Episode 81: Sharing Our Testimony

The word “testimony” feels a little daunting, doesn’t it? The Bible is clear—we are supposed to tell others about what God has done in our lives, but to wrap it up in a tidy story feels more than a little intimidating. What does God want us to share? Our whole life story? Our darkest moments? The day we got baptized? What if we don’t really have a major, life-changing event? Tune in this week as Lisa welcomes repeat guest and author Andi Rispens on the pod to talk about why we need to share our testimonies, how we can identify what our testimony actually is, and practical tips for sharing it in our everyday lives. 

Links:

Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt

https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Fluency-Speaking-Truths-Everyday/dp/1433546035

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Hello and welcome to the Her Solid Ground Podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Bonema, and I can't wait to dig into God's truth with you today. Let's get grounded. I am so excited for today's conversation, listeners. It is a pleasure to have a repeat guest on here. She is an author, a speaker, a Bible teacher, and honestly one of my favorite humans on the planet, Andy Rispens. Welcome back to the podcast. Well, hey, glad to be here. And I and I don't know if everyone remembers or not, but Andy actually was on not too long ago. She was on episode 62, Bench Prayers. And she, if you want to go back and listen, you definitely should. She did a phenomenal teaching on prayer and just how we can build an honest prayer life with God. And one that's not only stronger and more consistent, but one that we can actually enjoy.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Yes, a favorite topic of mine.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Yeah, it was a game changer for me for sure. This whole idea of bench prayers. And I've had so many people from our church come up to me about bench prayers. Even my daughters, like I had a bench prayer with God today. So it's sticking, my friend. It's sticking.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Love it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Okay, so that actually prayer in general, that particular episode was more of like a dig into that vertical relationship we have with the Lord, right? That like just with Him. But so today I wanted to bring you on and talk about more of like a horizontal aspect of our faith walk. You know, what it looks like to live within the community of God and actually how we can share our faith and tools to do that, because you know, we are called to share our testimonies. But I think something about that word like testimony, it just feels like daunting, maybe a little loaded.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Do you think so? Oh, I think it's definitely scary. I I, you know, if you say the word testimony to somebody, it it feels like, okay, now I have to tell my the entire life story and relive everything I've ever done, all the bad, some of the good, but mainly the bad. And then you're worried that you're gonna say the wrong thing, or you're going to represent God incorrectly, or that they're gonna make fun of you or judge you for something you said, or and it's just it's overwhelming.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

You know what it is, and I actually have to say, I lived this out with Allie, the confession. We tried to record an episode, we actually did record an episode for each of us to share our testimonies, and we struggled through those episodes because it was like, where do we start? And even like after they were recorded, neither one of us walked away feeling good about them because we didn't really feel like we got to the heart of the matter until after we babbled on for hours. So those actually ended up on the cutting room floor, and we just never published them. But I don't think that necessarily that's the answer either. Like going silent is not really what we should do. Like there has to be a better way, right? Because we are called to share our testimonies.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Well, it's it's it's an important thing, and and it's not just important because we feel like we're supposed to do it. It's it's number one, it gives purpose to the pain. So if God rescued you from a life of sin and literally saved your soul and you keep quiet about it, then you're missing this opportunity for God to build his kingdom through you. So in essence, you're robbing him of his glory, the glory that belongs to him. But secondly, scripture quite often commands it. Uh, the great commission is given to the disciples to to go and make disciples and to tell your test, to tell your story, to tell the gospel message. And even in Philippians 1.5, Paul talks about their his partnership with the Philippians in sharing the gospel and that that the Great Commission and that partnership carry on today to the big church sea, you know, the big sea church. Um, so that carries on. So we still have that responsibility. So not only are we supposed to do it, it's it's it's a responsibility and it and it gives God the glory that belongs to him.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Yeah, and I don't think we should take it lightly that it's a command. Right. You know, I mean, it's not a suggestion, but I don't think that this is something we often go around doing. Like, I just don't think that's true. I know in my own life for that matter. So, why do you think that's the case? Like, what what holds us back? I mean, I know so many of us deeply love the Lord and we do want to obey him. Of course, but what is it about us and our humanness that holds us back?

