Jenifer Jernigan - Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion

Endorsements

Jenifer Jernigan is a fresh new voice to the world of Bible study. If youre looking to Dive Deeper, youll love this study! One thing is certain: Jenifer delivers what she promises. From the start, I was drawn right in. Not only did I enjoy Jenifers study, I enjoyed her!

Tammie Head

Bible Teacher and Author of Duty of Delight

In a world where many are hungry for Gods truth, Bible studies that dont just spoon feed are desperately needed. I so very much appreciate Jenifers approach to Bible study in Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond ShallowReligion. Dive Deeper is both challenging and encouraging as Jenifer leads the reader to not only glean from the book of Ephesians but gain confidence to study the Bible for themselves. With a relatable and vulnerable voice, readers will fall in love with Jenifer Jernigan and see her as a teacher and friend.

Sarah Francis Martin

InScribed Studies author of Just RISE UP!: A Call To Make Jesus Famous www.liveitoutblog.com

As one who has spent countless hours strolling along the seashore searching for tiny treasures, I understand the need for diving deeper to discover those hidden treasures revealed to us by God when we dive deeper. I so appreciate Jenifers deep yet simplistic technique for helping us take the plunge into Ephesians. Her delightful personality comes to the forefront through her humor and honesty making it such a fun swim.

Margaret N. Kennedy

Founder of Threads of Hope Ministry, a writing and speaking ministry. CoAuthor of Heart Friends

We stand in the shallows, holding this book, hesitant to get more than our feet wet. Because diving into an in-depth, Im-over-my-head Bible study of Ephesians is a scary endeavor. But as soon as we open the pages of Dive Deeper: Finding Deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion, we hear Jenifers friendly voice calling, Come on in, the waters great! You can do this! Through her expert guidance, compelling personal stories, and unique d.i.v.e. method of Bible study, Jenifer inspires us to dive into Gods Word and dares us to move from a life of shallow religion to living in the transformation of a deeper faith. Dare to dive with Jeniferthe water is great!

Linda Crawford

Author of Finding Balance and A Taste of Freedom Bible Studies; contributing author of Comforting Women in Crisis

If you dont want to run the risk of being overwhelmed and drenched by the waves of Gods grace and faithfulness, then dont read this book. In Dive Deeper, Jenifer Jernigan beckons us to explore beyond the comfortable and familiar surface to discover the depths of Gods character as revealed in His Word. Plumb the depths of the book of Ephesians and develop the skills to study the Bible for yourself. Its not for the faint of heart but for those who desire faithful hearts.

Heather Zempel

Author of Sacred Roads, Community is Messy, and Amazed and Confused, Discipleship Pastor at National Community Church

2014 Jenifer Jernigan

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Page design and layout: Crosslin Creative

Images: istockphoto.com, vectorstock.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Voice translation. 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Note: Italics in quotations from The Voice are used to indicate words not directly tied to the dynamic translation of the original language but that bring out the nuance of the original, assist in completing ideas, and... provide readers with information that would have been obvious to the original audience (The Voice, preface). Emphasis in quotations from The Voice is indicated with the use of boldface type.

Author is represented by The Blythe Daniel Agency.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise indicated,

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations designated Amplified Bible are taken from The Amplified Bible: Old Testament. 1962, 1964 by Zondervan (used by permission); and from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE: NEW TESTAMENT. 1958 by the Lockman Foundation (used by permission).

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9781401679217

ISBN: 9781401679224 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

14 15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my husband, You have loved me deeply, purely, and sacrificially and because of that, I now understand Christs love for me. I love you with all my heart.

Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely, and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the Anointed One has for His bride, the church. Ephesians 5:25, The Voice

Contents

Mrs. Margaret came to me after Sunday morning worship, gently touched my arm, and said in her most lovely Southern accent, Honey, you gotta get in the Word so you can do this thang for the Lord. Start studying and learning who God is; He wants you to know Him more.

I wanted to know God more, and I wanted to be BFFs with Jesus. I wanted to fall in love with the Scriptures and do whatever thang it was God wanted me to do. I wanted to experience a life transformed, but I had no idea what to do or where to start. How was I supposed to study the Bible? Did I need to sit, be quiet, and wait for God to proclaim some great revelation to me? Was I supposed to go out and buy commentaries and concordances? Should I start reading in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Did I need to enroll in seminary (again)?

I did the only logical thing I knew to do; I went to the store and bought a really cute notebook, a pen, and a pink highlighter. The next morning I got up very early, fixed a cup of coffee, grabbed my Bible, cute new notebook, pen, and highlighter, and sat down at my kitchen table.