1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Adams, 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 2: author of every Day Prayers for Love, Learning to Love God, others, 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 2: and even yourself. Each week we dive into meaningful conversations 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 2: about how to live out the greatest commandment, living God 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:19,639 Speaker 2: with all of our heart's soul, mind and strength, and 7 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 2: loving our neighbors as ourselves, whether through inspiring stories, practical wisdom, 8 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:26,319 Speaker 2: or a biblical truth. My hope is to encourage you 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 2: to love boldly, live faithfully, and reflect God's love in 10 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 2: your everyday life. Today, I'm delighted to welcome Randy and 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 2: Roseanne Phrasey to the show. Randy is a pastor, best 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 2: selling author, and the architect behind the Story and Believe 13 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 2: church engagement campaigns which have helped countless people understand Scripture 14 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 2: as one unified story of God's love and redemption. Roseanne 15 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 2: is a gifted Bible teacher and ministry leader with a 16 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: deep passion for helping people encounter God personally through his word. Together, 17 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 2: they are the authors of Encountering God's Love from Genesis 18 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 2: to Revelation, a fifty two week Bible study, a year 19 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 2: long journey through Scripture that helps readers see the Bible 20 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: through both the lower story, the human experience, and the 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,960 Speaker 2: upper story, God's divine perspective and redemptive plan. Well, Hello 22 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 2: Randy and Roseanne, and welcome to the Love Offering podcast. 23 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 2: I'm so happy to have you both. 24 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 3: Hi Rachel, thank for having us. 25 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, we're excited. 26 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: I know I gave the professional bio, but I would 27 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 2: love just to hear from you all you're about more 28 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 2: about you and your life and when you first encountered 29 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: God's love. 30 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: I'll go first. 31 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 4: I grew up in an unchurched home in Cleveland, Ohio, 32 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 4: and a neighbor two doors down that worked with my 33 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,759 Speaker 4: dad invited me and my younger sister to vacation Bible 34 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 4: School and it was an evening program. Three days later, 35 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 4: I became a follower of Jesus and I was mostly 36 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 4: smitten by the families in the church. I was a 37 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 4: sort of orphaned church boy, but I was really smitten, 38 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 4: particularly by the men in how they treated their wives, 39 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 4: how they treated their children. This is a very little 40 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 4: subtle different and since so pretty excited. Six months later, 41 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 4: a wonderful, brand new Italian family came to the church. 42 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 4: It wasn't a huge church, maybe about three hundred people, 43 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 4: and so when a brand new family with three girls 44 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 4: arrives in the youth group, that's pretty dugne exciting. And 45 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 4: in one of them was Roseanne, and so we started 46 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,399 Speaker 4: sitting together in church at the age of I was fifteen, 47 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 4: and now we have been married for forty five years, 48 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 4: and so Roseanne could kind of share her story. 49 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: Of faith and maybe about our kids. How about that. 50 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 3: Well, I was raised at a Christian home. My dad 51 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 3: was a grocer and got to work in his store. 52 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 3: Was my first job. And I remember God from the 53 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 3: time I was born. Was because I was raised in 54 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 3: the church. And when I was six, I just decided 55 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 3: that I wanted to become a Christian. And I was 56 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 3: a little bit unsure all my life whether that really 57 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 3: the way it happened. The pastor said when I went 58 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 3: down to accept Jesus, the pastor said, now you've accepted 59 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 3: Jesus in vacation Pable school. And I was in front 60 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 3: of the church, which was a very small church of 61 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 3: one hundred, but to a six year old that seemed 62 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 3: huge and was very intimidated, and I said yes, which 63 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 3: I had not. I had told my dad I wanted 64 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 3: to accept Jesus and this was my time. So I 65 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 3: wrestled for years with whether or not that was really 66 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 3: good enough. And so when I went away to college, 67 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 3: there was a speaker and he had mentioned at the 68 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 3: end of his talk that if you weren't sure, that 69 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 3: you could make sure. When I was about twenty, I 70 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 3: made sure. So that's when I feel like I really 71 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 3: started to encounter God's love and experience that he might 72 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 3: have a plan for me. So I had met Randy 73 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 3: and knew he was going into the ministry. Wasn't really 74 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 3: excited about going into ministry, but then I just really 75 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 3: liked him. Okay, let's try this. So we have and 76 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 3: it's been a great forty four years. And our kids 77 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 3: we have has blessed us with four children, one girl, 78 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 3: our oldest, and three boys, and our daughter who has 79 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 3: her family's here in San Antonio with us. And then 80 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 3: we have the three boys David well, our daughter's name 81 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 3: is Jennifer. And then we have our oldest boy, David, 82 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 3: who lives with his wife in DC, and they have 83 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 3: adopted three beautiful Bulgarian girls and they're all sisters and 84 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 3: we love them to pieces. We love our two grandkids here. 85 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 3: They're the highlight of our life right now. And then 86 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 3: we have a son who lives in Dallas with his wife, 87 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 3: and a son who's in Denver. So I have full 88 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 3: plate trying to everybody and see everybody when we can. 89 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 2: We all have been as we're recording, even today, you 90 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 2: all have just returned from Greece, and you were telling 91 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: me about all of your mini travels from state to 92 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: state and country to country. So after you all met, 93 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 2: did life start to look like as you started pastoring 94 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 2: churches and writing and what you're doing now? 95 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: As far as ministry goes. 96 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 4: Well, I am a very significant extrovert and so I 97 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 4: get charged up by people and a pretty hard driver. 