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Oh, so many things, right? It's okay, tell your testimony. It's it's it's an overwhelming thing. It's like, where do I start? What is considered a testimony? I mean, is it the day I got saved? Is it when I fell on my face 10 years later and God had to bring me back? Is it last week when I fell into the grips of sin again? Is it, you know, it's like when when does the testimony start? Yeah. When does it stop? Is it ever over? And for me, I I think it comes back to the reliving all of the things. So it's it's reliving the shame I felt before when I was not living a life in Christ and the guilt and the regret. And it's just where I get hung up personally. Um, when someone first asked me to tell my testimony, I felt like I had to tell every detail and relive it all. And it was just, in essence, it just wasn't necessary.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Yeah, I think you're right. I think there's probably an element of pride there for sure that we're really worried about what other people think about us. I mean, I think probably that was a little bit of mine and Allie's struggle was like, how much do we want to share, you know, like in such a public way. Is it necessary to the story? Well, it's part of my story, but like I've also been alive for 48 years, so there's a lot to tell, you know? So yeah, I do think what others think of us is a big part of it.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Oh, yeah. And well, I like to go to the Apostle Paul for this one. He's he's where I go for a lot of things. But um, I I think of the Apostle Paul because if anyone had a shameful reason to keep quiet about the things he'd done, it's Paul. I mean, the guy persecuted Christians just for being Christians, and and so when he came to faith, uh things changed for him, and he had quite a testimony to tell, and he and he did. But his his story is about as shameful as it gets, but uh him keeping it to himself just didn't promote the gospel, so he wasn't interested in that. His identity had changed, his purpose had changed. If you look at um Galatians 1, 10, this is this is kind of what echoes in my brain when when I get to this topic. And he says, For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I still trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. And then he doubles down on it a few verses later when he's talking about how God revealed his son to him. So when he came to faith, when Paul himself came to faith in Christ by God's grace, in order that he might preach among the got Gentiles, he says, I did not immediately consult with anyone. So God calls him to preach, and he's like, I did not call on my best friends and ask if it was a good idea. He was not concerned with all the people down here. His focus and his purpose was solely God's purpose and God's will and God's plan for his life. And it's like that's a humbling thing. It is, it is like his his identity changed, so his purpose changed. And yeah, I mean, if you just it's just funny to me because if you think about all of us, like we just want to have purpose in life. If you lose your purpose, it's it's hard to get up in the morning. But but I mean, we're we're we're God designed us in such a way that we were made to have that purpose, and it it's just about living his purpose and and and making that switch in our brains.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Yeah, because I think back to like the pride element of it all. It's like, and even just hearing you share those those words of Paul's, it's like he was so grateful for God saving him, that he out of that gratitude, he was just like running off and telling everybody, like, I this is my offering to you, Lord. Thank you. And I think sometimes we can actually get really numb or take for granted our salvation. And that if we're hesitant to share a testimony that might be a little bit of a red flag that maybe we've um disconnected from that a little bit. Like we've just kind of like, oh, I'm saved, saved by grace, I'm good. And it's it's almost like, well, I don't, I think God wants more for us than that. He wants us to take that salvation and then use that as a way to share it with others, you know, like we can't just keep it to ourselves and we can get a little lazy in that.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Oh, I I think we're I think we're expected to do more. And I and I it's not as hard as it as it sounds. I mean, Paul did it, he didn't, he didn't care. He didn't care that I mean he he was walking in the freedom that a lot of us just aren't willing to admit that we have. Like we have that freedom in Christ, like he paid the debt for all our sin. We're not carrying that anymore, so why not talk about it? But it it can just feel intimidating and hard and all those things. So, uh, to answer your question, I think there are two reasons that we don't share. I think we don't share because we don't know where to start and where to go. And I also think we're nervous about what others might think of what we have to say. Yeah, yeah, well said.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

That is, I think that is very, very true. So then I guess the question is like, how do we do this practically then, right? Like if okay, we we've we've talked about why we need to do it, why God asked us to do it, why we probably don't do it. So now it's like, okay, all right, I accept the challenge. I want to do it, but what is it, what does it look like? I mean, God, like I said before, like 48 years, God's been working in my life for a while. So where do I even start? Like, how do I define what my actual testimony is? So let's maybe that's where we should start. Like, Andy, how do you define what a testimony is?

