Have you ever felt spiritually dry… or unsure where to begin when it comes to reading the Bible again? In this powerful and grace-filled episode, I sit down with Philip Nation—pastor, author, teacher, and Bible publisher at Thomas Nelson—to talk about reigniting your hunger for Scripture, approaching God’s Word with fresh eyes, and letting the Bible read you.
We explore why spiritual hunger is a gift, how God meets us in our weakness, and why tools like The Open Bible can make reading Scripture more accessible and transformative than ever—whether you’re brand new to faith or have been walking with God for decades.
If your Bible’s been gathering dust or your soul has felt disconnected, this conversation is your invitation to come home.
What We Talk About:
• Why spiritual dryness can actually be a holy invitation
• The difference between mastering the Bible and being mastered by it
• How handwriting verses and meditating on Scripture changes your heart
• Why The Open Bible was created—and how it helps people dive deeper into God’s Word
• How Philip’s own story—including the influence of his mother and his calling to ministry—shaped his passion for Scripture
• Two tender, healing verses you can hold onto today:
– Zephaniah 3:17: “He will rejoice over you with singing”
– Hosea 14:4: “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely”
Guest Bio – Philip Nation
Philip Nation is Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Bibles. He is a pastor, teacher, and Bible lover whose work helps millions engage with Scripture more deeply.
Links to Philip Nation, Thomas Nelson Bibles & the Open Bible:
PURCHASE LINK (Amazon)
Philip Social LINK
Thomas Nelson SOCIAL LINKS:
Thomas Nelson Bibles on Facebook
Nelson Bibles on Instagram
FREE RESOURCE FOR YOU
As a special gift, I’ve created a free 1-page devotional PDF based on the verses we explored today—Zephaniah 3:17 and Hosea 14:4. Download it below or join our Curious for Christ Facebook community to grab your copy!
Download the "He Sings Over You" Devotional PDF
If this episode encouraged you, would you consider leaving a review or sharing it with a friend? Your words help others find hope, truth, and the presence of God through this podcast.
Until next time, remember: His Word is alive—and it’s waiting to meet you right where you are.
Thanks for listening! Your support means the world. Join our Curious for Christ Facebook Group and become an Insider for weekly inspiration and encouragement on your faith journey.
Want to go deeper? Let's connect—set up a FREE Discovery Call today. See you next time!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Cures for Christ, andwelcome back.
(00:02):
If you've been with me for awhile, I'm so glad you're here
today.
I want to go back to the basics,the Bible.
If you've ever felt dry in yourfaith or unsure where to even
begin with reading scripture.
Again, this episode is for you.
I'm joined by Philip Nation, whoserves as vice president and
publisher for Thomas NelsonBibles.
(00:22):
He is.
One of the leaders behind the50th anniversary edition of the
Open Bible, he's also a pastor,author, and former church
planter whose passion is to helppeople hear God through his
word.
He leads one of the most trustedBible publishing teams in the
world and lives in Tennesseewith his wife Angie.
In this conversation, Philipshares some beautiful insights
(00:43):
on how to engage scripture whenyou're hurting, overwhelmed, or
just feeling far from God.
Whether you've walked with Godfor years or just beginning to
explore who he is, I believethis conversation will believe
you encouraged, grounded, andmaybe even surprised by just how
close God really is.
Let's dive in.
(01:07):
Welcome to Curious for Christ.
Do you ever find yourself lying,awake at night wondering about
God's plan for your life?
Maybe you wake up with bigdreams, but feel unsure where to
start or what your next stepshould be.
If you're curious aboutexploring your faith and finding
purpose, then you've come to theright place.
(01:27):
Hi, I'm Alexandra.
I too felt lost and sure of thedirection my life was taking.
I yearned to understand mypurpose and have someone guide
me, but I kept telling myself Iwas too busy.
The timing wasn't right, and mylack of clarity prevented me
from being consistent until Ifound Christ.
(01:48):
He brought peace into my lifeand revealed the way to find
purpose by anchoring myself.
In him.
In this podcast, we'll journeytogether exploring the Bible to
gain a deeper understanding ofhim and cultivate your own
personal relationship withChrist.
So open up your Bible, put inthose earbuds and listen up
(02:09):
because God is speaking to you.
He's making everything new andyou don't wanna miss it.
Let's get started.
Philip, thank you so much andwelcome to Curious for Cry.
Thank you for joining me today.
(02:30):
Oh, it's gonna be a funconversation.
I appreciate the invitation.
Yes, it'll, it will.
So I love to start with ourpersonal stories, I find them so
impactful.
And so could you start bytelling us a little bit about
yourself, your role at ThomasNelson Bibles and what drew you
to this work that you're doingtoday?
(02:51):
Oh I'm always happy not to talkabout myself, but to talk about
all the grace of God that hasaccompanied my journey through
life.
And so the most important thingabout me right now is that I'm a
grandfather and have twograndkids, but my wife Angie,
and I have been.
Married for 31 years and we'vegot two grown sons that are both
(03:14):
married and we love their wives.
Our two daughters-in-law havecaptured our hearts, but my own
journey is that I have theblessing of that story of being
raised in a home where both ofmy parents were Christians and
so I was familiar with thechurch and the faith from a very
(03:35):
early age.
And felt that draw to Christ asa child.
And so have a, have just agrace-filled testimony of coming
to faith in Christ at an earlyage.
And then in my teenage years,sensing a call to ministry, but
not being able to quite put myfinger on what that meant.
(03:57):
And so it, it did mean going tocollege, going to seminary,
eventually doing some doctoralstudies as well.
But I served as a pastor untilmy later thirties and began
writing.
And then God did a new directionin my life where I entered into
the world of Christianpublishing working at various
(04:19):
levels of leadership andcontinuing to write and teach in
universities.
And so now for the last five anda half years, I've had this.
Incredible opportunity to standin the great heritage of Bible
publishing and leading ThomasNelson Bibles which has been
around since 1798.
(04:40):
And so now every day I get towake up as a leader of
publishing Bibles.
Continuing a legacy it seemslike right?
For so long.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It, we stand on the shoulders offaithful men and women who went
before us and created thiswhole, ability to be able to
expand this work of being ableto introduce the word of God to
(05:05):
people near and far.
Fantastic.
Thank you.
Was there a moment in your lifethat you can recall when
scripture became deeply personalor transformative and how did it
shape your walk with God afterthat moment?
Yeah.
I, it's a tough question to pindown.
One, having served in ministry.
(05:28):
For so many years and studyingand teaching.
There are a lot of those momentsalong the way and a lot of those
passages I'll say the earliermemories of I ha of having that
as a teenage boy growing up in,as I said, a home where I had
parents that modeled it.
And in a church that equipped usI think that it was in my later
(05:51):
teenage years as I was exploringwhat is it that God's doing in
my heart?
That it was just the regularreading of scripture that the
Lord used to confirm, yes, I'mcalling you to a specific work
in life that will have to dowith ministry and the word, but
then it was a couple of yearslater.
