Welcome to Rooted and Redeemed

One of my friends had rocking chairs on her porch. She was noticeably older than me – I was just out of college and she had two kids in high school. I was unmarried, but dating. She had been married half of her life. Each time I went to her house, she would make me tea and we would sit on the porch to rock and talk about our lives.

In those rocking chairs, I asked her hard questions. I asked for advice and shared my struggles and sins. She held me accountable. She preached truth to me. She didn’t leave me where I was. She loved me well.

It was in those front porch moments that I began learning what living the gospel in every moment looks like. She didn’t work it into conversation, it was her life. That’s what I wanted. How could I know God so well that He was my life – instead of a part of it that I needed to “tap into”? Where should I begin? How do I know God?

The Bible.

The Bible is where the Lord has chosen to reveal himself to us.

His word, what He was told us, is what lasts. It sustains. We can listen and meet Him in those words.

But so often instead of meeting Him there, in a complex, full space that requires a healthy dose of mental and intellectual engagement, we try to take the easy way out. We sit quietly in our spaces attempting to provoke strong feelings instead of engaging with hard, deep truth. We have believed the lie that if we know too much our faith will be shaken – as if it’s all dependent on us. We pick through the scriptures to make ourselves feel better – instead of using the scriptures to get to know God better.

That is why we’re here. Have you ever sat down to read a “hard” or “scary” passage of your bible and decided it was too much? Have you googled a verse to hit your feels just right instead of relying on the fullness of God and His attributes to sustain you? How often have you tried to listen to a sermon or podcast or read a blog or book and just couldn’t engage it? Did you feel inadequate or like that particular task or topic wasn’t for you? I’m here to tell you that is not true. We, as moms, daughters, students, career women, et cetera, can know God. We can know Him as we get to know our Bibles. We will be rooted in Him as we get to know His word.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

This person – the one who trusts in the Lord – has deep roots. She is not moved by every feeling or uncertainty. She is not anxious and afraid because she knows who her Redeemer is! She’s not relying on how she feels about herself or her Redeemer, but her fruit continues no matter her circumstance or feelings!

Jeremiah 17:9 goes on to say, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” We don’t follow our hearts because our hearts lead us readily astray. Instead, we put our trust in the Lord who saves! We seek Him with all our minds and he will renew us.

Rooted and Redeemed was started to help women get to know God. We want to not only feel strongly, but engage with the Word. We want to understand some basic theological terms and overcome the fear of learning too much or being too dumb. Because God has spoken to us. He has revealed Himself, so we should get to know Him.

I have two rocking chairs on my front porch now. If we were face-to-face, I would invite you over, make you a cup of tea, and talk about God. We would talk about a loving, kind, compassionate, just, holy God. Because we’d remember that it’s not about us. He roots us. He redeems us.

Join us as we get to know Him more, together.