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Well, I don't I don't like to complicate it. I, you know, a testimony, if you look at it from a strictly definition perspective, um, you know, it's just uh an account of the events that happened. And talking about 48 years of accounts and events that happens, it's like, well, where do you start? Well, it's it all you're doing is saying what happened, but I think it it helps to have a framework and have a place to go. So I that's what I like to, I think one of the main things I want to talk about today is something I like to call the low light reel, which is kind of a a silly way to say it, but um, I mean, we all know what a highlight reel is. You know, you look at all the the highest points in a game or in in this case in a life, like the highlight reel of your life medium. If you wrote out that all the highest events in your life, like you could go there, you could go through all of that. But when it comes to telling your testimony, I think naturally we go to the lowest parts of our life because that's when we see God working a little easier because it's just more obvious because you know, our attention was there. So what I think is effective is to look at this, the events of our life. So what I did was I I drew out literally a line and had all these markers along those lines and went to all those darkest places of my life. The the places where, you know, I I could say, like, I grew up this way and I moved around a lot, and and maybe you can relate to that. And and my dad was a pastor, and maybe you can relate to that, and all these different things, all these parts of my life are important, but the lowest points are when I want to focus in on the fact that God did something there and he redeemed me and restored me, and my life is different afterwards. So instead of thinking about all these the lowest points of my life as something I I feel guilt and shame over, what I want to do is look at those points in my life and say, I can look at those and see what God did. And then when I'm talking to somebody else, I can relate to what they're saying because I've been in a similar situation and I see what God did and redeemed me and how my life is different now. And so I can share that restoration. So this this low light reel is effective only if you know what to do with that. Otherwise, it just seems kind of depressing to look about all the lowest points of your life. But if you really look at it from the standpoint of what Christ did, then it can be one of the most healing things ever. And you can go back and and relate those to other people in your life, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Okay, so it's not like we're creating some sort of speech that we give to people over and over again, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Like you're saying. There there's a difference between telling your testimony in front of a hundred people, um, and there's a difference between telling your testimony on a daily basis. So if you're gonna stand in front of a group of a hundred people, like you're gonna tell events that happen in your life, but the point there is just to make Jesus the star of the show. Like the star of my life should not be me and the terrible things that have happened to me. It should be Jesus and what he did to re redeem and restore me in all those situations.

SPEAKER_02 13:44

Yeah, I think you told that to me. I think we were talking one time just in general about testimonies, and you had said that your pastor said that, that your testimony is when you are not the star of the show anymore, right? Right. Because I think that's what I tripped both myself and even Allie up when we were trying to create this. Like, where do we like at what point do we start?

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Well, that's the difference between a low light reel and a testimony. It's it's taking this low light reel and all the things that happen and adding that redemption and restoration to it and letting Jesus win and and and showcasing what he did and letting and then you're introducing. See, there's a difference between just connecting to someone and telling them, yeah, I was beat up in high school too. I get it. Like I've connected them to me, but I've done nothing to connect them to the savior. So it's it's presenting, it's connecting to them, but then presenting Jesus as their savior just like he was my savior.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Yeah, that's an interesting my mindset we have to have going in because I think going back to that hesitation that we have, it's because we feel responsible now. If we're sharing our testimony and we don't get it right, then Jesus can't do anything in this person's life, which just saying that out loud is insane, right? Like we know that that's silly. Like that's we're not that powerful. No. And and God can use it all. And if we're just pointing them to him, we can't get it wrong.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

But if we're pointing them to us and it's all about us, and you know, we're trying to be relatable by telling them our worst moments, then then yeah, then we can fail. And we can we can in some way like I've I've made it about it's almost like a gossip session about myself, as opposed to like about God and what he has, the goodness he has done in my life. So I do think there's like a mindset we have to go into it with is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Certainly, it's just it's it's what is it, what is my story accomplishing in their lives?