98 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 4: So you know, in the first part of our marriage, 99 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 4: I mean right away, we were in college for ministry, 100 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 4: then went to seminary and we had our daughter in 101 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 4: the first year of my four year seminary program, and 102 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 4: we just ran really, really hard until I ran into 103 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 4: a major problem with insomnia at age thirty nine, and 104 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 4: that really caused us to really re evaluate the rhythms 105 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 4: of our life, the patterns of our life. And probably 106 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 4: the biggest thing we did, I mean, the most significant 107 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,799 Speaker 4: thing we did is we all members of the family 108 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 4: put our work down at six o'clock, and work was 109 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 4: put down at six o'clock, and we got deeply into 110 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 4: the art of sharing a meal together and with family 111 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 4: and friends. So since our daughter was eleven and now 112 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 4: she's forty one, we have really made it an art 113 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 4: to gather around the table and waste the evening away. 114 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 4: And believe it or not, when you do that, you 115 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 4: sleep better and your overall healthier in your relationships, and 116 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 4: as a result, you get more work done, you're more productive. 117 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 4: And so I think one of the keys to our 118 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 4: success in terms of all of the things that we've 119 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 4: done and the pace we've gone is we found godly 120 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 4: rhythms and relationship and that has really rejuvenated us. 121 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 3: It's been a life saber. Yeah for sure. Not that 122 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 3: I'm pussy. Randy went through that bout of insomnia. That 123 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 3: was pretty intense time that. Yeah, it brought us to 124 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 3: hear God's plan. I guess. 125 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 2: Yes, Well, it sounds like we're in that harried, hurried 126 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: space right now with kids and sports and work and 127 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: all the things. But that is something that we try 128 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 2: to do as well. And sometimes it looks like a 129 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 2: meal on the road from you know, and maybe it's 130 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 2: a hot dog at the baseball game, but sometimes even 131 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 2: that is fun. So I can't wait to continue today's 132 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,919 Speaker 2: conversation with you both. We're going to take a brief 133 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 2: break to hear word from today's sponsor, and when we 134 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 2: come back, we'll talk about how God's love unfolds from 135 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 2: Genesis to Revelation. 136 00:06:58,040 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 3: Welcome back. 137 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 2: I'm talking with Randy and Roseanne Frazy about encountering God's 138 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 2: love from Gennis to Revelation. And I told you all 139 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 2: before we hit record, this is the eighth season of 140 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 2: the Love Offering podcast. I've written a book about love. 141 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 2: I'm working on a Bible study on love. Love is 142 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 2: my favorite topic and so as soon as I saw 143 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 2: yr All's book come through my in box, I was 144 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 2: just so excited to have you all on. So I 145 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 2: think what's really significant about this book is it is 146 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 2: a fifty two week study and it is from genesister Revelation, 147 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 2: which I love. But I think so many of us, 148 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 2: me included, get a little bit intimidated by the Bible 149 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 2: and unsure how it all fits together. So what inspired 150 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 2: you all to create a study that helps readers see 151 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 2: scripture as one unified story rather than disconnected books and passages. 152 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 4: Well, I'll start Rachel and maybe bring out one aspect, 153 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 4: and then Roseanne can bring out another aspect of it 154 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 4: as well. But you know, for me as a pastor, 155 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 4: I realized that people in my church, churches that I've pastored, 156 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 4: really had a difficult time seeing the Bible as one 157 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 4: continuous love story. They really saw it as a bunch 158 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 4: of disconnected ancient stories that may have had some implication 159 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 4: to their life, but they never saw the one grand 160 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 4: love story that God was writing. That's partly because the 161 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 4: Bible is not organized in chronological order, but it's organized topically. 162 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 4: And so when a pastor just tells people to read 163 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 4: through the Bible in a year, and you read an 164 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 4: Old Testament and a New Testament and a Psalm, it 165 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 4: would be like reading your favorite novelist out of order. 