4:13 Podcast: What You Didn’t Know About Jennifer - Part 2

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

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey friends, I hope you're staying cool out there in the month of August. This is Jennifer Rothschild here, and this is another episode of What You Didn't Know About Jennifer.

KC sat down with me and asked me some fun questions, some funny, some interesting, some deep. Boy, I didn't even know what I think until we had this conversation and I got to say out loud some of the things I've probably kept buried in my heart and head.

I didn't know what he was gonna ask me, and you don't know either, so this will be fun for you to listen in on this second part of the conversation.

KC Wright: Who is Jennifer Rothschild when the microphone is off and the audience is gone? This is one of the big questions. What's she really like?

Jennifer Rothschild: What's she really like?

KC Wright: Behind the pages, you know, off the page, when she's not writing, when she's not speaking, when she's not on television. Who are you really when you're just hanging out at home?

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, let me just say this. Lord willing, I am the same person that is on the page and in public as I am in private. But of course, there's a letdown. There's some, some things that the public would not ever see.

Okay, so who is Jennifer really? She is one who loves to clean things and organize things.

Okay, I do. Like, it brings me stinking plain unadulterated joy. Like, I will organize my linen closet and just stand in front of it and smile. Like, yes, it's sad.

Okay, but that is me. Yeah, I'm an Enneagram 5. Those of you who do the Enneagram, that means I, I do live in my head. I, I am not one who's afraid of people or doesn't like people. I love people because they're interesting and I'm curious and I love Jesus and therefore I love people.

But Yeah, given my own druthers, I'm gonna sit in my office and study and read and research.

And if I have a question, I do not want you to tell me the answer. I wanna study and research and figure it out myself. That's why I put together IKEA furniture on my own, even though I can't see it.

But because I'm an Enneagram 5, I also am a wing 6. That's your prepper. Dude, I have got it. Like, I just went to coffee 2 days ago with a friend. I had my battery charger with me. I had my snacks with me. I had extra water. Like, I was ready for the apocalypse.

Okay, for an hour, coffee. All right, so I am kind of a little bit of a prepper. I love silence. Oh, I love silence.

And I do love Chopin, so I like classical music. I like Chopin. I love to worship in church with my brothers and sisters, but at home I am not going to turn on worship music. I like— I like to have music facilitate my thoughts, not tell me what to think.

So I will listen to a lot of Chopin, instrumental piano only, usually. I love tech.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes, I do.

KC Wright: Yes, you do.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love tech.

KC Wright: You're the techiest girl I know.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love learning tech.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And what else is me privately? Um, yoga pants, jeans, which usually get tight by the middle of the afternoon because I snack a lot, so I usually have my top button unbuttoned. My belly gets bigger. I'm— I am constantly trying to figure out how to manage my eating. That's a Jennifer thing in private. Um, what else can I tell you that's in private?

KC Wright: Um, you're good.

Jennifer Rothschild: That's about I can think of. Can you think of anything?

KC Wright: Oh my goodness, no, you hit all the good ones.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: Now she also loves smells. Oh, when you, when you walk into this home, there are so many fragrances. She loves candles, but not just can— she doesn't stop there. It's laundry detergent.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh yeah, it's everything.

KC Wright: It's all the things. It's the perfume, it's cologne. She loves all that.

Jennifer Rothschild: It is, you're right. I will say this, um, I'll tell you one more other private Jennifer thing. Every time I write a new book I rearrange my office or redecorate, whichever I can afford at the moment. Wow. Yeah, because I, even though I'm blind, space matters to me. Like I can sense it, it really matters to me.

And I love to know that things are artful and balanced and light and yeah.

KC Wright: She just redid her whole upstairs home, her office, her kitchen, her kitchen floors, her living room. It's beautiful.

Jennifer Rothschild: It's light now.

KC Wright: It's so beautiful. Oh, it's gorgeous. But I thought it was beautiful to begin with.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, it was beautiful for 20 years ago, and I'm just grateful we got to update.

KC Wright: Oh my goodness. Yeah, everything's getting an update. Everything, including my face. Botox now. Okay, no, just kidding. Okay, what would surprise people?

