December 3, 2024 • 58 mins
Join us as we discuss Abide, a discipleship initiative that has become a part of the Rise Up Conference.
We invite the leaders of Abide to the podcast this week and we discuss the beginnings of the discipleship piece of Rise Up and how you can be a part of it.
Visit our website at www.itstimetoriseup.org for more about us and the ministries we offer.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kim McIntire (00:09):
Welcome to the it's Time to Rise Up podcast.
I'm your host, kim McIntyre.
Thank you for joining us thisweek.
I invite you to check out ourwebsite at itstimetoriseuporg.
There you will find all oursocial media links and for our
podcast platforms, you'll findus on YouTube, apple Podcasts,
spotify and anywhere else youfind your podcast.
(00:29):
Today, I have four very specialladies in the room.
I'm so excited to introduce thelead teachers for Abide, which
is the discipleship piece forthe Rise Up Conference.
Welcome Jo Beth Ellis,christina Hardy, olivia Frazier
and Charity Degonye.
(00:50):
You guys, I am super excited,and I say that I think every
interview, but I'm like super,super excited to have you guys
here today, oh, my goodness.
So the journey of Habide hasbeen quite an adventure, and so
I'm just going to talk a littlebit about how that began.
So back in June of 2023, theLord had asked me to bring a
(01:18):
group of four young ladiestogether to read through the
Word and pray together, and Ididn't know even who I was going
to invite.
The Lord just said I want youto gather four young ladies, and
so when he started droppingnames, in my spirit I would be
like, but I don't really knowthem, lord, and so I mean, I
(01:41):
knew your face, right, I knewyour faces, but two of those
four are here today, olivia andCharity.
So we're going to actuallystart there a little bit.
So those four ladies said yes,and from that point, abide has
just grown and changed andshifted and turned, but it's all
been led by the Holy Spirit.
(02:02):
So, because you two were there,charity and Olivia, I would
like for you guys to just, firstof all, charity, tell a little
bit about yourself, and thenI'll have Olivia tell a little
about herself, and then we'regoing to jump into how Abide
began, like the organic roots ofit.
Charity DeGonia (02:18):
Okay, so, like you said, I'm Charity Degonia.
I am a teacher at our localschool in Carl Junction,
missouri.
I have five children, three athome and my husband, who I'm
obviously super proud of.
And yeah, so Abide came aboutafter I was away from the Lord
(02:39):
for about 20 years.
So I was in a place where I wasjust wanting more, but I didn't
know what more was like.
I didn't know what I was reallyseeking.
I had been in church for thelast three or four years before
then and was really just knewthat God was in my life, but I
didn't know what I was reallyseeking.
So I had had Kim come over andpray with me just a few months
(03:01):
before that we started Abide,but she asked me to come to this
just and she didn't really callit.
A few months before that, westarted Abide, but she asked me
to come to this just and shedidn't really call it a Bible
study.
She said we're just going todive into the word and I was
like, yes, like I need more, andshe's giving me an invitation
for more.
So yes, lord, this is exactlyan answer to my prayer.
So as we started, I don't eventhink she told me who was in the
(03:22):
class.
Really, she said we're justgoing to start with a small
group.
So I go there and a littlenervous for a couple of reasons
that we might hit on later, butjust a little bit nervous about
it, but also knowing that Godhas called me for more.
And we started small.
We started with just a fewwords.
We dove into them and the Biblewas still just words on a page
(03:44):
to me at that point and I knewthat God had more.
So we start diving into thesefew words and God starts
downloading his voice into myhead and I just knew then like
God's going someplace.
So I think we got to maybe thethird meeting, second or third
meeting, and Kim says to us Godhas more for this abide thing.
And I was like, okay, you know,I'm game, because I knew that
(04:07):
God had just put a deep hungerand desperation for more into my
spirit, especially when Istarted hearing his voice.
And so then she says it's goingto be a bigger group.
Well, then the nervousnesscomes, you know, okay, but I
also knew that God had created asafe place for this.
And so as it grew and we wentto the next group of bigger, you
(04:28):
know, and I was a littlenervous about it.
But man, we started doing likeactually practicing these prayer
things in her living room andGod met us there every single
time and he created a boldnessin me and in my prayer that just
excited me.
And so then I want more.
I don't want it, just want more.
I don't want it just at churchand I don't want it just in
Kim's living room, I want thisin my home.
(04:49):
So I start getting up at 4.30in the morning and everybody's
like you're crazy.
I'm like no, you don'tunderstand my God.
This 4.30 in the morning iswhen my God meets me, and he
showed me that it doesn't haveto be at church, it doesn't have
to be in Kim's living room, itdoesn't have to be anywhere.
He'll meet me everywhere that Itry to meet Him, that I ask Him
to be with me.
(05:09):
So God has just kind of takenme from words on a page to like
speaking to me through everysingle passage, to teaching me
to prayer, to giving me aboldness to pray at church.
Now, like this is somethingthat I was.
I felt like God was always mySavior, I was always going to
Him to.
I needed something.
Well, now, god is my Father andhe delights and he loves to meet
(05:32):
me in those places and he lovesto communicate with me.
And it's just more than aprayer practice.
It's more than words on a pagenow.
It's more than a place.
It's anywhere I seek God.
He meets us.
I have grown in Abide andthat's how it's kind of grown me
and how it's changed as well togiving me boldness and
(05:57):
confirmation and confidence anda holy confidence to walk in
victory that I never thoughtthat I would see.
Confidence to walk in victorythat I never thought that I
would see.
And so she's taught me you know, this has all taught me how to
walk in that victory too thatGod is always good, no matter
where I am and no matter whatI've been through and that he's
always there.
Kim McIntire (06:16):
Yeah, well, you know, the day that I came to
your house to pray, anotherfriend had asked hey, can you go
pray with charity?
And I didn't know you exceptjust really, your face right.
And so we go and pray with youand what I remember is and I
know you're okay with mespeaking this, but I met a
desperate woman that day, yeah,yeah, and as my friend and I
(06:38):
were praying over you, I had noidea in that moment.
But isn't it the power of prayer, right?
I had no idea that a year and ahalf later, I would be
basically just working side byside with you as a leader on
(07:00):
this discipleship team, and it'sjust.
it's a redemption story is whatit is and I say this all the
time on the podcast the threadthat will always be woven
through the Rise Up podcast isredemption, because he's a God
who redeems, and we overcomeSatan by the blood of the Lamb
and the word of our testimonyand do you ever have a testimony
(07:20):
?
Charity.
Thank you for sharing that.
We'll get back into some moreof that a little bit later about
the dynamics of the group whenit started, but we're going to
go to Olivia now.
Olivia, thank you for beinghere.
JoBeth Ellis (07:32):
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Yes, I'm Olivia Frazier.
I live in Joplin, missouri.
I live with my sister,currently Very single.
Right now, I work as a graphicdesigner and I'm on the worship
team at church.
Yeah, and you've done ourgraphics for Rise Up.
Yes, you've done an amazing job.
Kim McIntire (07:52):
I've had so much fun doing it.
You've done such a great jobwith that, so how tell us about
the beginnings of Abide With you?
JoBeth Ellis (07:59):
Okay, it was the.
It was at a really low point inmy life last year.
I was having really extremeanxiety.
I was having panic attacksalmost every day, every other
day, and I had had um a coupleof people from church you were
one of them, kim uh, pray overme and that was such a turning
(08:19):
point.
That night was such a turningpoint in my life of like
breakthrough and just more ofGod and like a hunger for God
that I've never had before.
Um, and I remember I wassitting right across from you
and you looked at me and said doyou have problems reading the
Bible?
And I said um, yes, yes, um,yes.
Kim McIntire (08:48):
And I loved that you were so honest in that
moment, because the Lord wasspeaking to me.
I want her to find me in theWord, Because John the first
chapter of John, verse 14, saysthe Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us.
So when we know the Word, weknow Jesus.
(09:11):
So, there's a lot of people thatbelieve in Jesus, but they
don't know Him because theydon't open the Word.
So what I loved in that momentwas when I asked you that
question and you were honest isit was the Holy Spirit
confirming in me this is a girlthat needs to come to the class
which it didn't have a name then, by the way it's just the class
(09:36):
.
So what shifted in that timeframe?
We only met for three months atthe beginning, so what shifted
in that time frame for you?
JoBeth Ellis (09:45):
It was learning actually how to read the Word.
I have struggled for years onhow to just sit down and read.
My mind goes to differentplaces and I'm a person that is
so easily distracted.
It was not just doing it bymyself, but it was allowing the
Lord to come in and show me.
Okay, what do you want me toknow from this first?
(10:06):
What do you want me to knowfrom this first?
And it was stuff that wasn'tjust stuff I already knew.
It was stuff that was so newand so fresh and so applicable
to my life.
It was just amazing the doorshe opened at that point.
Kim McIntire (10:24):
Yeah, and some relationship restoration, I
really believe was taking placein that too.
We'll come back to that in alittle bit, because I want you
and Charity to talk about thatwhen we come back to that place.
We're going to kind of circleback around with this interview,
okay.
So thank you both for sharingthat.
So, christina Hardy, yes, Iknew you, yes, but you were not
(10:47):
a close friend.
Nope, I invited you, and justthe journey of Abide has drawn
us together to be very closefriends and I've seen God do
some amazing things.
I want you to introduceyourself.
Olivia Frazier (11:01):
Okay, okay Great .
My name is Christina Hardy.
I have been married to myhusband, jim, for 31 years.
We have two adult children.
One, our daughter, lives inOzark, missouri, and our son
lives in Columbia, missouri,while we reside in Webb City,
missouri, and I am veryfortunate that I get to work in
(11:25):
a ministry every day through aprivate Christian school and
I've done that for 20 years andI've got to serve in our church
and that just makes my heart sohappy and joyful because we get
to serve in leadership and helpdisciple others while we're here
at church and everything else.
So we truly enjoy that.
(11:45):
So when Kim invited me to comejoin her in her class, it was—I
wasn't quite—I have to be honest, I wasn't quite sure.
I was like, okay, yeah, I'vedone Bible studies and
everything else and I'm like—You've done dozens and dozens of
Bible studies in prayer groups.
I have, I have.
Kim McIntire (12:05):
Which made me hesitant to ask you.
But God told me to ask you andI'm like, but God, she knows how
to read the Bible.
Olivia Frazier (12:13):
I do.
But you know what?
The Abide study is so muchdeeper than anything I've ever
experienced in my life and itreally makes the words, that the
word, actually come to life andit really is a personal
(12:33):
relationship with the HolySpirit speaking through what
you're reading and really deepdiving into what the word is
telling you and how God wantsyou to apply that each and every
day of your life.
Yeah, it's just so much deeperthan anything else I've ever
done.
Kim McIntire (12:50):
That's so good and a benefit was we got to be
closer because I didn't know youpersonally.
I knew you through school,because you work at the private
school my daughter and nowgrandson attend.
So it's been nice just to watchthat journey of you going
deeper, even though I consideredyou to be someone that would
just be like got this.
Olivia Frazier (13:11):
I've got this and I think that's kind of the
persona.
That kind of comes fromdifferent things that you do in
your life.
You know.
People just assume at a certainage that you know what you're
doing and you know it and youhave it all together and that is
a persona that is really falsea lot of times, in a lot of
(13:31):
ministry type positions, youjust think that in ministry,
that a person.
Obviously, of course they readtheir Bible every single day, of
course they're speaking to Godevery single day, but that is
not always true, right, right.
Kim McIntire (13:47):
Well, I love that you said yes and I love that
you're going to be teaching aclass in the future.