(06:13):
That a young man in our churchwho was a part-time associate
minister, his family, they ownedtheir own business that he
worked in.
He came alongside of me anddiscipled me for three years,
where weekly I was in his homefor several hours on Thursday
nights, and his name wasMatthew.
(06:35):
He's no longer with us.
He's with the Lord.
But Matthew, I remember walkingme through the books of First
and second Timothy.
And that season really helpedsolidify a lot in my life as to
what God wanted me to do.
And so that's what I wouldidentify as probably the
earliest and most impactfuldrawing that I felt of God into
(07:01):
his word.
And then if I fast forward acouple of decades, the other
that I would point out is anumber of years ago, the book of
second Corinthians, just.
Became the center pole of all ofthe study of scripture I was
doing.
I'd been in ministry for awhile, but I just felt there was
(07:23):
not a drift away from God andnot a drift away from holiness,
but I just felt as if my ownidentity was so wrapped up in
being Pastor Philip that it feltlike Philip, just, Philip did
not exist as much any longer.
And I needed to find out, who Iwas in Christ again and studying
(07:47):
through second Corinthians,chapters three through seven.
Made this huge impact on my lifebecause there, there are dozens
of little tiny descriptors ofwho we are as believers within
there that, we're clays of jarthat carry a precious treasure
in it, that we're walking in atriumphal procession with
Christ.
(08:08):
And one verse in particular,chapter five, verse 14, speaks
about how we are compelled bythe love of Christ.
Just once again, finding allthat Christ was doing in my life
when I was in my late thirties,prepared me for all of the
season that came next.
That's beautiful how Godprepares us for seasons.
(08:30):
But I also see in this that heuses people in our lives to
shape us, to bring us toscripture specific scriptures.
And then also I wanted to share.
One more thing that you that youshared and it just skips my mind
right now.
But it is very interesting howthe spirit works to prepare us,
that's for sure.
(08:50):
Oh, yes.
It's coming back when youmention that we define ourselves
sometimes by the things that wedo or the roles that we have and
God always bring us back to whowe are.
We are his children and loved.
Yes.
And it's and that brings a senseof peace that transcends it all,
and and then fills us to, toserve better in the capacities
(09:13):
that he has us serve.
So that's really inspiring.
Thank you.
Yeah.
It, yes, go ahead.
It also, that season, one of thethings that happened to me
during that season is that itreconnected me to the witness of
my own mom who as we'rerecording this now, it's been a
(09:36):
little over 20 years that shepassed away, and so it was a few
years after her passing and I,it took me a while to get all
of, to get these pointsconnected, but.
My, my mom was avid of gettingup very early in the day.
She would awake before all therest of us, but we always knew
(09:59):
exactly where her Bible was andwhere her spiral bound notebook
was that she kept all of her allof the things that she was gonna
pray about and.
My mom was never visually aleader in our church.
She never held a position.
She was never on a committee.
(10:19):
She was never up at the front atthe microphone.
That was oftentimes my father.
But mom was very much a.
A, a very steady presence in ourchurch for young families that
were in need, especially youngparents.
And she had a ministry that wasquiet but was impactful and it
was just, it was a, that seasonwas a great reminder to me.
(10:44):
That here, my mom, DoloresNation was a great leader and
minister of the gospel in ourchurch.
Without ever holding a title ora position and how God just
continuously gave her suchconfidence to minister just in
the way that he asked her tominister.
And it wa it became a comfort inmy own life that he would make
(11:07):
me who I'm supposed to be first.
And then along the way I wouldminister as he had assignments
for me, but it was just, it wasa lesson after her passing that
I finally picked up on that.
I'm so grateful for having thatlegacy of such a godly mother
who served Christ quietly, butso very faithfully.
(11:29):
And we are truly who we are whenno one sees us.
It's not just a title and all ofthat.
And then it's interesting thatyou shared about Timothy who
himself also.
Paul said that he learned, hislove for Christ and his his
faith from his mother andgrandmother.
Yeah, exactly.
It's a nice legacy and thank youfor sharing.
(11:49):
So what inspired you, yourpassion for making scripture
accessible to everyday people,no matter where they're starting
from?
For me, again, some of this islegacy.
I had great models for that inbible study, teachers and
pastors under whom I grew up,but then just walking out into
(12:12):
the world as a, as an adult andas a leader in churches, I just
saw that there was a growingbiblical illiteracy.
And it wasn't just that peoplewere losing the thread on
important doctrines.
It was as if people were, wewere losing just our
understanding of the storylineof scripture, of the characters
(12:34):
of scripture.
And so I just took it on that Iwanted to be involved with the
discipleship of people.
That was the focus of mypastoral ministries.
Very often it's a focus of muchof what I've written, and so I.
I just know that the power ofsalvation is held within the
word of God, Jesus, as he waspraying in John 17, he says to
(12:58):
the Father, father, sanctifythem by your truth.
Your word is truth.
And so I'm happy to just givethe rest of my life to ensuring
that people have access to theBible and to good resources and
tools that will help them tobetter study it.
(13:19):
Thank you.
That is great.
So talking about tools and tipsfor Bible study what are your
top Bible study tips for someonethat would be new to the faith
just starting to explore theirBible on their own.
What would you recommend theyread or.
Anything you wanna share?
(13:39):
Yeah.
And so if you are new to Biblestudy, my first tip is is an
unusual one.
I think I, and that is, I justwant to acknowledge along with
you that studying the Biblelooks on the front end to be
incredibly complex, hard, anddaunting.
And that's okay.
(13:59):
For you to think that on thefront end.
At Nelson Bibles, we primarilyare one of the primary public
translations we publish is thenew King James version.
So I, I know a lot of factoidsabout it, and that scripture
translation is 771,569 words.
(14:20):
So it's about three times thesize of a novel that any of us
would pick up and read.
And so it's okay to come to itand go, okay.
Hold on a second.
This feels like a really bigwall of words, and so just say
okay to that and know that allthe rest of us have had that
same thought as well.
But then I want to encouragepeople, if you're new to the
(14:41):
faith and new to the Bible, I.
Start with the story of Jesus.
That's the culmination of theentire Bible.
And my suggestion is go to theGospel of John.
And so in the New Testament,that's the fourth book of the
New Testament.
And read the Gospel of John andread it slowly.
You don't have to feel like youhave to blaze through it.
(15:02):
It's 21 chapters, and so you canvery easily read it.
One chapter a day in a month,obviously, or you can read it in
even smaller pieces.
But if you're new to scripture,we do want to encourage you that
at some point, read the entiretyof the Bible, read it
comprehensively from start tofinish, but as you're new, it's
(15:25):
okay for you to go slowly.
And then the third and final tipthat I would just give here is.
Learn the tools that can helpyou understand the context of
the passage.
Every time we find ourselvesamiss an out of step with with
the faith and with the doctrinethat the church has held
historically, it's when we takethings out of context.
(15:48):
And so make sure that you'vegot.