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

So is my low light real gonna accomplish anything? No, but if I know what to do with it, yeah, then it accomplishes something. If Jesus becomes the redeemer and the savior, then he can be that for them. Otherwise, it's just me, and I can't do anything to save their soul. Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

And we have to remember that sometimes I think we can get so far in our walk that we do somehow think that we do get that like savior complex a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Well, I mean, it's the self-obsessed nature of the world we live in. It's it's it's easy to go there. It's easy to make it all about me. Yeah. It just it it it is, it's our natural um tendency, but it that's why we have to make the effort to try. That's why we have to make the effort to showcase that redemption.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

Okay, so if I'm sitting with someone and um I'm trying to share my testimony, like what do I do? Like, how do I find that common ground or how do I know like where to start that conversation?

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Right, you don't, you don't know you but what that's why we have to ask questions. And I think that is the the key answer, the very simple solution is if I'm having a conversation with someone over coffee or at a baseball game or something, it's not about me starting at the beginning and telling everything that's happened. It's it's having a conversation and asking them questions. Because if they're gonna tell you their story and they're gonna tell you uh a, you know, a pain point in their life, then I can say, oh, I know where to draw from because there was a point in my life where I can see that there was a time that I felt um depressed, or there's a time where I felt a huge loss in my life, and I can tell that story of how Jesus redeemed and restored me in that situation, whether or not it's perfectly relatable to their situation, or not, I can go, I can hear their pain point and meet their pain point with how Jesus restored one of mine. That's good. But we have to ask those questions and let them talk.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Yeah, we listen, ask questions and listen and let the spirit lead you. Right. That does take courage though. I mean, it definitely does take courage because I can think of several times where I've had conversations with people and I felt the tap tap tap tap like here's your in.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

And sometimes I was obedient and took the chance, and sometimes I did not.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

And so then that's just the choice we have to make, you know? Like it's vulnerable.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Yeah. It's not easy. It's vulnerable and it takes patience and it takes listening to someone and and stopping your day and having the time and and making the time and all of those things. So it's not, it's not like this is the easiest thing on planet Earth, but this is there, there is there's a way to do it in in a way that doesn't make you feel like you're gonna say everything wrong.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

Yeah, and it's like you look at okay, what's the worst thing that can happen if they don't receive what I'm saying well? Well, then it just you don't you don't talk about that with them anymore. But if they do receive it well, right, I mean, it leads them to Jesus and their salvation, possibly. You know, like you look at the cost there and it's like, is it worth the risk? It for sure is. Right. You know, and that goes back to your Galatians first. Like, who am I trying to please?

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Yeah, it's it it seems hard, but it's really not that complicated if if we really take a step back and say, what am I trying to accomplish here? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Okay, so I I feel like this is all sounds awesome, and I'm like, let's go. But it does still somehow feel a little overwhelming to me. So you have like this framework that you follow that you have found super helpful. So can you kind of unpack that for us, explain it to us a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Of course, of course. So my friend Julia introduced me to this gospel fluency, and I'm not gonna get it's a whole book, it's a whole study. The author um is Jeff Vanderselt. So if you want to put that in the show notes, yeah, I will link that for sure. Absolutely. Um, there's this framework that he gives us, and it and it gives us a uh the it's the arc of the Bible. So if you look, if you think of these four words, creation, fall, redemption, new creation, that this is this is the framework he goes through. And if we follow that when we're talking about these points in our life, it's such an effective measure. So if you if you start from the beginning, creation, what is your identity in? So he starts at Genesis 127 that God created all things and God created mankind in his image. So we start there. We start with identity and creation, then we move on to the problem. Well, what's the problem? The fall in Genesis 3. Sin. So sin enters the world through Adam, and now all mankind is born into sin. Then we move on to the solution. Well, we have redemption. John 3 16, God says sends his son Jesus to earth as a man to live, die, and rise for us. And so what is our motivation going forward? Well, we are this new creation. So Ephesians 2, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, God's saved people are awaiting Jesus' return to make all things right. So a new kingdom is both here and awaits us. So this isn't just a reminder of to us how scripture flows. This is a framework how we can point others to Christ through what he's done in our lives and what he's doing in theirs. And the Bible sets it for us. This is all, all these scriptures point out to this pattern that is in scripture for us. So we're all made in God's image. We're all trying to work out our salvation through these four like movements in our life. So only through Christ will they ever be fulfilled, but we can we can use this as a framework for talking about our faith and in all those different points in our low light reel, so to speak.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Yeah, that makes sense. So it's taking the arc of the gospel or the rhythm or the pattern of we see play out in the gospel, and then seeing how God continually is doing that in our lives and making sure if that's our framework and our testimony, then it is making Jesus the star of the show because it was like, this is who I was before. And when I brought invited Jesus into it, this is who I am after. See what he did, not what I did. Yeah. Good or bad. Right. Okay. So, like, tell us how this would play out in a normal like conversation or in in the framework of or an example.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