We'll talk about that soon.
Thank you, christina.
Jo Beth, you have kind of donean abide journey with me for a
long time, just throughfriendship and talking about the
Bible and talking about prayer.
But why don't you talk aboutyour experience with Abide and
(14:12):
where it has led you?
Because you just finishedteaching the first launch class
of session one, so that'sexciting too.
So why don't you just share alittle bit about what Abide was
when you were taking it and thenhow it changed, from you know
taking the class to teaching theclass exciting too.
So why don't you just share alittle bit about what Abide was
when you were taking it and thenhow it changed?
From you know taking the classto teaching the class, it has
changed.
Christina Hardy (14:31):
Yeah, it's very humbling to even be sitting
here and being encouraged toteach.
Yeah, because going from astudent to a teacher is a whole
different perspective.
(14:52):
Right, but what I have learnedand grown in and I'm just going
to relate it to I love to sew,or, if someone likes to cook A
bite for me was a new utensil ora new gadget, something to put
(15:14):
in my spiritual arsenal or myspiritual toolbox or my
spiritual kitchen drawer thathas all the fun things to cook
with.
Yeah, those tools that I havereceived spiritually from Abide,
I wouldn't trade them foranything.
(15:36):
Yeah, they have made my timewith the Lord so much sweeter
and it is so personal now sopersonal, because when I ask the
Lord a question or use one ofthose awesome words, he answers
he's there every time.
And my literal time, my actualtime, I'm getting where I don't
(16:04):
have enough time.
I just want to stay there.
It's like Lord, don't leave,let's stay right where we're at,
because it's so sweet.
It is so sweet.
And, on the teaching side, a lotof prayer, a lot of prep, a lot
(16:26):
of prayer, a lot of hosting, alot of prayer, a lot of prayer.
But I have asked God, throughthe teaching which it is such a
privilege to do, that he wouldget me out of the way, that he
would lead it and I would be ledby him.
(16:48):
And the three classes, thefirst session that I have got to
do with these women God hasshowed up in power in ways that
have blown me away.
It has been amazing when youhave the mindset God, this is
your class, it's not mine, I'monly a vessel to be used by you.
(17:12):
And, wow, I have been amazedevery class.
Kim McIntire (17:17):
It was pretty amazing because after your class
launched, I saw a couple ofpeople that I didn't know, but
they came up to me and they werelike JoBeth's class was amazing
and I was just like I know I'mnot your mom, but I felt like a
proud mom.
Do you know what I mean?
It was that kind of feeling.
I was like this is so coolbecause I feel like you know,
(17:38):
god's just growing it, he'smultiplying it.
So JoBeth's has already startedand her spaces are already full
.
But Charity, olivia andChristina are getting ready to
open classes in January.
They're local if you live inthe Joplin Missouri area, and
we're going to talk about thedates and the times and such as
that as we get closer to theclose of this.
(17:59):
So you might want to havesomething handy if you want to
write down that information.
But, charity, what led you towant to have something handy if
you want to write down thatinformation?
But, charity, what led you towant to teach?
When you came to me one dayafter class, the Holy Spirit
just had really spoken to you.
I saw it on your face.
You're like I have to tell youthis.
I know the Holy Spirit is whatbrought you to that place, but
do you want to share just aboutthat moment that you knew like I
(18:22):
am supposed to be teaching thisclass, right?
Charity DeGonia (18:25):
Well, I think it started with just the passion
that I had, because whensomething changes you and God is
in it and the Holy Spirit isworking on you, it's not
something you want to contain.
I don't want to keep this tomyself, I want everybody to
experience this.
And that's kind of the naturalteacher in me, because I've been
a teacher for so long.
So you get excited about it andall this stuff.
But I didn't know timing wise.
(18:47):
You know I was like OK, god, Iwant you to use my story.
I mean, god has done so much inmy life and shown me so much
favor and blessing and mercy andgrace, and so I just kind of
was waiting on that and justsaying, ok, lord, when you're
ready to use me, I'm ready, I'mready, I'm here.
So I had already kind of gottento that point.
But again, that passion andexcitement for this where I
(19:08):
don't want to contain it and Iwant everybody to experience
what I experienced.
So we were sitting in class andyou had said something about
hey, you know I can't do all ofthis on my own, we've got to,
you know, expand this to otherclasses, because these are full
and we have a hunger for people.
You know, people are hungry forit.
And I was like okay, lord.
And then we started praying andGod was like this is your
(19:29):
moment.
Kim McIntire (19:29):
Wow.
Charity DeGonia (19:30):
And it literally I was shaking, like
God was like this is you have tolisten to me right now.
Like I honestly I'm reallysorry to say I don't remember
what you were saying, because Iwas hearing God's voice so loud
in that moment that God justsaid this is now Like you don't
wait, this is you know whatyou've been asking for.
And I was kind of brought totears and I was like, okay, lord
(19:51):
, breathing through the rest ofthe class so that right after
class I could say I'm in Likethis is where God is going to
give me that spot to show otherswhat he's done in my life as
well.
Kim McIntire (20:05):
And I'm excited for the people that are going to
be taking your class.
JoBeth Ellis (20:09):
And.
Kim McIntire (20:09):
I know there's already people in your class, so
they're going to fill up soon,I think.
So, olivia, how about you?
At what moment did you think Iwant to teach abide.
JoBeth Ellis (20:22):
And so I remember you talking about like okay, so
now if you want to teach in aBide class, you know, kind of
let me know.
And you and I were having aone-on-one one day and I knew in
the back of my mind I'm like,oh, I couldn't, I couldn't teach
, I couldn't teach.
No, no way Not true, no Nottrue.
At that moment At that moment,okay, at that moment, at that
(20:44):
moment, I remember I talked toyou and I was just there was a
question like that just keptkind of popping up.
It was just like just ask ifyou know you could help in some
way just in some way.
(21:05):
Because part of me was like,well, I don't want Abide to ever
really end, you know, becauseit's just so good.
So I asked you and you told meyou said that would be great.
You know, even you couldco-lead.
And I'm like, oh, wow, we'regoing that far, kim.
Okay, I had a lot of confidencein you.
And then so you had said aboutco-leading and everything, and I
(21:29):
was like, okay, in the back ofmy mind I was like, okay, lord,
if that's what you want me to do, I will do it.
And I had just thought, youknow I was going to help
somebody and you know you weregoing to reach out to different
people.
And then you came to me thenext time we had a one-on-one
and you said somebody wants toco-lead with you, yep.
And I was like, oh, really.
Kim McIntire (21:50):
Yes, and this would be a great place to
transition to Christina.
Christina, can you pick up thestory?
Olivia Frazier (21:57):
Yes.
So how it kind of started withme is that Kim just keeps always
like speaking the wordleadership over me.
That's just pretty much whatshe's done, and a lot of it was
I felt was actually coming frommy ministry career and that it
was supposed to come through.
Those lines is really where Ifelt like that was heading.
(22:18):
And then one day during ourclass she talked about you know,
needing leaders and things likethat.
I was like, hmm, I don't knowabout that.
But then she actually came andasked me directly and it was
just I just felt overcome withthe Lord that day and I just
said, sure, yeah, yes, of course, of course, why would I not do
(22:40):
that?
And, as with any hesitation inmy life, it always breaks down
to time and I'm always because Ido do a lot of ministry work
and it, you know, the Lordprovides, but he also tells you
you have to have periods ofresting and things like that.
And so I just the more I prayedit and thought over it and I
(23:04):
just really felt the Lord leadme, that I was supposed to
mentor someone and through aseries of events, it was
revealed to me that it wasOlivia.
So Olivia, in context for thelisteners.
Olivia is the age of mydaughter, so we're a generation
(23:25):
apart, and but I think that isprobably the sweetest part about
all of this is that I get to gohand in hand and side by side
Olivia and walk through with herand like just kind of lead her
through the different steps thatit takes to kind of get get
(23:46):
something kind of started andthen to follow through and
honestly, I just feel like thisis just the beginning stages.
I feel like we're going to betogether for for a long time and
it's just a great relationshipand I've I didn't know Olivia
really at all, and so it's justbeen so special and so sweet and
we get to spend time one-on-onetogether pretty frequently and
(24:08):
I've just loved every minute ofthat.
Kim McIntire (24:11):
There are so many aspects and dynamics to this and
I love how I've been able towatch what God has been doing in
individuals.
We're going to backtrack now tothe very first class, before it
was called Abide and Olivia,you and Charity two other young
(24:32):
women were in the class.
I didn't know any of you well.
I knew you by face, really, andsome brief interactions through
church.
But what I found out later wasjust so confirming.
It was just such a confirmationof the Holy Spirit that he
actually did say every one ofyour names to me.
(24:57):
You know, sometimes I'm going tobe honest, I do hear from the
Lord and I'm really thankful forthat.
But sometimes I hear and I'mlike Lord, is that really you?
You know, questioning Insteadof being confident.
This is the Lord and I don'tknow if Charity, you want to
start and then you want to addin Olivia or vice versa.
(25:18):
But there was some relationshipdynamics coming into that first
class I was completely unawareof and God did some mighty work
and I'm so glad I didn't knowthere were relationship dynamics
going in, because I probablywould have been oh, this isn't
going to work, you know, but Godknew.
So one of you start and theother one add in.
JoBeth Ellis (25:40):
Yeah, so I took the class with my sister and
mine and my sister'srelationship hasn't always been
the best, and she'll tell youthat too.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Um, growing up there was justenough of an age gap where we
didn't really you know vibe verywell, we didn't hang out a lot,
(26:04):
um and so kind of growing upinto adulthood and going into
adulthood and everything.
We lived in different citiesand we never really got to spend
time together, so we weren'treally close Right.
My sister had asked me to movein with her a couple of years
previous and we were justgetting into, you know, living
(26:25):
together and working out thedynamics between that, because I
mean, we hadn't lived togethersince we were back at the house
Well, and that's a challenge initself.
Kim McIntire (26:33):
Learning to live with anyone yes.
JoBeth Ellis (26:35):
Right, it's different.
Kim McIntire (26:36):
And if you know her and.
JoBeth Ellis (26:37):
I, we have completely different
personalities, yeah, completely.
So just kind of working throughthat, and we had just started
like working on our relationshipand everything, but we had both
taken the class at the sametime and I don't know if you
know this, but she would havelike we would have never taken a
class together Hadn't it beenfor the Holy Spirit that brought
(26:59):
us together.
Kim McIntire (27:00):
That's right.
JoBeth Ellis (27:00):
Wow, a class like this anyways.
Yeah, um, it was just throughthe work of the Holy Spirit.
And you know, there was, therewas one day I think it was the
last day of that abide that sheprayed over me.
Yeah, and that was just lifechanging for me, because I never
(27:24):
I've seen her do it for otherpeople.
I've never seen her do it forme.
And just even after that, theLord has just brought us closer
together and I have arelationship with her now that I
never thought I would.
Kim McIntire (27:41):
It's an incredible story and I remember that day
so clearly because we wereworking on listening to the Holy
Spirit as we pray for someone,but them not telling you what
they need.
Prayer for which listeners?
As you are listening to this,if you're not already doing that
, there is a very rich, deepplace in the Spirit where you're
(28:07):
not relying on them to tell youwhat they need.
You're relying on the Spirit topray through you.
Christina Hardy (28:12):
Yeah, so good.
Kim McIntire (28:13):
And so I had partnered you up with Faith and
I had partnered Charity up withthe other young lady, not
knowing there had been anyrelationship issues at all
between each of you, because noone ever told me that, because
you guys didn't know me wellenough to tell me I guess you
were keeping me in the dark.