Friends that you can trust, achurch family that you're a part
of, and then all of the Biblestudy tools that'll help you to
understand the context of howdoes this passage fit into this
book?
How does it fit into the overallentirety of the Bible?
What's going on historically,when Jesus does this, when
(16:08):
another character does that,when they say this, learn how to
understand the context, andit'll be such a wondrous journey
through the Bible.
Yes.
And who who wrote thatparticular book.
And who was it intended to, Iguess also would be, yeah,
absolutely.
Great.
Yes.
And for those who've beenwalking with God for years, like
(16:30):
maybe even feel well-versed withtheir Bible, what are some tips
for staying engaged or perhapsalso.
Spiritually curious or connectedto God in any ways.
Yeah.
It's hard to, in a, it's a long,it's not just a quick fix, it's
a lifelong journey.
So how do we keep it fresh?
Yeah.
That lifelong journey.
(16:50):
I and I speak from experience onthis one, having been someone
who's been reading the Bible nowfor 40 years.
I, the thing that has helped meI'll share three quick tips.
One is.
That you should go and readportions of scripture that
you've not visited in a while.
We all build up a favorite genreof scripture.
(17:14):
We really love the gospels, orwe really love the letters by
Paul in the New Testament, or wereally love the historical books
of the Old Testament.
But wherever it is that youdon't find yourself regularly.
Go and revisit those books ofthe Bible and commit yourself
that you want to understand thewhole council of God.
(17:36):
Secondly, I would encouragepeople, no matter how long
you've been in the Bible, tospend more time than you have
previously in the Book ofPsalms.
Psalms, this is the portion ofwhat we refer to as the Old
Testament that was most oftencommitted to memory by the
Christians, by all of those thatare in first century Jerusalem
(17:59):
and Israel.
When Jesus is walking arounddoing his.
His ministry on the earth beforehe is crucified and resurrected,
and they would have had veryready access to the Psalms in
their memories.
And so I would spend more timein the Psalms because it just
puts the whole of life ondisplay and it gives to you
(18:22):
wonderful insights into thehearts of God, into the hearts
of God, and into the lives ofhumans.
And so spend more time with withthe Psalms.
And then third, I encouragepeople who've been in the Bible
for a long time and need tofreshen it up is take up pen and
paper and start transcribing.
(18:44):
The Bible, pick a book of theBible that you're really
familiar with.
And start wr handwriting it out.
I did this a few years ago withthe book of Ephesians and.
And it disciplines you to slowdown and to see details that you
knew.
You knew that detail was there,but you'd never really mauled
(19:06):
over it.
You never really meditated onit.
And that discipline of slowlywriting out one verse at a time
whether you do it over thecourse of a week or two weeks,
or a month, I found, I havefound that to be a really
helpful discipline just to handwrite out long passages of
scripture.
Just to help me to meditate andto learn better what's there.
(19:29):
And it causes me and makes meslow down so that I will listen
better to the Holy Spirit'steachings.
I.
Yes.
I love that it's a lost art towrite.
Who writes nowadays?
I love to write.
I have journals all the time,but it's definitely, I've never
written an entire book.
And that could be especiallywith the Nelson Bible being from
(19:52):
the 17 hundreds.
That could be an ancientpractice that could help us slow
down being God's presence,meditate.
And slow down our thoughtprocess as well.
And I love your the reading thePsalms, that, that is
incredible.
David was called The Man AfterGod's Own Heart.
And so a way to go back to ourfirst love, to our.
(20:13):
When we first fell in love withGod, what prompted us to follow
him, and so remembering that bybreathing just soms and being
real and honest, sometimes weknow the right things to say or
to do, and we get stuck in thatand we forgot to be honest and
to be free with God, that he canhandle our, whatever is going
(20:34):
through our minds and what'shappening in our lives.
And I love the way you say thatthat, God can handle these
things.
The Psalms absolutely prove thatthere is nothing that we can say
to God that is gonna shock himor scare him off from us.
Just the bearing of.
There of the soul in the Book ofPsalms by David primarily, and
(20:58):
by a few other authors there.
But when you read those psalmsthat are written by David, and
again, going back to context,then knowing the context
reading, okay, when was thiswritten?
And why, why did David.
Why did he say this then?
Or There's certain psalms thatare the Psalms of ascent that
(21:19):
the Israelites would sing asthey were ascending up to the
Mount of Jerusalem, to thetemple on their way to worship.
Or you have the Psalms that arejust about the heart crying out
to God in the dark shadows oflife.
It really is a beautiful placeto be able to settle in and find
comfort from God.
Yeah.
(21:39):
Thank you.
It's very true.
So the Open Bible has been theBible of choice for over 2
million readers of over 2million readers.
Why do you think it's had such alasting impact?
So the Open Bible is an additionthat we're celebrating its 50th
anniversary this year.
(22:01):
There are not very many studyBibles that exist for that long.
There are a few, but it's just asmall handful, and I think that
the impact of the Open Bible.
Has been within all of the studynotes and materials that are
held within it, that on one sidethey are, there's enough there
(22:23):
to help you to see theconnections of scripture from
one part to the other, butthey're not overwhelming where
it draws you out of thescripture.
We're happy to publish studyBibles that have got hundreds
and hundreds of thousands ofwords of.
Theological commentary at thebottom of the page running
(22:44):
throughout the Bible, but theOpen Bible takes a different
tactic that instead it has oneof the largest.
Topical indices that it, that ispublished in a Bible.
So you can find any topic thatyou're looking for in a list of
verses to go and research it tothe New Christians Guide to
(23:06):
Life, which is a topical studyindex from everything about key
doctrines of who is the HolySpirit to very practical ideas
about what is marriage or how doI forgive someone.
And it's just the simplicity ofthe notes that I think more and
more people have turned to, tosay, I'm looking for a Bible
(23:28):
that will just help me study theBible according to the Bible
rather than infusing other notessets into it.
And as you said over these 50years, 2 million people have
gotten additions and we're happyto continue to steward it into
the future.
That's nice.
And so what's the story behindthe Open Bible?
(23:49):
Who was it created for?
What makes it different from atypical study Bible?
I, you've touched a little biton that, but Yeah.
And a little more than 50 yearsago, at that time the gentleman
who was leading Thomas NelsonBibles looked around and he saw
that there were severaldifferent bibles that had been
produced that had.
(24:09):
One had this big topical indexway back 50 years ago.
It was called the Cycl PedicIndex, which is not a word that
we use any longer.
So we just call it a topicalindex.
And in the Bible it's about 300pages in length.
So it's just massive.
And then there were other.
Reference sets where crossreferences for your listeners
(24:32):
who might be new.
When you read through a Bible,oftentimes you'll see a little
super script letter in themiddle of a verse that is then
tied to a reference set there onthe page that gives you other
verses to look at, and it crossreferences you.
To another verse where that wordor that idea shows up and it
(24:54):
helps you to magnify what doesthis mean?
And so he took these differenttools, like this very beefy
cross-reference set, thistopical index.