166 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 4: You don't know what the story really is, and I 167 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 4: think people are really really confused. So we began a 168 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 4: journey of helping people see the one continuous story, only 169 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 4: discover that it isn't a line, but the narrative of 170 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 4: Scripture is a circle. It begins with God's passion to 171 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 4: come down in a garden to be with us, to 172 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 4: take walks with us in the cool of the day. 173 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 4: But that got lost. And so once we get to 174 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 4: Genesis chapter three, every story the Bible is getting us 175 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,599 Speaker 4: back into that garden again. So there's five movements to 176 00:08:56,679 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 4: the story. It begins in a garden and it ends 177 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 4: in a garden. So it is discovering, from Genesis to 178 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 4: Revelation the full extent that God has gone to get 179 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 4: us back. And many people think the Gospel begins in 180 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 4: the Book of Matthew, the first book of the Gospels, 181 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 4: but it really began before time. It really began right 182 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 4: when we fell. God began to pursue us. And I 183 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,840 Speaker 4: think when people see the extent that God has gone 184 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 4: to get us, and we do this through fifty two 185 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 4: chapters in chronological order, I think people realize the deep 186 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 4: love that God has had for you all along, and 187 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 4: it just changes everything about your relationship. You're not really 188 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 4: into legalism, doing things for the sake of doing it, 189 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 4: but you live your life as an expression of being 190 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 4: captivated by God's love for you. 191 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: That's one. 192 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 4: But as we were doing this study, you know, we 193 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 4: also discovered a concept that drives all the way through 194 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 4: the book and I think Roseanne can maybe share a 195 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 4: little bit about that, and you can decide if you 196 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 4: want to dive a little deeper. 197 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 3: Well, the concept we discovered was that while our lives 198 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 3: right here on earth are kind of a lower story, 199 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 3: as we call it, past the mashed potatoes, take the 200 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 3: kids to school, make their lunches, sports, come home, have dinner, 201 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 3: go to bed, and start all day over. That's like 202 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 3: and the and the stories in the Bible have a 203 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 3: have great lower story principles for us to learn from. 204 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 3: But what we discovered was God has an upper story 205 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 3: going on all the way through the Bible that really 206 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 3: shows his love for us, that how determined he is 207 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 3: to get us back into a relationship with him, and 208 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 3: that's his ultimate desire and ultimate goal through the whole Bible. 209 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 3: And so that was eye opening for me. You know, 210 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 3: as a pastor's wife, I struggled to read through the Bible. 211 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 3: You know, every year you try and then you get 212 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 3: into Leviticus and numbers and you're going really okay. But 213 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 3: once I captured the idea of the upper story going on, 214 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 3: that it changed my perspective in things that happen in 215 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 3: my everyday lower story life. Whereas if something bad happens 216 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 3: to me, you know, you kind of immediately go my gosh, 217 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 3: this is awful, and you can get depressed really easily. 218 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 3: But if you have the perspective that no matter what 219 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,559 Speaker 3: is going on in my life, God is faithful and 220 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 3: he has this upper plan. He loves me. He's promised 221 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 3: a good outcome overall for those who love Jesus. And 222 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 3: that doesn't mean my life today, but in the long 223 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 3: long term, God's got me, He's got me covered, and 224 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,599 Speaker 3: so it's really increased my faith in that is the 225 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 3: way has happened. 226 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: So yeah, we as we go through each of the fifty. 227 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 4: As we go through each of the fifty two weeks, 228 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 4: we uncover both the lower story but also the seamless 229 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 4: upper story that God is writing and how it takes 230 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 4: tragedy or he takes unexpected shifts turns, and he's working 231 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 4: it all together for the good. And it's really pretty 232 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 4: fascinating to see the Bible from that perspective. 233 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 3: Really, it even makes us look back on our life 234 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 3: and go, oh, my gosh, he was there when I 235 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 3: got pregnant, right at the first semester of Randy's graduate school, 236 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 3: and I was supposed to be the one working and 237 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 3: supporting us through that time. We're like, now, a baby, Okay, 238 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 3: this was not our idea, but we see that and 239 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 3: we look back on all the things that unfolded, including 240 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 3: our move across the city to a new area that 241 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 3: actually led us to go to the church that became 242 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 3: the first church that Randy pastored. Had we not had her, 243 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 3: we probably would have stayed where we were, and that 244 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 3: probably wouldn't have happened. So we're like, Okay, God, you 245 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 3: got us, You got us. 246 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, Well, it's a sovereignty. I love how you 247 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 2: have framed that and what a perspective that is, because 248 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 2: I think so many of us do get lost in 249 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 2: our everyday, mundane, routine lives and you're wonder how in 250 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 2: the world does any of this matter? And I think 251 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 2: you know, throughout scripture we see reoccurring themes and promises 252 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 2: and foreshadowing that always point to Jesus. So why do 253 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,199 Speaker 2: you think it's important for believers to recognize those connections 254 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 2: across the whole Bible instead of just the New Testament. 255 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 4: Well, man, it's extremely important because the Old Testament, all 256 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 4: of the stories of the Old Testament are pointing to 257 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 4: the first coming of Jesus, and it'll take your faith 258 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 4: to an entirely different level. You know, when Jesus is 259 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 4: on the cross and he says, my God, My God, 260 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 4: why have you forsaken me? Your listeners who are parents 261 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 4: are thinking, man, how did I end up being a 262 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 4: better parent than God? That he's turning his face away 263 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 4: from his son in his hour of need? Well, if 264 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 4: you understood the Old Testament, you would know that Jesus 265 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 4: is not saying the father turns his face from him. 266 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 4: He's basically quoting Psalm twenty two, which was a prophetic 267 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 4: passage of scripture, and he's basically teaching us that everything 268 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 4: that's happening to him on the cross was pre planned. 