But I was glad you did, becauseisn't the Holy Spirit good?
(28:37):
Because sometimes I think ourhumanity gets in the way and
we're like, oh well, they don'tget along.
So I'm not going to partnerthose two up because, oh, who
knows what could happen.
And I'm not saying I would havedone that, but you know we all
have a human tendency, but whenthe Holy Spirit's leading
relationships get restored,humans can't restore
relationships apart from thework of God.
(28:58):
It's impossible.
So thank you so much because Ibelieve someone's listening
right now that needs to hearthat sister relationship has
been improved and is healing andis being restored and that's
beautiful.
Christina Hardy (29:14):
Thank you.
Kim McIntire (29:14):
God Charity how?
Charity DeGonia (29:17):
about you.
Well, before I go any further,I just want to say you know, I
was always hesitant to go toBible studies and things because
of the dynamics of the people.
Oh, I can't be vulnerable withthat person or this person or
whatever.
And I just want to encourageour listeners to say if God is
calling you to it, he is goingto bring you through it in a
better way and deeper, and he'sgoing to move in ways that
you're not expecting and that hewants for you.
(29:40):
He wants this deep place foryou.
So when we went into this classbecause it wasn't a Bible study,
it's just that class when I sawthis person there, she at that
time I'm going to say this in avery vulnerable way.
At that time she used to be mybest friend and we had gone
through something that was sohurtful that I just didn't ever
(30:02):
know how like it was.
One of those.
I could forgive her, but Icould never be vulnerable or
trust her again.
That's the way I felt.
And so here I am in this classwhere Kim is asking us to be
vulnerable and real, and I waslike, how do I do that, lauren?
So we go through these classesand God just really softened my
heart and I believe hers too,because she was in the same
place and healed things that Ididn't know needed to be healed,
(30:25):
and forgiveness came without usspeaking it.
You know like, hey, I see acompassion for what you're going
through and for what I'm goingthrough and how God is just
changing us and deepening ourrelationship with Him, because,
truly, you know, I think abouthow God created marriage, how we
seek God first, and then therelationship with our husband
(30:47):
comes.
Well, it's the same thing withfriends, I believe, you know,
like when we're both seeking God, he brought us closer together,
and so this goes on for severalmonths, literally months, and
so that relationship, thatfriendship, softened.
And then Kim paired us up andshe gave the oil to my friend.
She said it's your turn to prayover her, and we hadn't talked
(31:09):
about our needs, but it was justa moment where God was like
it's all washed away, wow.
It's gone, praise God.
All of that hurt was gone andthe forgiveness was there.
And now we're close and we getto spend time together and we
trust each other again, and Iwas like that's only God, and it
was not a place we would haveput ourselves in.
It was a place that God put usin, not knowing what we needed
(31:37):
because it wasn't.
That class was not aboutforgiveness, that class was not
about grace.
It was not about anything otherthan deepening our relationship
with Him on a personal andintimate level and calling out
to Him in prayer in a way that Iwould have never known,
listening to Him in that waythat you taught us, and to the
Holy Spirit and things that havejust been so powerful in my
life.
But, man, the other things thatfall in place when we're in line
(32:01):
with what God's will and whenwe're in the Word and when we're
in His presence.
When we are in His presence, itchanges our countenance, it
changes the way we view others,it changes the way we view
friendship, it changes what wevalue in everything and it
changes our gratitude for whathe does.
And so, learning to be in thatplace and desiring that in a big
(32:25):
way and I'm going to piggybackwhat you said earlier about how
I was getting up at 430 in themorning and when it was time to
stop and go to, you know, getready for school.
I didn't have enough time.
Like Lord, do I have to gotoday?
And so that's where it drawsyou and it changes how you view
everything.
Kim McIntire (32:59):
And that's the testimony that I've been hearing
is I went from setting a20-minute timer or a 30-minute
timer to know that I had spenttime with the Lord to I don't
want my timer to go off, I don'twant to go take my shower yet
to go to work.
And then I've heard some peoplesay they've made their wake
time earlier or they've added insome in the evening.
I know, christina, you've saidyou also spend time with the
Lord in the Word in the evening,and I want to make something
really clear to you.
(33:19):
I have a really good friendshe's been on the podcast before
.
Cindy has told me that sheprays in the morning but she
spends time in the Word in theevening because that's when her
mind is more still.
And I just say, whenever youhave the best time for your
brain and your mind and heartand spirit to connect to God's
(33:40):
Word, do it.
For me it's morning and I justcan't imagine not starting the
morning with God in the Word.
But the important thing isyou're spending time in the Word
and the more you do, it's likewhen you're transitioning from
junk food to healthy food.
At first the healthy food is eh, but then your body begins to
(34:02):
crave the healthy and doesn'tfeel well if you eat the junkie
and the Word of God.
It's like the more you take inof the Word, the more your
spirit actually hungers for theWord.
So I tell people when they say Ijust don't read the Word or I
can't read the Word.
There's all kinds of thingspeople say Because this is a
question I ask people a lot.
(34:22):
Tell me about your time withthe Lord is a question I ask
people a lot.
Tell me about your time withthe Lord.
And when they do, what becomesrevealed is there's very little
time in the Word and my missionis that every person that I know
, that I'm connected to or Godbrings into my path, recognizes
there is a place you can be inyour walk with God where you
(34:45):
hunger and thirst for time withHim.
It's real and it's true, and itdoesn't look the same for every
person and it shouldn't.
But my passion for this grewfrom a place where I read the
Word because I've known my wholelife.
It's important and I was aSunday school teacher for many,
many years and I wanted to knowthe and I wanted to know the
(35:07):
lesson and I wanted to know Icould teach it.
But when I was 32 years old,god radically shifted how I
approached the Word and now Ican say it's not a checklist,
it's not something I think Ihave to do or should do.
It's what I want.
(35:28):
I want to be in God's Word.
I hunger for it, just like youladies do, and to see it growing
is so encouraging.
I want to share with you guysthe prayer that I prayed on
December 26th of 2023, whenJanuary classes were getting
ready to launch.
So that was the first groupafter the group of four, that
(35:52):
initial group that I didn't knowwhat it was going to be, but
now we know it's Abide and Iread this over all of you and
it's what I'm praying for yourclasses.
And some of those spaces areblank, but there may be a
listener today or tonight.
There may be a listener rightnow that knows they're
(36:13):
struggling with the Word,they're struggling to pray, they
don't feel like their walk withGod is personal and you can be
a believer and not be a follower, and the only reason I say that
is because I was one and Ibelieve I was going to heaven,
because the blood of Jesus savesmy soul.
(36:34):
But I pray that anyone who'slistening that finds themselves
in that place will sign up forCharity's class, will sign up
for Christina's class.
Jo Beth's is already full.
We'll tune in in the future forthe Abide class that will be on
the podcast.
(36:55):
And so and these ladies some ofthem will probably be hopping
in on some of those times wherewe just open the word and go
through the structure of Abide.
It's not the same as being in asmall group.
I want to emphasize if you livein the Joplin area, get to one
of these classes because youneed community.
However if you do not live inthe Joplin Missouri area, then I
(37:19):
would ask you to identify whenthese Abide classes will be on
the platform, because I willannounce them.
And it will be on the platformbecause I will announce them and
it will be on our social medialinks.
You can build a community, evenonline or through a podcast,
but let that be the secondoption, not the first, because
I'm telling you you do not wantto miss any of these ladies
(37:41):
teaching class.
They are treasures.
Here's the prayer teachingclass.
They are treasures.
Here's the prayer.
Lord, prepare each heart to goto deeper places in the word and
prayer than they've ever gonebefore.
Lord, remove obstacles anddistractions that keep them from
going to those places ofabiding in you and enjoying
(38:03):
intimacy with you.
Lord, increase in them thedesire for more, a deep hunger
and thirst for your presence.
Lord, reveal yourself in newways through your word and
prayer.
Bring a fresh wind and a freshfire upon each person.
Lord, teach us to abide, andthat's really the theme.
(38:25):
Teach us to abide.
And I meant to open theinterview with this scripture,
but that's not what happened.
So here we go.
Abide centers on these twoverses found in John 15, verse 4
and 5.
Abide in me and I will abide inyou.
No branch can bear fruit byitself.
(38:46):
It must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruitunless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
If you abide in me and I abidein you, you will bear much fruit
.
Apart from me, you can donothing.
And each woman that is in thiscircle right now this is their
(39:09):
testimony.
It's my testimony.
Their lives are bearing fruit,but it's not because of them,
it's because of Christ in them.
They have given their yes andthey were willing to take the
class and God grew them to aplace of leadership and I
(39:32):
honestly can't wait to see whereGod takes you guys in the
future with this, because I toldyou, I actually see you guys in
the future sitting down withleaders that you have raised up
in your classes.
I believe that it will multiply.
We've been given propheticwords and I stand on that.
And this is why I stand on it,because to lead others to love
God's Word and love prayer, tohave a passion in your heart to
(39:53):
see men and women, boys andgirls want to spend time with
their Creator in personalfellowship and intimacy that's
God's heart more than it's ours.
That's God's will, that isaligned with what he desires for
his people, and he sayswhatever you ask in my name, it
is done, and I believe that'strue when what you're asking
(40:17):
aligns with the Father.
There's no miss in this.
Ask, right, right, what wouldour world look like if every
person who believes in Jesus wasspending time with him in the
word, prayer and praise?
So now we're going to talkabout the structure.
We're not going to give tons ofdetails, but we're going to
(40:38):
give little snippets andthere'll be more to come on the
podcast in the future.
The structure is worship.
We enter into a time of worshipand I've got two people right
here sitting in front of me thatare on worship team at their
church.
So that element to me sets thestage.
Olivia, speak into that.
(40:59):
How does it change theatmosphere when we gather
together and we just go rightinto worship?
JoBeth Ellis (41:05):
It's just an invitation for the Lord to meet
us.
Amen.
It's that an invitation for theLord to meet us, amen.
It's that drawing in, it's himcoming to meet us where we are
and just sitting with us, andit's an opportunity for us to
give him all the glory that hedeserves.
Charity DeGonia (41:20):
That's so good, right at the beginning, right
when we start.
JoBeth Ellis (41:23):
Yeah, and really when it starts like that, it can
only go up from there.
That's right.
Christina Hardy (41:29):
Amen, that's right.
JoBeth Ellis (41:30):
That's right.
Kim McIntire (41:31):
You can't miss.
He inhabits the praise of hispeople.
If you're praising andworshiping, he's going to show
up, and he does every time,every time.
The next piece of the structureis called keywords.
Who would like to talk a littlebit about keywords?
What's the purpose?
Christina Hardy (41:54):
We're not going to actually list all the
keywords, but what is thepurpose of the keywords?
Does anyone want to speak tothat?
I think for me.
With the keywords, it gave me astarting place.
I'll just say no again, becausewe've mentioned that one anyway
.
God, what do you want me toknow?
What do you want to teach me?
Yeah, how can I grow in whatyou're teaching me?
(42:16):
When you got a question, youhave to answer.
You're looking for the answer,right, and God's pouring it down
.
He's revealing that to youthrough that question Because I
(42:37):
personally, I personally havelearned when I come in with a
humble heart and a seeking heart, god shows up every time and he
will take me to places I nevereven dreamed we were going.
Going, yeah, and it flows, hisspirit leads and I just okay,
lord, I wasn't expecting this,but let's go, and it has been
amazing.
Charity DeGonia (43:00):
I just want to speak a little bit to those
words created a communicationwith God for me, because I'm
asking Him a question, so he hasto answer it for me.