They had a really lengthyarticle written about the top
archeological finds that helpedsupport that.
Yes, the Bible is true about.
The people and the places andthe practices that are in the
(25:18):
Bible and then tied in this verypractical guide to the new
Christian life.
And so they saw we've got all ofthese tools, but they're all in
different places.
So let's put them, let'sassemble them all together into
one Bible.
Call it the Open Bible, becausethat's what we want.
(25:38):
We want people to have theirBible open and they want, and we
want people to know that there'san open pathway to studying and
understanding the Bible.
That's great.
Thank you.
That's incredible.
Before we close, it's alreadythe the end of our of this
amazing conversation.
(25:58):
I wish it could last much longerand I love to talk about
anything Bible related topicsand dive into each book would be
incredible.
But before we close, what finalwords of encouragement would you
like to give our listeners?
Or perhaps someone in particularwho wants to grow closer to God
through his word feels unsurewhere to start or feels
(26:21):
disconnected right now.
Anything.
Yeah.
And I'll encourage yourlisteners in just a second.
I'm gonna give you two differentverses that I want you to jot
down and go look up later.
I'll try to quote themaccurately, but our memories
sometimes fail us.
But if.
If you're feeling disconnected Iwant you to recognize that.
(26:44):
That your desire to reconnectwith God is minuscule in
comparison to the desire thatGod has to connect with you.
He is passionate about you andhis passion for you to be in a,
in an intimate relationship withhim is an overwhelming thought
(27:06):
to us.
To the, to this great extentthat Christ has died and is
resurrected for our good.
And so two places in the tailend of the Old Testament that I
would encourage you to go to,which are places that I've been
to, I.
One is in the little, it feelslike a very little obscure book
(27:27):
of Zephaniah.
So just you can put the the, Iput it in the show notes for
sure.
Yeah.
Zephaniah chapter three, verse17.
And within that verse, there'sthe phrase about how God sings
over us.
And as a father and agrandfather, I can only root
(27:48):
this in my experience of thetimes that my child or my
grandchild has been in bed atnight and I sing a lullaby over
them.
That verse talks about how hequiets us with his love and he
sings joyfully over us.
We think about singing to God inworship and in praise, and we
should.
(28:09):
But the Lord loves us so dearlyas a father that he joyfully
sings a song of love andhappiness over us.
That's how he feels about you.
But if you feel as if you reallyhave strayed, I.
The other verse that I wouldencourage you to look at is also
in the Old Testament prophetHosea.
(28:30):
Hosea has 14 chapters, and sothis verse is found in the last
chapter, Hosea 14 verse four,where God says to Israel, I will
heal your rebellion.
And I will love you freelybecause my anger has turned away
from you.
And if you read the whole storyof Hosea you'll understand that
(28:50):
Hosea was a prophet.
That God called to go and marrya woman of the evening in order
to give a picture of all of theredemptive work that God was
doing with Israel, that he wasredeeming them from selling
themselves to the world.
At a cheap price.
And by the end of the story, Godis telling them, I'm gonna heal
(29:11):
all of your rebellious ways, andI'm gonna love you completely,
freely because my anger hasturned away from you.
And if you're feeling as ifyou're far away, just know that
God is willing to heal all thatwaywardness because he loves you
so dearly.
And that's the power of hisword, is that he teaches us this
time and time again.
That's so beautiful.
(29:32):
Thank you.
I really love these twoscriptures and I'll definitely
put them in the show notes and.
Comment on that, on, on that.
And yes, Hosea it's a beautifulit's a beautiful analogy of his
relationship with US marriageand how he calls Hosea to stay
married to pursue this woman.
And we are all that woman and wedo need healing.
(29:55):
And the only place to do, to goto is God.
Sometimes we wait to be in abetter place.
To go to God, but the truth isonly God can bring us to a
better place.
That's right.
Than just as we are.
Thank you so much Philip, thiswas a very insightful
conversation.
Where could we find the Bibles?
(30:15):
And I I will put a link.
I'm assuming Amazon anywhere.
Is there also any way that wecould connect with you in
particular?
And so to find our Biblesobviously yeah.
You can find our bibles on allof the shopping sites.
But if you want to try to naildown, like what kind of Bible
are you looking for, just go toour website, Thomas Nelson
(30:36):
bibles.com.
And there you can.
You can search by translation,whichever English translation
you like, but then also the typeof Bible are you looking for a
study bible or for a simplerjust text Bible or one that is
for your kids?
All those kind of categories arethere, or are you looking for
(30:57):
the open Bible?
And then if you want to connectwith me, which I love
interacting with people onlineI'm on Facebook and Instagram
and, x, formerly known asTwitter.
Just look for my name, Philipwith one l Philip Nation and you
will find me.
Would love to connect with you.
Yes, I'll be sure to include allthe links in the show notes so
it's easy for everyone to findyou and explore the open Bible,
(31:19):
learn more about your work andtake that next step in their own
walk with God.
Philip, thank you so much foryour time Thank you so much and.
To you friends, my prayer isthis, that if you don't own a
Bible, you'll feel inspired toget one, that you'll open it,
read it, and discover just howpersonally God wants to speak to
you.
Whether you begin in the Psalmsor the gospels, may the word
(31:42):
come alive in your heart, justas it has in Philip's story and
in so many lives, change throughscripture.
Thank you again for joining ustoday.
Thank you.
What a rich conversation withPhilip Nation today.
I hope it lifted your spirit andreminded you that God's word is
not just ancient, it's alive andmeant for you.
(32:03):
Here are a few key takeawaysthat stood out to me.
Number one.
Spiritual hunger is a clue, nota condemnation.
Feeling dry or disconnecteddoesn't mean something's wrong
with you.
It's a sign that your soul iscraving what it was created for
connection with God through hisword.
Number two, you don't have tomaster the Bible.
Let it master you.
(32:24):
Philip shared how slowing downwriting out verses meditating
helps us absorb scripture not asa task, but as transformation.
The goal isn't to conquer theBible but to let it shape us
from the inside out.
As Romans 12 verse two says,number three, God is more eager
to be with you than you are withhim.
(32:44):
Two beautiful verses to doubt.
Zephaniah three, verse 17.
He will rejoice over you withsinging and Hosea 14 verse four.
I will heal their waywardnessand love them freely.
God isn't waiting forperfection.
He's already pursuing you withgrace and healing.
Number four, the Open Bible wasmade for people just like you.
(33:05):
Whether you are new to scriptureor have been walking with God
for decades, the Open Bibleoffers tools to help you study
deeply, cross-referencepassages, and rediscover the
story of God with freshperspective.
And lastly, number five, yourstory doesn't disqualify you
from ministry.
It prepares you.
Philip shared his own journey,how his faith was shaped by
(33:27):
hardship, the influence of hismother's devotion to the word,
and how his years of pastoringdeepened his understanding of
grace.
God uses every part of ourstory.
Friend, if you've beenstruggling to feel close to God,
I pray today, reminded you ofthis, you are not too far.
