Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:13 The's,
Speaker 1 00:00:13 Welcome to the Village Kids and Podcast 2022, the Adventure of Christmas.
Speaker 2 00:00:35 Welcome back to the Village Kids Advent Podcast. We are spending time this week as we prepared, hit up December 1st, talking about why are we studying Advent? How can I study the Bible daily? And so today's is gonna be a little bit different because we're devoting the entire day for looking at how do I practically incorporate studying the Bible in my daily life? And one of the things I want our students to be thinking is that this really is different for everyone's story. So I have gotten together a couple of my friends to share with you how they do it. And so what we're gonna do is I'm gonna have them introduce themselves and I hope you enjoy hearing their stories. My first friend of the day, I'm gonna let you introduce yourself. What is your first name? Connie. And Connie, what is your relationship to Village Kids?
Speaker 3 00:01:21 Village Kids contains my grandchildren, first of all, and my, you know, years ago before it was called Village Kids, it was my kids. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 00:01:30 <affirmative>. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So you have had a long history Yes. Right. Watching children grow up here at Village Church. And so I'm excited you are known as, um, Mimi in Soul's Language stands for a grandma. Right. And so, yes, indeed. Um, you're around the hallways, you have some village kids, grandkids, and you, um, are loving on other ones too. So I want our village kids just to be able to hear from you. I know you have a very, um, kind of like specific idea about how you have found it beneficial for you to study the Bible. So Connie, will you tell us what is your how look like
Speaker 3 00:02:02 My, how looks like on a daily basis? Um, my old leather chair mm-hmm. <affirmative> where, um, I've made it on purpose, made a plan mm-hmm. <affirmative> to go and sit there every morning to spend time in God's word and with the Lord. Um, it looks different a lot of times. Sometimes it's a Bible study, sometimes it's just, um, quiet. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, but it's been able to become something that is regular and, um, intentional. And I do it on purpose because I put a plan in place. It's my chair, it's my blanket on my chair. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And it's either a basket or a bag that contains all of my, um, study material or at least most of my study material and my Bible. So everything's in place. I don't really have an excuse or have to go hunt for things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's, um, right there at my fingertips.
Speaker 3 00:03:01 And, um, that's what I do on a daily basis. I've had to plan to get up earlier to do it. And, um, sometimes it requires a little less sleep, but my alarm clock goes off and I know I have to get up and do the things that are ipl, the, the plan for the day. It could be work, it could be coming to church, it could be doing whatever, but, um, my plan is to be up at least a half hour earlier before I have to even get ready for all those things so I can spend time in
Speaker 2 00:03:30 The word. So it sounds like you have, you've wanted this for your life, right? Yes. Where you're like, okay, there's a value for me studying God's word for reading the scripture for, like you said, sometimes it's just quiet and meditating on that or finding where the Lord is going to meet you, praying through that. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so I'm hearing you say that you have come up with a purpose, a plan, and a place. Exactly. Right. And so for you, it's been very helpful, it sounds like, to organize all of your materials right in your place to, it sounds like you've made a cozy, right. And something that you kind of like are drawn to mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so I think for our listeners, I would love for you to think about where is a place where I feel a little cozy mm-hmm. <affirmative> where I can keep my materials, whether it's my advent study Bible or study book, and my journal and my Bible. And I can kind of keep these so I know where they are. So I have a tendency sometimes to like try to switch around places and then I'm leaving everything everywhere. And then I'm like, oh my goodness, where's my pen? And so I do, I love hearing you talk about how actually we can kind of decide to not do that by keeping everything together in one place.
Speaker 3 00:04:30 Exactly.
Speaker 2 00:04:31 So I'd love our listeners to be thinking from Connie's story, right? Like, how can I create a purpose, what my purpose is to study God's word, especially during this time in Advent. How can I have a plan for when I'm gonna do that maybe in the morning when I get up, maybe before I go to bed, and how can I have a place where I'm gonna kind of keep things together and I'm going to organize that. So I'm just thankful, Connie, for you sharing us from your story, right? Like the Lord, how, where the Lord needs you and how he needs you. Any encouragement that you have for our village kids as they are opening up their Bibles and studying it during this advent season.