So then it's not just words ona page, it's what God is
speaking to me, and love longsto communicate, right, god loves
to communicate with us.
So it opened that conversationwhich created that relationship
(43:21):
with him.
So when I'm reading the Bible,I'm asking God to speak to me,
and I've read some of thesechapters several times, a lot of
times, and I feel like God sayssomething different to me.
Christina Hardy (43:32):
He takes me deeper every time.
Charity DeGonia (43:35):
So I have most of John 15 memorized, but every
time that I ask God, what do youwant me to know about this
today, he gives me somethingdifferent or a little bit deeper
, or a little bit more, or whydon't I take you to this place
today?
So that communication, I think,is where those keywords take me
.
Kim McIntire (43:54):
That's so good.
That's so good.
Anyone else about keywords?
Olivia Frazier (43:59):
Well, without mentioning one, I mean you can
mention one, can I?
Can I mention another one?
Ok, so I would say the thingthat has been the, the thing
that spoke to me the most, isdeclaring things.
That is truly what it is,because in all my years of doing
all kinds of other Biblestudies and stuff that is so
(44:21):
different, I mean that's nothingthat I have ever been taught
from people lecturing me orwatching a video series or
whatever that may look like inother types of Bible studies.
Both of what you two mentionedabout hearing him and in him
becoming real while you're doingit.
It's also about declaring thetruths of the Bible and what the
(44:43):
Word actually says, anddeclaring that over your life
and what it's going to be, thatyou know that his biblical
principles and truths are goingto stand on every aspect of your
life.
You know from the moment youwake up until the end of your
day.
Kim McIntire (45:00):
That is it.
That is it Declaring, verypowerful, declaring yeah, thank
you.
So, yeah, if you're listeningnow and you're that person who's
struggling to be in the Word, Iwould say, tomorrow morning or
this evening, open your Bible.
I would say, go to Psalm 23.
And the reason I say that ismost people are familiar with it
(45:22):
.
But if you sit down with yourBible and you say to the Lord,
lord, as I approach this chapter, what do you want me to know?
That know can change so manythings.
And let me just say it's notjust knowing for your mind and
your intellect, but it's knowingfor your heart, like
(45:44):
emotionally connecting to theWord.
We need to have our mind filledwith the knowledge of God and
we also need to have our mindfilled with the knowledge of God
.
And we also need to have ourheart filled with the knowledge
of God, because knowledge in themind doesn't change a heart,
but knowledge for the heartchanges a heart.
And so it's really about theheart connection to the Word.
Christina Hardy (46:05):
I want to speak into what you just said.
I'm going to speak into whatyou just said.
I have always I don't want tolet me see how to say this I've
always struggled with memorizing, Always, but this I know to be
true.
Olivia Frazier (46:27):
My heart's getting it.
Christina Hardy (46:33):
Even though I may come out and someone said
what did you just?
What were you just in?
But I know my heart got it,because I'm changed, because I
was in the word.
So I'm going to speak to thoseout there that think I'm not
getting anything out of it orI'm not memorizing it.
Yes, you are, because it'sgoing in the crevices of your
(46:54):
heart, mind and soul.
So keep reading it, Keep asking.
You're getting it.
You're getting it.
If you're in the Word, you'regetting it.
Kim McIntire (47:03):
That's good, that's so good.
Well, and there's also.
Charity DeGonia (47:07):
It's Lisa Harper that said it.
She said you know, we can standin awe of what God's done and
we can stand in awe of his word,but it's until we have the
attachment and don't.
It's not a complete quote, butI just remember her saying
that's that attachment that's soimportant.
So when we are attached to theword and something where he has
taught me something in thischapter, I'm attached to that
(47:27):
chapter in that way, you know,and so it really draws you in a
different place.
Like you're saying, you aregetting it not just because you
have it memorized or don't haveit memorized, there's an
attachment to it and so whenyou're attached to God's word.
you're attached to God's heartand God's will and what he wants
for your life too.
Amen, that's so true.
Kim McIntire (47:46):
Does anyone want to share I mean, I feel like
you've kind of already done that, but I'm just going to ask it
in this way Does anyone want toshare a specific personal
benefit that you know you havegained directly from the Abide
class, Just something specific.
I feel like you kind of alreadyspoken to that with the Declare
Christina that that was the onething that you just really have
(48:09):
taken hold of.
I think that's what I'm lookingfor.
Is there just one thing thatyou could just speak to say?
This is what made the classworth my time.
Charity DeGonia (48:21):
Well, I'm going to say all of it, but if
there's one thing, one of, I'mgoing to speak another word here
.
If there's one thing thatreally changed me.
So I was raised in a prettylegalistic church and so when we
got to obey I went here's thatGod discipline thing and that
(48:44):
has changed and transformed mylife, because it's not about
just obeying this God that has abelt in His hand.
If I go wrong, you know what Imean.
This is a God who loves me somuch that he wants me in His
will.
So it's not just you betterobey me, it's I love you so much
.
God loves us so much that hewants us to be in this place so
(49:10):
that he can pour out Hisblessings and His favor upon us
and that we can walk in victory,like your declarer says too.
So it all relates to each other.
But, man, that shiftedeverything about my relationship
with God.
He's not some far off God.
He's right here with us and hewants us to obey because of the
love that he has for us.
Kim McIntire (49:29):
That's so good.
That's so good.
I love that.
Would anyone want to share anychallenges that they had like
during the class?
You just shared about thechallenge with the keyword obey.
Did anyone else have anyanything that they felt like was
hard to overcome or hard toapproach?
Christina Hardy (49:51):
hard to overcome or hard to approach.
Okay, it was that good, you'rehonest, you're honest.
Well, I hate to speak too much,but you can decide whether you
want to put this in or not, butI think the hardest one of the
harder things for me each timewas being vulnerable with the
people around me that I didn'tknow, because I don't know those
people and it's a trust thing.
Charity DeGonia (50:10):
So you really have to pour into.
Okay, lord, this is yours,these have to be your words, and
I have to be vulnerable in yourpresence so that you can teach
me and take me deeper.
Kim McIntire (50:19):
Yeah, I mean, it really is a class that
transparency and vulnerabilityis required.
It's really not optional.
Christina Hardy (50:27):
With that I will speak into from the
teaching side.
One night before we got started, the Lord asked me to do
something specifically in theclass and I thought, what?
Please?
No, but you know, I obeyed andI did it and it was amazing.
(50:54):
But I honestly think it wasmore for me than even for them,
even though I believe the womengot the point of the whole thing
.
But on the teaching side of it,god has just shifted so much in
me and changed so much in meand it has been so amazing to
(51:15):
watch these women come in everyclass and there's only three.
But when you start with 10women and only one of them that
I even knew who she was and yetby the time we get to the third
class, it's like we're allfriends.
Everybody's talking more,everybody's sharing more.
(51:36):
So even for me, from being inthe class to teaching the class,
the spiritual benefits faroutweigh, far outweigh even the
fear or the oh Lord, if I dothat, what that's gone, because
what God has done in the yesthere's no measuring it.
Kim McIntire (52:00):
It's true, there's no measuring it, that's so good
.
The other piece of abide, theother structure to that, or
piece within the structurerather, is the prayer practices.
So we close with a prayerpractice and what these are.
These are just things the Lordhas taught me in prayer,
different and rather than justdoing a prayer, that is a
checklist of things you want Godto do, which I've said to the
(52:24):
listeners before.
That was my normal way ofpraying for many years going to
the Lord, thank you for the dayand then giving Him the things I
needed Him to do and not reallytaking time to praise Him,
worship Him, declare, listen,confess.
There's just a lot of differentprayer practices that we've
done victory, declaring victory.
(52:45):
So the prayer practices, I feellike, are kind of that anchor
piece, because prayer withoutthe Word and Word without the
prayer practices, I feel likeare kind of that anchor piece
because prayer without the wordand word without the prayer
they're incomplete.
But when you bring themtogether it's just, it's like
the power of the Spirit justshows up, because I believe
those are two of God's favoritethings.
You know, his Word speaks to usand prayer we speak to Him.
(53:10):
That's relationship and we talkabout that component of
relationship.
We're going to close out talkingabout relationship right now,
because the point of this classis we want people to build and,
you know, grow in their personalrelationship with the Lord.
And what do relationshipsrequire?
Time, right.
(53:32):
What other things dorelationships require?
Time is the big part.
Communication, right, trust,dependency, reliance, and all of
these things are part of Abide.
So I'm going to ask you guys toshare your class, your starting
(53:56):
time, so the date, the time ofday, the location.
If you guys can do that, thatwould be great Charity.
Do you want to start?
And then Christina.
Charity DeGonia (54:06):
Sure, so we're going to meet Saturday morning,
starting in January, about nineo'clock in the morning in my
home in Carl Junction, missouri.
Awesome.
Olivia Frazier (54:16):
And our class is going to meet on Friday nights
and we are also beginning inJanuary, so it is Friday nights
at six o'clock and it will be inWebb City, Missouri.
It is some odd times, butJanuary 3rd, January 31st and
February 28th.
Kim McIntire (54:37):
And if you go online to itstimetoriseuporg,
you can sign up for theseclasses and you don't have to
necessarily remember those timesand dates, because those will
be given to you.
If you sign up online and ifone of those times of day works
better a Saturday class or aFriday evening class, you know
(54:59):
then you can go in thatdirection.
But we're super excited to seewho lands in these classes.
I am so, like God, I can't wait.
I want to share a testimonyfrom a dear, dear friend of mine
who moved to Oklahoma a coupleweeks ago.
So, maddie, thank you forsending this.
I want to say, god, is thereanything better than when
(55:23):
someone sends you an email or atext or leaves a voicemail and
you just know it was from theLord?
Because, you're in a moment likethe day I got this.
I was so discouraged, just sodiscouraged, so defeated, so
like under attack from the enemy, and I opened my email and this
is what I got.
Thank you, maddie Huff.
I have gained from this class adeeper intimacy with Jesus
(55:47):
through studying and resting inHis Word.
Studying a particular chapterfor a long time frame is new to
me.
This is such an amazing way todive deep and see what the Lord
wanted me to hear.
I've struggled in the past withnot reading enough scripture
(56:10):
until this class, but because ofAbide, I was able to see how
rich even taking one verse andbreaking it down is and how much
the Lord wants to talk to methrough his word.
The response to God's wordthrough journaling has
revitalized my time with God.
I literally wake up excited tograb my cup of coffee and get
(56:33):
into my Bible.
I've always enjoyed talking toGod in my journal, but this
stepped that up because now I'mhearing from Him through the
Bible and he's talking back tome.
I am so grateful for this classand everything I'm learning.
I can't think of one thing thatwas lacking.
(56:54):
This class was amazing.
It was well explained and led.
I'm forever grateful for AbideMaddie Huff.
Maddie Huff, I already missedyou and I thank you for that
encouraging word at just theright time On a day the Lord
knew I needed it.
Would anyone like to sayanything before we close this
(57:17):
interview?
Sign up Sign up.
Christina Hardy (57:20):
You'll never be just.
You know, you will love it, youwill love it.
Kim McIntire (57:24):
Sign up.
I'm telling you Charity, olivia, christina and Jobef.
Any lady that ends up in yourclass is so blessed.
I could not have handpickedbetter teachers, better leaders
for this discipleship class.
Truly, god is the one whohandpicked you.
I asked Him to provide.
(57:44):
He gave me names.
You guys said yes.
Some of you came to me first.
Hallelujah, that's even better.
God is good.
Thank you for listening today.
Be sure to check us out on theRise Up website at it's Time to
Rise Up dot org or our Facebookpage.