And I think you just answered some of this about your private walk with God. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God. Yes, he was in habitual fellowship with God, and God took him.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: So you read in the Bible this obituary, and he died, and he died, and he died, but not Enoch. He walked with God. So that when we walk with someone, you're keeping up pace with them, you're staying with them, there's conversation. There's a whole sermon on walking with God.

So what would surprise people about your private walk with God?

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, I see, I love this question. Yeah.

Because I think there is an assumption. Anyone in public ministry, there is an assumption, oh my gosh, their walk with God is better than mine, or they have figured it out, or they're so devout and disciplined, they're up at 5 AM every morning with their candle lit and their coffee in their hand with, you know, yeah, and their worship music and their Bible.

So I love this question because I love to shatter the assumptions that there is only one way to do this. The best way— let me just say this as the sister in Christ— the best way to walk with God is the way you walk with God. Because the point is walking with God, not following what some formula says. Okay?

So this is important to me because I don't do it like a lot of people would assume. There are some times when I'm up every morning early because I have woken up early, right?

And I just sit with my coffee and my Dwell Bible app, and I do different programs where I'm listening to scripture being read, and I process and I pray, right?

There are other seasons where I set an alarm and I get up, and I will have a time with God. But I'll be honest with you, I don't love that.

Because that just, it is not my thing. I feel like I am relational with God. I don't set an alarm with Phil and say, "Let's get up and visit," right?

Because we live together and we walk with each other every day. So I prefer that. And so therefore, I engage God all throughout the day.

And because I'm in scripture with writing, that does help me. And I used to think that that couldn't be the same as devotionally relating to God. And now I've realized, no, I think that was just legalism in disguise. I can. I will be studying something in scripture that I'm writing about, and I'll just stop and marvel.

KC Wright: Wow.

Jennifer Rothschild: If I marvel at Jesus, that's walking with him, right? But so I am not in any way dismissing spiritual disciplines because they are important.

But I guess what I'm saying is I have moved from a place of, um, for me personally, the need for discipline, and into just a place of delight and an awareness of God as I walk with him every day. You know, I listen to scripture. I like when I I said, when you asked me about, you know, my private me, I listen to Chopin because I like it to facilitate my own thoughts.

Well, because God is the author of beauty, I will often just marvel at, wow, the beauty of what God did in that man's manuscripts, you know, his compositions. That's walking with God.

So for me, like, it's all beauty, it's all worship, it's all truth. Yeah, because he's with me, right?

So yeah, so I'm glad you asked the question because I love shattering that expectation.

And just because that's mine doesn't mean it has to be someone else's. Doesn't mean mine is lesser or greater, or theirs is lesser than greater, right? The point is, like Enoch, we walk with God. We just walk with him, right?

KC Wright: And I love it because what you're saying is it's more than the checkbox on your refrigerator— I read my Bible today— it's walking with him. That's a relationship. You don't set your timer with Phil.

Jennifer Rothschild: No, I don't. Okay, we're done now. Go along and do your day.

KC Wright: No. Okay, now This is one I really, I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it. With you living in the Word and writing about the Word and speaking about the Word, okay, this is your ministry, the calling that God's placed on you.

If you could sit down for coffee, and we know there has to be coffee with J.R., with any biblical figure besides Jesus.

Jennifer Rothschild: No Jesus, right? Right.

KC Wright: I know. And that grieves us because that would be the first most. Yeah, we're going to get that, for eternity.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay.

KC Wright: Who would it be? And I want to know why. If the Creator who's created you to create, if he could supernaturally provide a coffee date with someone from the pages of the Holy Written Word, who would it be, J.R.?

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, that, you know, that's so hard. I'd like to have a coffee gathering, but I'm gonna have coffee with one. I'm gonna pick Amos.

KC Wright: What?

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, I'm gonna pick Amos.

KC Wright: Okay.

Jennifer Rothschild: Here's why. I loved Amos's courage. I loved his creativity. I loved his obedience to follow God.

You know, he's a fig farmer, and he's doing his thing, and the Lord calls him to go basically to the big city of Israel and say, "Y'all are dirty, rotten sinners, and God's asking you to repent." So, number one, such a cultural change he's stepping into. He's leaving his security, but then when he gets there, of course, he's not popular.