269 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 4: None of this is at the hands of the Romans 270 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 4: or the Jewish leaders. He is dying for your sins, 271 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 4: and he's basically he's basically engaging in a concept called ramesing. 272 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 4: It's a Rabbinic teaching method where he gives him the 273 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 4: first line of the Psalm and then they go in 274 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 4: and see all these prophetic things that have happened apparently today, David, 275 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 4: but they actually happened to Jesus, including having his nail 276 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 4: that nails in his hands and his feet, which never 277 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 4: happened to David. He's prophesying. And so then that psalm 278 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 4: finishes with he has done it, which is the. 279 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: Very last words that Jesus said. It is finished. In 280 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: the psalm. 281 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 4: It appears as though God has forsaken him in the 282 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 4: lower story, but the Psalm takes a turn. It says 283 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 4: he has not turned his face from me. So for 284 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 4: someone who just reads the New Testament, you're going to 285 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 4: think that God turned his face away from his son, 286 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 4: and he didn't do that. And the reason we know 287 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 4: he didn't do that is because we know the Old 288 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 4: Testament scriptures are a beautiful, beautiful ceiling of what God 289 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 4: is trying to teach us. 290 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 2: When I think about Jesus, the whole all of Scripture 291 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 2: is God's love letter to us and his sacrifice and 292 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 2: him always coming after us and pursuing us. And I 293 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 2: love that so much about the God that we serve. 294 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 2: And so I also love that your study. It helps 295 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 2: readers connect God's story to their own personal story. So 296 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 2: why do you think so many people struggle to believe 297 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 2: that their everyday lives matter in God's greater plan? You know, 298 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 2: it's one thing to say, Okay, I see God's love then, 299 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 2: but what about God's love to us? 300 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 3: I think that I always like to look at the 301 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 3: story of Esther, and you know, she's taken from her 302 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 3: home where she's already lost her parents, and she goes 303 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 3: to the palace knowing that she's never going back to 304 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 3: her life again, no matter if she's chosen or not. 305 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 3: And she is chosen, and she's placed there. And Mordecai says, 306 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 3: perhaps you're here for such a time as this, And 307 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 3: in Act seventeen, God tells us that we have been 308 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 3: placed where we live at this particular time, basically for 309 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 3: such a time as this. God has chosen the places 310 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 3: and the times that we live so that people around 311 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 3: us know that God is not very far away from him. 312 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 3: When I read that verse, it makes me realize that 313 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 3: every day I'm coming in contact with people that need Jesus, 314 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 3: and He can become his hands and feet can touch 315 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 3: them through me. So that's been really an amazing understanding 316 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 3: from me that God loves everybody so much that he 317 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 3: would put you in the particular house. Maybe you think 318 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 3: you chose your house for the granted countertops or the 319 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 3: bedroom closet that you will house all your shoes, but that, 320 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 3: in fact is just a God's blessing. But He's placed 321 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 3: you there for the people right around you, because he 322 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 3: loves them and he wants a relationship with them. And 323 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 3: the thing I love about Encountering God's Love is we 324 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 3: take you as you read each chapter about the stories 325 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 3: that you encounter. We take you through the lower story 326 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 3: of the person or people in the story. Then we 327 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 3: go to the upper story, what's really going on in 328 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 3: God's upper story. And then there's a section where we 329 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 3: take you through what's happening in my life in conjunction 330 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 3: with this story, and we try to get you to focus. 331 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 3: It's really an exercise in seeing your life in view 332 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 3: of God's upper story. So that's one of the things 333 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 3: I love about the Encountering God's Love. Do you. 334 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 2: Think that you need to start the study like in 335 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 2: January or it's okay to pick it up whenever you 336 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 2: want to. Yeah, it is just I'm even just thinking, okay, 337 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 2: we're getting ready to get on summer break. I've just 338 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,119 Speaker 2: finished encountering God Henry Blackabye we did that as a 339 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 2: church and thinking, okay, I don't have a study right now, 340 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:21,440 Speaker 2: and this might be the perfect one to pick up 341 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,679 Speaker 2: right now, even if it's in the middle of summer. 342 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 3: There are no dates on it. Yeah, you can roles, no. 343 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: Roles, no, No, it's great to do it in order. 344 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 4: I mean, you could skip around and do it, you know, 345 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 4: pick one chapter that really sticks out to you and 346 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 4: you'll get a lot out of it. But if you 347 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 4: do it in order, and you know, if you do 348 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:42,880 Speaker 4: it maybe with one or two other people meaning they're 349 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 4: doing it with you, that it creates a great conversation. 