Our Instagram is at theunderscore official underscore
(58:05):
rise underscore up.
May God's grace and peace bewith you In Jesus mighty name.
Welcome to the it's Time to Rise Up podcast.
I'm your host, kim McIntyre.
Thank you for joining us thisweek.
I invite you to check out ourwebsite at itstimetoriseuporg.
There you will find all oursocial media links and for our
podcast platforms, you'll findus on YouTube, apple Podcasts,
spotify and anywhere else youfind your podcast.
(00:29):
Today, I have four very specialladies in the room.
I'm so excited to introduce thelead teachers for Abide, which
is the discipleship piece forthe Rise Up Conference.
Welcome Jo Beth Ellis,christina Hardy, olivia Frazier
and Charity Degonye.
(00:50):
You guys, I am super excited,and I say that I think every
interview, but I'm like super,super excited to have you guys
here today, oh, my goodness.
So the journey of Habide hasbeen quite an adventure, and so
I'm just going to talk a littlebit about how that began.
So back in June of 2023, theLord had asked me to bring a
(01:18):
group of four young ladiestogether to read through the
Word and pray together, and Ididn't know even who I was going
to invite.
The Lord just said I want youto gather four young ladies, and
so when he started droppingnames, in my spirit I would be
like, but I don't really knowthem, lord, and so I mean, I
(01:41):
knew your face, right, I knewyour faces, but two of those
four are here today, olivia andCharity.
So we're going to actuallystart there a little bit.
So those four ladies said yes,and from that point, abide has
just grown and changed andshifted and turned, but it's all
been led by the Holy Spirit.
(02:02):
So, because you two were there,charity and Olivia, I would
like for you guys to just, firstof all, charity, tell a little
bit about yourself, and thenI'll have Olivia tell a little
about herself, and then we'regoing to jump into how Abide
began, like the organic roots ofit.
Charity DeGonia (02:18):
Okay, so, like you said, I'm Charity Degonia.
I am a teacher at our localschool in Carl Junction,
missouri.
I have five children, three athome and my husband, who I'm
obviously super proud of.
And yeah, so Abide came aboutafter I was away from the Lord
(02:39):
for about 20 years.
So I was in a place where I wasjust wanting more, but I didn't
know what more was like.
I didn't know what I was reallyseeking.
I had been in church for thelast three or four years before
then and was really just knewthat God was in my life, but I
didn't know what I was reallyseeking.
So I had had Kim come over andpray with me just a few months
(03:01):
before that we started Abide,but she asked me to come to this
just and she didn't really callit.
A few months before that, westarted Abide, but she asked me
to come to this just and shedidn't really call it a Bible
study.
She said we're just going todive into the word and I was
like, yes, like I need more, andshe's giving me an invitation
for more.
So yes, lord, this is exactlyan answer to my prayer.
So as we started, I don't eventhink she told me who was in the
(03:22):
class.
Really, she said we're justgoing to start with a small
group.
So I go there and a littlenervous for a couple of reasons
that we might hit on later, butjust a little bit nervous about
it, but also knowing that Godhas called me for more.
And we started small.
We started with just a fewwords.
We dove into them and the Biblewas still just words on a page
(03:44):
to me at that point and I knewthat God had more.
So we start diving into thesefew words and God starts
downloading his voice into myhead and I just knew then like
God's going someplace.
So I think we got to maybe thethird meeting, second or third
meeting, and Kim says to us Godhas more for this abide thing.
And I was like, okay, you know,I'm game, because I knew that
(04:07):
God had just put a deep hungerand desperation for more into my
spirit, especially when Istarted hearing his voice.
And so then she says it's goingto be a bigger group.
Well, then the nervousnesscomes, you know, okay, but I
also knew that God had created asafe place for this.
And so as it grew and we wentto the next group of bigger, you
(04:28):
know, and I was a littlenervous about it.
But man, we started doing likeactually practicing these prayer
things in her living room andGod met us there every single
time and he created a boldnessin me and in my prayer that just
excited me.
And so then I want more.
I don't want it, just want more.
I don't want it just at churchand I don't want it just in
Kim's living room, I want thisin my home.
(04:49):
So I start getting up at 4.30in the morning and everybody's
like you're crazy.
I'm like no, you don'tunderstand my God.
This 4.30 in the morning iswhen my God meets me, and he
showed me that it doesn't haveto be at church, it doesn't have
to be in Kim's living room, itdoesn't have to be anywhere.
He'll meet me everywhere that Itry to meet Him, that I ask Him
to be with me.
(05:09):
So God has just kind of takenme from words on a page to like
speaking to me through everysingle passage, to teaching me
to prayer, to giving me aboldness to pray at church.
Now, like this is somethingthat I was.
I felt like God was always mySavior, I was always going to
Him to.
I needed something.
Well, now, god is my Father andhe delights and he loves to meet
(05:32):
me in those places and he lovesto communicate with me.
And it's just more than aprayer practice.
It's more than words on a pagenow.
It's more than a place.
It's anywhere I seek God.
He meets us.
I have grown in Abide andthat's how it's kind of grown me
and how it's changed as well togiving me boldness and
(05:57):
confirmation and confidence anda holy confidence to walk in
victory that I never thoughtthat I would see.
Confidence to walk in victorythat I never thought that I
would see.
And so she's taught me you know, this has all taught me how to
walk in that victory too thatGod is always good, no matter
where I am and no matter whatI've been through and that he's
always there.
Kim McIntire (06:16):
Yeah, well, you know, the day that I came to
your house to pray, anotherfriend had asked hey, can you go
pray with charity?
And I didn't know you exceptjust really, your face right.
And so we go and pray with youand what I remember is and I
know you're okay with mespeaking this, but I met a
desperate woman that day, yeah,yeah, and as my friend and I
(06:38):
were praying over you, I had noidea in that moment.
But isn't it the power of prayer, right?
I had no idea that a year and ahalf later, I would be
basically just working side byside with you as a leader on
(07:00):
this discipleship team, and it'sjust.
it's a redemption story is whatit is and I say this all the
time on the podcast the threadthat will always be woven
through the Rise Up podcast isredemption, because he's a God
who redeems, and we overcomeSatan by the blood of the Lamb
and the word of our testimonyand do you ever have a testimony
(07:20):
?
Charity.
Thank you for sharing that.
We'll get back into some moreof that a little bit later about
the dynamics of the group whenit started, but we're going to
go to Olivia now.
Olivia, thank you for beinghere.
JoBeth Ellis (07:32):
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Yes, I'm Olivia Frazier.
I live in Joplin, missouri.
I live with my sister,currently Very single.
Right now, I work as a graphicdesigner and I'm on the worship
team at church.
Yeah, and you've done ourgraphics for Rise Up.
Yes, you've done an amazing job.
Kim McIntire (07:52):
I've had so much fun doing it.
You've done such a great jobwith that, so how tell us about
the beginnings of Abide With you?
JoBeth Ellis (07:59):
Okay, it was the.
It was at a really low point inmy life last year.
I was having really extremeanxiety.
I was having panic attacksalmost every day, every other
day, and I had had um a coupleof people from church you were
one of them, kim uh, pray overme and that was such a turning
(08:19):
point.
That night was such a turningpoint in my life of like
breakthrough and just more ofGod and like a hunger for God
that I've never had before.
Um, and I remember I wassitting right across from you
and you looked at me and said doyou have problems reading the
Bible?
And I said um, yes, yes, um,yes.
Kim McIntire (08:48):
And I loved that you were so honest in that
moment, because the Lord wasspeaking to me.
I want her to find me in theWord, Because John the first
chapter of John, verse 14, saysthe Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us.
So when we know the Word, weknow Jesus.
(09:11):
So, there's a lot of people thatbelieve in Jesus, but they
don't know Him because theydon't open the Word.
So what I loved in that momentwas when I asked you that
question and you were honest isit was the Holy Spirit
confirming in me this is a girlthat needs to come to the class
which it didn't have a name then, by the way it's just the class
(09:36):
.
So what shifted in that timeframe?
We only met for three months atthe beginning, so what shifted
in that time frame for you?
JoBeth Ellis (09:45):
It was learning actually how to read the Word.
I have struggled for years onhow to just sit down and read.
My mind goes to differentplaces and I'm a person that is
so easily distracted.
It was not just doing it bymyself, but it was allowing the
Lord to come in and show me.
Okay, what do you want me toknow from this first?
(10:06):
What do you want me to knowfrom this first?
And it was stuff that wasn'tjust stuff I already knew.
It was stuff that was so newand so fresh and so applicable
to my life.
It was just amazing the doorshe opened at that point.
Kim McIntire (10:24):
Yeah, and some relationship restoration, I
really believe was taking placein that too.
We'll come back to that in alittle bit, because I want you
and Charity to talk about thatwhen we come back to that place.
We're going to kind of circleback around with this interview,
okay.
So thank you both for sharingthat.
So, christina Hardy, yes, Iknew you, yes, but you were not
(10:47):
a close friend.
Nope, I invited you, and justthe journey of Abide has drawn
us together to be very closefriends and I've seen God do
some amazing things.
I want you to introduceyourself.
Olivia Frazier (11:01):
Okay, okay Great .
My name is Christina Hardy.
I have been married to myhusband, jim, for 31 years.
We have two adult children.
One, our daughter, lives inOzark, missouri, and our son
lives in Columbia, missouri,while we reside in Webb City,
missouri, and I am veryfortunate that I get to work in
(11:25):
a ministry every day through aprivate Christian school and
I've done that for 20 years andI've got to serve in our church
and that just makes my heart sohappy and joyful because we get
to serve in leadership and helpdisciple others while we're here
at church and everything else.
So we truly enjoy that.
(11:45):
So when Kim invited me to comejoin her in her class, it was—I
wasn't quite—I have to be honest, I wasn't quite sure.
I was like, okay, yeah, I'vedone Bible studies and
everything else and I'm like—You've done dozens and dozens of
Bible studies in prayer groups.
I have, I have.
Kim McIntire (12:05):
Which made me hesitant to ask you.
But God told me to ask you andI'm like, but God, she knows how
to read the Bible.
Olivia Frazier (12:13):
I do.
But you know what?
The Abide study is so muchdeeper than anything I've ever
experienced in my life and itreally makes the words, that the
word, actually come to life andit really is a personal
(12:33):
relationship with the HolySpirit speaking through what
you're reading and really deepdiving into what the word is
telling you and how God wantsyou to apply that each and every
day of your life.
Yeah, it's just so much deeperthan anything else I've ever
done.
Kim McIntire (12:50):
That's so good and a benefit was we got to be
closer because I didn't know youpersonally.
I knew you through school,because you work at the private
school my daughter and nowgrandson attend.
So it's been nice just to watchthat journey of you going
deeper, even though I consideredyou to be someone that would
just be like got this.
Olivia Frazier (13:11):
I've got this and I think that's kind of the
persona.
That kind of comes fromdifferent things that you do in
your life.
You know.
People just assume at a certainage that you know what you're
doing and you know it and youhave it all together and that is
a persona that is really falsea lot of times, in a lot of
(13:31):
ministry type positions, youjust think that in ministry,
that a person.
Obviously, of course they readtheir Bible every single day, of
course they're speaking to Godevery single day, but that is
not always true, right, right.
Kim McIntire (13:47):
Well, I love that you said yes and I love that
you're going to be teaching aclass in the future.
We'll talk about that soon.
Thank you, christina.
Jo Beth, you have kind of donean abide journey with me for a
long time, just throughfriendship and talking about the
Bible and talking about prayer.
