Who Is Kristi Anderson?
I have been a lover of Jesus for almost 3 decades. As a young married and pregnant gal, I was in a failing marriage. It seemed right to kick the guy out since he had been a jerk, right?
Only one voice in the midst of the chorus of “dump the man!” was to be heard.
Lisa Skay was the only woman in the bakery where I was a cake decorator who asked me a question. “Are you sure you want to raise your son without his father?” A simple and profound question.
Are you sure you want to raise your son without his father?
Her question stemmed from her world view that the Bible is right including the fact that Jesus died for sin. Her sin, my sin, my husband’s sin, all the sin. And with her question, she changed the trajectory of my life.
Upon reconciliation between Jeremy and me, we began attending Lisa’s church and started a parenting class. In addition, I began to learn and understand that there are roles for men and women in marriage and in life. I’ve come to understand scripture slightly differently now, but at the time, God used what I learned to reconfigure my life into closer relationship with him and with my beloved.
One of those reconfigurations was that I met Jesus who had lived, died, and rose from the dead to take the penalty of my sin. After knowing that, whatever Jesus wanted was what I wanted to do. I didn’t live perfectly, oh no! But my path ever since has been slowly but surely moving toward our God.
What Does Kristi Anderson Do?
Before I was an empty-nester, I stayed home to teach and train my four children. Homeschooling for 19 years was both some of the most difficult years of my life and also some of the most fun.
My own little people were such a joy! As a lifelong learner, I loved learning alongside my kids.
Now that they are gone out of the home, I have the privilege of caring for my homestead, volunteering once a week, and making an effort to create an income from my hobbies. Oh, and I love to mountain bike!
Volunteering
Once a week I volunteer at our local soup kitchen where I have developed a reputation for baking treats for the food insecure in our area. On Wednesdays there is a dinner that is served in the evening and I’ve heard a lot more families with children have been coming. To think about these little ones and their hard-working folks getting home baked treats like cream puffs, melt-in-your-mouth oatmeal cookies, and homemade bread makes my heart so thankful that God gave me both a gift of baking as well as the free time to serve.
One of my passions is to use my gifts to demonstrate some of the love God has for me. Baking for those who cannot allows me to achieve this goal.
Hobby and Economic Effort Combined
As a potter for the last 10 years, I have built an online store where I sell my artwork. To date, I have sold over 300 cover jars alone to every corner of the world except South America and Africa. Knowing that there are sourdough starters out there which have survived generations and they now live in my jars around the world is high honor.
One of my passions is making mundane tasks like serving food, containing, etc. into works of art. Pottery allows me to achieve this goal.
Hobby, Exercise, and Spiritual Health Combined
Over the last few years, I’ve learned to mountain bike as well. Much of my meditation and prayer time is spent out on trails here in my Colorado mountain town. Surprisingly since there is less air up here at 7000′, I also sometimes sing out on the trail. Which can get awkward when someone suddenly appears.
One of my passions is to enjoy creation as well as exercise to make sure my body is strong for whatever tasks come my way. Mountain biking allows me to achieve the goal of worship as well as fitness. Plus it’s just a riot of fun.
If you go outside and listen, you might be able hear me hollering WOOHOO! It won’t matter where you are: I’m loud.
How Was Kristi Anderson Educated?
As a new believer, I wondered how people would come up with these profound explanations for scripture. How could you read Isaiah and understand anything that was in there? And so my pursuit of training in biblical studies began in wonder.
The Power of a Simple Phrase
After a few years, Dax Swanson came on the scene as the new associate pastor at the church Lisa Skay had recommended. He was the one who inspired me with the encouraging descriptor of someone of my effort: “Student of the Word.” Even something as innocent as such a phrase can have power to inspire.
If you have prompting to encourage someone, do. Even if it seems insignificant to you…it wasn’t for me.
Influence of Generosity
At the beginning of this journey, there was a new company in our town of Bellingham, WA. Moving from Oak Harbor, WA, the family that created Logos Bible Software joined our church. Subsequently, some of the translators and other contributors to the library of Logos also attended. Rubbing shoulders with some of the brainiest people on the face of the earth was inspiring. Especially because they were not entirely esoteric. They could be, because they were so intelligent, but over all, they were down-to-earth lovers of Jesus. Just like me.
Dale Pritchett, father of the man who created Logos, decided to teach a Sunday school class. In the class, Dale gave away, GAVE AWAY hundreds of dollars in software to anyone who attended. Then he proceeded to teach us how to use it.
- Multiple versions and their value
- Original language tools
- Portability of MANY books on a computer (we didn’t have phones then–it was coming!)
- Biblical books linked together so that resources were right at my fingertips
- Ability to take notes right within the software and link to Bibles and books
Generous doesn’t cover what kind of gift that was to a burgeoning student of the Word. If you have the ability to help someone in their education, do. It may not seem like a big deal to you…it was to me.
Influence of “Book Study”
In conjunction with learning from Pastor Dax, there were a few other keys components in my process of learning. I studied using Precepts materials for a while. Having questions formulated for me is one of the aspects to study that I dislike now. But in the beginning it was helpful.
