How can I learn to pray? How can I grow in contentment when I’m single but would rather be married? How can I overcome the same old fears? How can I trust God with the people I love when they don’t believe in Him?
Whew! Good questions, right?
Well, today on the 4:13 Podcast, we are sitting around the bistro table at Fresh Grounded Faith answering those questions and many more.
Authors Margaret Feinberg and Kelly Minter joined me in Springfield, Missouri where we recorded this LIVE during what I like to call “Spill the Beans.” It’s where we take questions from the audience, and it’s one of my favorite parts of FGF!
One of the questions I received at this event was about how I prepare podcast interviews. So today, you’ll get the inside scoop!
Oh, and we were also asked the most fun question ever…
If we could compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be?
Ha! Our answers will make you laugh, so pull up a chair at the bistro table, and let the joy begin!
Meet Margaret
Margaret Feinberg is a Bible teacher, author, and speaker, and you may have heard her at Fresh Grounded Faith, Catalyst, or Women of Joy conferences. She is the host of The Joycast Podcast and is an incredible storyteller. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, Leif, and their super pup, Zoom. You’ll often find Margaret (puppy-in-tow) adventuring in the outdoors—hiking, river rafting, and scanning the night sky for the Northern Lights and shooting stars.
Meet Kelly
Kelly Minter is an author, Bible teacher, and podcaster. Her most recent Bible study is called Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy. Kelly speaks to audiences around the country and also works closely with Justice & Mercy International in the Amazon jungles of Brazil. Kelly is the host of the Cultivate podcast and a frequent guest at Fresh Grounded Faith. When she’s not writing, traveling, or speaking, she enjoys time in her garden, cooking, and being an auntie to her adorable nieces and nephews.
[Listen to the podcast using the player above, or read the transcript below. Then check out the links below for more helpful resources.]
When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible
In this 7-session study, join Jennifer Rothschild and five other beloved Bible teachers who will help you study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. Learn More…
Related Resources
Links Mentioned in This Episode
- Fresh Grounded Faith Event Schedule
- Audible Free 30-Day Trial
- Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship – Book by Kenneth D. Boa
- Your Longing Has a Name: Come Alive to the Story You Were Made For – Book by Dominic Done
- Peter Thomas Roth | Instant FIRMx Temporary Face Tightener
- Peter Thomas Roth | Instant FIRMx Temporary Eye Tightener
More from Margaret Feinberg
- Can I See Food as a Blessing and Not a Burden? With Margaret Feinberg [Episode 27]
- Can I Fight Back With Joy? With Margaret Feinberg [Episode 81]
- Visit Margaret’s website
- Revelation: Extravagant Hope Bible Study
- More Power to You: Declarations to Break Free from Fear and Take Back Your Life (52 Devotions)
- The Joycast Podcast
- Follow Margaret on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
More from Kelly Minter
- Can I Believe God is Working for My Good Even When Things Aren’t So Good? With Kelly Minter [Episode 153]
- Visit Kelly’s website
- Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy Bible Study
- Cultivate Podcast
- Follow Kelly on Facebook and Instagram
Other Spill the Beans Episodes
- With Kelly Minter and Michael O’Brien at Fresh Grounded Faith College Station, TX [Episode 239]
- With Angela Thomas Pharr and Meredith Andrews at FGF Hattiesburg, MS [Episode 232]
- With Kelly Minter and Meredith Andrews at FGF Little Rock, AR [Episode 214]
- With Lisa Whelchel and Michael O’Brien at FGF St. Louis, MO [Episode 189]
- With Jo Dee Messina and Nicole C. Mullen at FGF Springfield, MO [Episode 186]
- With Tammy Trent and Liz Curtis Higgs at FGF Chattanooga, TN [Episode 180]
- With Liz Curtis Higgs and Michael O’Brien at FGF Bossier City, LA [Episode 148]
Stay Connected
- Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the 4:13 Podcast here.
- Were you encouraged by this podcast? Reviews help the 4:13 Podcast reach more women with the “I can” message. Click here to leave a review on iTunes.