But why don't you talk aboutyour experience with Abide and
(14:12):
where it has led you?
Because you just finishedteaching the first launch class
of session one, so that'sexciting too.
So why don't you just share alittle bit about what Abide was
when you were taking it and thenhow it changed, from you know
taking the class to teaching theclass exciting too.
So why don't you just share alittle bit about what Abide was
when you were taking it and thenhow it changed?
From you know taking the classto teaching the class, it has
changed.
Christina Hardy (14:31):
Yeah, it's very humbling to even be sitting
here and being encouraged toteach.
Yeah, because going from astudent to a teacher is a whole
different perspective.
(14:52):
Right, but what I have learnedand grown in and I'm just going
to relate it to I love to sew,or, if someone likes to cook A
bite for me was a new utensil ora new gadget, something to put
(15:14):
in my spiritual arsenal or myspiritual toolbox or my
spiritual kitchen drawer thathas all the fun things to cook
with.
Yeah, those tools that I havereceived spiritually from Abide,
I wouldn't trade them foranything.
(15:36):
Yeah, they have made my timewith the Lord so much sweeter
and it is so personal now sopersonal, because when I ask the
Lord a question or use one ofthose awesome words, he answers
he's there every time.
And my literal time, my actualtime, I'm getting where I don't
(16:04):
have enough time.
I just want to stay there.
It's like Lord, don't leave,let's stay right where we're at,
because it's so sweet.
It is so sweet.
And, on the teaching side, a lotof prayer, a lot of prep, a lot
(16:26):
of prayer, a lot of hosting, alot of prayer, a lot of prayer.
But I have asked God, throughthe teaching which it is such a
privilege to do, that he wouldget me out of the way, that he
would lead it and I would be ledby him.
(16:48):
And the three classes, thefirst session that I have got to
do with these women God hasshowed up in power in ways that
have blown me away.
It has been amazing when youhave the mindset God, this is
your class, it's not mine, I'monly a vessel to be used by you.
(17:12):
And, wow, I have been amazedevery class.
Kim McIntire (17:17):
It was pretty amazing because after your class
launched, I saw a couple ofpeople that I didn't know, but
they came up to me and they werelike JoBeth's class was amazing
and I was just like I know I'mnot your mom, but I felt like a
proud mom.
Do you know what I mean?
It was that kind of feeling.
I was like this is so coolbecause I feel like you know,
(17:38):
god's just growing it, he'smultiplying it.
So JoBeth's has already startedand her spaces are already full
.
But Charity, olivia andChristina are getting ready to
open classes in January.
They're local if you live inthe Joplin Missouri area, and
we're going to talk about thedates and the times and such as
that as we get closer to theclose of this.
(17:59):
So you might want to havesomething handy if you want to
write down that information.
But, charity, what led you towant to have something handy if
you want to write down thatinformation?
But, charity, what led you towant to teach?
When you came to me one dayafter class, the Holy Spirit
just had really spoken to you.
I saw it on your face.
You're like I have to tell youthis.
I know the Holy Spirit is whatbrought you to that place, but
do you want to share just aboutthat moment that you knew like I
(18:22):
am supposed to be teaching thisclass, right?
Charity DeGonia (18:25):
Well, I think it started with just the passion
that I had, because whensomething changes you and God is
in it and the Holy Spirit isworking on you, it's not
something you want to contain.
I don't want to keep this tomyself, I want everybody to
experience this.
And that's kind of the naturalteacher in me, because I've been
a teacher for so long.
So you get excited about it andall this stuff.
But I didn't know timing wise.
(18:47):
You know I was like OK, god, Iwant you to use my story.
I mean, god has done so much inmy life and shown me so much
favor and blessing and mercy andgrace, and so I just kind of
was waiting on that and justsaying, ok, lord, when you're
ready to use me, I'm ready, I'mready, I'm here.
So I had already kind of gottento that point.
But again, that passion andexcitement for this where I
(19:08):
don't want to contain it and Iwant everybody to experience
what I experienced.
So we were sitting in class andyou had said something about
hey, you know I can't do all ofthis on my own, we've got to,
you know, expand this to otherclasses, because these are full
and we have a hunger for people.
You know, people are hungry forit.
And I was like okay, lord.
And then we started praying andGod was like this is your
(19:29):
moment.
Kim McIntire (19:29):
Wow.
Charity DeGonia (19:30):
And it literally I was shaking, like
God was like this is you have tolisten to me right now.
Like I honestly I'm reallysorry to say I don't remember
what you were saying, because Iwas hearing God's voice so loud
in that moment that God justsaid this is now Like you don't
wait, this is you know whatyou've been asking for.
And I was kind of brought totears and I was like, okay, lord
(19:51):
, breathing through the rest ofthe class so that right after
class I could say I'm in Likethis is where God is going to
give me that spot to show otherswhat he's done in my life as
well.
Kim McIntire (20:05):
And I'm excited for the people that are going to
be taking your class.
JoBeth Ellis (20:09):
And.
Kim McIntire (20:09):
I know there's already people in your class, so
they're going to fill up soon,I think.
So, olivia, how about you?
At what moment did you think Iwant to teach abide.
JoBeth Ellis (20:22):
And so I remember you talking about like okay, so
now if you want to teach in aBide class, you know, kind of
let me know.
And you and I were having aone-on-one one day and I knew in
the back of my mind I'm like,oh, I couldn't, I couldn't teach
, I couldn't teach.
No, no way Not true, no Nottrue.
At that moment At that moment,okay, at that moment, at that
(20:44):
moment, I remember I talked toyou and I was just there was a
question like that just keptkind of popping up.
It was just like just ask ifyou know you could help in some
way just in some way.
(21:05):
Because part of me was like,well, I don't want Abide to ever
really end, you know, becauseit's just so good.
So I asked you and you told meyou said that would be great.
You know, even you couldco-lead.
And I'm like, oh, wow, we'regoing that far, kim.
Okay, I had a lot of confidencein you.
And then so you had said aboutco-leading and everything, and I
(21:29):
was like, okay, in the back ofmy mind I was like, okay, lord,
if that's what you want me to do, I will do it.
And I had just thought, youknow I was going to help
somebody and you know you weregoing to reach out to different
people.
And then you came to me thenext time we had a one-on-one
and you said somebody wants toco-lead with you, yep.
And I was like, oh, really.
Kim McIntire (21:50):
Yes, and this would be a great place to
transition to Christina.
Christina, can you pick up thestory?
Olivia Frazier (21:57):
Yes.
So how it kind of started withme is that Kim just keeps always
like speaking the wordleadership over me.
That's just pretty much whatshe's done, and a lot of it was
I felt was actually coming frommy ministry career and that it
was supposed to come through.
Those lines is really where Ifelt like that was heading.
(22:18):
And then one day during ourclass she talked about you know,
needing leaders and things likethat.
I was like, hmm, I don't knowabout that.
But then she actually came andasked me directly and it was
just I just felt overcome withthe Lord that day and I just
said, sure, yeah, yes, of course, of course, why would I not do
(22:40):
that?
And, as with any hesitation inmy life, it always breaks down
to time and I'm always because Ido do a lot of ministry work
and it, you know, the Lordprovides, but he also tells you
you have to have periods ofresting and things like that.
And so I just the more I prayedit and thought over it and I
(23:04):
just really felt the Lord leadme, that I was supposed to
mentor someone and through aseries of events, it was
revealed to me that it wasOlivia.
So Olivia, in context for thelisteners.
Olivia is the age of mydaughter, so we're a generation
(23:25):
apart, and but I think that isprobably the sweetest part about
all of this is that I get to gohand in hand and side by side
Olivia and walk through with herand like just kind of lead her
through the different steps thatit takes to kind of get get
(23:46):
something kind of started andthen to follow through and
honestly, I just feel like thisis just the beginning stages.
I feel like we're going to betogether for for a long time and
it's just a great relationshipand I've I didn't know Olivia
really at all, and so it's justbeen so special and so sweet and
we get to spend time one-on-onetogether pretty frequently and
(24:08):
I've just loved every minute ofthat.
Kim McIntire (24:11):
There are so many aspects and dynamics to this and
I love how I've been able towatch what God has been doing in
individuals.
We're going to backtrack now tothe very first class, before it
was called Abide and Olivia,you and Charity two other young
(24:32):
women were in the class.
I didn't know any of you well.
I knew you by face, really, andsome brief interactions through
church.
But what I found out later wasjust so confirming.
It was just such a confirmationof the Holy Spirit that he
actually did say every one ofyour names to me.
(24:57):
You know, sometimes I'm going tobe honest, I do hear from the
Lord and I'm really thankful forthat.
But sometimes I hear and I'mlike Lord, is that really you?
You know, questioning Insteadof being confident.
This is the Lord and I don'tknow if Charity, you want to
start and then you want to addin Olivia or vice versa.
(25:18):
But there was some relationshipdynamics coming into that first
class I was completely unawareof and God did some mighty work
and I'm so glad I didn't knowthere were relationship dynamics
going in, because I probablywould have been oh, this isn't
going to work, you know, but Godknew.
So one of you start and theother one add in.
JoBeth Ellis (25:40):
Yeah, so I took the class with my sister and
mine and my sister'srelationship hasn't always been
the best, and she'll tell youthat too.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Um, growing up there was justenough of an age gap where we
didn't really you know vibe verywell, we didn't hang out a lot,
(26:04):
um and so kind of growing upinto adulthood and going into
adulthood and everything.
We lived in different citiesand we never really got to spend
time together, so we weren'treally close Right.
My sister had asked me to movein with her a couple of years
previous and we were justgetting into, you know, living
(26:25):
together and working out thedynamics between that, because I
mean, we hadn't lived togethersince we were back at the house
Well, and that's a challenge initself.
Kim McIntire (26:33):
Learning to live with anyone yes.
JoBeth Ellis (26:35):
Right, it's different.
Kim McIntire (26:36):
And if you know her and.
JoBeth Ellis (26:37):
I, we have completely different
personalities, yeah, completely.
So just kind of working throughthat, and we had just started
like working on our relationshipand everything, but we had both
taken the class at the sametime and I don't know if you
know this, but she would havelike we would have never taken a
class together Hadn't it beenfor the Holy Spirit that brought
(26:59):
us together.
Kim McIntire (27:00):
That's right.
JoBeth Ellis (27:00):
Wow, a class like this anyways.
Yeah, um, it was just throughthe work of the Holy Spirit.
And you know, there was, therewas one day I think it was the
last day of that abide that sheprayed over me.
Yeah, and that was just lifechanging for me, because I never
(27:24):
I've seen her do it for otherpeople.
I've never seen her do it forme.
And just even after that, theLord has just brought us closer
together and I have arelationship with her now that I
never thought I would.
Kim McIntire (27:41):
It's an incredible story and I remember that day
so clearly because we wereworking on listening to the Holy
Spirit as we pray for someone,but them not telling you what
they need.
Prayer for which listeners?
As you are listening to this,if you're not already doing that
, there is a very rich, deepplace in the Spirit where you're
(28:07):
not relying on them to tell youwhat they need.
You're relying on the Spirit topray through you.
Christina Hardy (28:12):
Yeah, so good.
Kim McIntire (28:13):
And so I had partnered you up with Faith and
I had partnered Charity up withthe other young lady, not
knowing there had been anyrelationship issues at all
between each of you, because noone ever told me that, because
you guys didn't know me wellenough to tell me I guess you
were keeping me in the dark.
But I was glad you did, becauseisn't the Holy Spirit good?
(28:37):
Because sometimes I think ourhumanity gets in the way and
we're like, oh well, they don'tget along.
