A simple way to share the good news of Jesus.
We sat down with Jeanne, a Bible sharer in California, to hear about how she’s been using The Word One to One to introduce others to Jesus in His Word.
Thanks for joining us, Jeanne! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name’s Jeanne, and I live in Roseville, a small city in the suburban Sacramento area in the north of California. Although I was born in Chicago, I’ve lived here since I was 6…so I guess you could call me a Californian! I go to East Parkway Church, which is unfortunately disbanding in 2 weeks due to falling numbers – however, I know that God will direct us to a new church where He wants us to be. At the moment, I’m working as a part-time care-giver for the elderly.
I’ve been a Christian for 52 years. I became a Christian before my last year of high school – I was brought up in the Lutheran Church, but didn’t really understand the gospel until a friend took me to some Youth For Christ rallies during high school, then it suddenly made sense to me! I’ve been involved in various different ministries since then, which have helped me along through the years.
Q. How did you come to know about The Word One to One?
I can’t exactly remember! The thing is, I’m a real book addict and I spent 10 years working in a Christian bookstore as their book-buyer. I love knowing what resources are out there and recommending them to others, so I’ve recommended The Word One to One to at least four friends! One of them is now in Book 8 with a friend.
Q. Who have you been reading God’s Word with recently, and how did you start sharing with them?
I’m reading with a friend, G, and there’s a bit of a backstory to how we began sharing God’s Word together. As I mentioned, I’m a part-time care-giver, and one day I was at the beauty salon waiting for my client to get her hair done. Another client came out of the salon and saw me knitting, and she asked if I could teach her to knit and I said, sure! I gave her my card, which had Scripture on it, and so she saw and knew that I was a Christian.
We began meeting up for knitting lessons together, and then I asked her if she would like to do a Bible study with me – and she turned me down. But we kept meeting until she moved to another state across the country. We were chatting on the phone one day, and she said that it was a shame we couldn’t do a Bible study on the phone; I said that I was already doing a Bible study with another friend over the phone, so why not? So I sent her the first few books of The Word One to One, and now we’re in Book 8!
I’m also reading with another friend, K, whose brother-in-law sadly passed away six months ago – he was my son’s best friend, so that’s how I know her. She’s disabled and has difficulty with reading and speaking, and so I worked for the family several years ago to help care for her. More recently, I asked her husband if he would like me to go and stay with her for a bit while he was sorting out his brother’s affairs. He agreed, and during my stay I asked her if she would like to do a Bible study – she grew up Catholic but was engaging in different spirituality movements – and she said yes. So right now, I go and visit her on Saturday mornings and we do an episode of The Word One to One together, and then we go and have lunch at a restaurant, since most of them are still open here!
Because of her difficulties with speaking and reading, I just sit next to her and help her follow along in the book. We don’t have any lengthy discussions, but she seems to understand everything that we’re reading in John’s gospel. She’s also very enthusiastic about reading together, so she’s definitely enjoying exploring God’s Word – we’ve just started Book 4 this week!
“We don’t have any lengthy discussions, but she seems to understand everything that we’re reading in John’s gospel.”
Q. How did you see God work through reading His Word together with your reading partners?
With G, she actually has a stronger background in the Bible than I first knew – she attended Christian schools as a child and grew up in the church.
With K, because her language is limited, she doesn’t say a lot – but a couple of weeks ago she did say that she knew that God loved her. Sometimes in the Catholic thinking, they can feel like God is mad at them, so it was great to hear her say that. But she does seem to understand as we go along and she enjoys discussing the things we cover.
Q. How has The Word One to One helped you open up God’s Word with others?
I really like using The Word One to One, and when I recommend it to others I tell them how it has a really low threshold – it’s easy to start and it’s so easy to use! The questions are right there, it takes away the pressure of having to prepare really thoroughly, and it couldn’t be simpler to use. I’ve led many Bible studies over the years and been involved in many ministries, but using The Word One to One makes it so simple to share the gospel with others.
“I really like using The Word One to One, and when I recommend it to others I tell them how it has a really low threshold – it’s easy to start and it’s so easy to use!”
Although I’ve been a Christian for 52 years, I wouldn’t say I’ve been very great at evangelism – but just sitting there talking to K, explaining the gospel and going over it with her, I thought to myself: “This is the way it’s supposed to be.”
Q. Do you have any advice you would give to someone who’s thinking about reading the Bible with someone else?
Just the basics really! Pray about it, ask your friend and see what happens. I think it’s a very non-threatening approach – you don’t have to dump the whole gospel on them in one conversation, you just explore it with them a little bit at a time and let the Word do the work!
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