4:13 Podcast: What You Didn’t Know About Jennifer [Part 1]

**NOTE: This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors, misspellings, or mistranslated words.**

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, so glad you popped in to hang out with me for this special surprise in the month of August. I hope you're enjoying time over on Spotify listening to those curated playlists. This is Jennifer Rothschild, in case this is the first time you decided to pop in.

But we are in a refresher round here. We finished episode 413 a few weeks ago.

And we're about to do a refresh in a couple of weeks, but I thought I'd pop in, in between with two special episodes. This is the first one. Here's what happened. We turned off the mics. We thought we were done, and KC said, "You know what? I would love to ask you a few questions." Well, he asked me about 8.

So, what we've done is put these questions into two fun episodes that are dropping in this month of August. Now, this first one, by the way, I had no idea what he was gonna ask me, and you don't either. So, that's what's fun about it, but these were all questions of things he wanted to know that he did not know.

So we figured if he didn't know, you don't know, and maybe it'll be something fun to listen to while you're going for a walk, finishing the dishes, or in the car on that road trip with your fam.

So turn up your earbuds and get ready for some fun questions, things you didn't know about Jennifer.

KC Wright: What do you think is the best life hack of all time?

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, if I had to pick one, and that's hard, that's hard to pick one, right, and pick the best, but I would summarize it with the, with the words touch it once, okay? My best life hack is to touch it once.

And here's what I mean by that. Whatever it is, if it's an issue you've gotta tackle, don't dread it, do it. You spend a ton of time touching it emotionally, touching it mentally, worrying, thinking, instead of just touch it once, do it.

KC Wright: Whoa.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay? If it comes to physical things in your house, like you got a mess in your kitchen and you're like, uh-huh, just, I'll put away the, this now, I'll leave the rest till in the morning.

KC Wright: Nope.

Jennifer Rothschild: Touch it once, get it done, close the loop.

Because what I have found is if I don't touch things only once, then they grow in my mind. Like they take up too much rent in my brain. They consume a lot of my emotions and thought.

So whatever it is, literally KC, like I touch it once.

And so that means you finish a job, you finish the drill, you close the loop. Don't touch it until you know you can only touch it once. Wow. You know what I'm saying?

KC Wright: Wow.

Jennifer Rothschild: So let it sit there until you know you can touch it once, whatever it is, but once you're ready to engage it, finish it. Touch it once. That's my life hack.

KC Wright: Do the thing.

Jennifer Rothschild: Do the thing.

KC Wright: Do it now.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yep.

KC Wright: Why spend so much emotional energy on the thing? Just do it.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right. Right.

KC Wright: Oh my gosh.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. That's one of my best life hacks.

KC Wright: See, this is so good right there. We could, we could all just wrap this up right now with that one. That was so good. Okay. What is something people assume about you that isn't true? I mean, oh my goodness. We're in the people business. We're in ministry. You have touched thousands of lives through— oh my goodness— Fresh Grounded Faith conferences. You and I are in the people business.

So what is something that people assume about you that isn't true at all?

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, I think there's two things. One, I think they think I'm sweet. Now, part of it is because I'm small.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And I'm feminine, right?

And I'm blind.

Okay, so the combination, they just think I'm sweet. Oh, she's so sweet, she's so sweet. I am a lot more spicy than sweet. I wish I were sweet.

Now I am kind. Yes, I am kind, but I'm not sweet. I'll be honest, I am a lot more spicy and sassy than I am sweet.

So I think my public persona, people think I'm more sweet than I really am.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Secondly, I think that they— and I understand it, it's because of the mystery of blindness— I think that people assume I am more dependent than I actually am.

I think if they were able to sit on my kitchen counter and watch my life, they would realize, oh right, she does the dishes. Oh, she cooks. Oh, she does a lot. What does Phil do? No, I'm just kidding. They wouldn't say that, but you know what I mean?

I think they think that I am more dependent on everybody else to do all the things for me. They don't realize how much I actually do on my own, um, out of preference. Out of preference.

So yeah, those are probably the two big things.

KC Wright: Oh, that's so good.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: And yeah, you're spicy and you lead with love, but all the fruits of the Spirit flow from you.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, most, you know, when they— until they don't, because I am, like I established, I need a savior.

KC Wright: Yeah, we all do.

And yeah, you're strong. I just heard you run up the stairs. And run back down.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: Yeah, you are very capable.

Jennifer Rothschild: More capable than people realize. But I get it, it's the mystery of blindness, right? I get it.

KC Wright: So, okay, who has had the greatest influence on your spiritual life? Your spiritual life?

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, who has had the greatest influence on my spiritual life? I'm gonna pick one I know and one I don't know. My dad.