So I'm not going to partnerthose two up because, oh, who
knows what could happen.
And I'm not saying I would havedone that, but you know we all
have a human tendency, but whenthe Holy Spirit's leading
relationships get restored,humans can't restore
relationships apart from thework of God.
(28:58):
It's impossible.
So thank you so much because Ibelieve someone's listening
right now that needs to hearthat sister relationship has
been improved and is healing andis being restored and that's
beautiful.
Christina Hardy (29:14):
Thank you.
Kim McIntire (29:14):
God Charity how?
Charity DeGonia (29:17):
about you.
Well, before I go any further,I just want to say you know, I
was always hesitant to go toBible studies and things because
of the dynamics of the people.
Oh, I can't be vulnerable withthat person or this person or
whatever.
And I just want to encourageour listeners to say if God is
calling you to it, he is goingto bring you through it in a
better way and deeper, and he'sgoing to move in ways that
you're not expecting and that hewants for you.
(29:40):
He wants this deep place foryou.
So when we went into this classbecause it wasn't a Bible study,
it's just that class when I sawthis person there, she at that
time I'm going to say this in avery vulnerable way.
At that time she used to be mybest friend and we had gone
through something that was sohurtful that I just didn't ever
(30:02):
know how like it was.
One of those.
I could forgive her, but Icould never be vulnerable or
trust her again.
That's the way I felt.
And so here I am in this classwhere Kim is asking us to be
vulnerable and real, and I waslike, how do I do that, lauren?
So we go through these classesand God just really softened my
heart and I believe hers too,because she was in the same
place and healed things that Ididn't know needed to be healed,
(30:25):
and forgiveness came without usspeaking it.
You know like, hey, I see acompassion for what you're going
through and for what I'm goingthrough and how God is just
changing us and deepening ourrelationship with Him, because,
truly, you know, I think abouthow God created marriage, how we
seek God first, and then therelationship with our husband
(30:47):
comes.
Well, it's the same thing withfriends, I believe, you know,
like when we're both seeking God, he brought us closer together,
and so this goes on for severalmonths, literally months, and
so that relationship, thatfriendship, softened.
And then Kim paired us up andshe gave the oil to my friend.
She said it's your turn to prayover her, and we hadn't talked
(31:09):
about our needs, but it was justa moment where God was like
it's all washed away, wow.
It's gone, praise God.
All of that hurt was gone andthe forgiveness was there.
And now we're close and we getto spend time together and we
trust each other again, and Iwas like that's only God, and it
was not a place we would haveput ourselves in.
It was a place that God put usin, not knowing what we needed
(31:37):
because it wasn't.
That class was not aboutforgiveness, that class was not
about grace.
It was not about anything otherthan deepening our relationship
with Him on a personal andintimate level and calling out
to Him in prayer in a way that Iwould have never known,
listening to Him in that waythat you taught us, and to the
Holy Spirit and things that havejust been so powerful in my
life.
But, man, the other things thatfall in place when we're in line
(32:01):
with what God's will and whenwe're in the Word and when we're
in His presence.
When we are in His presence, itchanges our countenance, it
changes the way we view others,it changes the way we view
friendship, it changes what wevalue in everything and it
changes our gratitude for whathe does.
And so, learning to be in thatplace and desiring that in a big
(32:25):
way and I'm going to piggybackwhat you said earlier about how
I was getting up at 430 in themorning and when it was time to
stop and go to, you know, getready for school.
I didn't have enough time.
Like Lord, do I have to gotoday?
And so that's where it drawsyou and it changes how you view
everything.
Kim McIntire (32:59):
And that's the testimony that I've been hearing
is I went from setting a20-minute timer or a 30-minute
timer to know that I had spenttime with the Lord to I don't
want my timer to go off, I don'twant to go take my shower yet
to go to work.
And then I've heard some peoplesay they've made their wake
time earlier or they've added insome in the evening.
I know, christina, you've saidyou also spend time with the
Lord in the Word in the evening,and I want to make something
really clear to you.
(33:19):
I have a really good friendshe's been on the podcast before
.
Cindy has told me that sheprays in the morning but she
spends time in the Word in theevening because that's when her
mind is more still.
And I just say, whenever youhave the best time for your
brain and your mind and heartand spirit to connect to God's
(33:40):
Word, do it.
For me it's morning and I justcan't imagine not starting the
morning with God in the Word.
But the important thing isyou're spending time in the Word
and the more you do, it's likewhen you're transitioning from
junk food to healthy food.
At first the healthy food is eh, but then your body begins to
(34:02):
crave the healthy and doesn'tfeel well if you eat the junkie
and the Word of God.
It's like the more you take inof the Word, the more your
spirit actually hungers for theWord.
So I tell people when they say Ijust don't read the Word or I
can't read the Word.
There's all kinds of thingspeople say Because this is a
question I ask people a lot.
(34:22):
Tell me about your time withthe Lord is a question I ask
people a lot.
Tell me about your time withthe Lord.
And when they do, what becomesrevealed is there's very little
time in the Word and my missionis that every person that I know
, that I'm connected to or Godbrings into my path, recognizes
there is a place you can be inyour walk with God where you
(34:45):
hunger and thirst for time withHim.
It's real and it's true, and itdoesn't look the same for every
person and it shouldn't.
But my passion for this grewfrom a place where I read the
Word because I've known my wholelife.
It's important and I was aSunday school teacher for many,
many years and I wanted to knowthe and I wanted to know the
(35:07):
lesson and I wanted to know Icould teach it.
But when I was 32 years old,god radically shifted how I
approached the Word and now Ican say it's not a checklist,
it's not something I think Ihave to do or should do.
It's what I want.
(35:28):
I want to be in God's Word.
I hunger for it, just like youladies do, and to see it growing
is so encouraging.
I want to share with you guysthe prayer that I prayed on
December 26th of 2023, whenJanuary classes were getting
ready to launch.
So that was the first groupafter the group of four, that
(35:52):
initial group that I didn't knowwhat it was going to be, but
now we know it's Abide and Iread this over all of you and
it's what I'm praying for yourclasses.
And some of those spaces areblank, but there may be a
listener today or tonight.
There may be a listener rightnow that knows they're
(36:13):
struggling with the Word,they're struggling to pray, they
don't feel like their walk withGod is personal and you can be
a believer and not be a follower, and the only reason I say that
is because I was one and Ibelieve I was going to heaven,
because the blood of Jesus savesmy soul.
(36:34):
But I pray that anyone who'slistening that finds themselves
in that place will sign up forCharity's class, will sign up
for Christina's class.
Jo Beth's is already full.
We'll tune in in the future forthe Abide class that will be on
the podcast.
(36:55):
And so and these ladies some ofthem will probably be hopping
in on some of those times wherewe just open the word and go
through the structure of Abide.
It's not the same as being in asmall group.
I want to emphasize if you livein the Joplin area, get to one
of these classes because youneed community.
However if you do not live inthe Joplin Missouri area, then I
(37:19):
would ask you to identify whenthese Abide classes will be on
the platform, because I willannounce them.
And it will be on the platformbecause I will announce them and
it will be on our social medialinks.
You can build a community, evenonline or through a podcast,
but let that be the secondoption, not the first, because
I'm telling you you do not wantto miss any of these ladies
(37:41):
teaching class.
They are treasures.
Here's the prayer teachingclass.
They are treasures.
Here's the prayer.
Lord, prepare each heart to goto deeper places in the word and
prayer than they've ever gonebefore.
Lord, remove obstacles anddistractions that keep them from
going to those places ofabiding in you and enjoying
(38:03):
intimacy with you.
Lord, increase in them thedesire for more, a deep hunger
and thirst for your presence.
Lord, reveal yourself in newways through your word and
prayer.
Bring a fresh wind and a freshfire upon each person.
Lord, teach us to abide, andthat's really the theme.
(38:25):
Teach us to abide.
And I meant to open theinterview with this scripture,
but that's not what happened.
So here we go.
Abide centers on these twoverses found in John 15, verse 4
and 5.
Abide in me and I will abide inyou.
No branch can bear fruit byitself.
(38:46):
It must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruitunless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
If you abide in me and I abidein you, you will bear much fruit
.
Apart from me, you can donothing.
And each woman that is in thiscircle right now this is their
(39:09):
testimony.
It's my testimony.
Their lives are bearing fruit,but it's not because of them,
it's because of Christ in them.
They have given their yes andthey were willing to take the
class and God grew them to aplace of leadership and I
(39:32):
honestly can't wait to see whereGod takes you guys in the
future with this, because I toldyou, I actually see you guys in
the future sitting down withleaders that you have raised up
in your classes.
I believe that it will multiply.
We've been given propheticwords and I stand on that.
And this is why I stand on it,because to lead others to love
God's Word and love prayer, tohave a passion in your heart to
(39:53):
see men and women, boys andgirls want to spend time with
their Creator in personalfellowship and intimacy that's
God's heart more than it's ours.
That's God's will, that isaligned with what he desires for
his people, and he sayswhatever you ask in my name, it
is done, and I believe that'strue when what you're asking
(40:17):
aligns with the Father.
There's no miss in this.
Ask, right, right, what wouldour world look like if every
person who believes in Jesus wasspending time with him in the
word, prayer and praise?
So now we're going to talkabout the structure.
We're not going to give tons ofdetails, but we're going to
(40:38):
give little snippets andthere'll be more to come on the
podcast in the future.
The structure is worship.
We enter into a time of worshipand I've got two people right
here sitting in front of me thatare on worship team at their
church.
So that element to me sets thestage.
Olivia, speak into that.
(40:59):
How does it change theatmosphere when we gather
together and we just go rightinto worship?
JoBeth Ellis (41:05):
It's just an invitation for the Lord to meet
us.
Amen.
It's that an invitation for theLord to meet us, amen.
It's that drawing in, it's himcoming to meet us where we are
and just sitting with us, andit's an opportunity for us to
give him all the glory that hedeserves.
Charity DeGonia (41:20):
That's so good, right at the beginning, right
when we start.
JoBeth Ellis (41:23):
Yeah, and really when it starts like that, it can
only go up from there.
That's right.
Christina Hardy (41:29):
Amen, that's right.
JoBeth Ellis (41:30):
That's right.
Kim McIntire (41:31):
You can't miss.
He inhabits the praise of hispeople.
If you're praising andworshiping, he's going to show
up, and he does every time,every time.
The next piece of the structureis called keywords.
Who would like to talk a littlebit about keywords?
What's the purpose?
Christina Hardy (41:54):
We're not going to actually list all the
keywords, but what is thepurpose of the keywords?
Does anyone want to speak tothat?
I think for me.
With the keywords, it gave me astarting place.
I'll just say no again, becausewe've mentioned that one anyway
.
God, what do you want me toknow?
What do you want to teach me?
Yeah, how can I grow in whatyou're teaching me?
(42:16):
When you got a question, youhave to answer.
You're looking for the answer,right, and God's pouring it down
.
He's revealing that to youthrough that question Because I
(42:37):
personally, I personally havelearned when I come in with a
humble heart and a seeking heart, god shows up every time and he
will take me to places I nevereven dreamed we were going.
Going, yeah, and it flows, hisspirit leads and I just okay,
lord, I wasn't expecting this,but let's go, and it has been
amazing.
Charity DeGonia (43:00):
I just want to speak a little bit to those
words created a communicationwith God for me, because I'm
asking Him a question, so he hasto answer it for me.
So then it's not just words ona page, it's what God is
speaking to me, and love longsto communicate, right, god loves
to communicate with us.
So it opened that conversationwhich created that relationship
(43:21):
with him.
