all the way to the closing. And what's the problem and how are we solving it? And what difference is this gonna make to actually see it as a letter? And at the same time, I. And I'm gonna say range of faithful options, like, four more times. So. But like. But within that range, like, there is also meditating on a verse and going, like. I mean, I've shared with Amanda, like, one of the, like, core verses between my husband and I over the last year, year and a half has been Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. And we have it in shorthand with each other and longhand, where we will just look at each other. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Heart lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct our paths. Right.
- [43:23]
Amanda Bible Williams
That's right.
- [43:24]
Rachel Myers
And you can spend 15 minutes reading Galatians. You can spend 15 minutes reading those two verses.
- [43:31]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah.
- [43:31]
Rachel Myers
And, like, both of those are so meaningful and, like, delightful. And I'll say impactful. Right. I. I think about, like, just, like, all the different ways to approach scripture. And, like, I feel like you and I could just, like, go at all of the different ways and to really just, like, encourage the. The new scripture readers, the non scripture readers, and the longtime scripture readers to, like, just continue to delight in God's word, to find the different ways. And I mentioned genres earlier. Like, you are going to read, you know, a gospel narrative differently than you're going to read, you know, a letter or a prophecy book or something like that, or poetry or. Yeah. And there's, you know, revelation, apocalyptic literature. I was on vacation this summer and found myself, like, in bed for a morning. Like, I. Like, everybody was kind of doing their own things. It was lovely. And so I sat down to the book of Matthew and I just listened to it. Like, I hit it, and I just listened. And sometimes. And I'll say this, and it's embarrassing, but I've already told you embarrassing things before. We hit record. So we're like, we're friends. It's fine. But, like, I'll play a game on my phone. And I listened, Maddie, to the entire book of Matthew that morning. Like, from, like, the genealogy, genealogy, genealogy of Jesus, like, all the way to, like, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension. And I had never done that before. Like, I had never taken that full journey in one sitting through a gospel. And it was beautiful. And the way that my brain works, I just had to do something with the, like, the left side of my brain, while the right side of my brain or whichever side. And it was so meaningful and so special. Like, I could give you a hundred different ways to engage with scripture that are meaningful, profitable, and good. And I'll say one more thing, because I bet you have stuff to say, too. But the other thing that I would say, and we see this is it 2 Timothy 3. The word of God is effective for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. And so I do think, like you mentioned, like, when you were younger and you were like, I would go. And I didn't love that one. I'm gonna go find, you know, like, that journey that we take as younger Christians, newer to scripture, whatever that looks like. I would encourage a more seasoned Bible reader to regularly check in with yourself. When was the last time I was corrected by Scripture? When was the last time I was taught, rebuked? Because, like you said, if we're going to be able to learn things from scripture when we're 99, we are also going to need to be shaped to be more like Jesus when we're 99. Right. And so, like, today, I have to ask myself, okay, if I'm not. If I can't think of a time in the last week where scripture redirected me a little bit or outright rebuked me where I didn't feel conviction when I was in God's Word, then maybe I need to read a little bit more. Because I most certainly will feel that if I'm engaging.
- [46:38]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah. Yeah. It's all so good and it's so true. I think that, you know, for my personality type, even hearing parts of this that, like, oh, like, there are a range of faithful options, and sometimes we just want someone to say, just do this.