350 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:50,159 Speaker 4: There's really some just deep insights you won't get, you know, 351 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 4: from the average study that doesn't link everything all together. 352 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,719 Speaker 4: And some things will just just just surprise you when 353 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:59,919 Speaker 4: you see it all come together. And even as a 354 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 4: mature believer, Rachel, you know we're going to have, you know, 355 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:06,160 Speaker 4: fresh discoveries. 356 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: When it all comes together. So we hope you have fun. 357 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,439 Speaker 3: As anytime you read the Bible, that's right, it's constantly changing. 358 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 3: You've seen your things. There's just so much in there. 359 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 3: And you also the second time you read it, the 360 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,119 Speaker 3: third time you read it, you're not the same person 361 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 3: because Scott is working in you and changing you. 362 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,880 Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah, Well, I can't wait to continue today's conversation, 363 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 2: but we're going to take another brief break to hear 364 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 2: a word from today's sponsor, and when we come back, 365 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 2: we'll talk about how studying the Bible can deepen our 366 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 2: understanding of God's love. 367 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: Welcome back. 368 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,400 Speaker 2: I'm talking with Randy and Roseanne a phrasey about encountering 369 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 2: God's love from Genesis to Revelation. So today, for the 370 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 2: woman listening who feels spiritually disconnected or unsure where she 371 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 2: fits into God's story, what encouragement would you offer her today? 372 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 4: Well, as a guy, but as a pastor, I would 373 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 4: say that you do fit into God's story. And there 374 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 4: are many characters you go read and count on God's 375 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 4: love who didn't necessarily understand or see what God was doing. 376 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 4: We talk about Job, the deal cut in the Upper 377 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 4: Story between God and Satan, where he lost everything and 378 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:12,880 Speaker 4: at the end of the story gets set all back. 379 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 4: He was never told why the things happened to him 380 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,360 Speaker 4: the way they did. And yet you're going to see 381 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 4: many other characters who are going to discover what God 382 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 4: is doing in the Upper Story. For example, Joseph of 383 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 4: the Old Testament, He's sold down the river by his brothers, 384 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 4: and he's in prison. He's got all kinds of terrible 385 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 4: things happened to him, but at the end of the day, 386 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 4: he recognizes that he's there to save Israel, and that 387 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 4: in the Upper Story God placed him there and built 388 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,239 Speaker 4: him into the kind of person he needed to be 389 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 4: so he could hand the assignment that was in front 390 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 4: of him, so that twenty two years later, his brothers 391 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 4: come to Egypt looking for food and they bow down 392 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,879 Speaker 4: before him, which was the fulfillment of the dream he 393 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 4: had when he was just a teenager, and he was 394 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 4: able to forgive his brothers. What you meant for evil, 395 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,439 Speaker 4: God been for good. He was able to forgive his 396 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 4: brothers because he saw what God was doing in the 397 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 4: Upper Story. And I think for many people, you need 398 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 4: to trust that God's doing something grand, even in the 399 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,440 Speaker 4: midst of maybe where you don't see it, you don't 400 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 4: feel it, or life seems super mundane. God is up 401 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 4: to something in your life, and reading the scriptures is 402 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:23,719 Speaker 4: going to give you confident character after character after character 403 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 4: that there's not a single character that didn't experience this, 404 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 4: and therefore you are not alone and God is up 405 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,199 Speaker 4: to something, and so don't be discouraged, keep studying the 406 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 4: word of God, and keep pondering what good God is 407 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 4: up to. Roman to a twenty eight says that he's 408 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 4: going to promise to write a good story for your 409 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 4: life if you love him and you're called according to 410 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 4: his purpose, meaning that you align your life to what 411 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,680 Speaker 4: you know he wants you to be about, because you've 412 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 4: read the scriptures and you know where the story's going. 413 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:53,159 Speaker 4: If you give your life to that, he promises to 414 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 4: write a good story for you. 415 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 3: I think we have to remember we live in a 416 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 3: broken world. That bad things that happen. God is not 417 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:03,240 Speaker 3: causing them, He's not forcing them on us. We're living 418 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 3: out our choice in the garden to live in a 419 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 3: broken world. His desire is to love us and get 420 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,640 Speaker 3: us back with him. So, if you're a woman who's 421 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 3: in the desert right now and you feel like you're 422 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 3: struggling and you don't understand where God is coming from, 423 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 3: what's going on, one thing is remember that there is 424 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 3: an upper story going on. God gets the victory. He 425 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 3: has the victory, He's already won the victory, and so 426 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 3: you don't really you don't need to worry. You just 427 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 3: need to ask you for strength and courage to get 428 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 3: through the day. Nine times out of ten, in the 429 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 3: evening it looks so bad that the joy comes in 430 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 3: the morning. There is a tomorrow morning to remember that. 431 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 3: You remember that the things that happen in this world 432 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 3: are sometimes out of our control, and those of us 433 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 3: that feel like we're in control, we really aren't. We 434 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,880 Speaker 3: have the illusion of control, but God is the one 435 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 3: who's ultimately in control, and we have that assurance from him. 436 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,200 Speaker 3: He loves us and he will get us through what 437 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 3: we need to see today. 