Episode Transcript
4:13 Podcast: Spill the Beans LIVE with Margaret Feinberg and Kelly Minter at Fresh Grounded Faith Springfield, MO [Episode 245]
Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, this is Jennifer Rothschild. You know I love my audiobooks from Audible. That's how I'm able to read so many books in a year. If you've never tried it, you can get a 30-day free trial with no obligation. Plus you'll get a free audiobook of your choice that you can keep. So go to 413podcast.com/audible to get started. And now the podcast.
How can I learn to pray? How can I grow in contentment when I'm single and I would rather be married? How can I overcome the same old fears? How can I trust God with the people I love when they don't believe in him? Ooh, good questions, right? Well, today on the 4:13 Podcast, we are sitting around the bistro table at a Fresh Grounded Faith and we are answering those questions and a lot more. Authors Margaret Feinberg and Kelly Minter join me in Springfield, Missouri, and we are spilling the beans.
I'm also going to give you some inside scoop on how I actually prepare podcast interviews and -- you're going to love this -- we ended with the most fun question ever: if we could compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be? Oh, my goodness. Our answers are going to make you laugh. Okay, so let the joy begin.
K.C. Wright: Welcome to the 4:13 Podcast, where practical encouragement and biblical wisdom set you and I up to live the "I Can" life, because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Now, welcome your host, Jennifer Rothschild.
Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, our friends. We're glad you're here. I'm Jennifer, here to help you be and do more than you feel capable of as you live this "I Can" life of Philippians 4:13. We are in the closet, me and K.C. Two friends, one topic, zero stress. Well, except today, there's more friends with us because we're going to spill the beans.
But I got to tell y'all, I wish you could smell in here. I just have this black coffee of French roast. K.C. comes in the closet this morning --
K.C. Wright: Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild: -- it's like this caramel creme brulee yummy thing.
K.C. Wright: I found it in your kitchen here.
Jennifer Rothschild: It smells so good.
K.C. Wright: J.R. has an awesome Keurig, and it was one of the little Starbucks options.
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, it makes it smell so good in here.
K.C. Wright: I know.
Jennifer Rothschild: And then you finish your coffee and you put a mint in your mouth, and so now -- I mean, it smells like Christmas in May.
K.C. Wright: And I'm wearing my Euphoria I got from Christmas.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yes, you are.
K.C. Wright: I mean, seriously, I --
Jennifer Rothschild: Which, by the way, y'all, I got to tell you this.
K.C. Wright: Yeah, true story.
Jennifer Rothschild: I don't think they know this. So we say all the time that K.C. and I were separated at birth. Like, he's the male version of me, minus the beard. Anyway, but he comes in one day and I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, K.C., you smell good." He goes, "Yeah, it's my favorite, it's Euphoria by Calvin Klein." Which is --
K.C. Wright: Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild: -- one of my favorites.
K.C. Wright: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Jennifer Rothschild: The girl version. Yeah, we were separated at birth.
K.C. Wright: Hey, I wish our podcast -- I wish this was a scratch 'n sniff podcast. Do you remember those Scratch 'n Sniff stickers?
Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, yeah. They'd love this. It's very sensory rich today.
K.C. Wright: But I have said this before, and I'll say it again, your house always smells so wonderful. She loves candles.
Jennifer Rothschild: It's like a fragrance library from room to room.
K.C. Wright: Yeah. I'm serious.
Jennifer Rothschild: I do. I'm sure our air conditioning vents are, like, black with soot from all my candles. But anyway, it does smell good in here.
Okay. So, my people, we are going to spill the beans today.
K.C. Wright: Let's go.
Jennifer Rothschild: We're going to Fresh Grounded Faith. I think you know my friends, because they've both been on the podcast, but K.C., let's give them official introductions.
K.C. Wright: Margaret Feinberg is a Bible teacher, author, and speaker. You may have heard her at a Fresh Grounded Faith near you, Catalyst or Women of Joy conference, or you may have heard her right here, of course, on the 4:13 on Episode 27, to be exact, and Episode 81. We really love having Margaret with us. She's the host of the Joycast Podcast -- that's the best name --
Jennifer Rothschild: I know.
K.C. Wright: -- and she's an incredible storyteller. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, Leif, and their super pup, Zoom.
Jennifer Rothschild: But that's not all.