So I I'm gonna I'm gonna go to something that we haven't talked about before, and that's say motherhood. Okay. Okay. So um I I'm gonna I'm gonna use a a a random person. Let's call her, let's call her Tina. So Tina feels like she is so fortunate that she's been able to stay at home with her kids uh for the last 25 years, right? The last one leaves home and she has just confided in me that um she's feeling increasingly depressed and doesn't know what her purpose is now and she doesn't know what to do with her time. Well, as I'm sitting across from her, I can look at the situation and say, okay, all right, creation fall, redemption, new creation. Okay. Well, what has she been finding her identity in? And just mental note for myself. Well, she's been finding her identity and being a mom. We we all do this without realizing it. We a hundred percent do it. She's been finding her identity and being a mom. And then so what is her problem? Well, her problem is that that's not working out for her because there's something missing there that she's she she isn't finding her identity in Christ, and and and so she's she's come away from um her relationship with God in that way. And so then has her identity or what she put her trust in failed her? I asked that question, okay. Yeah, it's it's failing her because she's not feeling what what she should be right now, she's not connected to her savior, she is feeling that her identity is lost essentially. Well, then I go to what does redemption look like for her? What is what it what is in store for her? Where does that restoration come from? What will make this right for her? And then I can relate to something in my life so I can think of man, there's been a time where I found my identity in motherhood or or being a wife or or whatever the case may be. And then what is that new hope and confidence? What should that be found in? And that should be found in Christ. So what can I relate to her from something that's happened to me and and gone through those four steps? How can I relate that to her? But also how can I just pour into her from scripture and and and show her that just to reveal that to her. Hey, you know, I I get that your identity is has been being a mom, but you know what? You're also a daughter of the king, and you have so much worth and so much value. And, you know, God has something new for you in this chapter. Just like, man, I can tell you a few years ago when I was feeling this and this happened, and I started to recognize that I was in a new season, and God really restored me from that identity crisis that I was facing.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

Yeah, that's so good. I think you're right. I think a lot of times when we are struggling, it's usually an identity crisis. Like we're forgetting that our identity is in Jesus and what he has done for us. Right. That we are gonna fail at motherhood, we are gonna fail at our jobs, we are gonna fail in our marriage. And so it's just that reminder of, yeah, that's the that's the gospel. Like Jesus died to cover all of that.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

And and he has redeemed you, and you are a new creation in him. And this does not define you. What Jesus did on the cross defines you, and it's just a good reminder for yourself and also the per, you know, to encourage the person across from you.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

Yeah, it this is just how this is how Jesus has been discipling us our entire lives. Yeah. So it's kind of cool to look back and see what he's done and also what he's doing going forward, and just to remind those that we're talking to, you know, we can tell our testimony to fellow Christians. Like that's useful. You know, if if you're going through something and I can relate to something that I've been through, I can point you to Christ on a daily basis. I can also point a non-Christian to Christ on a daily basis. So we should be telling elements of our testimony to everyone around us, not whether or not they're a Christian, essentially.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