He's singing over you.
He longs to heal the placesyou've wandered and speak to
(33:50):
your heart through his livingword.
So open your Bible.
Let him meet you there tocomfort you, to teach you to
love you.
As Hebrews four, verse 12 says,the word of God is living and
active.
It's not a textbook.
It's a conversation with the onewho created you.
If you'd like to explore theOpen Bible or connect with
(34:10):
Philip, check the show notes forlinks.
And as a special gift, I'vecreated a free downloadable
devotional based on Zephaniahthree verse 17, and Hosea 14
verse four.
You'll find it in a Cure forChrist, Facebook community, or
through the link below.
Thanks for spending time with meagain today.
If this episode encouraged you,would you share it with a
(34:31):
friend?
And remember, his word is aliveand it's waiting to meet you.
Write where you are.
I will see you next week.
Hi, I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.
If so, would you like to take 30seconds and share it with a
friend who may also strugglewith knowing God and his purpose
(34:55):
for their life?
Also, leave a review on ApplePodcast and let me know what
topics you'd like to hear aboutin the future.
Your voice matters.
I'll meet you back next Friday.
For another episode.
Welcome to Cures for Christ, andwelcome back.
(00:02):
If you've been with me for awhile, I'm so glad you're here
today.
I want to go back to the basics,the Bible.
If you've ever felt dry in yourfaith or unsure where to even
begin with reading scripture.
Again, this episode is for you.
I'm joined by Philip Nation, whoserves as vice president and
publisher for Thomas NelsonBibles.
(00:22):
He is.
One of the leaders behind the50th anniversary edition of the
Open Bible, he's also a pastor,author, and former church
planter whose passion is to helppeople hear God through his
word.
He leads one of the most trustedBible publishing teams in the
world and lives in Tennesseewith his wife Angie.
In this conversation, Philipshares some beautiful insights
(00:43):
on how to engage scripture whenyou're hurting, overwhelmed, or
just feeling far from God.
Whether you've walked with Godfor years or just beginning to
explore who he is, I believethis conversation will believe
you encouraged, grounded, andmaybe even surprised by just how
close God really is.
Let's dive in.
(01:07):
Welcome to Curious for Christ.
Do you ever find yourself lying,awake at night wondering about
God's plan for your life?
Maybe you wake up with bigdreams, but feel unsure where to
start or what your next stepshould be.
If you're curious aboutexploring your faith and finding
purpose, then you've come to theright place.
(01:27):
Hi, I'm Alexandra.
I too felt lost and sure of thedirection my life was taking.
I yearned to understand mypurpose and have someone guide
me, but I kept telling myself Iwas too busy.
The timing wasn't right, and mylack of clarity prevented me
from being consistent until Ifound Christ.
(01:48):
He brought peace into my lifeand revealed the way to find
purpose by anchoring myself.
In him.
In this podcast, we'll journeytogether exploring the Bible to
gain a deeper understanding ofhim and cultivate your own
personal relationship withChrist.
So open up your Bible, put inthose earbuds and listen up
(02:09):
because God is speaking to you.
He's making everything new andyou don't wanna miss it.
Let's get started.
Philip, thank you so much andwelcome to Curious for Cry.
Thank you for joining me today.
(02:30):
Oh, it's gonna be a funconversation.
I appreciate the invitation.
Yes, it'll, it will.
So I love to start with ourpersonal stories, I find them so
impactful.
And so could you start bytelling us a little bit about
yourself, your role at ThomasNelson Bibles and what drew you
to this work that you're doingtoday?
(02:51):
Oh I'm always happy not to talkabout myself, but to talk about
all the grace of God that hasaccompanied my journey through
life.
And so the most important thingabout me right now is that I'm a
grandfather and have twograndkids, but my wife Angie,
and I have been.
Married for 31 years and we'vegot two grown sons that are both
(03:14):
married and we love their wives.
Our two daughters-in-law havecaptured our hearts, but my own
journey is that I have theblessing of that story of being
raised in a home where both ofmy parents were Christians and
so I was familiar with thechurch and the faith from a very
(03:35):
early age.
And felt that draw to Christ asa child.
And so have a, have just agrace-filled testimony of coming
to faith in Christ at an earlyage.
And then in my teenage years,sensing a call to ministry, but
not being able to quite put myfinger on what that meant.
(03:57):
And so it, it did mean going tocollege, going to seminary,
eventually doing some doctoralstudies as well.
But I served as a pastor untilmy later thirties and began
writing.
And then God did a new directionin my life where I entered into
the world of Christianpublishing working at various
(04:19):
levels of leadership andcontinuing to write and teach in
universities.
And so now for the last five anda half years, I've had this.
Incredible opportunity to standin the great heritage of Bible
publishing and leading ThomasNelson Bibles which has been
around since 1798.
(04:40):
And so now every day I get towake up as a leader of
publishing Bibles.
Continuing a legacy it seemslike right?
For so long.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It, we stand on the shoulders offaithful men and women who went
before us and created thiswhole, ability to be able to
expand this work of being ableto introduce the word of God to
(05:05):
people near and far.
Fantastic.
Thank you.
Was there a moment in your lifethat you can recall when
scripture became deeply personalor transformative and how did it
shape your walk with God afterthat moment?
Yeah.
I, it's a tough question to pindown.
One, having served in ministry.
(05:28):
For so many years and studyingand teaching.
There are a lot of those momentsalong the way and a lot of those
passages I'll say the earliermemories of I ha of having that
as a teenage boy growing up in,as I said, a home where I had
parents that modeled it.
And in a church that equipped usI think that it was in my later
(05:51):
teenage years as I was exploringwhat is it that God's doing in
my heart?
That it was just the regularreading of scripture that the
Lord used to confirm, yes, I'mcalling you to a specific work
in life that will have to dowith ministry and the word, but
then it was a couple of yearslater.
(06:13):
That a young man in our churchwho was a part-time associate
minister, his family, they ownedtheir own business that he
worked in.
He came alongside of me anddiscipled me for three years,
where weekly I was in his homefor several hours on Thursday
nights, and his name wasMatthew.
(06:35):
He's no longer with us.
He's with the Lord.
But Matthew, I remember walkingme through the books of First
and second Timothy.
And that season really helpedsolidify a lot in my life as to
what God wanted me to do.
And so that's what I wouldidentify as probably the
earliest and most impactfuldrawing that I felt of God into
(07:01):
his word.
And then if I fast forward acouple of decades, the other
that I would point out is anumber of years ago, the book of
second Corinthians, just.
Became the center pole of all ofthe study of scripture I was
doing.
I'd been in ministry for awhile, but I just felt there was
(07:23):
not a drift away from God andnot a drift away from holiness,
but I just felt as if my ownidentity was so wrapped up in
being Pastor Philip that it feltlike Philip, just, Philip did
not exist as much any longer.
And I needed to find out, who Iwas in Christ again and studying
(07:47):
through second Corinthians,chapters three through seven.