Speaker 3 00:05:04 Do it. Um, if you put these things in place that might help you, for some of you, that's organization is important mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, but do it because God's word is how we get to know God and what he wants for our life and how much he loves us. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So just
Speaker 2 00:05:21 Do it. Yep. And I'm excited for our village kids to continue to get to know God, right. And see those things in their story. So thank you so much, Connie, for joining us. We're gonna go over and head to our next guest. What is your name? Special guest. Avia. And what grade are you gonna be? Seventh. And who is the best mom ever? You <laugh>? She shrugged. And so I brought Ave on here today because I've seen, um, the Lord just do a work in her over the, the past couple years of engaging in the Advent podcast and the, um, student guide that we put out with it. And I wanted her to talk about how she has approached this time during Advent and anything that she would love to kind of share with our students. And so Avia, tell me a little bit. First let's just talk about why did God give us his word? Why are we studying this
Speaker 4 00:06:18 So we could get to know him and know how he saved us?
Speaker 2 00:06:22 And so when you are doing your Advent student journal and listening to the podcast, what does that look like for you? How have you done that?
Speaker 4 00:06:31 Well, at night I get in my bed, turn one small light on. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I get my colored erasable pens out.
Speaker 2 00:06:38 Those are pretty fun, huh?
Speaker 4 00:06:40 Yes. Yeah. And highlight mm-hmm. <affirmative> and take notes on the podcast.
Speaker 2 00:06:46 So you listen to the podcast on your Alexa, it plays it right off, um, for you. And as you listen to it, you're taking notes of things that people are saying. You're writing in different colors, you are underlining the scripture verse, right? That is on the page. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, what else? Why do you kind of sit a little bit in the dark? You have like kind of mood lighting going on in your bed there. What has that helped you to do?
Speaker 4 00:07:07 Focus. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 00:07:09 <affirmative> focus. Kind of like two, not distractions, right? Absolutely. When you are engaged in reading God's word every day, what has that done for you and for your story?
Speaker 4 00:07:21 It helps me to listen better and respect my authorities better.
Speaker 2 00:07:26 Oh, that's magic. And when you are reading God's word every day during this advent season, what do you see it doing in your own heart?
Speaker 4 00:07:33 It encourages me.
Speaker 2 00:07:35 Okay. And that encouragement, what does that feel like when you wake up in the morning? Like, are you continuing to think about the things you read the night before as you go to bed? Are you kind of thinking through them? Are you praying? How, how, how has that looked like?
Speaker 4 00:07:47 Well, I continue to think about it mm-hmm. <affirmative> and pray about it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and how it affected me so it can affect me more next time in a good way.
Speaker 2 00:07:57 Right. And like during the day, the next day. Right. Like seeing what that looks like mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so anything else you'd like to share with our listeners and how, what that's looked like for you? The how?
Speaker 4 00:08:07 Just that it's really a lot easier to focus mm-hmm. <affirmative> when you're by yourself with no distractions. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 00:08:13 <affirmative>. That's very true. And so I hope that our listeners are continuing to figure out in just this entire advent season, how is it that you can study the Bible daily, finding a place where it's cozy for you, finding a place where you can really process what's going on, finding a place to understand that reading God's word every day has an effect on our hearts. And so I'm gonna read today's scripture passage, which is James chapter four, verse eight, and it says this draw near to God and he will draw near to you. And that is just my hope is that our village kids, five, six and everyone from there on out is seeking to draw near to God during this time of advent to understand that this is, is a season of celebration and it's a season of preparation. And the biggest thing that we have to be preparing is our own hearts. So that we can begin to see Jesus for Tru who he truly is. And the fact that that is a beautiful Christmas story, but that that Christmas story isn't just something that lives in a book or in a movie or on our stage, but it's something that is really working in our own hearts to draw us near to God. And so my prayer is that we will each be drawing near to God during this season. Avi, would you mind closing us in prayer that we would just continue to pursue the how
Speaker 4 00:09:28 Dear Thank you for this day. I pray for everyone who listens to these podcasts that they can just focus and learn more about you. I pray that they can highlight things that are confusing or mm-hmm. <affirmative>, anything that they need to point out later on. I pray that they just focus on you more than anything. Amen.
Speaker 2 00:09:54 Amen. And can you close our, uh, podcast by wishing our listeners and Merry Christmas.
Speaker 4 00:09:58 Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2 00:09:59 Merry Merry Christmas. Our people will see.