Yeah, I mean it it still comes back to courage, though. That's all I keep saying, is like, because it sounds good, but then we gotta be willing to do it. Because I'll I'll be honest with you is I, you know, I'm here on a podcast and every once in a while I get invited on a stage, and it's easier in those spaces, but it's harder when I'm in the stands and the person next to me knows what I do that I have a podcast or that I stand on the stage and I'm just act trying to act regular, you know. But then it's like, no, like that's so that's the challenge for me. It's like, yeah, are you gonna be known as the weird Jesus girl? Like, yeah, I guess I want to be known as the weird Jesus girl, you know. Yeah, you know, and that it's it's that I that's where the courage has to come for me because it's it's easier in the safer spaces where people expect me to talk about Jesus. It's those moments that he invites us into where maybe that's not the expected conversation that probably would have a real impact if I'm get out of the way.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Oh, I relate to that hugely. Yes, it's a convicting thing to think about.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

Yeah, and I I just I'm convicted by it right now, just thinking about that. But I do think it's it's also would be useful just the idea of our testimonies and if we've ever really thought about it, you know, because not everybody has had the opportunity to share it, you know, and someone hasn't asked them that. So it even just to take the time, like this would be practical, even like applying that gospel arc to your own life. I think that would be probably pr helpful for our own souls and our own walk, don't you think?

SPEAKER_00 27:12

Oh, it's it's probably the most effective thing I have ever done. I was I was actually forced to do it in a certain way in a class I was in, and I had to go off for hours and write out my testimony. And I was like, what am I supposed where am I supposed to start? And so what I what I I did was I I wrote down all those markers and all the essentially low light reel, all the bad things that had happened, all the times where sin hit my life or hit my family's life, or trauma happened, or loss happened where I was struck, you know? But it it seems like a depressing thing to do, really, to go through and talk about with yourself and in prayer all the the worst times of your life. But it it was one of the most healing things I ever did because I went to those parts of my life to the to the first one that happened and thought wow, I want to see what God did there. And so I went through it. What was my identity in that in that place in my life? Well, I can tell you exactly where my identity was. It was in what other people thought, or it was in um how I felt worthless, or all those different things. And so I can say, in that time of my life, I saw my identity as this. And how did that work out for me? Not so well. And so, how did God reveal that to me? And then how did he restore me? So I use that creation, fall, redemption, new creation, and that's essentially restoration. Where's the hope? Where it, what it what does it look like now? So if you I one of the most effective things I've ever done is write it out. And if you start looking at it, if you write it out, then you become more comfortable with it, but also you find healing because if you're writing it all out and you're taking it to God in prayer and saying, Oh man, I see what you did there. Thank you for restoring me from that situation. I see what my identity was in, and I don't want to let that happen again. So thank you for that. And I'm gonna use that because now I'm a little more comfortable with that story and I can talk about it to someone else. So if I go through that process, and if you go through that process with everything that's happened in your life, and you say creation, fall, redemption, new creation, and you just ask those questions, you will see that man, you're gonna be that shame and guilt are gonna disappear because you've you've seen what God did and and how he restored it and you're gonna want to tell people about it because it is such an incredible thing that he did.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Yeah, I think that's so important. Um it's almost like intentionally processing your faith journey, right? Like that's what you're you're you're you know, suggesting. And I think, yeah, that's such a I do think that's such a fruitful activity for all of us and that we don't really do, right? Because but I can I think about even just when you sing, you sing songs like the goodness of God or Great Is Thy Faithfulness, we get all emotional because it invites us to reflect and remember. And it always is just such a there's a sense of gratitude that I think just fills our hearts. It's almost too much for us to take, and that's why we end up crying because it's like you have been so, so good to me, God. You have been so faithful. Look at where I am now. Look at where I've been, and you've been with me through it all, and look at what you've done in my life. And we have to almost re we have to remember those things for ourselves. And yeah, and if we do the work, it will naturally spill out of us, like you said. Like that's such a a good reminder that if we're feeling a little numb or we're like, uh, yeah, I don't really think about sharing my testimony. Well, again, that might be a little bit of a tap-tap on your shoulder that maybe it's time to get a little intentional about spending some time with the Lord and and reflecting and remembering. I mean, that's all through the Bible is God's telling his people, remember me, because we're a forgetful people. We quickly forget the good things he's done, and we quickly forget our own sin and how far he's brought us and in the gift of our salvation. So that's that's a good reminder. So that's your challenge to our listeners.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