Made this huge impact on my lifebecause there, there are dozens
of little tiny descriptors ofwho we are as believers within
there that, we're clays of jarthat carry a precious treasure
in it, that we're walking in atriumphal procession with
Christ.
(08:08):
And one verse in particular,chapter five, verse 14, speaks
about how we are compelled bythe love of Christ.
Just once again, finding allthat Christ was doing in my life
when I was in my late thirties,prepared me for all of the
season that came next.
That's beautiful how Godprepares us for seasons.
(08:30):
But I also see in this that heuses people in our lives to
shape us, to bring us toscripture specific scriptures.
And then also I wanted to share.
One more thing that you that youshared and it just skips my mind
right now.
But it is very interesting howthe spirit works to prepare us,
that's for sure.
(08:50):
Oh, yes.
It's coming back when youmention that we define ourselves
sometimes by the things that wedo or the roles that we have and
God always bring us back to whowe are.
We are his children and loved.
Yes.
And it's and that brings a senseof peace that transcends it all,
and and then fills us to, toserve better in the capacities
(09:13):
that he has us serve.
So that's really inspiring.
Thank you.
Yeah.
It, yes, go ahead.
It also, that season, one of thethings that happened to me
during that season is that itreconnected me to the witness of
my own mom who as we'rerecording this now, it's been a
(09:36):
little over 20 years that shepassed away, and so it was a few
years after her passing and I,it took me a while to get all
of, to get these pointsconnected, but.
My, my mom was avid of gettingup very early in the day.
She would awake before all therest of us, but we always knew
(09:59):
exactly where her Bible was andwhere her spiral bound notebook
was that she kept all of her allof the things that she was gonna
pray about and.
My mom was never visually aleader in our church.
She never held a position.
She was never on a committee.
(10:19):
She was never up at the front atthe microphone.
That was oftentimes my father.
But mom was very much a.
A, a very steady presence in ourchurch for young families that
were in need, especially youngparents.
And she had a ministry that wasquiet but was impactful and it
was just, it was a, that seasonwas a great reminder to me.
(10:44):
That here, my mom, DoloresNation was a great leader and
minister of the gospel in ourchurch.
Without ever holding a title ora position and how God just
continuously gave her suchconfidence to minister just in
the way that he asked her tominister.
And it wa it became a comfort inmy own life that he would make
(11:07):
me who I'm supposed to be first.
And then along the way I wouldminister as he had assignments
for me, but it was just, it wasa lesson after her passing that
I finally picked up on that.
I'm so grateful for having thatlegacy of such a godly mother
who served Christ quietly, butso very faithfully.
(11:29):
And we are truly who we are whenno one sees us.
It's not just a title and all ofthat.
And then it's interesting thatyou shared about Timothy who
himself also.
Paul said that he learned, hislove for Christ and his his
faith from his mother andgrandmother.
Yeah, exactly.
It's a nice legacy and thank youfor sharing.
(11:49):
So what inspired you, yourpassion for making scripture
accessible to everyday people,no matter where they're starting
from?
For me, again, some of this islegacy.
I had great models for that inbible study, teachers and
pastors under whom I grew up,but then just walking out into
(12:12):
the world as a, as an adult andas a leader in churches, I just
saw that there was a growingbiblical illiteracy.
And it wasn't just that peoplewere losing the thread on
important doctrines.
It was as if people were, wewere losing just our
understanding of the storylineof scripture, of the characters
(12:34):
of scripture.
And so I just took it on that Iwanted to be involved with the
discipleship of people.
That was the focus of mypastoral ministries.
Very often it's a focus of muchof what I've written, and so I.
I just know that the power ofsalvation is held within the
word of God, Jesus, as he waspraying in John 17, he says to
(12:58):
the Father, father, sanctifythem by your truth.
Your word is truth.
And so I'm happy to just givethe rest of my life to ensuring
that people have access to theBible and to good resources and
tools that will help them tobetter study it.
(13:19):
Thank you.
That is great.
So talking about tools and tipsfor Bible study what are your
top Bible study tips for someonethat would be new to the faith
just starting to explore theirBible on their own.
What would you recommend theyread or.
Anything you wanna share?
(13:39):
Yeah.
And so if you are new to Biblestudy, my first tip is is an
unusual one.
I think I, and that is, I justwant to acknowledge along with
you that studying the Biblelooks on the front end to be
incredibly complex, hard, anddaunting.
And that's okay.
(13:59):
For you to think that on thefront end.
At Nelson Bibles, we primarilyare one of the primary public
translations we publish is thenew King James version.
So I, I know a lot of factoidsabout it, and that scripture
translation is 771,569 words.
(14:20):
So it's about three times thesize of a novel that any of us
would pick up and read.
And so it's okay to come to itand go, okay.
Hold on a second.
This feels like a really bigwall of words, and so just say
okay to that and know that allthe rest of us have had that
same thought as well.
But then I want to encouragepeople, if you're new to the
(14:41):
faith and new to the Bible, I.
Start with the story of Jesus.
That's the culmination of theentire Bible.
And my suggestion is go to theGospel of John.
And so in the New Testament,that's the fourth book of the
New Testament.
And read the Gospel of John andread it slowly.
You don't have to feel like youhave to blaze through it.
(15:02):
It's 21 chapters, and so you canvery easily read it.
One chapter a day in a month,obviously, or you can read it in
even smaller pieces.
But if you're new to scripture,we do want to encourage you that
at some point, read the entiretyof the Bible, read it
comprehensively from start tofinish, but as you're new, it's
(15:25):
okay for you to go slowly.
And then the third and final tipthat I would just give here is.
Learn the tools that can helpyou understand the context of
the passage.
Every time we find ourselvesamiss an out of step with with
the faith and with the doctrinethat the church has held
historically, it's when we takethings out of context.
(15:48):
And so make sure that you'vegot.
Friends that you can trust, achurch family that you're a part
of, and then all of the Biblestudy tools that'll help you to
understand the context of howdoes this passage fit into this
book?
How does it fit into the overallentirety of the Bible?
What's going on historically,when Jesus does this, when
(16:08):
another character does that,when they say this, learn how to
understand the context, andit'll be such a wondrous journey
through the Bible.
Yes.
And who who wrote thatparticular book.
And who was it intended to, Iguess also would be, yeah,
absolutely.
Great.
Yes.
And for those who've beenwalking with God for years, like
(16:30):
maybe even feel well-versed withtheir Bible, what are some tips
for staying engaged or perhapsalso.
Spiritually curious or connectedto God in any ways.
Yeah.
It's hard to, in a, it's a long,it's not just a quick fix, it's
a lifelong journey.
So how do we keep it fresh?
Yeah.
That lifelong journey.
(16:50):
I and I speak from experience onthis one, having been someone
who's been reading the Bible nowfor 40 years.
I, the thing that has helped meI'll share three quick tips.
One is.
That you should go and readportions of scripture that
you've not visited in a while.
We all build up a favorite genreof scripture.