- [46:58]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
- [46:59]
Amanda Bible Williams
And I think that's okay. Like, that is partly why she reads. Truth exists, you know, so that we can be a destination for someone to go and say, I just want to read scripture today. And so we're like, come join us. We are reading the Bible today, any day, every day. And I think one thing that helps me when I become overwhelmed and I still, like, hear that I still become overwhelmed at the. All of it. Like, the beauty of Scripture, the goodness of it, the. The sheer volume of it, and that there is so much to learn and know. And what helps me is to Remember the Holy Spirit and to just imagine Jesus in the room with me. That's good. And so, you know, what do you have for me today, Lord? Is it to just sit down like you felt that nudge, to just listen, to just sit and be kind of let scripture wash over you? The entire book of Matthew that morning, Rachel, and that the Lord had something for you in that. And then there are times when, you know, I've actually also been reading Matthew and listening to Matthew, and I keep lately remembering, like, the Lord keeps bringing to mind the story of the rich young ruler. And that story, to be frank, it sometimes frustrates me as I don't really know what to do with it a lot of the time. And so I try to listen to that. Like, when I feel like the Holy Spirit is like, we're not done here. Go back and read it again. And I just try to remember that the Holy Spirit is not just like, oh, this is not just like a voice in my head. Like, this is Jesus. And if I feel like he is leading me toward a passage again, or toward a verse or toward. Or like saying, like, read swath. Just keep going, keep going, keep going. I just want to. I want to listen to that, and I want to obey that. And so I think it even goes back to the question, Maddie, of how do we rightly think about Scripture? Have we become too casual? And so when I think of Jesus holding out the words of eternal life, like the person of Jesus, it changes the way that I receive that gift, and it changes the way that I regard my Bible, my physical Bible in my hands, because it is from him and it is about him. And it is. I read it for the purpose of relationship with him. And so I think when we start to forget the person of Jesus in and before and behind what we are reading, then we have a. That becomes a problem.
- [50:04]
Rachel Myers
Then it feels more like a rule book than a relationship.
- [50:06]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah, it is. It's not a textbook. And if you know, it's also true what you've already said, that there are people that devote their whole lives. Okay, well, if it's true that there are people who devote their whole lives to reading the Bible, studying the Bible, rightly, like knowing and understanding Scripture, and yet they are still learning the day that they die, well, what does that mean for us right now, today? And I think. Think one thing is that, you know, it means that we just keep going, right? And it also means that perhaps exhausting the knowledge of Scripture isn't the point. Because the point is knowing God Yeah.
- [50:47]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Stay True podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com, progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.
- [51:08]
Amanda Bible Williams
And I think that it is by design that we cannot exhaust God's word, because if we could, we would stop coming to Him. And that's part of what I feel like the Lord is teaching me in that story that frustrates me about the rich young ruler. Is that, is it about wealth? Yes, but it's also about giving him the thing that we hold onto more than him, whatever it is. For the rich young ruler, it was wealth. But is it wisdom? Is it knowledge? Is it my family? Is it my work? Like, what is it that I am like scooching in between me and God and giving that to him too? And so Jesus says in that story, because the disciples throw up their hands and they're like, then how can anyone be saved? And Jesus is kind of like, that's kind of the point is like with man it's impossible, but with me, with Jesus, anything is possible. And so I think that is part of the exercise of, of opening our Bibles is that it is always going to feel like a bigger task than we can really achieve on our own.
- [52:26]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Right?
- [52:27]
Amanda Bible Williams
Ding, ding, ding.
- [52:29]
Madison Pruitt Trout
That's so true. You can't knowledge your way to it, you can't earn your way to it, you can't wealth your way to it. It's one of those things that it's like, that's why you see so many people who are really, really, really, really smart like sometimes have a hard time with the Bible because it's, they're trying to knowledge their way to it and like prove facts, science. And it's like it takes faith. It's the spirit you, there has to be in the veil has to be removed. There has to be eyes and lens of faith. You have to invite the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth to point you to the truth. And without that, I mean you're just trying to, it's just, it's. Yeah, you have to have that and that's right. I mean even for me, like in reading scripture, I, I've been reading the Bible for a really long time. I, we've been talking about it, but you get new revelations. It's the correcting, it's the rebuking, it's the encouraging, like there's days where I'm truly encouraged and I feel so loved. Like, Jesus is wrapping his arms around me.
