The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation

Nine years ago, we stepped into a calling with big hopes and very little idea how much patience, learning, and perseverance it would require. Today, Family Disciple Me turns nine, and we're holding a lot at once: gratitude, awe, and a deep sense that God has been faithful through every unexpected detour. If you’ve ever wondered why a dream is taking so long, this celebration will feel like a breath of steady air.

In this episode, I (FDM founder Tosha Williams) talk through the heartbeat of our ministry: devotion-driven discipleship, summed up in four words:  Seek Him Speak Him. Discipleship is not limited to sermons or formal Bible studies. It can start with a simple discipleship conversation, a Scripture shared with a friend, or a meaningful question at the dinner table. These ordinary rhythms become powerful tools for spiritual growth and helping the next generation know Jesus.

In this episode, I also share a glimpse of what we’ve been building behind the scenes: the Family Disciple Me app. We've been creating a practical, organized way to access discipleship conversation guides and Bible conversation starters that fit real life, whether you’re talking with your kids, encouraging a grandchild, or helping someone new to faith take their next step. The technology is a tool, but the mission is bigger than any platform: it's about meeting with God and making Him known.

As we celebrate 9 years of Family Disciple Me, we invite you to be sure subscribe at familydiscipleme.org/subscribe, share the ministry with someone else, and leave a review so more people can find these family discipleship resources.

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

Have you ever opened your Bible, read a passage, and wondered, What in the world does that mean? Maybe you recognize the words, but understanding their meaning—and knowing how they apply to your life—is another matter entirely.

Here's some encouragement: You don't have to understand everything immediately, but you can be curious enough to keep seeking!

In this episode of BRING OUT THE BOOK: 7 Challenges from Nehemiah 8, host Tosha Williams explores Nehemiah 8:7–8, where God's Word wasn't simply read aloud. It was carefully explained so the people could understand what they were hearing.

Their example invites us to approach Scripture with curiosity, humility, and intentionality. Rather than rushing past confusing passages, we can investigate, ask questions, seek wise guidance, and discover the richness of God's truth.

You'll also discover three simple questions to use with the Lord during your time in His Word:

• WHAT? God, what are You saying through this passage?
• WHY? God, why does this matter?
• HOW? God, how do you want me to respond to this truth?

These questions form the foundation of Family Disciple Me's devotion-driven discipleship conversation guides, helping individuals and families move from reading God's Word to understanding, applying, and sharing it with others.

Whether you're just beginning to explore Scripture or have studied it for years, this episode will encourage you to keep growing in understanding.

BRING OUT THE BOOK. Make it clear. Then help someone else understand it, too!

--->>>> This podcast accompanies a devotion-driven discipleship conversation found in the Family Disciple Me app. Join us in this!

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

Have you ever closed your Bible and moved on with your day—without stopping to respond to the God who just spoke through His Word? It’s possible to read a chapter, underline a verse, finish a devotional, and check Bible reading off our list without pausing to recognize the incredible reality of what just happened: God has revealed Himself to us through His Word.

In Nehemiah 8, God’s people didn’t simply listen as Ezra read the Book of the Law. They responded. They said, “Amen! Amen!” They lifted their hands. They bowed their heads. They worshiped the LORD. Their encounter with God’s Word turned their attention toward God Himself—and what they saw of Him moved them to reverence, worship, and holy awe.

In this episode of BRING OUT THE BOOK | 7 Challenges from Nehemiah 8, join host Tosha Williams for biblical encouragement and Challenge #2: Respond.

God’s Word isn’t merely information to study, verses to underline, or another item to check off our spiritual to-do lists. Through Scripture, God invites us to Seek Him and know Him more deeply. As we read, we can learn to ask: 

What am I discovering about God? How do I know Him better because of what I just read? And how will I respond to Him?

So, BRING OUT THE BOOK. Meet with God in His Word. Then linger long enough to respond—with agreement, gratitude, praise, reverence, worship, and awe.

Because reading God’s Word is only the beginning. When God reveals Himself, let’s respond.

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

What does it look like to actually make room for God’s Word in our lives?

In Nehemiah 8, God’s people gathered in Jerusalem and asked Ezra to “bring out the Book.” Then they did something remarkably simple: they listened. From daybreak until noon, Ezra read God’s Word aloud, and the people paid attention.