K.C. Wright: But wait, there's more.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yep.
K.C. Wright: Kelly Minter is a precious woman of God. She's also an author, Bible teacher, and speaker. She hosts the Cultivate Podcast and works closely with Justice & Mercy International in the Amazon. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and we've adopted her as an honorary 4:13er.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yes, we have.
Kelly Minter: Okay, Jennifer, first up -- this is deep.
Jennifer Rothschild: Okay.
Kelly Minter: Where do you get your cute boots?
Jennifer Rothschild: So the ones I had on earlier, I got from Target. But look what I'm wearing. Can you see those?
Kelly Minter: Wow. Sparkle.
Jennifer Rothschild: So Taylor does my Instagram, and she had these on, and I was like, "Ooh, let me wear them. They'll go with my jacket." So she's wearing my boots right now and I'm wearing hers.
Kelly Minter: Very cool. I'm impressed. I mean, the fact that you can pull off -- because Taylor, what, is she --
Jennifer Rothschild: She's 20-something.
Kelly Minter: She's 20-something. And, Jennifer, you pulled it. You pulled it. I tell you, I'm vouching. You totally nailed it.
Jennifer Rothschild: Thank you. Well, I'm going to have to give them back, but...
Kelly Minter: Well, you don't have to.
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, that's true. I might forget.
Kelly Minter: She works for you.
Jennifer Rothschild: I am old.
Kelly Minter: Okay, this is for everybody. How do I learn how to pray? Small question.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. In five minutes or less.
Well, I think immediately, honestly, of Jesus, when the disciples said --
Kelly Minter: I was just going to say that.
Jennifer Rothschild: -- "Teach us how to pray." Right? I mean, and he then gave what we call the Lord's prayer. He said when you pray -- not if you pray -- when you pray, this is how you do it. "Our Father, who art in Heaven." And, I mean, we don't have time clearly to go through all those elements.
But truly, the Holy Spirit is your best teacher. And if you want to learn how to pray, then you go to the Lord's Prayer and you pray that. And then the more you learn that framework, you can add your own words into those same sentiments. But you're always going to begin with the fact that you have relationship with God as your father, and you end with his authority in heaven and on earth.
Kelly Minter: Yes. What do you think, Margaret?
Margaret Feinberg: Oh, I think that's a great foundation to build on.
I would also say, like, don't feel like you have to use religious language. Like, you don't need to speak King James version to God. Okay? Like, just talk to him like he's your friend, like, and he's there and he's real. Sometimes using your imagination and saying, Holy Spirit, I need you to help me picture or to see who you are. This isn't just like some tossing words into the random universe, but I want to see you, I want to know you, I want to sense your presence. And the Holy Spirit's pretty faithful to be like, Cool, cool. I'm in.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Well, and God does hear our hearts. He really does hear our hearts. The words are not nearly as important. Because I know I have fallen into the temptation, and been around others who do, where they pray these beautiful prayers. They're so eloquent. But then I'll catch myself and think, okay, wait a minute, am I just being a wordsmith or am I being sincerely trying to speak to God? He'd rather have our sincere words.
Kelly Minter: I think one thing that's really helped me is praying Scripture. And there's a little book called "Face to Face" by Ken Boa, and it's just three months of daily Scriptures that kind of walk you through. And It's helped me. I think it depends on your personality. There are some people that are like, oh, yeah, no, I can't do that. But this really just keeps me on track. It starts with adoration, it moves to confession, and then renewal, and then intercession, affirmation, thanksgiving. And there are just these verses.
And sometimes those verses give me things to think that I wouldn't have thought myself. And then it triggers something or, you know, sparks something in my mind, I go, oh, yeah, that's right, I need to pray for, or, oh, yes, these are five things I can thank the Lord for or adore him for. And before I know it, as I've kind of gone through it, maybe 15 minutes has gone by, or maybe 30 minutes has gone by, whereas if I was just left to myself, I may wander. So again, I think it's personality type if a book like that would be helpful to you. But it's called "Face to Face," and it's helpful for me.
Jennifer Rothschild: And the author's name is?
Kelly Minter: Ken Boa, B-o-a. And it is truly just Scripture.
