What if I told you that a guy who works at a creative video agency and another who is a youth pastor in a suburb of Denver have internalized more than 25 books of the Bible? What if I told you they agreed to do an interview and share how they did it? What if I told you they also share the funny story of how they became friends (after not liking each other at first), got started with internalization, the impact it has had on the way they understand and experience God, and the help it has been in fighting personal sin battles?
You’ll find all this and lots more [insert late-night infomercial music here] on this new podcast episode.
[featured-image single_newwindow=”true” alt=”Check out this interview with two normal guys who have internalized more than 25 books of the Bible!”]
[powerpress]
Main Topic: An Interview with Joshua Suddath and Tim Mahla
I have been looking forward to this interview for a very long time. Ever since Tim reached out to me via my blog’s contact page I knew I had to interview him (and his good buddy Joshua). To describe them, you wouldn’t immediately say, “Oh, these guys are Christian superheros. Of course they can internalize lots of Scripture.”
In fact, if you read last week’s post, you’d see that it perfectly describes these Tim and Joshua.
- Two average, everyday guys.
- Young husbands.
- New dads (especially Tim, whose first son was born last Sunday – see pic below!)
- Basketball players
- Love hanging out with Jesus.
- Passionate about the Bible.
Remember the verse from Acts 4: “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
Toward the end of the interview, Joshua said something that resonated so deeply with me I told him right then I would highlight it on the show notes.
[endorsement photo=”http://www.fcchurch.org/monkimage.php?mediaDirectory=mediafiles&mediaId=2845185&fileName=josh-suddath-0-0-138-143.jpg” cite=”Joshua Suddath” byline=”Youth Pastor (Fellowship Community Church)”]I don’t bring a darn thing to the table. What’s done in my life for the sake of the Gospel has been done by God’s grace. I would have probably said that as a Christian kid. But I have experienced it now, having engaged with His Word.” [/endorsement]
About Joshua Suddath
Josh Suddath is a youth pastor at Fellowship Community Church in Centennial, CO. He and his wife, Kristine, have a son, Jackson Ray, and a second son on the way! Josh has a passion for seeing Jesus glorified as God uses him to study and speak the scriptures in a way that causes people (himself included) to press into God’s grace.
You can connect with him at www.TwoGraceSpies.com or on his Facebook Page.
About Tim Mahla
Tim and Elea live in Chattanooga, TN with their new born son William Elwood Mahla. Tim is the Associate Director of New Business at Fancy Rhino, a full-service creative agency.
You can check out the creative agency he works at (www.fancyrhino.com) or connect with him on Facebook and on Twitter.
Listener Question
Due to the length of the interview, I skipped the Listener Question this week. If you’d like to have your question answered on a future episode, here are the ways you can submit it:
- Call the dedicated Podcast Voicemail Line: (425) 522-3487
- Shoot me an email: podcast– at – keithferrin.com
- Record a voicemail – up to 90 seconds – at www.speakpipe.com/keithferrin.
- Send a message through my Facebook Page
- Send a message though my Contact Page
- Leave a comment here on this page.
Resource of the Week
During the podcast episode, we talked about a video of Joshua presenting the entire book of Hebrews and a new video “Scripture montage” Tim recently put together. Those videos are embedded below. And here is the link to Two Grace Spies, Joshua’s website. These will give you enough to chew on until the next episode!
Joshua presenting the Book of Hebrews
[vimeo id=”15813008 “]
Tim’s Scripture Montage
[vimeo id=”105026901″]
Links (People, Info, and Resources) from Episode 31:
- Two Grace Spies – Joshua’s webiste
- Fellowship Community Church (Centennial, CO) – Joshua’s church
- Fancy Rhino – Tim’s company
- Direct Link to Tim’s video (for embedding on Facebook or sharing on Twitter) – http://vimeo.com/105026901
- Direct Link to Joshua’s presentation of Hebrews (for embedding on Facebook or sharing on Twitter) – http://vimeo.com/15813008
- Direct link to this podcast on iTunes.
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Subscribing to Any Podcast on Any Device (with screen shots)
- Podcast Art – Pipe & Tabor (Vancouver, WA)
- Intro/Outro Music – Dan Carollo of CeltoGrass Music
[reminder]When do you talk with your kids about the Bible?[/reminder]
Such an amazing podcast & videos thank you Keith, Joshua, & Tim & praise Christ Jesus for the work He’s doing through you guys!
These are great guys Brandon. Did you get a chance to check out Tim’s blog? Very cool.
These are great guys Brandon. Did you get a chance to check out Tim’s blog? Very cool.
Not yet; thanks for the recommendation. Checking it out now.
I’ve been memorizing (sorry, internalizing) for a while, and I try to encourage other people to do so. I’ve had mixed results. I often find that if I recite a good sized section of scripture, people are impressed by the feat itself, but not necessarily motivated to internalize it. I want memorization to be more than a parlor trick. Have you seen similar reactions when you’ve recited for a group?
I really appreciate your ministry. You are a blessing to many. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the encouragement Chad. As for the reaction you mentioned – it HAS happened. However, the main way I combat this is to nip it in the bud and tee up WHY I’m doing this in the first place. It’s almost always the way I strive to talk about the Bible very conversationally before and after I share direct Scripture that prepares someone to receive it in the way I intend. That way, I end up sharing the Word as part of the conversation, not as a stand-alone piece. Hope this helps!
BTW – Even if it seems people see it as a “parlor trick” God has promised that His Word will not accomplish His purposes…
Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Thanks for this episode. Just the motivation I needed!
Glad it was helpful Chad. And I agree…every interaction I have with these guys inspires me!