- [53:28]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
- [53:28]
Madison Pruitt Trout
And then there's days where it's a little bit of a. Like, Maddie, whoa. What? No, you are. You are. You are choosing sin. You were. You were living a selfish life and trying to stamp my name on it. You were living your life, trying to control the narrative and yet saying you believe in me as God and, like, I'm Lord of your life, but you're trying to be lord of your life. There's a lot of those days where it is the correcting and rebuking, and other days where it's the training and the encouraging and. And that's the beauty of. Of Scripture. Like, that's the beauty of the Holy Spirit. And I love that you said, like, having that. Close your eyes, Holy Spirit, I'm inviting you into this. Will you please reveal to me? And I wanna see more of you. And I think so often we make everything about us, including our faith, including following God. It's like, especially in America, it's like, God, I'll serve you. I'll follow you if you do this for me. And even if we never say those words, a lot of times we feel that in our heart and we kind of Americanize Jesus and it's this like, no, I can live the American dream. I can do whatever I want, stamp God's name on it. And then, lord, I'm really mad at you and ticked off at you if I don't get what I want out of this and. And have a very selfish faith approach. And I think because of that, so often scripture isn't treated with the fear of God. So often scripture, we're only thinking about ourselves as we read it. And what would be yalls biggest encouragement of how to resist that temptation of making our relationship with. With Jesus all about us. Obviously, there's a role in. It is. It is a relationship. But even in reading scripture, like, there are things that Jesus wants to say that Jesus is saying to us, but how do we not make it all about us?
- [55:21]
Rachel Myers
Yeah.
- [55:21]
Amanda Bible Williams
Because it is really personal.
- [55:23]
Rachel Myers
Yeah. Yeah. I. I used to have this, like, word. I don't know why I used to. I still have this, like, thing that I used to share when I went to speak. And I would just. Just kind of like, I'd hold a Bible and I would say, a great number of us, and I would just, like, put it on the ground and be like, we are putting scripture under our feet. Under our feet, under our feet. To serve us. So that means that whatever we think is the most important because that's below us. So, like, whatever we think, we're looking to Scripture to support our idea that we've come up with. Let's now look for proof text for, like, make sure that you say that what I say is right. And then, you know, you take it up over your head and you go, or this is. This is the highest, best, right? And every thought I think and every way I live is informed and filtered through God's Word. And so this is my authority. This is my source of information. This is my way of knowing. And so instead of going, okay, well, this is what I think, and I'm going to find a scripture text to prove myself right? We're going, here's what God says. I'm going to align myself with that. Another way of saying that is like, that often we feel tempted to sort of conform scripture to us rather than reform us by His Word.
- [56:46]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Wow.
- [56:47]
Rachel Myers
And so I. I would just encourage us to constantly be asking, you know, like, am I expecting scripture to serve me or am I in joyful service to the word of God?
- [56:59]
Madison Pruitt Trout
That's good.
- [57:00]
Amanda Bible Williams
And something that we have learned and that we have. We have learned this alongside one another and alongside a community of women reading the Bible from all backgrounds, all, like, different traditions, different ages, different life stages. It is without fail, always better what God has. Like, I can form it in my image. Like, I can make this about me. But in there, the Bible is for us. It is for us. And it is so personal. My relationship with Jesus is the most personal thing about me. But if I make it about me instead of about him, it's the CS Lewis quote. You know, it's like, I'm settling for making mud pies when I'm offered a holiday at sea. Like, he's just so much better, and it's so much more beautiful. And we have been well trained in our culture and this time that we live in, to control as much as we can about anything we can, right? Like, just work real hard to control everything, even this, even our faith. But when we surrender, you use that word in the prayer before we started, when we surrender to him and we release our idea of the way that even our faith should be, and we see who Jesus really is and what he really has for us, that is the quickest way for me to forget myself is to look at him. And so I really think, again, turning to His Word daily, not because we should, but because we get to. And we'll just See that? He's so much better.