That's my challenge. Because if you want to fall in love with your savior even more, that is that is definitely something that you need to do. Um, it's like living out a worship song, you know? It's taking those those highly emotional worship songs that that can take us to a place that doesn't last as long as we want it to, because you know, we want these wonderful moments in church, and then we want it, but we want to live it. I'm telling you, this is a way to take that and just next level fall in love with your savior.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

Yeah, and then we're fulfilling the great commission that we are called to as believers. You know, it's also interesting as you're saying all of this, it's like, well, yeah, I mean, we don't have a testimony. We have if we're growing in our relationship with the Lord and He is sanctifying us, and and we are gonna have many testimonies.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

So many, so many.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

It's the arsenal of testimonies, right? This arc plays out in all areas of our lives. Correct. If we're growing in our relationship with him, right? It's not a one and done. I mean, no, we are saved by you know grace alone and what Jesus did on the cross, but his work in our life never ends. And so Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

There's there could be one moment where you came to faith when you were 12 years old on your back porch with your parents, and that is your that's what you feel is your testimony, or maybe you grew up in the faith and you don't know when you made that decision because you've just never known any different. Or maybe you know that moment, but then you're like, hold on, he did a whole lot more in my life a decade later that I want to talk about too.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

It's like, yeah, yes, the answer is yes, all of the it's all you have like an arsenal of you should at least because we should be constantly like looking for God and Jesus in our walk. Like, and where are you, God? And he will reveal himself to us, you know, the spirit will speak to us, but we have to put ourselves in that posture and not, yeah, not make ourselves the star of our story. Preach.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Yeah, good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Okay, so let's talk about the live it out. Okay, so I think for me, my live it out is gonna be to like do your homework assignment. Like, I gotta do this, I gotta like go through my story, and I can even go back to like I did write something down when Allie and I attempted to do record these episodes, but I want to look at it through the lens of creation, fall, redemption, restoration and get more comfortable with it so that I can use it in my real life. So that's what I'm that's my live it out.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Love it.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

So you've done this already though. I mean, so what's your live it out?

SPEAKER_00 33:42

My live it out is to something I've been convicted of lately is to teach a lot of these concepts to my kids. There's so many things that even you and I, I mean, teach on and talk about, and it's like there's a way to pass this on to them, and sometimes they understand it on the same level as you and I, and sometimes not, but there's a there's a way to do it. So my my live it out is to um teach this specific concept to my kids.

SPEAKER_02 34:08

Yeah, plant those seeds as early.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

How old are your boys are how old? Eleven and twelve.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Yeah, I mean they're yeah, they're ready for some of this. Yeah, I think for sure. And it's something that I continuously can continuously do on and on, but yeah, it's and I think yeah, the earlier you can start seeing that that rhythm and that gospel arc play out in your life, like the better. Right? Okay, I love this. Well, thank you for coming back on and for teaching us. I will for sure link um that the book in there, and I'll also link your book, Andy. Oh, we can't. Can I give you a little plug? Yeah, she's definitely got an amazing book, get over yourself. Pray like your life depends on it because it does. And um, you also like have a companion journal now, right? Right. And then also like a leader's guide that you're working on. So stay tuned. It might be like a Bible study option coming up soon, right? Okay, awesome. Would you mind praying us out?

SPEAKER_00 34:59

I would love to. Lord, we are um so grateful for this this time that we're that Lisa and I are able to um just pour into your women, your your daughters, and um I pray that this this this lesson, that this, these concepts will strike the hearts of these women, that you would um open up their hearts to this idea of telling their testimony on a daily basis, wherever they go. Um, I pray that you would convict them to go through this homework process and to write out their low light reel, but through the frame of what you've done in the Bible and what you've shown us and the and the framework you've given to us. So we just ask that this entire um conversation will be um glorifying to you and that you would um use it to build your kingdom and to do whatever you need to do through us. We love you and we are so thankful. In your name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Amen. Listeners, may we boldly testify to the goodness of God. He alone is our salad ground.