Spark the Fire

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, podcast for girls and their moms. Together we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus. 

I usually encourage you to buckle up and then there’s this car “swoosh” sound, but this season . . .no buckles required! And your transportation will sound a bit more like this:

[Tractor to pull hay wagon]

Yep, that’s a tractor. Because you and your mom are invited to a bonfire and hay ride with Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph!

Does understanding your Bible ever feel pretty hopeless? It’s kinda like trying to start a fire with wood that’s wet . . . you can’t seem to get a flame going in your heart. You’re not alone. We’re here with this season of the True Girl podcast to help. In season 19 of the True Girl podcast, we hope to “Ignite the Wonder” of God’s Word in your heart.

So, pull up a stump around Dannah’s backyard firepit as she and Staci show you how to strike a match in your heart for God’s Word, even when there’s barely a spark to work with. We’ll talk about practical truth from Psalm 119, discover how to keep our love of God’s Word burning bright, and learn to see the wonderful truths hidden in Scripture.

Get your Bible. Grab some hot cider. It’s time to “Ignite the Wonder!” Here’s Dannah talking to Staci in the True Girl studio.

Dannah Gresh: Welcome back to the True Girl Podcast, my friend!

Staci Rudolph: And listen. Before we even get started, we’ve got to talk about the True Girl Pop-Up Parties that we had in two states this summer.

Dannah: Yeah, they were magnificent!

Staci: God showed up big time. Girls came to Christ and moms connected with their daughters in such powerful ways!

Dannah: One dad even told me after the Pennsylvania event, “My daughter was transformed.” And truly, some were. I mean, we had several girls and moms tell us that the hands-on Bible study workshop made a night-and-day difference in the way they approach their Bible times!

Staci: I remember hearing the girls share what they heard God’s Spirit revealing to them after the workshop Bible study time, and it was so encouraging and powerful.

Dannah: That’s what these weekends were—powerful.

Staci: Amen!

Dannah: Speaking of power, do you remember the Romans 1:20 farm tour?

Staci: Oh, how could I forget? It almost never happened!

Dannah: Right. We were about to start a Romans 1:20 farm tour. I love doing those because I get to remind visitors how we can see God’s power and character in creation. That’s what Romans 1:20 teaches us.

Staci: Yeah, we even have a whole podcast season about that—season 5, “Faith Lessons from the Barnyard.” I’ll never forget what you call your farm animals: creature teachers!

Dannah: Yeah, because they are creatures who can teach us about God—creature teachers. The wind and rain can teach us too . . . and they did at the PA Pop-Up Party. You have to hear this story, True Girl. 

So, there we were at the Pop-Up Party, ready to introduce everyone to my creature teachers. We’d been praying like crazy for this horrible thunder-and-lightning storm in the forecast not to come.

Staci: Oh yeah, but then Hannah comes running out with her phone like it’s the end of the world!

Dannah: She said (imitating Hannah), “You’ve got ten minutes, Dannah! Then it’s going to be an hour of high winds, thunder, and heavy, heavy rain.”

And I said, “How do you know? We just prayed!”

Staci: Now that’s major faith!

Dannah: Actually, Staci, I was surprised it came out of my mouth!

But anyway. So, I went ahead and started the tour. And then . . . the sprinkles began.

[Light rain, faint distant thunder]

Staci: Oh yeah, the sky grew gray, like . . . so gray.

Dannah: We ran for the tent.

[Louder rain on a tent]

I had to yell over the storm, “Girls! We’re learning about God’s power from creation, just like Romans 1:20 says. He’s in control right now—not us. So, at your tables, talk about that and pray. Pray that the lightning is stopped, that the thunder stays distant, and that the high winds don’t show up! This is supposed to last one hour.”

Staci: And what happened next was . . . incredible.

[Rain subsiding, softening]

Dannah: The rain just . . . stopped. Ten minutes later, clear skies. No high winds. No lightning. No drama.

Staci: A total nothing burger!

Dannah: But . . . we saw God’s power, and an amazing answer to prayer! Every True Girl left there saying, “God heard our prayers!”

Staci: I’ll never forget it. Prayer works. I mean, weather guys get it wrong sometimes, but usually not in the hour it’s actually happening.

Dannah: And Accuweather is literally in our hometown. They tend to nail it for State College, PA in real time.