Jennifer Rothschild: That's so helpful.
Kelly Minter: Yeah. Okay. So this one is for me. And you two are going to be glad that it's for me. What is your advice tips to live in contentment in one's singleness? So -- yeah. Well, I just heard a lot of, like, sighs. There's a lot of single women out there.
Jennifer Rothschild: Either single or not content.
Kelly Minter: Or not -- or something, yeah.
Well, I always feel like I'm the wrong person on some level to answer this question because I am not in despairing in my singleness. So I think sometimes you almost feel like, oh, I should be really sad about this so I can relate to everybody. But I have been sad about it in the past, so I can hearken back to some of that. It ebbs and flows for me. There are seasons where it is harder than other seasons.
I went through a house renovation a couple years ago, and it was so hard as a single woman because I just kept having to fight my own battles every single day. And there were so many days that I thought, I just wish I had a husband who could just make this phone call or who could just stand man to man, you know, with this person. So there are times like that.
There have also been seasons of just loneliness where you just want that partner. I'm not in that season right now. I have a very full -- I have so much of my family -- I moved to Nashville as one Minter, and there are, like, 18 of us there now. It's really crazy. And lest you think they came for me, they did not. They came for the grandchildren. But I have a lot of activity around, and a lot of fullness, so I don't grieve it so much.
But to answer the question -- I don't mean to be simplistic about this, but when we offer that emptiness to the Lord and he really walks alongside us, he gives us himself. But he also does fill in some things, and he fills in some gaps. And they're not replacements. My nieces and nephews are not replacements for having my own children. My friends are not replacements for having a husband. However, they are gifts that I can't imagine life without. And so I want to encourage you that -- seek him, let him minister to your heart. There was a very long season of loneliness that I went through, and it was really just, I felt like, me and the Lord. But then I also believe that he really does eventually give you the desires of your heart in real tangible ways. And so I would just encourage you in that.
Jennifer Rothschild: That's good, Kelly. That's good. And she lives it. I see this in you. I really do. I think you're the best person to answer that question.
Kelly Minter: Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Okay, Margaret. I am my worst enemy. I know that the Lord is with me, but since I keep going back to being fearful, I just feel like he should give up on me. How do I get out of mine and his way?
Margaret Feinberg: You know, it's interesting, I think a lot of this goes back to neuroplasticity, and that if you think of a thought or a negative or a self-sabotaging thought long enough, it will actually become physiologically ingrained into you. And what Paul calls us to, what Christ calls us to, is the renewing of our mind. And there's a very practical way to do this. I write about it in the devotional "More Power to You." And I was in the same place. Like, I just had these self-sabotaging thoughts. And I created a list of Scriptures that combat those negative thoughts one by one and I just started saying them out loud each day. And what that did is suddenly when my thought was going to this negative path, all the sudden it could be deconstructed, torn down, and I was going to a new thought.
And so I take the 90 seconds in this little book and I just say things like this -- and I put it everywhere, in my bathroom, on my sink, everywhere. It goes, Jesus is King of my life. I am who Christ says I am. I take every thought captive. I break every agreement that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. My purpose is to love, serve, glorify, and enjoy God forever. I will not be held hostage to unforgiveness. I will forgive 70 times 70 and more because I am forgiven. And in doing that, 90 seconds a day out loud, you're saying it both to your brain, to yourself, tearing down those negative thoughts where you've become your worst enemy, aligning yourself with the Kingdom of God. Secondly, you're saying it out loud to God, so you're aligning yourself with him and his Kingdom, and you are in essence telling Satan there is no room here.
Kelly Minter: Amen.
Jennifer Rothschild: That is so good.
Kelly Minter: That's awesome. That's a message right there.
Jennifer Rothschild: It is a message right there.
Kelly Minter: Okay, Jenn -- and I have this question myself -- how do you memorize everything so well?