438 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 4: Rachel, if I could add one more thing real quickly, 439 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:06,919 Speaker 4: if you don't mind, and that is when you go 440 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,440 Speaker 4: through each chapter of the Encountering God's Love, what you 441 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 4: want to see is one of the patterns of God 442 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 4: is that he almost always selects the least likely candidate 443 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 4: to do his work. And so maybe some of the 444 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 4: listeners are feeling like they are not significant or they're 445 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 4: not qualified. Well, actually, this is the kind of person 446 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 4: God looks for to do his amazing work through ordinary people. 447 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 4: He puts the extra in the ordinary people. So you 448 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 4: may just have the perfect resume for God to do 449 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 4: some amazing things for you. The only characters that were 450 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 4: really qualified actually were to show us that it didn't 451 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 4: really work, know as a great example of that, and 452 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 4: some of the disciples that were the most qualified were 453 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,239 Speaker 4: the least effective in the Kingdom of God. And so 454 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 4: maybe that's what you needed to hear today, is that 455 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,400 Speaker 4: you feel maybe insignificant, you feel depressed because you feel 456 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 4: like your life doesn't really matter. You're the exact kind 457 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 4: of person that God is wanting and will use because 458 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 4: he loves you. 459 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 2: I just want to make sure and I think we have, 460 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 2: but that we're driving the point home that God is love. 461 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 2: So for the person that is just thinking, I don't 462 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,360 Speaker 2: even know this God and my life has been so terrible, 463 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,239 Speaker 2: there's no way that this God could love me, what 464 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 2: would you say to her today? 465 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 3: Little analogy that I like to use that came to 466 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,680 Speaker 3: me during one of the darkest periods in my life, 467 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 3: and it was I just felt like, what is going on. 468 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 3: I'm not qualified, I'm not good enough, I'm not strong enough. 469 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,400 Speaker 3: I don't have the courage to get through this. And 470 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 3: it was an attack on us that was unfeaded. But 471 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 3: we felt like God was not saying move on, he 472 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 3: was saying hold on. And so we did. We held women, 473 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 3: and He got us through it. But one of the 474 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 3: things that happened during my time is I read a 475 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 3: little book called Truffles from Heaven, and it was all 476 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,879 Speaker 3: about when things and bad things happen, we tend to 477 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 3: focus on our circumstances, our dark circumstances, and that's all 478 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 3: we can see. And that's where I was at. That's 479 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 3: exactly where I was at. And I had these four 480 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 3: women I'm going to call right now because they're very 481 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,440 Speaker 3: important in my life. They came to me and said, 482 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 3: we used to pray through every day. We're going to 483 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 3: show up at your house and we're going to pray 484 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,960 Speaker 3: with you through this season. And they did. And these 485 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 3: four ladies didn't know each other. They came to me individually, 486 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 3: and I felt like God had sent them. So I said, yes, 487 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,479 Speaker 3: let's do this. And I called them all and said, okay, 488 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 3: tomorrow at ten o'clock we can start. And we did 489 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 3: and we met for months, and then we slowed down 490 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,640 Speaker 3: and things got a little calmer, and we slowed down, 491 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,879 Speaker 3: and I realized that God was bringing blessings into my 492 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 3: life that I was missing because all I could see 493 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 3: were my dark circumstances. They were four of them. But 494 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,719 Speaker 3: sometimes it's just walking into a Starbucks and seeing they 495 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 3: have my favorite coffee brewing. My favorite ghost is the 496 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,399 Speaker 3: rest of the day, or my favorite ice baskin Robbins 497 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 3: is the you know, the flavor of the day. But 498 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 3: sometimes it's a friend called or texting me and just 499 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 3: saying I'm praying for you, and we underestimate how important 500 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 3: that is to people in our life. So I could 501 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 3: call these little truffles from heaven that when I'm looking 502 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 3: at my dark circumstances, Rachel, I miss, I don't even 503 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 3: see it. God's sending me little love notes along the way, 504 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,640 Speaker 3: and I'm missing them because I can't see anything except 505 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 3: the bad things that you're going on in my life. 506 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 3: Does that make sense. 507 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,400 Speaker 2: I love the little love notes and truffles and ice 508 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 2: cream and coffee. We've got a lot in common. 509 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 3: We should meet for coffee. 