Have you ever wished you could sit down in a casual coffee shop with one of our authors and speakers and chat? We are so thankful for the amazing women of God we have the privilege of working with regularly. And while we can’t all gather in our favorite downtown coffee shop, we want to give you the opportunity to know them a little more personally.
Every other month we’re sharing a fresh “coffee chat” with a member of the Lifeway Women family to give you the opportunity to get to know her a little better.
This month, get to know Jada Edwards!
Tell us about your writing process. Any favorite pens, locales, teas to drink, and music to listen to?
My books usually come out of what I have taught during Bible studies or messages. When it comes to taking notes, I love art, so I take notes graphically by drawing images and words. I love using colored pens when writing and colored fonts when typing notes to organize my thoughts. I will typically have a big idea and then I will dive into a particular passage of Scripture to get more details about it.
What is one of your favorite travel destinations? Is there somewhere you haven’t been that is on your wish list?
I am a lover of beauty so anywhere beautiful will capture my attention. I love beaches, European destinations, historical places, and parks in the Northwest. Italy, Turkey, and Morocco are next on my travel bucket list.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Grow in self-awareness and always do work on yourself which is derived from Psalm 139:23-34. Make it your mission that others don’t know more about you than you know about yourself.
You have a new collaborative Bible study with Lifeway called When You Pray. Tell us a little about it.
It is a fabulous study that several authors have worked on to highlight specific prayers throughout Scripture. It is not just a how-to guide on how to pray, but it also covers examples in Scripture of powerful prayers. My section of the book covers Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3. It was a rich time of study because it gave us insight into how prayer can look different than just the Lord’s prayer. The context of prayer and how we can pray for others are topics that are discussed as well. My section was on intercessory prayer, and it has been a rich time to think about how often we pray for ourselves and not always as much for others.
As you worked on When You Pray, what were some new things you learned along the way?
I’d never read Ephesians 3:20 in this way. It is a pretty popular verse that I saw as a stand-alone declaration of God’s power and goodness. But in the context of Ephesians 3, Paul was praying for this young church, and he was asking for them to live new lives, to not be divided as Jews and Gentiles, and to go against all the things that the worldly culture could draw them into. It makes sense that he was reminding them of the exceeding power of God to equip them to do the impossible things that it seems like he’d just asked them to do.
Jada Edwards is a Bible teacher and discipler. She has committed
her life to equipping women of all ages, at all stages, with practical,
biblical truth to help them live authentic and transparent lives. Jada is
the author of several books, including The Captive Mind; Be Bold; and
Thirst, and she is a contributing author to World on Fire. She and her
husband Conway planted One Community Church in 2008, where she
currently serves as the creative services director and women’s director.
Jada and Conway are parents to Joah and Chloe, and they live in
Allen, Texas.