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, the reason I answer this question is because I'm not the only one who can do this. And so I want to share with you the answer, because you can do this also. Blindness necessitates I do it, but everyone is capable of this. I use a lot of visual imagery, believe it or not. So even though I cannot see, I organize things in my brain in categories and in pictures and I create a ladder in my mind. And I know that -- you know, like this morning, I gave you four scenes. So I literally have four rungs on the ladder. And I know I'm going to start with underneath the first rung of the ladder. I have seen in my mind, like in really cute little bubble letters, Grace is Undeserved. Embrace What You Can't Avoid. Those two statements I memorized. I stuck them under the first rung of the ladder. First rung of the ladder, I sat right on top of that this image of me feeling my fingertips in the car on the way home from the hospital. And if you rewound my message, that's exactly my first phrase I said, because my mind immediately went to that picture that I'd memorized and put there.
And then on top of that, I put then the first verse, 2 Corinthians 12:7, and I literally saw a little thorn, because it dealt with being given a thorn. But as far as, like, memorizing that verse itself, 2 Corinthians 12:7, I memorize between punctuations. So started with Paul saying, "Because of the exceedingly great revelation," comma. So I literally will say it out loud. I'll say it rhythmically, "Exceedingly great revelation," "Exceedingly great revelation," "Exceedingly," so that when I'm hitting the end of a word, I'm hearing the beginning of it because I've practiced it. Kind of like what Margaret was saying. It's almost a training that you do. And then the next part of the comma is, "to keep me from being conceited," "to keep me from being conceited." See what I mean?
But then I also -- not only as I am memorizing between the punctuation, I'm making sure I really understand that. Like, what does that mean? What were those revelations? How come that could make him conceited? Then he's given a thorn of the flesh. It's a messenger of Satan. So I'm categorizing. Everything I do is very systematic and very visual in my mind's eye. And if you really watch me when I'm sharing, often I'll look up as I'm about to change points, and I'm literally looking at a ladder in my head.
So that's just a small little tidbit of how I do it. But here's the thing. It takes practice and it takes mental discipline, and God's grace is sufficient for both of those things.
Kelly Minter: That is so cool. I know. That is awesome. It makes me feel like a slouch, because I'm like --
Jennifer Rothschild: No.
Kelly Minter: But, I mean, it's like -- you're right, we should be able to, like, not have -- you know, I'm like, I'm just going to pull these notes up here.
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, I would do that if I could, trust me. I'd be reading notes also, I would.
Kelly Minter: Well, it's really cool. And it's something to watch. And it's fun because you forget, because you just -- anyway, it's very seamless. It's awesome.
Okay, another question for you, Jennifer. And this person says it's very theological. So what brand of skin tightener do you use?
Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. And did you see the one that follows it?
Kelly Minter: Yes. So this is interesting. This says, "Please forgive how non-spiritual this is." So same question: what do you want to know -- or we need to know about lifting cream, and what is this?
Jennifer Rothschild: These are women from a church who met at the hotel for breakfast, and that was their topic of conversation. Okay, there were four more questions about this that I did not include.
Kelly Minter: Can we talk about the guilt here, though? The first group is like, this is very theological. Ha, ha. And the other one is like, we're so sorry this is non-spiritual.
Jennifer Rothschild: Dude, it is all spiritual --
Kelly Minter: It's all on the table.
Jennifer Rothschild: -- and it's all cool. And I wish I could remember. The woman who can memorize everything has no idea what skin cream I use. But here's the thing. I will today -- and I'm saying this out loud for Taylor to hear. I will post on Instagram pictures and the brand of my skin tightener for the chin, for under the eye. Okay? So it will be posted today. So if you don't follow me on Instagram yet, you need to so that you can lose ten years off your face.
Kelly Minter: Very, very smart.
Okay, this is for everybody. I don't know how to transition, I'm going to be honest.
Jennifer Rothschild: There's no way. You just got to --
Kelly Minter: There's no way, there's no way to transition here.
Okay, this is for everybody. How can I trust God's heart when my family members I love are still lost?
Jennifer Rothschild: Margaret, do you have any thoughts how you can trust God when your family members are still lost?
Margaret Feinberg: This is going to be really hard to hear, but you can't save them. You didn't get the Messiah cape. You probably weren't supposed to wear it. You need to take that off.
Jennifer Rothschild: Mmm.