So when I'm reading the Bible,I'm asking God to speak to me,
and I've read some of thesechapters several times, a lot of
times, and I feel like God sayssomething different to me.
Christina Hardy (43:32):
He takes me deeper every time.
Charity DeGonia (43:35):
So I have most of John 15 memorized, but every
time that I ask God, what do youwant me to know about this
today, he gives me somethingdifferent or a little bit deeper
, or a little bit more, or whydon't I take you to this place
today?
So that communication, I think,is where those keywords take me
.
Kim McIntire (43:54):
That's so good.
That's so good.
Anyone else about keywords?
Olivia Frazier (43:59):
Well, without mentioning one, I mean you can
mention one, can I?
Can I mention another one?
Ok, so I would say the thingthat has been the, the thing
that spoke to me the most, isdeclaring things.
That is truly what it is,because in all my years of doing
all kinds of other Biblestudies and stuff that is so
(44:21):
different, I mean that's nothingthat I have ever been taught
from people lecturing me orwatching a video series or
whatever that may look like inother types of Bible studies.
Both of what you two mentionedabout hearing him and in him
becoming real while you're doingit.
It's also about declaring thetruths of the Bible and what the
(44:43):
Word actually says, anddeclaring that over your life
and what it's going to be, thatyou know that his biblical
principles and truths are goingto stand on every aspect of your
life.
You know from the moment youwake up until the end of your
day.
Kim McIntire (45:00):
That is it.
That is it Declaring, verypowerful, declaring yeah, thank
you.
So, yeah, if you're listeningnow and you're that person who's
struggling to be in the Word, Iwould say, tomorrow morning or
this evening, open your Bible.
I would say, go to Psalm 23.
And the reason I say that ismost people are familiar with it
(45:22):
.
But if you sit down with yourBible and you say to the Lord,
lord, as I approach this chapter, what do you want me to know?
That know can change so manythings.
And let me just say it's notjust knowing for your mind and
your intellect, but it's knowingfor your heart, like
(45:44):
emotionally connecting to theWord.
We need to have our mind filledwith the knowledge of God and
we also need to have our mindfilled with the knowledge of God
.
And we also need to have ourheart filled with the knowledge
of God, because knowledge in themind doesn't change a heart,
but knowledge for the heartchanges a heart.
And so it's really about theheart connection to the Word.
Christina Hardy (46:05):
I want to speak into what you just said.
I'm going to speak into whatyou just said.
I have always I don't want tolet me see how to say this I've
always struggled with memorizing, Always, but this I know to be
true.
Olivia Frazier (46:27):
My heart's getting it.
Christina Hardy (46:33):
Even though I may come out and someone said
what did you just?
What were you just in?
But I know my heart got it,because I'm changed, because I
was in the word.
So I'm going to speak to thoseout there that think I'm not
getting anything out of it orI'm not memorizing it.
Yes, you are, because it'sgoing in the crevices of your
(46:54):
heart, mind and soul.
So keep reading it, Keep asking.
You're getting it.
You're getting it.
If you're in the Word, you'regetting it.
Kim McIntire (47:03):
That's good, that's so good.
Well, and there's also.
Charity DeGonia (47:07):
It's Lisa Harper that said it.
She said you know, we can standin awe of what God's done and
we can stand in awe of his word,but it's until we have the
attachment and don't.
It's not a complete quote, butI just remember her saying
that's that attachment that's soimportant.
So when we are attached to theword and something where he has
taught me something in thischapter, I'm attached to that
(47:27):
chapter in that way, you know,and so it really draws you in a
different place.
Like you're saying, you aregetting it not just because you
have it memorized or don't haveit memorized, there's an
attachment to it and so whenyou're attached to God's word.
you're attached to God's heartand God's will and what he wants
for your life too.
Amen, that's so true.
Kim McIntire (47:46):
Does anyone want to share I mean, I feel like
you've kind of already done that, but I'm just going to ask it
in this way Does anyone want toshare a specific personal
benefit that you know you havegained directly from the Abide
class, Just something specific.
I feel like you kind of alreadyspoken to that with the Declare
Christina that that was the onething that you just really have
(48:09):
taken hold of.
I think that's what I'm lookingfor.
Is there just one thing thatyou could just speak to say?
This is what made the classworth my time.
Charity DeGonia (48:21):
Well, I'm going to say all of it, but if
there's one thing, one of, I'mgoing to speak another word here
.
If there's one thing thatreally changed me.
So I was raised in a prettylegalistic church and so when we
got to obey I went here's thatGod discipline thing and that
(48:44):
has changed and transformed mylife, because it's not about
just obeying this God that has abelt in His hand.
If I go wrong, you know what Imean.
This is a God who loves me somuch that he wants me in His
will.
So it's not just you betterobey me, it's I love you so much
.
God loves us so much that hewants us to be in this place so
(49:10):
that he can pour out Hisblessings and His favor upon us
and that we can walk in victory,like your declarer says too.
So it all relates to each other.
But, man, that shiftedeverything about my relationship
with God.
He's not some far off God.
He's right here with us and hewants us to obey because of the
love that he has for us.
Kim McIntire (49:29):
That's so good.
That's so good.
I love that.
Would anyone want to share anychallenges that they had like
during the class?
You just shared about thechallenge with the keyword obey.
Did anyone else have anyanything that they felt like was
hard to overcome or hard toapproach?
Christina Hardy (49:51):
hard to overcome or hard to approach.
Okay, it was that good, you'rehonest, you're honest.
Well, I hate to speak too much,but you can decide whether you
want to put this in or not, butI think the hardest one of the
harder things for me each timewas being vulnerable with the
people around me that I didn'tknow, because I don't know those
people and it's a trust thing.
Charity DeGonia (50:10):
So you really have to pour into.
Okay, lord, this is yours,these have to be your words, and
I have to be vulnerable in yourpresence so that you can teach
me and take me deeper.
Kim McIntire (50:19):
Yeah, I mean, it really is a class that
transparency and vulnerabilityis required.
It's really not optional.
Christina Hardy (50:27):
With that I will speak into from the
teaching side.
One night before we got started, the Lord asked me to do
something specifically in theclass and I thought, what?
Please?
No, but you know, I obeyed andI did it and it was amazing.
(50:54):
But I honestly think it wasmore for me than even for them,
even though I believe the womengot the point of the whole thing
.
But on the teaching side of it,god has just shifted so much in
me and changed so much in meand it has been so amazing to
(51:15):
watch these women come in everyclass and there's only three.
But when you start with 10women and only one of them that
I even knew who she was and yetby the time we get to the third
class, it's like we're allfriends.
Everybody's talking more,everybody's sharing more.
(51:36):
So even for me, from being inthe class to teaching the class,
the spiritual benefits faroutweigh, far outweigh even the
fear or the oh Lord, if I dothat, what that's gone, because
what God has done in the yesthere's no measuring it.
Kim McIntire (52:00):
It's true, there's no measuring it, that's so good
.
The other piece of abide, theother structure to that, or
piece within the structurerather, is the prayer practices.
So we close with a prayerpractice and what these are.
These are just things the Lordhas taught me in prayer,
different and rather than justdoing a prayer, that is a
checklist of things you want Godto do, which I've said to the
(52:24):
listeners before.
That was my normal way ofpraying for many years going to
the Lord, thank you for the dayand then giving Him the things I
needed Him to do and not reallytaking time to praise Him,
worship Him, declare, listen,confess.
There's just a lot of differentprayer practices that we've
done victory, declaring victory.
(52:45):
So the prayer practices, I feellike, are kind of that anchor
piece, because prayer withoutthe Word and Word without the
prayer practices, I feel likeare kind of that anchor piece
because prayer without the wordand word without the prayer
they're incomplete.
But when you bring themtogether it's just, it's like
the power of the Spirit justshows up, because I believe
those are two of God's favoritethings.
You know, his Word speaks to usand prayer we speak to Him.
(53:10):
That's relationship and we talkabout that component of
relationship.
We're going to close out talkingabout relationship right now,
because the point of this classis we want people to build and,
you know, grow in their personalrelationship with the Lord.
And what do relationshipsrequire?
Time, right.
(53:32):
What other things dorelationships require?
Time is the big part.
Communication, right, trust,dependency, reliance, and all of
these things are part of Abide.
So I'm going to ask you guys toshare your class, your starting
(53:56):
time, so the date, the time ofday, the location.
If you guys can do that, thatwould be great Charity.
Do you want to start?
And then Christina.
Charity DeGonia (54:06):
Sure, so we're going to meet Saturday morning,
starting in January, about nineo'clock in the morning in my
home in Carl Junction, missouri.
Awesome.
Olivia Frazier (54:16):
And our class is going to meet on Friday nights
and we are also beginning inJanuary, so it is Friday nights
at six o'clock and it will be inWebb City, Missouri.
It is some odd times, butJanuary 3rd, January 31st and
February 28th.
Kim McIntire (54:37):
And if you go online to itstimetoriseuporg,
you can sign up for theseclasses and you don't have to
necessarily remember those timesand dates, because those will
be given to you.
If you sign up online and ifone of those times of day works
better a Saturday class or aFriday evening class, you know
(54:59):
then you can go in thatdirection.
But we're super excited to seewho lands in these classes.
I am so, like God, I can't wait.
I want to share a testimonyfrom a dear, dear friend of mine
who moved to Oklahoma a coupleweeks ago.
So, maddie, thank you forsending this.
I want to say, god, is thereanything better than when
(55:23):
someone sends you an email or atext or leaves a voicemail and
you just know it was from theLord?
Because, you're in a moment likethe day I got this.
I was so discouraged, just sodiscouraged, so defeated, so
like under attack from the enemy, and I opened my email and this
is what I got.
Thank you, maddie Huff.
I have gained from this class adeeper intimacy with Jesus
(55:47):
through studying and resting inHis Word.
Studying a particular chapterfor a long time frame is new to
me.
This is such an amazing way todive deep and see what the Lord
wanted me to hear.
I've struggled in the past withnot reading enough scripture
(56:10):
until this class, but because ofAbide, I was able to see how
rich even taking one verse andbreaking it down is and how much
the Lord wants to talk to methrough his word.
The response to God's wordthrough journaling has
revitalized my time with God.
I literally wake up excited tograb my cup of coffee and get
(56:33):
into my Bible.
I've always enjoyed talking toGod in my journal, but this
stepped that up because now I'mhearing from Him through the
Bible and he's talking back tome.
I am so grateful for this classand everything I'm learning.
I can't think of one thing thatwas lacking.
(56:54):
This class was amazing.
It was well explained and led.
I'm forever grateful for AbideMaddie Huff.
Maddie Huff, I already missedyou and I thank you for that
encouraging word at just theright time On a day the Lord
knew I needed it.
Would anyone like to sayanything before we close this
(57:17):
interview?
Sign up Sign up.
Christina Hardy (57:20):
You'll never be just.
You know, you will love it, youwill love it.
Kim McIntire (57:24):
Sign up.
I'm telling you Charity, olivia, christina and Jobef.
Any lady that ends up in yourclass is so blessed.
I could not have handpickedbetter teachers, better leaders
for this discipleship class.
Truly, god is the one whohandpicked you.
I asked Him to provide.
(57:44):
He gave me names.
You guys said yes.
Some of you came to me first.
Hallelujah, that's even better.
God is good.
Thank you for listening today.
Be sure to check us out on theRise Up website at it's Time to
Rise Up dot org or our Facebookpage.
Our Instagram is at theunderscore official underscore
(58:05):
rise underscore up.
May God's grace and peace bewith you In Jesus mighty name.
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