Acts 29 Bootcamp
Another component in my process of learning was attending an Acts 29 Bootcamp. I don’t think they call the conferences that anymore, but at that Bootcamp, I heard Matt Chandler preach in person and he revolutionized my understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament and the New. Previously I saw the Old as either pointing to Jesus or showing how pointless life without Jesus was. Not wrong, but I came to see more clearly. Pastor Matt preached for 45 minutes and showed how Jesus was throughout the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation in that amount of time.
If you have the weighty privilege of preaching the gospel and where it is in scripture, make sure you do. For some it may seem old hat…it was life altering for me.
Discipleship from Afar
I never looked back. Gospel centered thanks to Pastor Matt, I continued to listen to his sermons I think before there were podcasts. At least I didn’t know about podcasts. Discipled by him from afar (he pastored in Dallas and I lived in Houston at that time), I proceeded on my journey of biblical training learning and growing in the concept of grace.
Empowered by Being Seen
In addition to listening to Pastor Matt, I listened to Tim Keller, and was thankful for the sound teaching of Pastor Brian Haynes at Bay Area First Baptist Church in League City, TX. As pastor of a church of a couple thousand people, he still remembered my name in the ocean of faces. How did he do that? Being shy and trying to hide under available rocks, he still would come speak to me and be interested. While that didn’t further my knowledge in study, it did give me courage in a time when I felt particularly vulnerable and small. Which lead to more courage to keep learning.
If you have eyes to see and a memory that recalls people, use that gift. It may not seem like it’s important…it was to me.
Seminary but Not Seminary
Thanks to a recommendation from my beloved husband Jeremy, I’ve listened in on seminary level classes offered by the website biblical training.org. Of particular interest have been all of the classes offered by Robert Stein. If I could meet him and shake his hand, I would be so honored. I have listened to his class on hermeneutics at least 6 times in the last 10 years. If I need expert refreshment on how to study, I go ask him by listening once again.
If you ever get to teach a class to someone about how to study the Bible (hermeneutics), do. It doesn’t need to be a seminary class (though that would be cool), but even if it is how you have a routine in your day to fellowship with our God, teach it. It may not seem profound to you…it was to me.
Why Does Kristi Anderson Write Bible Study Bites?
My goal in writing a blog about how I study the Bible is that you would be inspired to study as well. Watching someone study and admiring is not inspired but instead is spectating. While spectating is fine for a while, my hope and prayer is that you would get in the trenches with me and study as well. I’m beginning with Ephesians, but if you’re studying some other book right now and want to continue, the principles remain the same.
I could’ve chosen any epistle and done the same techniques that I’m using here. And I have. I’ve studied Ephesians twice before using the same methods.
Observation, interpretation, application. Keep Context King. Prayer. Ask the 5 W’s and an H of the text. Read it verse-by-verse. Take topics as they come. Don’t get lost in the forest by examining the trees too closely–make sure I back up and look at the big picture regularly.
These are some of the principles I want to share with you in the action of study. Sometimes we will head down a path together and there won’t be any useful information. That’s a risk I’m willing to take. It’s real live study, step-by-step.
Fair Warning
Bible Study Bites is not a boxed up all pretty and prepared devotional. As I understand scripture, it can be understood by regular people. All the people. Non-seminary taught people. I don’t think we need all of our food to be pre-chewed before we eat it. Going to church and hearing a sermon is good. Listening to podcasts has its place.
Wrestling with the text, asking the author what he meant, and discovering his meaning is where truly great learning will take place.
But wrestling with the text, asking the author what he meant, and discovering his meaning is where truly great learning will take place. And then if you find someone to talk to about what you’re learning, if you have to “teach” someone what you’ve learned, you will be more successful at internalizing it. When it bounces around in your head and your heart enough to come out in a time of testimony, you’ve really got it.
That is what I want for both of us.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Our Bible Study Bite for today goes along with the title of my blog. I’ll mention it in other Bites, but the first thing I want to tell you is learning to study the Bible for yourself doesn’t have to overwhelm. It’s like the question “How do you eat an elephant?”
You eat it a bite at a time.
Is there a lot to learn? Yes. Do you need to know it all right now? No.
We will focus on one aspect to study each time we meet. Small Bites are what I will attempt to use. Occasionally we will end up with crumbs falling out of our mouths because the Bite is big. I apologize for that in advance. I’m learning how to tell someone about what I do as I go.
I’ll provide napkins for the crumbs.
Sometimes our Bite will have to do with a pattern of learning, sometimes about a philosophy of study, sometimes a nut or bolt in the process. Sometimes it will even be something that I just learned as we studied together. I’m not telling you because I have it all together. I’m telling you because many people over the years have asked me how I do what I do.
So I’m telling you.
I’m a simple girl studying a great and awesome God. Want to join me?
Something that is worth considering as you begin your journey is that our Heavenly Dad preserved this book for us to read, study, and enjoy. While it wasn’t written entirely TO us, it was written FOR us. Within its pages are all God told us in written form about himself.
Let’s mine it out. Let’s learn about our God, learn about ourselves, and then be better equipped to worship this great God of ours.
How Do I Navigate Bible Study Bites?
If you’re wondering where to go from here, I recommend Basics 1. It has a little more of my story and explanation for the blog in general.
After that, the Basics don’t have a particular order. Topics come to mind or someone will ask a question, then I realize I should write a Basics about that.
Currently, we are studying Ephesians, so if you’d like to enter into the study, Bite 1 is the best place to start. I hope you will. I look forward to hanging out with you!