Margaret Feinberg: And so I know you want it in your time, in your way, preferably yesterday, but God is working all things together. Be patient, hang in there, continue to pray. If you're a wife who wants to see your spouse saved at a certain point, like, there's only so much you can say and then you're disqualified and it's going to have to be somebody else who says that message, not you, not through the nagging. But keep praying. He is at work. He is at work and he gets them all different ways. He has a myriad of ways to get people rescued and closer to him.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Do you have any other thoughts? Because that's really good.
Kelly Minter: Yeah. Not really. I think it was that word "trust" and "heart," how do I trust God's heart? And I think that's where there's the -- in fact, I think it was in Revelation, "Salvation belongs to God," or, "Salvation belongs to our God." I thought I saw it yesterday when we were going through. But anyway, salvation does belong to God, and he is good. And these are things that I wrestle with for sure. But I think we don't look at that situation as to what God's heart is about, the circumstances, we look to his self-revelation through his Word of who he is. And I could not agree any more. We just have to keep praying, right? We just have to keep praying and living it, living it out.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Enough said. I think that's some good stuff right there.
Kelly Minter: Okay, this is for everybody as well. What is your go-to verse when you are feeling overwhelmed?
Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, I can tell you mine, because -- I must be overwhelmed a lot, 'cause it's right on the top of my head. I have a few verses that I go to because they remind me to keep an eternal perspective, because that helps me with overwhelm. It's 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, which talks about not losing heart when we have these light and temporary troubles which feel big and heavy, because we know they're working within us a far greater weight of glory. Because that thing that you can see that overwhelms you, it's temporary; but that which is unseen is eternal. So those are my verses I always go to.
Kelly Minter: That's awesome.
Jennifer Rothschild: What about you?
Kelly Minter: You know, I don't think I have a single verse. I think I'll go to stories or narrative a lot of times in the Old Testament. Like, if I'm really feeling overwhelmed, I'm going to sit and I'm going to park with a long psalm, or I'm going to go back to, like, Joseph's story or King David or -- I love narrative, so I love the Old Testament, so I love those stories. So I will probably be more inclined to sit and put myself in a story and remember what God did in a situation when people were overwhelmed.
Jennifer Rothschild: That's a good word. What about you, Margaret?
Margaret Feinberg: Isaiah 43. "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire; and the flame will not burn you; for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.
Kelly Minter: Mmm, that's so good.
Jennifer Rothschild: Enough said.
Kelly Minter: That's a good one. Yeah, that's awesome.
Can I tell you really quickly, based on that passage, that when I moved to Nashville 21 years ago, this woman named Linda Mitchell, who was -- she was in our church for years, the mom of one of my best friends. Just one of those, like, church moms that you just love, love, love. And she got me -- she was always really, like, put together. And still is to this day. But she got me this Ralph Lauren all leather duffle bag. Like, who has a leather duffle bag, right?
Jennifer Rothschild: Wow.
Kelly Minter: But she gave it to me for my journey to Nashville, and inside she wrote that verse to me and put my name in every spot. And it ended up being so prophetic because I went through such a hard time those first eight years, and I would be able to pull that verse. And I still just love Linda to this day. And I still have the bag.
Jennifer Rothschild: Wow. Well, of course you do, because it's leather and Ralph Lauren.
Kelly Minter: Well, I mean -- yeah. And it's like, I can't -- yeah. I mean, it's just awesome, so...
Okay, Jennifer. How were you able to manage motherhood with your challenge of blindness?
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, when our kids were little, I would pin a jingle bell on their backs so that I could tell where they were all the time. And the oldest, he was quite cerebral. He would jingle himself into a room and play by himself for an hour, you know. I thought that was normal until ten years later, the second one came along. It was like a sleigh ride from morning till night. But, of course, we had the house very childproofed. My kids got a lot of in-your-face attention because I needed them always near me, which probably helped them with their development.
But one really funny thing is when I would go to feed the children -- like, they pick up on it even if they don't understand it yet. When they're in the high chair and it was time to feed them, I'd, you know, put the spoon in the baby food jar, and I would just hold it in front of their mouth and they'd come up to it. When their daddy would feed them, he'd put the spoon there and they'd just sit there and wait for him to put it in their mouth.
Kelly Minter: I think that is hilarious. I love that story every single time you tell it. I think it's so funny.
