Kimberly Williams is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mother, and most importantly a disciple of Jesus Christ. She is the author of Living Out the Word, a series of expository ladies Bible study books. Kimberly contributes to various homeschooling magazines and blogs. The Williams family has been homeschooling since 2000. She shares in her newest book, Home Discipleship, that homeschooling is about much more than ABC’s and 123’s. She would love to hear from you at www.homediscipleship.net or on her blog at www.untilthedaydawn.wordpress.com.
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Welcome to The Engrafted Word Kimberly Williams! It’s wonderful to have you here!
Savanna: In your book, Home Discipleship, you offer a lot of encouraging advice for couples on educating their children with a faith-filled foundation. What would be your advice for husbands and wives who have not yet started their family? How can they be getting prepared now for that coming season of their lives?
Kimberly: This is a great question! One principle that I point out in my book is that parents cannot pass on to their children what they do not possess. Therefore, when it comes to building a godly home, it always starts with the husband and wife. The most important aspect is making sure that each of you stands on that firm foundation – Jesus Christ. From there you build a faith-filled home. So my advice to young couples is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Keep learning of Christ by studying His Word. Pray together. Dream together. And live out your faith together. When children come, giving them a faith-filled foundation will be quite natural.
Savanna: I just finished reading Home Discipleship recently and found it so very applicable to my life right now, even though my husband and I don’t have any children yet. Like you said, it’s so important to live on the foundation of Christ from the very start. What is one of your favorite things about homeschooling your kids? I know, this may be a hard question. 😉
Kimberly: I could name many things here. I love the freedom and flexibility that home education brings. I love the fact that my husband and I direct our children’s education. I love that we protect them from a secular worldview and disciple them in the process. But my favorite thing about homeschooling has to do with relationships. There is no doubt that homeschooling helps foster strong family relationships. Not only do we love one another, but we genuinely like being around each other. We enjoy spending time together as a family and when you sprinkle that with love and discipleship, you cannot help but cultivate strong family bonds.
Savanna: So when did the Lord first give you a heart for women’s ministry? Tell us a little bit about your writing journey.
Kimberly: I have always enjoyed teaching, but my heart for women’s ministry really developed after my husband took his first church as pastor in 2004. Over the years of ministering to families within the church and counseling women, I saw a need for an emphasis on the Word of God in our daily lives.
Six years ago I was searching for an expository, verse by verse Bible study to teach the ladies in our church. After not being able to find what I was looking for my husband suggested I write my own. Through his encouragement and support my first book, Rejoice: A verse by verse study for women through Philippians was written. Since that time I have added two more books to the Living Out the Word series, a short story book about life and faith, and my newest book about homeschooling and discipleship.
Savanna: In writing your study series, Living Out The Word, did you have a particular favorite passage of Scripture you were challenged and encouraged by?
Kimberly: Isaiah 28:9-10 says, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
This passage has been crucial to my writing. It explains that the best way to study scriptures and grow in knowledge is precept upon precept, line upon line. The most common mistake made in Bible study is taking verses out of context. The principle is that text without context is pretext. When scripture is taken out of context it is common to have preconceived ideas about what is means. This makes it easy to twist verses taken out of context and teach false heretical ideas. For that reason verse by verse, expository study is the best in order to fully understand the truths of God.
Savanna: Can you name a Biblical figure – besides Jesus, of course! 😉 – who you would have liked to meet?
Kimberly: That is a hard question. My first thought is the Apostle Paul, the great missionary and instrument used to write half the New Testament. To pick his brain would be incredible. Then I think about meeting Mary, the mother of Jesus. Imagine visiting with her and asking what it was like to raise the Son of God! I would love to meet the Old Testament prophets or King David. But, if I had to choose only one person it would probably be Eve, the mother of all living. We know what this world is like marred with sin, but I would like to know what it was like to live in a perfect environment before sin entered. I would like to know what the first marriage looked like and what it felt like to walk in the presence of the Lord. I would like to talk to her about regrets, guilt, forgiveness and redemption.
Savanna: Yeah, that’s a hard one to narrow down. I don’t think I could choose just one either! 😉 Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Kimberly: I have several projects in the works. The most exciting project is a book I am writing with my husband on God’s design for a thriving marriage. At some point I plan on continuing the Living Out the Word series with a study on repentance through the book of Jonah and Nahum and after that a book on endurance through 1 & 2 Peter. I also see additional Home Discipleship books in the future. I would love to write one more specifically on the role of mothers in the home.
Savanna: Thanks so much for being with us today, Kimberly. How can readers connect with you?
Kimberly: Visit me at my blog at www.untilthedaydawn.wordpress.com or on my Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/livingouttheword or www.facebook.com/homediscipleship. You can also check out my book trailer for Home Discipleship here:
GIVEAWAY!!
Kimberly has generously offered one free copy of Home Discipleship to one lucky winner.
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Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and
ends March 4, 2014. Winner will be notified by email.
Just became a fan of Kimberly Williams!! Hope to win the giveaway but if not I will definately be reading it one way or another. 🙂
Hi Melissa! It’s great to have you here! 😉 I know you’ll be blessed by this book. I certainly was!
would love to read your book Kimberly. we went to church with you at Unity Baptist at Farmington.
Thanks for joining us today, Mary lou! Hope you get a chance to read Kimberly’s book. It’s a keeper! 😉