(17:14):
We really love the gospels, orwe really love the letters by
Paul in the New Testament, or wereally love the historical books
of the Old Testament.
But wherever it is that youdon't find yourself regularly.
Go and revisit those books ofthe Bible and commit yourself
that you want to understand thewhole council of God.
(17:36):
Secondly, I would encouragepeople, no matter how long
you've been in the Bible, tospend more time than you have
previously in the Book ofPsalms.
Psalms, this is the portion ofwhat we refer to as the Old
Testament that was most oftencommitted to memory by the
Christians, by all of those thatare in first century Jerusalem
(17:59):
and Israel.
When Jesus is walking arounddoing his.
His ministry on the earth beforehe is crucified and resurrected,
and they would have had veryready access to the Psalms in
their memories.
And so I would spend more timein the Psalms because it just
puts the whole of life ondisplay and it gives to you
(18:22):
wonderful insights into thehearts of God, into the hearts
of God, and into the lives ofhumans.
And so spend more time with withthe Psalms.
And then third, I encouragepeople who've been in the Bible
for a long time and need tofreshen it up is take up pen and
paper and start transcribing.
(18:44):
The Bible, pick a book of theBible that you're really
familiar with.
And start wr handwriting it out.
I did this a few years ago withthe book of Ephesians and.
And it disciplines you to slowdown and to see details that you
knew.
You knew that detail was there,but you'd never really mauled
(19:06):
over it.
You never really meditated onit.
And that discipline of slowlywriting out one verse at a time
whether you do it over thecourse of a week or two weeks,
or a month, I found, I havefound that to be a really
helpful discipline just to handwrite out long passages of
scripture.
Just to help me to meditate andto learn better what's there.
(19:29):
And it causes me and makes meslow down so that I will listen
better to the Holy Spirit'steachings.
I.
Yes.
I love that it's a lost art towrite.
Who writes nowadays?
I love to write.
I have journals all the time,but it's definitely, I've never
written an entire book.
And that could be especiallywith the Nelson Bible being from
(19:52):
the 17 hundreds.
That could be an ancientpractice that could help us slow
down being God's presence,meditate.
And slow down our thoughtprocess as well.
And I love your the reading thePsalms, that, that is
incredible.
David was called The Man AfterGod's Own Heart.
And so a way to go back to ourfirst love, to our.
(20:13):
When we first fell in love withGod, what prompted us to follow
him, and so remembering that bybreathing just soms and being
real and honest, sometimes weknow the right things to say or
to do, and we get stuck in thatand we forgot to be honest and
to be free with God, that he canhandle our, whatever is going
(20:34):
through our minds and what'shappening in our lives.
And I love the way you say thatthat, God can handle these
things.
The Psalms absolutely prove thatthere is nothing that we can say
to God that is gonna shock himor scare him off from us.
Just the bearing of.
There of the soul in the Book ofPsalms by David primarily, and
(20:58):
by a few other authors there.
But when you read those psalmsthat are written by David, and
again, going back to context,then knowing the context
reading, okay, when was thiswritten?
And why, why did David.
Why did he say this then?
Or There's certain psalms thatare the Psalms of ascent that
(21:19):
the Israelites would sing asthey were ascending up to the
Mount of Jerusalem, to thetemple on their way to worship.
Or you have the Psalms that arejust about the heart crying out
to God in the dark shadows oflife.
It really is a beautiful placeto be able to settle in and find
comfort from God.
Yeah.
(21:39):
Thank you.
It's very true.
So the Open Bible has been theBible of choice for over 2
million readers of over 2million readers.
Why do you think it's had such alasting impact?
So the Open Bible is an additionthat we're celebrating its 50th
anniversary this year.
(22:01):
There are not very many studyBibles that exist for that long.
There are a few, but it's just asmall handful, and I think that
the impact of the Open Bible.
Has been within all of the studynotes and materials that are
held within it, that on one sidethey are, there's enough there
(22:23):
to help you to see theconnections of scripture from
one part to the other, butthey're not overwhelming where
it draws you out of thescripture.
We're happy to publish studyBibles that have got hundreds
and hundreds of thousands ofwords of.
Theological commentary at thebottom of the page running
(22:44):
throughout the Bible, but theOpen Bible takes a different
tactic that instead it has oneof the largest.
Topical indices that it, that ispublished in a Bible.
So you can find any topic thatyou're looking for in a list of
verses to go and research it tothe New Christians Guide to
(23:06):
Life, which is a topical studyindex from everything about key
doctrines of who is the HolySpirit to very practical ideas
about what is marriage or how doI forgive someone.
And it's just the simplicity ofthe notes that I think more and
more people have turned to, tosay, I'm looking for a Bible
(23:28):
that will just help me study theBible according to the Bible
rather than infusing other notessets into it.
And as you said over these 50years, 2 million people have
gotten additions and we're happyto continue to steward it into
the future.
That's nice.
And so what's the story behindthe Open Bible?
(23:49):
Who was it created for?
What makes it different from atypical study Bible?
I, you've touched a little biton that, but Yeah.
And a little more than 50 yearsago, at that time the gentleman
who was leading Thomas NelsonBibles looked around and he saw
that there were severaldifferent bibles that had been
produced that had.
(24:09):
One had this big topical indexway back 50 years ago.
It was called the Cycl PedicIndex, which is not a word that
we use any longer.
So we just call it a topicalindex.
And in the Bible it's about 300pages in length.
So it's just massive.
And then there were other.
Reference sets where crossreferences for your listeners
(24:32):
who might be new.
When you read through a Bible,oftentimes you'll see a little
super script letter in themiddle of a verse that is then
tied to a reference set there onthe page that gives you other
verses to look at, and it crossreferences you.
To another verse where that wordor that idea shows up and it
(24:54):
helps you to magnify what doesthis mean?
And so he took these differenttools, like this very beefy
cross-reference set, thistopical index.
They had a really lengthyarticle written about the top
archeological finds that helpedsupport that.
Yes, the Bible is true about.
The people and the places andthe practices that are in the
(25:18):
Bible and then tied in this verypractical guide to the new
Christian life.
And so they saw we've got all ofthese tools, but they're all in
different places.
So let's put them, let'sassemble them all together into
one Bible.
Call it the Open Bible, becausethat's what we want.
(25:38):
We want people to have theirBible open and they want, and we
want people to know that there'san open pathway to studying and
understanding the Bible.
That's great.
Thank you.
That's incredible.
Before we close, it's alreadythe the end of our of this
amazing conversation.
(25:58):
I wish it could last much longerand I love to talk about
anything Bible related topicsand dive into each book would be
incredible.
But before we close, what finalwords of encouragement would you
like to give our listeners?
Or perhaps someone in particularwho wants to grow closer to God
through his word feels unsurewhere to start or feels
(26:21):
disconnected right now.
Anything.
Yeah.
And I'll encourage yourlisteners in just a second.
I'm gonna give you two differentverses that I want you to jot
down and go look up later.
I'll try to quote themaccurately, but our memories
sometimes fail us.
