In Any Event | Q&A With Lifeway Women Live Simulcast Speakers

If the Lifeway Women Live Simulcast isn’t on your radar, clear your calendar for April 17 because it is something you do not want to miss! Plus, if you already have plans (or you want to watch and rewatch sessions later), you get unlimited access to all the content until June 17, 2021! You can expect a day filled with Bible teaching, worship, fun, prayer, and more as women just like you come together to know Christ deeper.

Join us for a full day of powerful teaching from authors like Lisa Harper, Jackie Hill Perry, Kelly Minter, Ruth Chou Simons, Jamie Ivey, Kristi McLelland, and more. Plus worship with Austin Stone and special guests Point of Grace.

Want to get to know them a little better first? Here’s a fun Q&A with the women we’ll be studying with this spring:

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Embrace the Bible as God’s STORY. Approach it to enjoy it. Trust God to work it into your soul like yeast into dough.
It’s FOOD from God’s right hand to nourish, encourage, and mature you. Posture in approaching the Bible has everything to do with what you will get from it. 

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Isaiah 25:6-8 

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
I’d talk about how the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is called the “Parable of the Running Father” in the Middle East and has a completely different meaning (much better meaning) than what we usually think when we read it as western people.

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Find a friend to read with. Make a plan and ask each other about it every week.  

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Romans 5:3-5 

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
How to create a schedule to get four kids to all their activities during the week and still feed them dinner and have a date night with your husband. 

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Read something every day. Even if it’s a sentence, read it and pray through it and meditate on it throughout the day.

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Jude 1:24-25

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
The holiness of God.

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Find a plan that suits you and commit to it. Have a friend commit with you which will help you stick to it. And when I say “plan,” I mean any Bible study that will give you structure and lead you along a path that keeps you regularly accountable.

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Colossians 1:15-20 

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
The therapeutic nature of gardening!

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Ask yourself as you read: “What does this tell me about God, and how does it fit in His overall story of redemption?”

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Philippians 4:4-8

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
You don’t have to be blooming to be growing.

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Pray for new revelation and be curious.

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Psalm 119:14

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
I’d talk about the way our childhoods affect our lives in the present day and how we can dig back to pieces that would change the way we approach life, relationships, and God.

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
I’d encourage them to become really intentional about carving out time every single day to saturate themselves in this epic love story called the Bible. And to guard that sacred space as if their life depends on it! I once heard a pastor use the phraseology “divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually,”¹ and I still use those distinctives to frame how to engage with God through His Word. My goal is to “divert” from my other responsibilities and commitments so as to marinate in Scripture at least thirty minutes every day; “withdraw” from everything else to commune with God through His Word for at least several hours once or twice every week; then I commit one weekend every year to take a vacation with Jesus alone somewhere in order to lean fully into His embrace, engrave His promises on my heart, and listen to His Spirit with my undivided attention for an extended period of uninterrupted time.

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Psalm 139; Song of Songs 4:9; and Isaiah 62:3-5 

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover? 
I’d focus on the redemptive movement within a healthy, orthodox hermeneutic—how from the beginning to the end, God’s Word reveals that our Creator Redeemer has always been in the process of mitigating evil, restoring the inherent dignity of imago Dei, and pointing us toward the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. In other words, the Bible is not a rule book or a collection of morality tales, but at its core is a LOVE STORY! My second topic would probably be something along the lines of how driving a John Deere tractor can meet deep emotional needs in single, middle-aged women—but that one’s not quite as well developed yet.

What’s one tip you’d give someone wanting to dive into God’s Word more consistently and deeply this year?
Denise: I would say to ask the Lord to give you a desire to yearn for His Word. And then just put it on your schedule like it’s a hair appointment that you won’t miss!

Shelley: I would say it’s helpful to become your own “heart monitor.” When you do this consistently throughout the day, your need for God and His Word becomes very apparent, leading you back to the Bible more often and more consistently. 

Leigh: Point of Grace has a dear friend who says, “the Bible is the GREAT manuscript for life!” What a fabulous statement! Oftentimes when recognizing this truth, our desire to read it and gain more insight tends to follow. For those wanting to dive in deeper and be more consistent in reading the Bible, I would suggest being willing to open yourself up to God’s presence. Ask God to speak to you and to reveal Himself through His Word. Then read the passage or passages (along with a study guide or study Bible). Allow yourself time to reflect on the Scriptures. I like to just sit still and listen as God speaks to my heart. I found journaling those particular insights from my reading enhances that depth of Scripture. Application only brings Scripture to life for us. The Bible wasn’t written for just that time period but also for us in the here and now. Now, this can be done alone, within a Bible study group, or BOTH. Lifeway offers many tools in order to accomplish this desire. The key is being consistent yet offering yourself grace those days you may miss. I end with this: when we study the Bible, it helps us think biblically, and that is a tremendous way to live life!

What’s your favorite verse/passage you’ve memorized?
Denise: John 16:33

Shelley: Romans 8:28

Leigh: Isaiah 1:18 

You have five minutes to prepare a TED Talk. What topic will you cover?
Denise: Being a sports mom—what to do and what not to do. 

Shelley: My topic would be “What Your Kids Must Know Before They Leave the Nest.” Spoiler alert: the story of Jesus.

Leigh: GRACE. I’ve received God’s grace each day in every capacity imaginable: as a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor. I’ve also experienced God’s grace extended to me through the unconditional love of my family. The moral of the story is: when you’ve received GRACE, it’s so much easier to extend GRACE to others!

Who are you excited to see at Lifeway Women Live? Click here to learn more about Lifeway Women Live and register to join us!

1. Rick Warren, “How to Last in Ministry,” Pastors.com, June  27, 2017, accessed March 2, 2021, https://pastors.com/how-to-last-in-ministry/.