- [58:56]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah. It's so true. I mean, even this morning, I. One of my favorite ways to connect with Jesus is prayer. And I have just, since having hosanna, have had to really fight for my prayer life life, because it's just not come as natural. It's not come as delightful. It's not. I mean, truly. I mean, but what I've seen is, is that as soon as I start doing it, immediately that delight follows. Yeah, I feel so. You know, Scripture says in Matthew 5, 6, those who hunt, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. So many of us feel empty, but we're looking and turning to the wrong things to feel satisfied and wondering why we keep coming up short. And Jesus says in John 4 to the woman at the well, like, hey, you're gonna have to keep coming back to this well, but when you come to me like, I'm the living water and you will never thirst again, you will be satisfied with me. And I found that to be true in opening up my Bible, in spending time in prayer and spending time in worship and gratitude and thanksgiving. Sometimes it may even feel like a duty for a moment. But shortly after, I feel like I receive everything that I was made for. Because Psalm 16:11 says that in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy. And everything we were made for is from him and for Him. And so we can try to manipulate it and make it for us and about us, but there's not going to be that true soul satisfaction because God has put eternity on every man's heart. So we were made for his pleasure and for his purpose. And, you know, we can. Like you're saying, we can try and control the narrative and we can try and make it about us, but there is going to be something in our soul that still feels like, ah, this isn't right. There's still. I'm still hungering for something. But it is true, like scripture says, that it's really when you lose your life that you find true life. It's not trying to find it that you find it. It's. It's laying your life down and saying, I surrender. I submit to you. I die to myself. It's all about you, Jesus. And that's where true life is found. And that scripture of the young, rich ruler is. It is. It's. It's convicting and it's confusing and it's. And I think that's what's so beautiful about it, is there are some Things that are so black and white in scripture. And then there are other things where I feel like the Holy Spirit invites us on a journey to say, let's. Let's wrestle this out. Like, let's. Like, like, okay, Lord, is there anything in my life. I love you saying that. Of, like, asking that question of, like, is there anything that I'm holding tightly to right now? You know, we're starting a new year. Like, ask yourself that question. Is anything in 2025 that I've been holding on to that I need to let go of? You know, is it. Is it my body image? Is it, you know, my relationship status? Is it my following? Is it my purpose and calling? Is it whatever that is? Like, is there anything I'm holding on to so tight that I have not fully given to God and that I have an idol on my heart instead of serving God with all of my heart and worshiping him with all of my heart.
- [61:55]
Rachel Myers
Heart.
- [61:57]
Madison Pruitt Trout
As we. As we wrap up, I. I would love to even take this a tad bit of a different direction and just ask the question. Like, we live in a time where there's so much truth, quote unquote, out there, so many opinions out there, a rise of AI and all of these things that I do feel as though we're living in a time where so many people really don't know, like, what they can trust. And there's a lot of questions. It's like, okay, well, since there's so much out there, there's so much content out there, there's so many opinions out there, there's all these different religions, there's all these different, you know, interpretations. Like, what if I interpret scripture this way and they interpret it differently? I guess I would just say, like, how can we trust that scripture is true and the ultimate source of truth?
- [62:43]
Rachel Myers
Yeah, I mean, we could. Like, let's get into the context of the, like, the provenance of scripture and where it began. No, but, like, there are some great books on that, some experts on that as well. I'm trying to think how I want to answer that one thing, you know, I said sort of at the top of the episode about, you know, we were outsourcing our Bible reading to others. And I didn't use the example at the time, but, you know, I'll use the example now. You know, you said, like, to podcast, even, like, we have a Bible reading podcast. And even there, I think that I outsource actually a lot, lot to a lot of different things. And, you know, you mentioned AI, you know, like, I'LL let AI help me out with the, you know, this, that and the other. Like, plan this trip. Like, I don't want to. Like, you know, there are certain things where you're like, go. I would just encourage. And you may have a different answer. But, like, my encouragement is just like a white knuckling to the conviction and the belief that the Bible is for you. It is not for somebody else to read for you. You that that primary source. And, you know, we could, you know, there look into, you know, the providence of Scripture and how trustworthy it is. Like, how true and proven and indisputable the accuracy of Scripture is over time. If you've got a Bible in your household, I would encourage you to fight for the access that you currently have to it. Outsource everything else. Before you outsource that, go to the primary source and read it. Because words are twisted. Like I mentioned second Timothy, chapter four. Like, there's a part at the very end of chapter four, and this is Paul's last letter before he's martyred. And he's talking to Timothy, his like, son in the faith. And he's just like, people will twist words to, like, scratch their itching ears. Like they want to hear something new. They want to hear something for themselves. They will, like, bring up leaders for themselves to tell them what they want to hear. How true is that today?