Staci: But God had other plans. He wanted that weather forecast to remind us that He is powerful, and He is in control, and that He hears us when we pray!

Dannah: But ya know, Staci, there was one bummer at the PA Pop-Up Party . . . no Campfire. Now, I had built a huge fire pit with some trees that fell earlier in the year during a tornado-like storm. We had seating for fifty on big old tree trunks and a huge fire pit ready to ignite the night. But it would not light.

Staci: Oh, yeah! That’s right.

Chris is here with us today over there in the sound booth—he’s our sound engineer. That weekend, he was our volunteer fire starter!

Chris: (laughter) I tried, guys. I really did. It was hopeless. Even your little porch fire pit was full of water!

Dannah: That rain came down so hard it drenched the inside of my firepit—even with the lid on. But Chris persisted. Though he never lit the big bonfire, he eventually got a little, itty, bitty fire going for s’mores.

Chris: Honestly? I think it was 90 percent prayer and 10 percent lighter fluid.

Staci: (laughing) Well, thanks kindly, Chris, for persisting!

Chris: You’re most welcome!

Staci: You know, that reminds me of what it’s like sometimes trying to get my heart on fire for God’s Word.

Dannah: Ooh, tell me more!

Staci: Well, there was a season where I’d open my Bible and—honestly—I felt nothing. Like striking wet matches over and over. No spark. I wanted to want God’s Word, but I didn’t.

Dannah: Been there.

Staci: But you know what I learned? You don’t have to fake it; you pray for it. You can ask God to light the fire. No lighter fluid required! And also, I learned that it’s important to keep praying and keep reading your Bible, even if it seems like nothing’s happening.

Dannah: Oh, yeah.

Staci: Alright girls, it’s time to strike the first match for our season. Let’s do the 4-Z method of Bible study together on Psalm 119:18. Dannah, give me a read of that verse.

Dannah: "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions."

Staci: First, we Zoom Out. Did you know Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the whole Bible?

Dannah: Yep—176 verses. That’s a lot of verses.

Staci: (laughter) A lot. But here’s the cool thing—they’re all about one single subject: loving God’s Word. It’s like a love poem about the Bible.This writer’s like: “How do I love thy Word, let me count the ways!”

And then this guy writes reason after reason why He loves the words of God.

Dannah: It’s almost like a secret diary entry from someone completely captivated by the Bible.

Staci: Yes! (Except it’s no secret.) So when we read verse 18, we’re stepping into a conversation about how precious God’s Word is.

Dannah: Right.

Staci: Next, let’s Zoom In on the details. The writer prays: “Open my eyes.” That tells me something really important—sometimes we can’t see the beauty in Scripture. So if that’s you, you’re not alone. 

But there’s hope! God helps us. He opens our eyes.

Dannah: That’s so true. It’s like needing spiritual glasses.

But it’s not our physical eyes it’s talking about here. In another chapter of the Bible, Ephesians 1, there’s a verse a lot like this one. It’s a long, complex set of verses, actually, but here’s the gist of what the apostle Paul wrote to some people he cared about: “I keep thanking God for you and praying that He would give you His Spirit of wisdom and revelation so you can truly know Him. I’m asking Him to open the eyes of your heart so you’ll understand the hope you have because of Jesus Christ.”

Staci: Oh, that’s good. So it’s the eyes of our heart that need to be opened! And by “heart” it doesn’t mean our blood-pumping muscle, but the place deep within us that understands spiritual things.

Dannah: Right! Paul was praying forthose spiritual eyes to be opened. 

Staci: That’s so good, Dannah. I love that he calls God’s Word “wonderful truths”—not boring truths, not average truths. Wonderful . . . full of wonder!

Dannah: Preach it, Staci. Tell us what wonder means.

Staci: Well, Dannah Gresh, I “just happen” to have the definition pulled up here in my phone.

A-hem! Wonder: “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.”

Dannah: So, in other words, Psalm 119:18 means this: “God, would you open my eyes so I can be surprised and filled with admiration as I see the beautiful, unexpected, and unfamiliar truths in your Word?”

Staci: Exactly! That’s what we should be looking for when we open our Bibles. Not just some boring mental time to fill-in-the blanks in our Bible homework.

I mean—when’s the last time we opened our Bibles expecting WONDER?

Now let’s Zero In—what does this mean for me? It means I can pray this same prayer. If my heart feels bone dry, I don’t have to fake excitement. I can ask God to open the eyes of my heart and show me the wonder in His Word.