But if.
If you're feeling disconnected Iwant you to recognize that.
(26:44):
That your desire to reconnectwith God is minuscule in
comparison to the desire thatGod has to connect with you.
He is passionate about you andhis passion for you to be in a,
in an intimate relationship withhim is an overwhelming thought
(27:06):
to us.
To the, to this great extentthat Christ has died and is
resurrected for our good.
And so two places in the tailend of the Old Testament that I
would encourage you to go to,which are places that I've been
to, I.
One is in the little, it feelslike a very little obscure book
(27:27):
of Zephaniah.
So just you can put the the, Iput it in the show notes for
sure.
Yeah.
Zephaniah chapter three, verse17.
And within that verse, there'sthe phrase about how God sings
over us.
And as a father and agrandfather, I can only root
(27:48):
this in my experience of thetimes that my child or my
grandchild has been in bed atnight and I sing a lullaby over
them.
That verse talks about how hequiets us with his love and he
sings joyfully over us.
We think about singing to God inworship and in praise, and we
should.
(28:09):
But the Lord loves us so dearlyas a father that he joyfully
sings a song of love andhappiness over us.
That's how he feels about you.
But if you feel as if you reallyhave strayed, I.
The other verse that I wouldencourage you to look at is also
in the Old Testament prophetHosea.
(28:30):
Hosea has 14 chapters, and sothis verse is found in the last
chapter, Hosea 14 verse four,where God says to Israel, I will
heal your rebellion.
And I will love you freelybecause my anger has turned away
from you.
And if you read the whole storyof Hosea you'll understand that
(28:50):
Hosea was a prophet.
That God called to go and marrya woman of the evening in order
to give a picture of all of theredemptive work that God was
doing with Israel, that he wasredeeming them from selling
themselves to the world.
At a cheap price.
And by the end of the story, Godis telling them, I'm gonna heal
(29:11):
all of your rebellious ways, andI'm gonna love you completely,
freely because my anger hasturned away from you.
And if you're feeling as ifyou're far away, just know that
God is willing to heal all thatwaywardness because he loves you
so dearly.
And that's the power of hisword, is that he teaches us this
time and time again.
That's so beautiful.
(29:32):
Thank you.
I really love these twoscriptures and I'll definitely
put them in the show notes and.
Comment on that, on, on that.
And yes, Hosea it's a beautifulit's a beautiful analogy of his
relationship with US marriageand how he calls Hosea to stay
married to pursue this woman.
And we are all that woman and wedo need healing.
(29:55):
And the only place to do, to goto is God.
Sometimes we wait to be in abetter place.
To go to God, but the truth isonly God can bring us to a
better place.
That's right.
Than just as we are.
Thank you so much Philip, thiswas a very insightful
conversation.
Where could we find the Bibles?
(30:15):
And I I will put a link.
I'm assuming Amazon anywhere.
Is there also any way that wecould connect with you in
particular?
And so to find our Biblesobviously yeah.
You can find our bibles on allof the shopping sites.
But if you want to try to naildown, like what kind of Bible
are you looking for, just go toour website, Thomas Nelson
(30:36):
bibles.com.
And there you can.
You can search by translation,whichever English translation
you like, but then also the typeof Bible are you looking for a
study bible or for a simplerjust text Bible or one that is
for your kids?
All those kind of categories arethere, or are you looking for
(30:57):
the open Bible?
And then if you want to connectwith me, which I love
interacting with people onlineI'm on Facebook and Instagram
and, x, formerly known asTwitter.
Just look for my name, Philipwith one l Philip Nation and you
will find me.
Would love to connect with you.
Yes, I'll be sure to include allthe links in the show notes so
it's easy for everyone to findyou and explore the open Bible,
(31:19):
learn more about your work andtake that next step in their own
walk with God.
Philip, thank you so much foryour time Thank you so much and.
To you friends, my prayer isthis, that if you don't own a
Bible, you'll feel inspired toget one, that you'll open it,
read it, and discover just howpersonally God wants to speak to
you.
Whether you begin in the Psalmsor the gospels, may the word
(31:42):
come alive in your heart, justas it has in Philip's story and
in so many lives, change throughscripture.
Thank you again for joining ustoday.
Thank you.
What a rich conversation withPhilip Nation today.
I hope it lifted your spirit andreminded you that God's word is
not just ancient, it's alive andmeant for you.
(32:03):
Here are a few key takeawaysthat stood out to me.
Number one.
Spiritual hunger is a clue, nota condemnation.
Feeling dry or disconnecteddoesn't mean something's wrong
with you.
It's a sign that your soul iscraving what it was created for
connection with God through hisword.
Number two, you don't have tomaster the Bible.
Let it master you.
(32:24):
Philip shared how slowing downwriting out verses meditating
helps us absorb scripture not asa task, but as transformation.
The goal isn't to conquer theBible but to let it shape us
from the inside out.
As Romans 12 verse two says,number three, God is more eager
to be with you than you are withhim.
(32:44):
Two beautiful verses to doubt.
Zephaniah three, verse 17.
He will rejoice over you withsinging and Hosea 14 verse four.
I will heal their waywardnessand love them freely.
God isn't waiting forperfection.
He's already pursuing you withgrace and healing.
Number four, the Open Bible wasmade for people just like you.
(33:05):
Whether you are new to scriptureor have been walking with God
for decades, the Open Bibleoffers tools to help you study
deeply, cross-referencepassages, and rediscover the
story of God with freshperspective.
And lastly, number five, yourstory doesn't disqualify you
from ministry.
It prepares you.
Philip shared his own journey,how his faith was shaped by
(33:27):
hardship, the influence of hismother's devotion to the word,
and how his years of pastoringdeepened his understanding of
grace.
God uses every part of ourstory.
Friend, if you've beenstruggling to feel close to God,
I pray today, reminded you ofthis, you are not too far.
He's singing over you.
He longs to heal the placesyou've wandered and speak to
(33:50):
your heart through his livingword.
So open your Bible.
Let him meet you there tocomfort you, to teach you to
love you.
As Hebrews four, verse 12 says,the word of God is living and
active.
It's not a textbook.
It's a conversation with the onewho created you.
If you'd like to explore theOpen Bible or connect with
(34:10):
Philip, check the show notes forlinks.
And as a special gift, I'vecreated a free downloadable
devotional based on Zephaniahthree verse 17, and Hosea 14
verse four.
You'll find it in a Cure forChrist, Facebook community, or
through the link below.
Thanks for spending time with meagain today.
If this episode encouraged you,would you share it with a
(34:31):
friend?
And remember, his word is aliveand it's waiting to meet you.
Write where you are.
I will see you next week.
Hi, I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.
If so, would you like to take 30seconds and share it with a
friend who may also strugglewith knowing God and his purpose
(34:55):
for their life?
Also, leave a review on ApplePodcast and let me know what
topics you'd like to hear aboutin the future.
Your voice matters.
I'll meet you back next Friday.
For another episode.
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