Okay, Jenn. "I love the 4:13 Podcast. I listen to a couple others, but yours is the only one where I've heard all the episodes." And then I really appreciate this parentheses. "I'm catching up on yours, Margaret, and Kelly's."
Jennifer Rothschild: Good. Because those are some good podcasts.
Kelly Minter: That's so funny.
A lot of your guests have written books. Do you listen to them all before you interview them? If not, what's your secret to knowing what to ask before you have them on the show?
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, because I have so many guests, I do not have the time to read them all or to listen to them. And so full integrity and disclosure here, I don't. But I do two things. A publisher will send a press release basically. Sometimes that'll have sample interview questions on it which I will refer to. I make them my own, but I'll use that as a guide.
But most often what I do is I go on Amazon and I read the back cover of the book. And y'all know this. On the back cover of a book, it'll basically give you the blurb about what the book's about, and then it'll have what I call value statements. "In Margaret's new book on Revelation, you will learn how to fight fear with," blah, blah -- whatever. Okay? I'll literally go through those value statements, I'll contemplate them, and I'll turn them all into questions and ask them in basically the same order they've been presented, because I know that author is going to know how to respond to what I've just asked because they wrote their value statements. So it's a small, tricky way to do it, but most of the time -- like I just did an interview a little bit ago by a man named Dominic Done. His book was called "Your Longing Has A Name." I did not have time to read his book before. After that interview, I went on Amazon, I bought it immediately, and I'm reading it right now. So I often will read the books 90% of the time either before or after an interview.
Kelly Minter: That's so cool.
Okay. So this is for everybody. Knowing what you know about grace now, what is the hardest part you had to learn in order to accept the grace of God? So I can answer that really quickly. I am not in control, and it's not my -- my way and my agenda is not the ultimate way and agenda. It's just not the most important thing in the equation. And I finally realized that, and I still have to realize that, and so -- yeah. Yeah, because I wanted it my way really, really badly, and you just can't grasp on to grace while you're grasping on to your own way, so...
Jennifer Rothschild: How about you, Margaret?
Margaret Feinberg: It was actually through -- just a quick story. A number of years ago -- we never buy new cars, but there was this great deal, it was a Volkswagen. Later recalled. But anyway, bought a little Volkswagen, we were so pumped. It was a new car. It was diesel, first diesel car. I remember going to the dealership and being like, "Hey, I just want to make sure the unleaded won't fit in there, because I'm, like, a space cadet, ADD, HDD. I know this can go bad." And he was like, "Absolutely. You will grab that handle and it will not go in." Great. We buy the car.
Two months later, I go to the gas station not thinking, drive away, and all the sudden I hear this clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk. Let me just tell you, that handle fits it really well, diesel or unleaded. It's fabulous. So I pulled to the side of the road because the car won't function. Get a tow truck. Call the dealer. I'm like, "We got to get this fixed. What is it going to be?" He says, "We'll tow it in, we'll look at it. Ma'am, you have done $7,000 worth of damage in under two miles." And I was just "Ugh..." And then he said something I never anticipated. He said, "But the warranty will cover it." And that was a profound encounter with grace in that sense I did not deserve.
Shortly after, Volkswagen sent out letters to all owners saying, "Here are the stickers to put on the outside of your little gas gage. This is no longer covered by warranty." You're welcome.
Jennifer Rothschild: That's good.
Kelly Minter: Oh, my goodness.
Jennifer Rothschild: I will say for me -- my reply is not as entertaining -- humility. I realized when I don't receive grace, it's because I'm so full of pride in myself. But then it makes sense when you read James, I think it's Chapter 4, that God gives grace to the humble. So I realized when I'm struggling with the grace thing, I have to usually check in this mirror of my soul and I realize, well, probably I'm not walking in humility. Humility has been a real game changer for me.
Kelly Minter: That's good.
Okay, this is for everybody. If you could compete in any Olympic sport, what would you choose?
Jennifer Rothschild: I do not know who asked this question, but I've got to know Margaret Feinberg's answer.
Margaret Feinberg: If I had the full courage to do it, I think luge would be awesome, just... [imitates sound of traveling fast]
Jennifer Rothschild: Ooh. Would you wear your red shoes as part of your uniform?