Dannah: That’s so freeing. It’s not about us trying harder—it’s about asking God to light the fire.

Chris: And he’s probably better than me at that!

Dannah: Ok, so the next thing we should do is zip it up in prayer, but before we do that. I have an idea. 

What if we actually record this season out at my bonfire pit?

Staci: For real?

Dannah: Yes! It’s perfect. I want to use it, and it’s just sittin’ there.

Staci: Okay, let’s do it. Hot cider, hayrides, marshmallows, and the Word of God. That’s a vibe. We’ll invite the whole True Girl team: Shani, the two Amys, Ann, Hannah, Lara, Kate and David, and Farmer Bob. 

The question is, “Will Chris accept the challenge of startin’ the fire or not.”

Chris: Challenge accepted, Staci!

Dannah: Alright! Before we pack our mugs and marshmallows, let’s pray. And Staci, I like what you said earlier. It’s not up to us to light the fire of wonder about God’s Word. We can just do what Psalm 119:18 says . . . ask God to open our eyes!

Staci: Yep! Let me pray for all of us. God, we come to right now. We thank You for who You are, for the gift of Your Word. I pray that this season would open our eyes to the beauty and the power of Your Word and that we would grow to love it and desire it and grow in it and in You.

Lord, I pray for every True Girl listening right now. Lord, I’m asking You to help girls like Lizbeth and Lizette in the Dominican Republic and our dear Ari from State College. Open their eyes to the wonder of Your Word. Help them to grow in You. In Your name we pray, amen.

Dannah: Amen.

Staci: Okay Dannah, before we end, how do you take your hot cider? I want to start to get the supplies together for our ignite the wonder campfire!

Dannah: Oh easy. Toasty warm, of course, with a caramel drizzle and whipped cream. Basically dessert in a mug.

Staci: Got it. Of course, I like mine spicy—with a dash of cayenne pepper.

Chris: Cayenne pepper?! You’re trying to turn cider into a fire hazard!

Dannah: Chris, you better just focus on getting that fire pit lit this time.

Chris: I’ll bring the matches!

Staci: Alright True Girls, we’ll meet you at the bonfire next episode. Bring your Bible and your marshmallow stick!

Claire: I’m so pumped for the “Ignite the Wonder” bonfire at Dannah’s farm! And, it’s a real comfort to know that when we don’t feel the wonder of God’s Word, we can pray for God to help us.

Okay, there are also some practical things we can do to set the stage for God to light a fire in our hearts for the Bible. So in each episode, Dannah’s asked me to provide a “pro tip” for your Bible time. 

Here’s the first one: be sure you have a version of the Bible that’s easy for you to understand.

What’s a version of the Bible? 

Well, the Bible was written a long time ago in different languages—like Hebrew and Greek. To help us read it today, it’s been translated into our modern languages, like English and Spanish. But here’s where that gets tricky! There’s more than one way to say the same thing in English, right? Like, I could say “Hi” or “Hello” or “Hey there” or even “Salutations!” They all mean pretty much the same thing. 

That’s kind of what Bible versions are. Different groups of people worked hard to translate God’s Word in slightly different ways so we can understand it. Some versions use big, old-fashioned words like “thou” and “thee.” Others use words we’re used to, so we can understand it easily. But no matter which version you use, it’s all God’s Word!

Now, which one is most helpful for you right now, as a girl? Well, you’ve probably heard Dannah say she loves the New Living Translation, or NLT. It’s faithful to the original languages of the Bible, but uses vocabulary that’s clear and natural. You or your mom can read more about how it was translated, or get samples of it, at newlivingtranslation.com. 

And, hey, while you’re online, be sure to visit MyTrueGirl.com, too. Check out the True Girl Pop-Up Party. We’re hosting two more of these regional events in 2025. Join us in Texas or Wisconsin this fall! The Pop-Up Party is a fun mom-daughter weekend where you’ll learn why the Bible matters in your life and practical ways to study it. I sure hope you’ll join us for one of those!

Okay, in the next episode of the True Girl podcast, Dannah and Staci will be out at the Gresh farm, ready to strike a match. Will that bonfire start this time? I guess you’ll have to come back to see.

More importantly, they’re gonna talk about one reason we need to tend to the embers and flames of our desire for God’s Word.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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