They were intentional. They were purposeful. They even built a wooden platform specifically for the occasion.

In this first challenge of BRING OUT THE BOOK | 7 Days in Nehemiah 8, Tosha Williams invites us to consider whether we are merely spending time around the Bible—or actually opening God’s Word and reading it for ourselves.

Along the way, Tosha shares a meaningful connection between Ezra’s platform “built for the occasion” and the Family Disciple Me platform that she and her team have spent years building to help people Meet with God and Make Him Known.

But ultimately, the challenge becomes personal: What are you intentionally building into your life to make room for God’s Word?

Before explaining it, applying it, teaching it, or sharing it—start here.

BRING OUT THE BOOK. Read it. Pay attention. Be purposeful.

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

What do you do when something in your life—or your family—needs to be rebuilt? Where do you turn for truth, direction, and a foundation strong enough to build on and pass to the next generation?

Welcome to BRING OUT THE BOOK: 7 Challenges from Nehemiah 8. I’m Tosha Williams, founder of Family Disciple Me, and I’m so glad you’re joining me for this journey into an ancient story with a powerful invitation for our lives today.

In Nehemiah 8, God's people were rebuilding after generations marked by exile, displacement, and loss. The walls of Jerusalem had been restored, but their lives and families needed something more. They needed God's Word. So men, women, and children gathered together and asked Ezra to “bring out the Book.”

What happened next gives us a beautiful picture of devotion-driven discipleship.

Over seven episodes, we'll walk verse by verse through Nehemiah 8 and discover how God's people read His Word, responded to it, sought to understand it, let it impact their hearts, went deeper together, lived it out, and continued day by day. But we'll start here:  with the simple imperative to bring out the Book.

God's Word is filled with treasures waiting to be discovered—and passed on.

So grab your Bible, invite someone you love, and join me.

BRING OUT THE BOOK.

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

What if “take out the trash” is the most freeing spiritual practice you try this year? In this episode, we turn a familiar household chore into a vivid, practical metaphor for discipleship, using Ephesians 4:22–23 as our anchor: throw off what doesn’t belong and let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Instead of organizing our clutter, we talk about removing it—clearing space for God’s new work in a new season.

We walk through the difference between obvious sin and subtle weights that still slow us down, drawing on Hebrews 12:1 to name what hinders our race. From there, we lay out four honest categories that shape the weeks ahead: unhealthy inputs we consume, unhelpful habits that drain focus, ungodly emotions we’ve stored rather than surrendered, and false narratives that distort how we see God, ourselves, and others. Each theme begins with Scripture, moves to simple questions—what, why, how—and ends with small steps of obedience that make room for renewal.

This is devotion-driven discipleship in everyday language: seek God personally, speak about him intentionally, and lead those entrusted to you without handing them a to-do list. You’ll hear a gentle, clear invitation: when the Spirit puts a finger on what needs to go, “trash it,” and let Him transform what remains. 

Ready to start the year with less weight and more freedom? Listen, share with a friend, and spend some time HERE in the devotion-driven discipleship guide. 

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

One question keeps cutting through the noise for us: what do you want the most? Not the answer you know you’re supposed to give, but the one your life proves through what you cling to, defend, and keep making room for. If you’ve felt spiritually distracted, emotionally full, or like you can’t quite experience God’s presence the way you want, this conversation brings it back to something deeper than behavior. It brings it back to desire.

In this final episode of the "TRASH IT!" conversation collection, we talk about how “holy housekeeping” is more than cleaning up habits. It’s spiritual decluttering for the heart: noticing what we take in, what we repeat, what we carry, and the narratives we keep believing. We reflect on Philippians 3:7-8, where Paul calls everything else garbage compared to knowing Christ, and we explore why this isn’t about forced sacrifice or earning approval. It’s about making space to see God clearly so everything else can find its proper place or be released.

We also lean on Psalm 27:4 and the idea of a "one thing" life. Choosing Jesus as our central desire doesn’t make everything easier, but it makes everything clearer, because we stop crowding our vision with what we have to justify, compromise for, or keep pulling back out of the trash. We close with the reminder that Seek Him leads to Speak Him, creating room not only for God, but for the people He’s entrusted to us. 

The conversation guide that goes along with this episode is found in the Family Disciple Me app!

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org 

______________________

The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations  along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. 

Family Disciple Me  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org