Margaret Feinberg: Ooh, that'd be so fun. They'd make me go faster.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, they would make you go faster.
Now, you really were an athlete, Kelly.
Kelly Minter: I was. I know. I know. So that makes me want to be, like, on the women's basketball -- like, the women's basketball team would be so awesome.
Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Because you played college basketball?
Kelly Minter: But, like, I --
Jennifer Rothschild: You almost did?
Kelly Minter: -- seriously would go up, like, to someone's waist on the WNBA right now, so it's so unlikely and nobody can picture it. But if I had to pick, yeah, I would love to be on the women's basketball American team. That'd be so cool.
Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, that would be cool.
So when I heard this question being read, I thought, man, I don't even have an answer, because --
Kelly Minter: Oh, can I -- I have yours.
Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, what is it?
Kelly Minter: Don't you guys see Jennifer as, like, the quintessential figure skater?
Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, yes.
Kelly Minter: That is so --
Jennifer Rothschild: That's me. Yes.
Kelly Minter: You are so --
Jennifer Rothschild: That's what I could do.
Kelly Minter: You could.
Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, my -- because I'm listening to this thinking, I have nothing I could compete in in the Olympics. The blind cute awards? I don't know.
Kelly Minter: No. You have, like, the perfect physique, and you're like a waif, and Phil could just toss you out there and -- this is like -- it's so obvious to me what you would be.
Jennifer Rothschild: (Laughs) Okay. All right.
Kelly Minter: You're the perfect figure for it.
Jennifer Rothschild: Well, sometime we're just going to forget Fresh Grounded Faith and go to the Olympics, the three of us, and show them how to do it.
Kelly Minter: Okay.
Jennifer Rothschild: All right, people, now the beans are officially spilled. Would you thank these ladies? Y'all are awesome.
Kelly Minter: Thank you
Jennifer Rothschild: May I also recommend the Cultivate Podcast and the Joycast, because they're fantastic. You will love both of them just like I do.
Well, I'm now off to the Olympic training center to begin my figure skating career. K.C., you're going to have to handle the podcast for me while I'm gone.
K.C. Wright: Oh, my gosh, that's so great. I can so see you as a figure skater. And when Kelly described Phil throwing you up in the air, I saw that. I saw it.
Jennifer Rothschild: I know, right?
K.C. Wright: I thought, I am so down for watching that. You know, I used to teach ice skating, a little known fact about me.
Jennifer Rothschild: I did not know that.
K.C. Wright: Yes. I used to teach ice skating and hockey.
Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, my gosh. Well, I couldn't do hockey, but clearly I have ice skating in my future.
K.C. Wright: And if you look down when you skate, you go down, and that'll preach.
Jennifer Rothschild: That will preach.
K.C. Wright: But you always need to look straight ahead.
Jennifer Rothschild: And then you'll be able to see it.
K.C. Wright: And I loved always cleaning the ice afterwards, after our sessions, with the Zamboni. One time I took out a whole wall, but that's another story.
Anyway, those are some wise women at that bistro table. And I got so much from this conversation. I know you did too. So if you want to review anything Kelly, Margaret, and Jennifer discussed, simply go to the Show Notes. We have it all right there for you. 413podcast.com/245. You don't even have to take notes. It's all there for you. And we also have links to the episodes that Margaret and Kelly have been featured on, so you can go back and listen to those God's girls and learn even more.
Jennifer Rothschild: And, of course, we will connect you with their latest resources, Margaret's and Kelly's, because Margaret has written a Bible study on Revelation, which is really good, you guys. And Kelly has written one on Ruth, which is fantastic. I'm telling you, both these women are so inspiring to me and I learn so much. So get with your people -- all right? -- around a bistro table or in your backyard or just about anywhere, and y'all spill the beans together. You will grow closer and wiser.
All right, until next week, enjoy your people and love them well. You can because you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. I can.
K.C. Wright: I can.
Jennifer and K.C.: And you can.
K.C. Wright: Now, let's go skating.
Jennifer Rothschild: You know, I do have the old Dorothy Hammill -- I could do the Dorothy Hammel haircut. I could support that.
Sign up to receive email updates
Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast.