Episode 5: Genesis 5

Welcome to the Author Show, where we feature new authors and books from fiction to self-help and everything in between. You'll find it all at theauthorshow.com, that's theauthorshow.com, and now let the show begin. Hello and welcome back to the show. This is your host Don McColley. Today we're welcoming the program author, Christine Tate, and she is the author of the No Homework Women's Bible Study, group hug. Before I bring in today's guest, a quick reminder of the selected interviews are available on our website, as well as on major platforms like Amazon Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, Pandora, and many more. Christine, how are you? I'm great. Thanks for having me on the show today. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself, please. Well, I'm a nonfiction Christian writer, and I've been doing this for about 14 years. I have a number of Bible studies that I've written as well as a divorce devotional and book called Mental Donuts, and a study guide that goes with that. But the series that we're talking about today is the No Homework Women's Bible Study Group Hug. This is a fellowship building tool for small groups. It's a series of 10 books, eight weeks each per book. So tell us about your book. Well, it's basically a book that allows Christian small groups to go deeper in fellowship with one another. So I was going through different Bible studies. We were a military family and different cities, different duty stations. And what I was noticing with each of the Bible studies is we'd go in, have a Bible study, great Bible study, but I was leaving without knowing anything about the women in the group, and they wouldn't know anything about me, and we didn't know how to minister to each other. The fellowship angle was missing. So this series is really a tool for groups to develop fellowship within the group. Now, who did you write your book for specifically? Who's your target audience here? Well, women who attend Bible studies are going to benefit the most from this because it is a group study, and it is designed to meet the needs of women who are attending their Bible studies. It can be done independently, just as a daily devotion as well, but it's really meant for small group studies. So it's something that women need to be talking with each other. We need the Holy Spirit to rise up within each of us so that the Spirit can talk to the Spirit, and we can help each other based on where we're guided knowing more about each other's lives. So, could you say there's any type of central message of perhaps underlying theme that you would say runs throughout your book? I would basically say we have to open our lives to each other, just really experience community, without having that sense of love and community within the Christian fellowship, the Scripture itself doesn't have anywhere to land. We have to not just take Scripture as it's written in the Bible, we have to apply it to our lives, and without that application on a personal level helping each other along the way, we lose the essence of what Scripture is about. We need to bring the love back into the leadership. So good at choose, what would you say is the single most important idea or concept you're sharing in your book? It's really going to add value to the reader's life. Well, I think it's the Holy Spirit. The Spirit knows the Spirit, and as women start discussing their own lives and how the Scripture in the lesson is applying to their personal lives, the Spirit is going to lead and guide them, and when one Spirit within one woman connects with the Holy Spirit and the other woman, and you get that synergy going in the group of all the Holy Spirit's coming together, the dialogue can go anywhere, it's amazing what can happen, the conversations can be had, and the spiritual support that can come out of a group in that level of fellowship. So if you were asked to compare your book, with any book out there, we might already be familiar with, which book would it be and why? Well, that's the fun part. There really is no comparison for this book, it's in the class of its own. There's a lot of Bible studies out there. But none of them are based on fellowship. They're based on learning more about the Bible, which is fantastic, and there's absolutely a place for that. But there's really not a series out there other than the No Homework Women's Bible Study Group hug that addresses the relational aspect of being a part of a Bible study. So it's really unique in its class. So let's go back to the beginning. What was happening in the Bible study group that you were leading that made you realize something was missing? Well, as I said, I'd been part of the military and moved around a lot, and you know, we were a military family, a lot of churches, a lot of Bible studies, and we weren't connecting on a personal level. I go to a new duty station with my husband and attend a Bible study, great Bible study, nothing against any of the Bible studies I went to, but I was leaving with no connection. There was no personal relationship there. So when we landed in Virginia Beach, I was a part of the Protestant services on base, and we started a new Bible study. We asked each other at the first meeting, "Well, what do you want to get out of this?" And everybody said, "We want to get to know each other better." The group was hungry for that fellowship level of connection. And I thought, "Okay, well, let's all go find something, and we'll vote on the material of the following week." Well, the following week, everybody came back, none of us had found what we were looking for. We had an idea for what the group needed, so I wrote group hug for this particular group. At the end of that study, everyone loved it, and we really got to know each other, we really connected and bonded and developed that fellowship. We went on to do another eight week study, and at the end of the eight week study, the group turned to me and said, "We actually like yours better. Would you write book two?" Now, you described group hug as a fellowship building tool rather than a traditional Bible study. Well, a lot of traditional Bible studies, they focus on facts regarding history and scripture. You know, when was the second temple destroyed? You know, what was going on historically at that point? Or they focus on what I call regurgitation. They'll give you an answer, and then they'll expect you to just repeat what they've already told you you're supposed to say. This series is based on critical thinking and conversation. It's something that encourages women to converse with each other on a level that's more than wrote memorization, and it's not as fixated on what happened historically. It's more relational in nature. So, what did you notice about women's Bible studies that made you think that there had to be a better way to do it? Well, I guess that I was going into a lot of different Bible studies, because in the military life, you moved to a new area, you church shop, you go to the Bible studies, go to a lot of different churches, a lot of different Bible studies, and about the time you find that perfect group, the military moves you, and then you go through the whole process all over again. So, I was going to a lot of different Bible studies across the country, a lot of different cities, a lot of different churches, and the one thing they all had in common was they were lacking the fellowship aspect. So, that's what told me that, hey, there's a real need here in the church for something that's going to get women talking, that's going to get women opening up, and applying scripture on a personal level about their daily lives, so that those relationships can build and grow. Why did you decide that no homework was such an important part of this concept? Well, at the time that I started the group that was the instigator for writing group, Hyde, one of the things that we all agreed on was we had time to do the Bible study group every week, but nothing else. We all had very busy lives, there was a lot going on outside of the group, and we're being asked with each other that we just didn't have time to do a lot of daily study every day in between the Bible study meetings. So, since everybody in the group had that need, I realized it wasn't just me that was running a very hectic schedule in my life, that it was common to women everywhere. All women have busy lives with husbands and childrens and jobs and volunteering and personal self-care, and there's just so much going on in our lives to really add the homework that's necessary on a daily basis to attend a Bible study for a lot of the studies out there. It's just an added burden, and to be honest, it steals some of the joy because you're focused on the responsibility of getting yet something else done in your life when the reality is you just need the love and support of your Christian sisters. Now, some people might hear no homework and assume that the study isn't very serious. How would you respond to that? I would say that it's probably more serious because it's one thing to intellectually be educated about scriptural history. It's another to be able to apply what the Bible says to your daily life. So in that sense, it's very applicable, which makes it a more serious study because now you're taking something and giving it meaning on a personal level. Now, one reviewer described the study as a place where women could participate without feeling pressured to have the right answer. Did you create that environment intentionally? Yes. The whole point of developing fellowship bonds is to remove any sense of requirements that you have to do something the right way. You have to be a certain way, just an open loving, caring environment. An environment where women are able to relax and open up and be themselves. When you start putting requirements on a group, it really diminishes that potential within the group. How can a Bible study become a place where women who barely know each other to begin to developer. friendships. Well, when you have questions in the discussion that point scripture to the women's daily lives, it allows them to open up more on a personal level. And as in those moments that the women can begin to bond and connect with each other. Now, the topics here, some of them just aren't traditional Bible study subjects in relationships, organization, self-care, finances, people pleasing. Why was that important to you? Well, I wanted to choose topics that all women can relate to and things that we experience every day of our lives. It's one thing to learn about scripture on an intellectual level, but to apply it on a personal level is a whole another angle for where a Bible study can go. So by taking topics that everybody can relate to, again, it opens the doorway for a personal conversation to emerge. So now you've turned this original concept of group hug into a series. At what point did you realize you'd created something bigger than just one book? That would have been after I wrote the first book for the group that I was leading. And they turned to me and they said, Oh, we just love this. And I wasn't sure at that point if they were just appreciative of what I attempted to do or if they actually liked the book. Well, then we did a different eight week study, completely different author that was already out there. And at the end of that, when they turned to me and said, we liked yours better, that was my light bulb moment that they weren't just being nice. They really did enjoy the study. They found value in it and that it was something that could help a number of women out there. The book became an Amazon best seller. What did that mean to you? Really, it meant that the work that I had put out there in the series was landing where it was supposed to be that women were finding value in it because if something is selling well, it means people are enjoying it. They're finding value in it. They're talking about it. They're telling their friends about it. And it's growing on an organic level because it has a value to people on a personal level. What do you feel makes your book relevant today? You know, I believe that we're the end time generation that's going to see the return of Christ. And along with that, we're living in a very darkened world. The love of many has grown absolutely cold. I see that more and more in our society. And I think as the love dies in our society, the need to feel loved and be part of a community and feel the acceptance that comes with being part of a healthy community becomes more and more important. So as the day draws near and the love grows cold within the world, women really need to feel that love and acceptance that can be found in camaraderie and a small group setting with their Christian sisters. Have you had any feedback yet from readers? I love the feedback I get from readers. This book has been done by women all across America from all walks of life and in different situations. And I mean, I just love hearing how the book is being used. There's one lady contacted me and she was in the military on a carrier at sea on deployment. And they were holding a Bible study using the group hug series to get to know each other better on board of shit. I thought that was so neat just to hear how it landed. There's another group that is using it for a summer beach Bible study, which is just so cool to hear, you know, how it's unfolding in the lives of Christian women everywhere. What's been your most rewarding experience since publishing this book? So I mentioned that there was the group that was using it as a summer Bible study. They mentioned that it's been an evangelism tool. So the group meets on the beach every morning while they're doing the each week while they're doing the study. And there have been people that are walking by just doing a morning walk on the beach. They hear the personal conversations that are emerging based on the discussion questions. And then it draws them over to say, Hey, what's going on here? And the women have been able to use this as an evangelism tool on the beach, which I just think is the neatest need is thing to be part of spreading the gospel. So what part of your book would you say you personally, like best? You know, I love the ice breakers, because when you've been going through your daily life, and then you get together for your weekly Bible study, you're kind of in your own head. And you need to refocus and turn inward to the next hour or hour and a half or two hours, it's in front of you. And the ice breakers really get you to interact with the people that are in your group and help focus the attention on what's about to unfold. So that's my favorite part of the studies. So in your opinion, who should buy your book? Women who enjoy their Bible studies and are active in the church, but are really feeling the need for more fellowship within the Christian community. And women who want to deepen their personal relationships with other Christian women. Do you have a website? Yes, ChristineTate.com, where you can see all of my books, the group hug series, and addition to the other books I've written as well. Well, it's been just great. Our guest today has been Christine Tate. And she is the author of the No Homework Women's Bible Study group hug. Christine, thanks very much for being with us today. Well, thank you for having me. This is Don McCauley, wrapping up another edition of the author's show, go out there and buy the book today. And please share this interview with your friends. So they too have the opportunity to discover our guests and their work. The author's show can be accessed at any time at the author's show.com. And whether you're an author who would like to be featured or reader in search of new books or read, the author's show is a great place to start. Check us daily as we continue to introduce wonderful authors a very interesting books on the author's show. Thanks for listening to the author's show. 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