So my dad had the greatest influence on my spiritual life for a couple of reasons. One, he was a great Bible teacher and storyteller.

So I grew up— he was my pastor— so I grew up under his teaching and learning not just the word, but then I also think what I was learning without recognizing it is how to um, teach the word, how to understand the word, how to process it. He also was such a masterful storyteller that I learned so much spiritually from seeing through story.

So that was part of his influence, but it was underpinned by, um, that he lived it.

So I was just laughing about how doing dishes in the kitchen. I remember as a girl, watching my dad help my mom with things around the house. He was never too big, too busy, or too proud.

And he lived out the servanthood of Christ, the kindness of Christ. Even as he disciplined me, it was the kindness that led me to repentance. You know what I mean? He still disciplined me. I got it.

But I never— so I saw my dad's temperament reflect Christ. I saw his behavior reflect Christ. And then I hear him teach the Word. And so it all was so integrated that I think his was the greatest influence on my life.

But then secondly, C.S. Lewis really has been a mentor from afar because as an adult, when I struggled with depression— well, as an adult, of course, in my 40s— the Lord really brought C.S. Lewis into my life as like this guide for me to understand my own angst, to kind of watch him live his life through his writings, understand his thought.

And it helped. It gave me kind of a place to be mentored in my mind, you know, spiritually. And that's been also a real mentorship for me. So there's been great spiritual influence. So those were probably my two greatest spiritual influences.

KC Wright: And over the years, God has used JR so much in my life as a girl dad. JR has spoken such wisdom into my heart on how to say things and how to love my daughter well that she caught from her dad.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: And I've been in this for a while, and I've seen how do some pastor kids survive and thrive, and some pastor kids fall by the wayside and crash and burn.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: And it all comes down to they have to see what's preached also mirror what's at home.

Jennifer Rothschild: So true.

KC Wright: And so that really keeps you on your toes, right?

Jennifer Rothschild: And on your knees, right?

KC Wright: Because you are being watched at home just like you're being watched behind the pulpit.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yep.

KC Wright: And I call Ellie the Holy Ghost with hair because I got my little Holy Spirit always watching me.

Jennifer Rothschild: It's true.

And really, what an honor, because it does help you live the sanctification that you're longing for, you know?

And it's so healthy and doesn't mean you're perfect. It just means you apologize when you blow it.

KC Wright: Right.

Jennifer Rothschild: You know?

And I do.

KC Wright: Yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, exactly. That's a good parenting tip no matter what.

KC Wright: Yes.

And your love for C.S. Lewis has definitely rubbed off on me and everyone. Yes, we love C.S. Lewis.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes, we do.

KC Wright: More than a fan.

Jennifer Rothschild: More.

KC Wright: Okay. What is one message you hope people remember long after they leave one of your events? What is something that you just really want them to leave with, take home with, marinate with, and have? More than what they find at the merch table.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, gosh, yes.

KC Wright: But what's in their heart?

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

Well, I present different teachings and different messages, but there is probably, when I think of like the blanket that I would want on their heart when they leave, it's this.

Okay, I'll give you an emotion and then a truth.

The emotion I want them to feel is, I have been seen. I have been seen by my sisters and I have been seen by God. And because I think there's something in that that allows us to have an open heart to receive truth, receive people, take risks, you know? And so, so that's the emotional blanket that I would want to cover their heart with.

But the truth blanket, or I should say the truth foundation that I want everything I always teach to be stacked upon, would be this concept of, of an eternal perspective that I'm made for eternity.

So no matter what I'm teaching from Scripture, it always can be underpinned by the reality that this is for life here on earth now, but we are made for more than longevity. We're made for eternity. And, and therefore it gives perspective to whatever we experience and encounter here, whatever we're dealing with here, whatever the joy, whatever the heartache.

When we encounter it with this concept that we're not made for just mere longevity, we're made for eternity, then it gives meaning, it gives lightness, it gives purpose.

And so no matter what the concept scripturally I'm teaching, that would be something I always want them to walk away with, is a reminder that they're made for eternity.

KC Wright: So good.

Jennifer Rothschild: And all the people said, amen.

All right. I loved his questions because they were so insightful.

And you know what it reminded me of? How important it is when we've got friends to just sit down, have coffee, and have conversations. 'Cause sometimes we really don't know as much as we think we do.

And the more we learn about each other, the more we learn about ourselves, and the more we learn about God. So I hope you sit with somebody and you just ask some fun questions. Maybe you can even pick the same questions that KC asked me today.

Now enjoy your rest of your month of August. We're gonna pop in soon with another episode of these remaining questions, what you didn't know about Jennifer, and then we'll be back live with the brand new refresh of the podcast in September. Have a good day.