510 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,360 Speaker 4: Yes, there's a number of there's a number of chapters 511 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 4: in Encountering God's Love, which is just the scripture that 512 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 4: would help a person who feels like this. So I 513 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 4: have three that come to mind, but I'll just mention one. 514 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,879 Speaker 4: And you probably have seen this, Rachel, But in the 515 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 4: Genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one, there's all of 516 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 4: these generations and every time it mentions men, but only 517 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 4: four times tis as it mentioned women. And these four 518 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 4: women were broken women. These four women were outsiders, these 519 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 4: four women. So you've got Rahab the Harlot, You've got 520 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 4: Ruth who was a moabab Moabi. You've got Taymar you 521 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 4: know who. Wow, that's an amazing story if you haven't 522 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 4: heard about that story. And so you've got these women 523 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,639 Speaker 4: that are noted. And God is going out of his 524 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 4: way to only mention four women in the Genealogy of Jesus, 525 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 4: and all of them were broken outsiders. And he's basically 526 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 4: screaming to your listener today, if he did that for 527 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 4: those women, he wants to do that for you. 528 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 2: You know. Now, I'm going to be the one to 529 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 2: cry because I have been focusing. I have been studying 530 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,879 Speaker 2: those women for the last year, and I just spoke 531 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,719 Speaker 2: at two different events this past weekend on those exact 532 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 2: women and how if he can use their broken lives 533 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 2: and weave it into God's redemptive plan, he certainly can 534 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 2: do that with ours as well. So, Gosh, I just 535 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 2: love the Lord so much. He is so kind and 536 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,919 Speaker 2: so good, and to confirm things in our hearts at 537 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 2: just the right time, it just makes me giddy with excitement. 538 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 2: And so I've just loved today so much. I always 539 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 2: end the episode with is there a biblical concept of 540 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 2: love that you think applies to this topic? Which, of 541 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 2: course have talked about it all day. So as we 542 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 2: start to wrap up, is there anything else that we've 543 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:27,199 Speaker 2: not necessarily hit on that you just feel like you 544 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:29,159 Speaker 2: really want to share with the listeners today, I'll go 545 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 2: for it. 546 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, go ahead, No, you go, No, don't you jump? 547 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 3: I love and have loved for a long time. First 548 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 3: John four eighteen. Perfect love casts out fear, and that 549 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 3: verse to me tells us God loves us perfectly, and 550 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 3: he's the only one that loves us perfectly. We can 551 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 3: just remember that and rest in that that when things 552 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:54,120 Speaker 3: are broken in our life, there is a God who 553 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,679 Speaker 3: loves us perfectly. Our husband can't love us perfectly. We 554 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,560 Speaker 3: can't love him perfectly. We can love our children, but 555 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,479 Speaker 3: we can't even do that perfectly as strong as that 556 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 3: bond is. But God covers some God covers the multitude 557 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 3: sins with his love and I think that's just precious 558 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:14,359 Speaker 3: to my heart. So that's one of that is my 559 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:15,719 Speaker 3: favorite verse in the Bible. 560 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 4: You know one I got ten, So but I want 561 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 4: to talk about, you know, the concept of acid in 562 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 4: the Bible, which is loving kindness. The root word for 563 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,240 Speaker 4: that is the root word for stork, and it's giving 564 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,120 Speaker 4: us an image. The stork is a bird that deeply 565 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 4: loves their own even into adulthood. And the kind of 566 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 4: love that God has for us, that loving kindness is 567 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 4: the same kind of love. And I would say another 568 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 4: one is in the same concept, when Boaz puts the 569 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 4: blanket over over Ruth when she sat at his feet, 570 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 4: is the same Hebrew word for wing. And so that 571 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 4: God will use people in your life to be a 572 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 4: wing that covers you. So be mindful of the people 573 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 4: that are seeking to love you as an extension of 574 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 4: God's has said his loving kindness to you. 575 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 1: What a beautiful picture. 576 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 2: Now you mentioning like your favorite love Bible verse, and 577 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 2: you had ten. But I was studying there was a 578 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 2: friend of mine that was really struggling to realize God's 579 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 2: love for her, and so I purchased her a Bible 580 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 2: and I started to highlight all the times that it 581 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 2: talks about God's love and scripture, and they're I think 582 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 2: oaks hundred and ninety six times. Maybe you're depending on 583 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 2: which version you're reading, and I thought, you know what, 584 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 2: it's hard to choose one because our God loves us 585 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 2: so much and it is all throughout his word, and 586 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 2: so I would just encourage everybody listening to grab your Bible, 587 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 2: highlight all those times that it talks about His love 588 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 2: for you and you will start to believe it, and 589 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 2: then also grab this study because I think that that 590 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 2: will infuse in your heart to realize how beloved you 591 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,200 Speaker 2: already are as well. Yes, yeah, well, I know we've 592 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 2: talked about love this whole time, so we're going to 593 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 2: finish strong. What is something you are loving right now? 594 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,959 Speaker 3: We are loving our grandkids, I can't deny that. And 595 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 3: our kids are awesome. They're they're all doing really well 596 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 3: right now and we're grateful for that. But then our 597 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 3: grand kids are just the highlight of our life. We're 598 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 3: loving that. You know, God has brought so many good 599 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 3: friends into our life and the blessing of just being 600 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 3: able to write and hopefully impact people understanding people's understanding 601 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,360 Speaker 3: of God's love. It's been such a huge blessing. 