- [64:55]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah, so true.
- [64:56]
Rachel Myers
Right? How true is that today? And has always been true. And like, more than ever, we have to fight for our own minds. We have to fight for really knowing for ourselves, not just being the gal that's like, I believe the Bible's my authority. And, like, I serve God and I serve Scripture. And, like, I'm in.
- [65:15]
Amanda Bible Williams
Okay.
- [65:17]
Rachel Myers
Know what it says? Like, be able to discern truth from a lie. And, you know, like Spurgeon, I think said, like, discernment isn't knowing the difference between right and wrong. Discernment is knowing the difference between right and almost right. And you see a lot of almost right right now. So true, right?
- [65:36]
Madison Pruitt Trout
Yeah.
- [65:37]
Rachel Myers
And you're gonna need discernment. You're gonna need that training that we've talked about. And so, like, fighting for our own minds is also fighting for our own souls.
- [65:46]
Madison Pruitt Trout
That's so good. Proverbs 14:12 also says that there is a way that appears to be right.
- [65:50]
Rachel Myers
There it is. Yeah.
- [65:51]
Madison Pruitt Trout
But in the end, it leads to death.
- [65:53]
Rachel Myers
That's right.
- [65:53]
Madison Pruitt Trout
There's a lot of almost right. I love the way you said that because it's so true. There is a way that appears to be right. And there is a path that is very broad that many are on. And I think what is so scary is in Matthew 7 when it talks about, lord, Lord, did we not do all of these things for you? And he is gonna look in the face. It says of many. It uses the word many and say, but I never knew you. You can't chatgpt your way to intimacy with Jesus. You have to be intimate with Jesus. You have to have that relationship with him yourself. And it is a relationship. And it is. Is not only a belief in a studying scripture, but then an obedience to it, a submission to it. Scripture doesn't just follow what you want. You follow Jesus and you follow what God's word Sundays. As James 1 says, don't just be a hearer of the word, be a doer of the word. And so I love that comparison of, like, there's right and there's almost right because it is true. That's a lot of, I think, the struggle of today and a lot of people using chat, GPT and AI as their intimacy with the Lord. And I think that are there things, are there times I use it to be, you know, a supporting tool? Sure. Like, hey, will you help me find a bunch of verses on friendship, a bunch of verses on anxiety? And then it's like, you can write those down. And then if you're struggling with anxiety, you can begin to pray those things over yourself. Or if you're struggling with finding good godly friends. Okay, these are verses I'm going to pray for to find these friends. Sure. Use it as a tool, but don't use it as a replacement as a substitution for the true source of truth.
- [67:32]
Amanda Bible Williams
Yeah, yeah, I would. My caution would be that to write it off as not true before you have encountered the Bible and the God of the Bible and the story of Jesus. I would say that you don't. You don't know what you're rejecting because you. And then that would be. My challenge is to. It's like Rachel said, to read it. To read it. And I think, you know, there are a lot of things that I trust as truth in my life based on experience or what someone that I trust in has told me or whatever. But I think when you say, you know, I think of the story of Jesus in front of Pilate and Pilate says, what is truth? What a great question. And I think I would say, okay, what. How do you define truth and what is true if what you are looking for is the rule of life and like, what is what Is this that we're doing? What is the meaning of life? Who are we? Who is God? Is there a God? If that is the truth that you're seeking, then I would just say that Jesus hasn't failed me yet, because the story of scripture is a God who has created us with intention and who has created us to be his people in his presence with him forever. And the story of scripture is how that is where. That is the trajectory of Scripture. Yeah. And that is where. That is where we are headed. And so I. I just. I more than wanting to say, like, this is how I would defend. This is true. I would just feel deep sorrow that someone is missing out on the truth of the Bible and the truth of God because it changes the way I look at everything else in my life and in the world. And so I would just challenge you to try to try that lens on and see. Just see. Yeah, just see what's there.
