Talkshow Thursday: Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller

Talkshow Thursday: Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller 

Linda: Thanks for joining me today. Congratulations on the release of No Half Truths Allowed. For those who are not familiar with your ministry, please tell us a bit about it and how the book/study came about? 

ROSE and CHRIS: About four years ago, we felt led to create a ministry called Proverbs 9:10 Ministries. That verse is, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom; knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Helping others to know God and learn more and more about Him is what we’re all about! First, through proclaiming the Gospel; and further through understanding Scripture better and better through our writing and teaching. We created the ministry during a time when our families spent a couple of years in a church that did not put any priority on reading and understanding the Bible, nor on theology and doctrine. This was after we’d both spent decades in churches that highly valued all of those. Encountering that lack of Scriptural knowledge made us start writing and teaching Bible studies together, start the ministry, and eventually turn the No Half-Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message Bible study into the book and companion study guide. 

 

LM: You co-authored this book. How did the two of you break up the work, and were there any challenges to writing with another author? 

ROSE and CHRIS: We split it in half. That’s how we’ve always done the writing in our studies, our

books, our podcasts, and our conferences. We’re very much on the same page theologically, but if one of us is not sure we’re comfortable with wording on something we discuss it and work on it till we’re satisfied. God has been so good to us in so many ways, and that is one area in which He’s really blessed us. We do both have our strengths when it comes to the other things that go along with the ministry like editing podcasts, doing the artwork for advertising, and things like that. And the social media we both work constantly on! 

 

LM: You have sold your home and are now living fulltime in an RV. What sort of adjustments did that entail? (Personally, I’d have trouble downsizing my book collection!) How has traveling changed your ministry? 

ROSE: Downsizing my book collection was as painful as getting rid of some sentimental things. Thankfully, many of my favorites I was able to get on Kindle, and I did save all of my seminary class notes. Traveling has helped our ministry because I have met so many new people, made new friends, and had a lot of opportunities to share the Gospel and share our ministry and podcast. Thankfully, Chris’ house has been our home base. For one thing, it gives me a place to get all my packages delivered to! Seriously, though, I spend 5 months a year in Lancaster, PA where Chris lives so we cram a lot of work into those months. Also, I save up airline points so I can fly in when I need to, like for book launches and stuff. Chris even has a guest room always ready for me. It has stretched us both in a lot of ways, and we have had to learn other ways of doing things, but the Lord has been so gracious and so good to us, that even when things seems impossible, they always work out! 

 

LM: You teach Bible studies, write, and co-host a podcast. How do you balance the different responsibilities? 

ROSE and CHRIS: Some days the task seems impossible and looking at the amount of work to do in a day sometimes seems daunting. One key component is prayer. Praying when the tasks seems overwhelming is the one thing that can keep calm us and help us focus on the day ahead. Also, when one of us seems overwhelmed or has other responsibilities that come up, the other one of us steps in and does what needs to get done. 

 

LM: What is your favorite part of the writing process: research, writing, or revising? 

ROSE and CHRIS: Definitely not revising! Both of us love the research probably the best! For us that’s studying and taking seminary classes, something we’re both passionate about. We also love contextualizing Scripture, reading lots of commentaries and learning new things. That’s what we both love to do! 

LM: Here are some quickies: 

ROSE and CHRIS: 

Favorite season: Rose: Fall. Chris: Spring 

Favorite childhood book: Rose: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books Chris: Richard Scary books 

Favorite place to visit: Rose: Any place where one of my 4 kids live, or Chris’ house! Chris: Either place where my kids live, and the beach.

LM: What advice do you have for fledgling writers? 

ROSE and CHRIS: keep doing what you love and strive to get better and better at it. Seek out people who will give you constructive advice and criticism. 

LM: Where can folks find you on the web? 

ROSE and CHRIS: 

Email: proverbs910ministries@gmail.com 

Link to Proverbs 9:10 FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/prov910/posts 

Link to “No Half-Truths Allowed” FB page: https://www.facebook.com/NoHalfTruths/

Twitter: @prov_910

About No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Complete Gospel Message

When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel message, half-truths, vague notions, and generalizations can be dangerous. 

What are the important truths we need to know and share with others? 

• Is it enough to believe that God loves us and wants a relationship with us? 

• Is it enough to “ask Jesus into our hearts? 

• Is it enough to recite the “sinner’s prayer,” or do we need to repent of our sin? 

• Is going to church and serving others enough? 

• Is what Jesus suffered more than a gruesome death on a cross? 

• If Jesus, who is fully God, was crucified, did God die on Good Friday? 

• Is God mad at us when we sin and happy when we are behaving? Can we lose our salvation? 

If  you’re not sure of the answers to any of these questions, you are not alone. There are a lot of false ideas out there about Christianity and the Gospel. Learn what Jesus did for you, why He did it, and how you can articulate the Gospel to others.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B086HW425K