Today I would like to introduce you to Jenifer Jernigan. Jenifer and I met online first, then face-to-face at a retreat several years ago. Jenifer’s heart, like my own, is for folks to know what the Bible says, and how it applies to them. Her first offering in the Bible study genre has just been released by Thomas Nelson Publishers and it is my pleasure to tell you about it today. Here’s Jenifer!
Tell me a little bit about your family, career, and ministry.
My hubby and I have been married for 15 years, which is a miracle of the Lord. I write about our relationship in the book; you’ll have to read it to hear more of that story. ☺ We have 3 kids. Hannah is 14. Will is 11. Lydia is 6. This year is our 8th year of homeschooling. I never wanted to be a teacher! In fact, a year into an elementary education degree I changed my major and ended up graduating with a BA in Christian Counseling. But, the Lord saw fit to have me home with my babies teaching them. It’s not always easy and some days I look for that yellow school bus but I know, without a doubt, I’m doing what God wants me to do. I’m very involved with my church, teaching women’s Bible studies, mentoring and discipling women and the next generation of girls.
Why did you write Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion?
Right out of the gate, I need you to know that the driving force, the passion of my life is simply this: to lead and equip women of all ages to d.i.v.e. deeper into God’s Word and live abundantly in Christ.
I’m a church girl, a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church, knowing all the things about the church—the lingo, the rules, and the traditions—and my head was spilling over with Jeopardy knowledge. I carried my burgundy NIV to church every Sunday and Wednesday night but I had no idea what to do with it. During the week it sat on the nightstand collecting dust because I was clueless as to how to go beyond the Sunday morning sermon, the padded Sunday School answers, the GA’s magazine, and eventually the women’s Bible study I attended. I told kids younger than me about Jesus and I sang “special music.” I put together the “praying words” I heard the adults voice in prayer meetings to lead my peers in a time of prayer. I even began leading Bible studies relying solely on the knowledge that filled my head. I did the Christian thing. Said the Christian words. Listened to the Christian music. I played the “Jesus-girl” part very, very well. I could’ve won an Oscar! But there was a huge disconnect between me and God. Yes, my head was full of Jesus stories, but the deep places of my heart were empty, craving more.
And I’ve come to conclusion that I’m not the only one craving more than just Jesus stories and religious tradition. I’m not the only one wanting to do more with the Bible than just carry it to church a few times a week. Over the years there’s been a reoccurring theme in conversations I’ve had with both men and women, young and old. It goes something like this: How do I study the Bible? I’m sure there’s more to it than what I’m doing. I’m not getting anything out of what I’m reading. I don’t know where to start or what to do. I don’t understand. I want to know God more but I feel like He’s way up there and I’m way down here and it just seems impossible. Studying the Bible seems really hard and I’m not a preacher and don’t plan on becoming one so what’s the point?. I’m serving and doing all this stuff in my church but I feel so lost and empty. I go to a Bible study every week and I read and answer a bunch of questions but I really want something more. Is this all there is?
My own wonderings and wantings paired with the many conversations I’ve had with others have caused me to ask: Why does Biblical ignorance continue to plague the church despite the good intentions of leadership to make disciples and help people follow Jesus?
I believe the answer lies in our understanding of what a disciple truly is.
A disciple is a learner, a scholar, one who receives instruction from another. Sadly the church today tends to define a disciple as one who “does” instead of one who “learns.” We’ve been asked join this cause, find a small group, seek out an accountability partner, get counseling, fix our marriages, serve in the children’s ministry, give to the poor, greet new faces on Sunday mornings, serve on the Coffee Team, go on mission trips, give above and beyond our tithes, step out of our “comfort zones”—but rarely are we challenged to pursue the most elementary (and dare I say it…foundational) element of discipleship—wholehearted, consistent, deep, below-the-surface study of the Word. Yes, a disciple does, but if we’re not motivated to do based upon what’s been revealed to us through the Word then we’re merely serving out of obligation not overflow, out of duty not relationship. Diving deeper into God’s story, connecting to His heart through the pages of His Word is what moves us past religious obligatory service into a lifestyle fueled by genuine relationship with Jesus.
Diving into the book of Ephesians has been pivotal for me in my move from shallow religion to deep faith and relationship with Jesus. Ephesians taught me that IN Christ is my place of healing, abundant living, and worth. It helped me to see who I truly was before Jesus, a reality we must all face in order to understand the magnitude of God’s love and grace for us. I learned that a life of religion will fan my flame to “do” in the Church solely based on a selfish, what-can-I-get-out-of-this mentality, when ultimately what God has called me to is a specific work, created just for me, within His Body in order continue furthering the Gospel message to those who need to move beyond the shallowness of religion into deeper faith in God and abundant relationship with Him.
What has been your primary prayer for your readers as you have written your book?
My prayer from the very beginning of my own diving deeper into the Scriptures has been that God would teach me, a disciple hungry for Jesus—not religion, or tradition, or denominational mandates, just Jesus and His Word. That He would call me out of darkness into His glorious light to live abundantly, not to settle. That He would pull me closer to His side, where I’m safe and protected, happy and whole. That He would challenge me daily to dive deeper, reach farther, and press harder into intimacy with Him. And that He would open wide His living and active Word, implanting it deep within my soul, fueling my life and equipping me to embrace and live out His purpose.
And my heart and prayer for DIVE DEEPER: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion is that the Lord would use it to equip other disciples—the young and old, the new believer and the seasoned one, the seeker, the satisfied, the numb, the stay-at-home mom and the woman in corporate America, the college girl trying to navigate her way through term papers and final exams and the middle school student dealing with the mean girls in her school, EVERY woman no matter her socioeconomic, marital, or parental status—to d.i.v.e. deeper into the living and active Word of God and live in His abundant freedom, fueling their lives and equipping them to embrace and live out their purpose. I pray the words written will speak Jesus Truth into hearts. Through the personal stories I share, I pray others are taught and encouraged to press harder into Jesus and trust His unchanging Word. As I’ve wrestled with my own faith questions over the years, my hope is that the questions and answers I pose in the book will rustle feathers, causing learners to seek His Truth all the more. And I pray learners will be challenged, pushed, stretched, and led from the shallowness of religion to deep, lasting faith in Jesus.
In your book the word “dive” is used as an acronym, what does that stand for and/or mean?
Well…it all began years ago while my family and I were on vacation at the beach. My oldest daughter, who was around 6 at the time, spent the entire day playing in a little water puddle she’d dug with her shovel and pail. She played there for hours, satisfied and content. Every now and then the inside of her puddle would drain empty, and she’d walk to the ocean’s edge to fill her pail with water. Once her pail was full she’d wander back to her hand-made beach playground and empty the pail of water into the hole she’d dug.
As I watched her walk back and forth numerous times from the puddle she’d dug to the ocean’s edge, the Lord began speaking to my heart about being satisfied and content with where I was in my relationship with Him. It was one of those enough is enough moments.
I made the choice to dive deeper into God’s Word because I needed some Jesus-not religion, or tradition, or denominational mandates, I just needed Jesus and His Word. I’m not going to lie to you. Diving deeper into the Scriptures has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m no academic scholar and if you were to ask a number of my childhood teachers they’d tell you I’d never amount to much in life because I was “challenged and had learning disabilities.” So, I needed something simple…that’s where d.i.v.e. comes in.
d.i.v.e. stands for:
d. (define)
i. (investigate)
v. (visualize)
e. (embrace)
Anytime I’m studying through Scripture, I use the d.i.v.e. method to get below the surface into the depths of the passage. Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion is built upon the d.i.v.e method leading the reader through the book of Ephesians.
Thanks, Jenifer, for taking time to visit with us today at The Point.
Friends, I hope you will consider purchasing Jenifer’s Bible study and DIVE DEEPER into the Scriptures.
You can find Jenifer here:
You can purchase your own copy of Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion here: amzn.to/1eEnanE