- [70:10]
Madison Pruitt Trout
So good. And I think that I can back that up too, with my own life experience. Of talks about in the Bible, the two different builders, one who, you know, the foolish builder who builds their life on the sand, and one who builds their life on the rock. And it says what happens in both scenarios? Well, storms come, life happens. And we know as anyone who has lived life for a long time, that there's going to be really hard times. Whether you follow Jesus or you don't follow Jesus, you're gonna experience hard times. You're gonna experience pain, sorrow, loss, heartbreak, doesn't matter. You're going to experience it. You can try and numb it. You can try and act like it's not there. You can try and escape it. It's going to happen because we live in a broken and sinful world. And so it gives these two different scenarios of the wise builder and the foolish builder. And it says, but one built their life on the sand. And so when the storms come, the house, house fell with a great crash. But the one who was wise and built their life on the rock, it was good. No matter when the storms came, no matter what, what came against the house, the house stood firm and the house stood tall because its life was built on the rock. And that's what I see to be true about the both of you. And that's what I've seen to be true for my own life is building my life on Jesus. Has life been hard? Yes. Have there been storms in life? Life, yes. Following Jesus doesn't mean wealth, prosperity, amazing rainbows and sunshine all the time. No, no, no. But when things Come. I have a foundation that's unshakable, and I have a hope that can't be taken. And I have an inheritance that is imperishable and unfading and undefiled. And that is the great hope for those of us who place our faith in Jesus Christ. And, yeah, and, and so there's. There's a lot there, but I just, I love that. It's like, I don't want you to miss out on that because life with Jesus is true life, and not just life here, but life eternal.
- [72:05]
Rachel Myers
And it's just.
- [72:06]
Madison Pruitt Trout
That's so good. I'm so grateful for this conversation. And I know everyone, you know, listening has been so encouraged wherever they're at on their faith journey. Whether you've been following Jesus for a long time and have been studying the word of God for a long time, there's always something new to learn. And, and you guys have so many incredible resources, and I would love for you to just really quickly share where people can find these resources. How you talked about right now, you're going through acts. How can people join in if they're like, yes, I want to join, how do I join? What do I do? Where do they go?
- [72:37]
Rachel Myers
What do they do? Great. Easiest place to join us is shereadstruth.com that is the very easiest if you want a reading guide. One of the best things that we do, apart from curating scripture and is putting it into beautiful packaging. Like we make these books where the scriptures all lined up. You've experienced them. You know, if you want to try a book shop, she readstruth.com Like Maddie said, we're in the book of Acts right now. We're about midway through. Pretty soon we're going to start Lent. And as a community, we're going to read the full book of Psalms for Lent, all 150 of them. It's going to be the most beautiful journey. We are so excited. And then Amanda and I, every Monday we release a podcast where we go first, we read everything that the community is going to read that week, and then we have a guest. Sometimes it's Maddie. And we talk about everything that we learned and the way that scripture is challenging and changing us. We ask questions that we don't know the answers to, and we sometimes leave them unanswered. But the point is that we wrestle with it together and invite our community to do the same. So we would invite you to join the Sheeri's Truth community. And so if you today decided after watching this, like, I want to be a Bible reader. I just want to start. Come and join us. There's also the she Reads Truth app. I forgot to mention that. Come and join us and read ACTS with us today. We would love for you to join us. I love that.
- [73:51]
Madison Pruitt Trout
That's so good. Well yay. Well, let's just all join because I love the Book of Acts. I'm like, come on, we all need more of the Holy Spirit. I'm like, we, we need that. So I. I'm excited for that and just excited for you guys to discover these resources for yourself. Please let me know if you guys start it and what you learned from it and what you guys took away from this episode. Also going to include your gu Instagram handle and also the website that she shared so that you guys can just go and click and check it out for yourself. But as always guys, be sure to stay you and stay true. We love you. Stay True Podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.
- [74:55]
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