602 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, you know, a lot of people have 603 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 4: started gratitude journals, and I think that's really really important. 604 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 4: I journal about four times a week, just a page, 605 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 4: and I include gratitude in it. You know, neuroscientists tell 606 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 4: us that it's impossible to be grateful and fear at 607 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 4: the same time, and so I'm just you know, really 608 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 4: taking the time to be grateful for the things in 609 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 4: my life, to really put at baye the fear that emerges. 610 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 4: And I think another thing for me I'm really loving 611 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 4: right now is as Rosanna and I have gotten older, 612 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 4: you know, might think to yourself or some of your 613 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 4: older listeners that He's done with me. I'm just really 614 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 4: excited about all of the opportunities that God is bringing 615 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 4: us to make a difference in people's lives. Of some 616 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 4: of them are really big ideas, but a lot of 617 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 4: them are little, tiny, small encounters with people that I'm 618 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 4: just really grateful to God. We want, you know, Paul 619 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,720 Speaker 4: says he's being poured out like a libation, you know, 620 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 4: and that's basically like an entire bottle of wine that 621 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 4: was poured over the offering to create a sweeter Roman 622 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 4: to God. And Paul said, I don't want one drop 623 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 4: left in my bottle when I go to see Jesus. 624 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 4: And so that's where Rosanna and I are pursuing, not 625 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 4: you know, exhausting, but we don't want to have anything 626 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 4: left in being able to show God's love that he 627 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 4: first showed us. 628 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 2: I'm thankful for your All's ministry and I want to 629 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 2: stay connected with you. I'm sure listeners are going to 630 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 2: want to, so tell us how we can best do that. 631 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 4: Probably the best place to go is Randyfrazy dot com 632 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 4: and that'll have all of our books. Rasanna and I've 633 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:55,720 Speaker 4: done three together, and it will have all the things 634 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:57,959 Speaker 4: that we're doing. And you can sign up for our 635 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 4: email newsletter, which we don't bombard p with, but every 636 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,080 Speaker 4: now and again we'll tell people about where we're going 637 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 4: to be or what we're doing, and that you can 638 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 4: purchase this book on wherever books are sold, but you 639 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 4: can also get it from our website as well. 640 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 2: We will put that in the show notes. That would 641 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 2: one of you pray for us as we close today. 642 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 3: Lee, Father, I just pray right now that you will 643 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 3: be with everyone listening to this podcast and that you 644 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,240 Speaker 3: will help them to feel your comfort and your peace 645 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 3: no matter what their circumstances are. Father, I pray that 646 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 3: your love will prevail in their life, Lord, and that 647 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 3: they will know how much you want to be in 648 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 3: a relationship with them, and that you will be there 649 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 3: no matter what and what. We look to revelation and 650 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 3: the things you have planned for us in the future, 651 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 3: and it excites us and we just want to remind 652 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 3: each other about the future that we have with you 653 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 3: for all eternity. But I just pray that you will 654 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 3: keep that flame of your love in our hearts, that 655 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,480 Speaker 3: we might not only become closer to you, Lord, but 656 00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 3: we will use that flame in our hearts of your 657 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 3: love to reach out to others and let them know 658 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 3: how much you love them. 659 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 2: Lord. 660 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 3: I pray for Rachel and all she's doing with her podcast. 661 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 3: Would you just bless her efforts Father and let her 662 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 3: succeed in reaching people with the love of Christ And Lord, 663 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 3: I just ask this all in your precious and holy 664 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 3: Son's name. 665 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 2: Amen. Amen, Amen, I'm glad you mentioned that in your prayer. 666 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 2: You know, it's not just about realizing God's love for us, 667 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:26,960 Speaker 2: it's going and sharing and spreading that love so they 668 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 2: get to know the giver of love himself as well. 669 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 2: So you all, thank you so much. Just an honored 670 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 2: to get to talk with you today, and I just 671 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 2: appreciate you encouraging us to continue to encounter God's love. 672 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: Thank you so much. 673 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 3: Thanks all, I have a great day. 674 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,479 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to the Love Offering Podcast. 675 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 2: I hope today's conversation encouraged you to love God, love others, 676 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 2: and even love yourself with greater grace and intention. If 677 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 2: you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend 678 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 2: and leaver of you. It helps others find the show 679 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 2: and spreads the message of love even further. To connect 680 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 2: with me, visit me on my website Adams dot com, 681 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 2: where you can download the Love Offering Calendar, a free 682 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 2: resource filled with simple daily ways to love those around you. 683 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 2: Be sure to pick up a copy of Encountering God's 684 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:13,279 Speaker 2: Love from Genesis to Revelation by Randy and Roseannefrasy. A 685 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,880 Speaker 2: special thank you to Life Audio for supporting this podcast 686 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,040 Speaker 2: and making it possible to fund more great podcast visitlifeaudio 687 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 2: dot com. Thanks again for joining us today and until 688 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 2: next time, let's make our lives an offering of love.