And he uses such creativity. Sometimes he's doing a lament, sometimes he's using poetry, sometimes it's prose. I think it's the bravery, the courage, the creativity of Amos that I really appreciate.

And I would love to just kind of learn what did that feel like? You know, and here you are in this agrarian lifestyle, but then you show up in Samaria and you're like a rock star with all your words, like, Were you just contemplating while you're feeding the sheep? I mean, like, how does this all work out? Yeah, fascinating.

So I would like to talk to Amos.

KC Wright: And you have an Amos Bible study?

Jennifer Rothschild: I do have an Amos Bible study, and I think it's a very cool name. It's a very cool name. If I had another child, he'd be Amos.

KC Wright: Oh my goodness. Oh, thank you. Those— I needed to know that. Yes, I needed to know that.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Now let me just say this: nobody needs to read Amos without kinda checking out my Bible study first, because you'll read it and go, "Why the heck does she wanna meet Amos? He sounds so doom and gloom."

But oh, he's much more than doom and gloom. He was presenting a message of condemnation, but the beautiful thing is, if you really read Amos, you can see that all those condemnations, they are the result of Israel not receiving the invitation to follow God and live.

And if they had just followed those— received those invitations, there would have been no condemnation. So to me, it's a very beautiful book and a very positive book when you understand it.

KC Wright: I know a group of women right now in my life that are doing the Amos Bible study. They're right in the middle of it.

Jennifer Rothschild: Good. It's an invitation to the good life. That's what I say.

KC Wright: And then my sweet mama's Bible study, they just wrapped up Heaven.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, they did?

KC Wright: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, let's go!

KC Wright: Okay, I have seen you sit on stage on the Today Show. With Hoda and Kathy Lee. I've seen you on the Dr. Phil Show. I have seen you walk on the stage at Liberty University. If I could put a word over you, like banners over you, to describe Jennifer Rothschild, my top 10, one of them would be confidence.

Jennifer Rothschild: Interesting.

KC Wright: Yeah, and you just got up there and spoke.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, well, I can't see them. That also might help. Okay, let me tell you this. I used to think that I had to conjure confidence. Okay, so first of all, I would say this. Confidence and courage are not the same things.

And we think sometimes we think what we see is confidence. It's really courage in disguise. Okay. So that's one thing. I think that what you see in me is courage that manifests as confidence.

KC Wright: Okay.

Jennifer Rothschild: And therefore the longer I practice courage, there really is a genuine confidence, but the confidence comes from being less self-aware, not more self-assured. Okay. And I think that's a difference that we miss. Um, I have become more confident the older I have become because I have become less self-aware in a healthy way.

And therefore, I don't have the need to mitigate my insecurity, to wonder what they're thinking, to make sure I do it right. It's like, yeah, I am exactly who God made me to be. I'm gonna step out with courage and just be her.

And it comes across as confidence, but it also builds confidence. Okay. And so I think that's one of them for me that has really helped.

And I think no matter who you are and what you do, that helps because one of the things that's this weird dichotomy of blindness is not being able to see the audience. Some might think, oh, well, that must make it easier.

And now maybe, but no, no, it makes it harder. Cause I can't read them. I'm wondering, are they with me? What do they think? Where should I look? I feel so like I'm the only one in this group who can't see. So I feel more self-aware.

Okay, so the more I have dealt with that, the more I've realized, okay, I'm just gonna have to really that even people who can see, like especially if you're on stage for anything, or just anything that makes you feel insecure, you have an audience of one. There's just one, and that's Jesus, who is your biggest fan and who is the only one that you are seeking.

If you're gonna boast, it is in Christ. If you're gonna please, it is Christ. When you really can assign the audience size to what it is really legitimately, then you're able to like, do the thing. And why wouldn't you have confidence?

So I think, you know, that's a kind of a convoluted answer. But really, I think if what you see is confidence, yeah, there is a genuine confidence. Okay.

But I'll say one more thing about that. I'm having to buy new appliances for my kitchen because they're all 22 years old and half of them don't work. And they— it's ridiculous. Right. I'm with Kenzie and I am a nervous wreck going into appliance shop.

And I said, I gotta say this out loud. I am so insecure about this. She goes, why? I said, I don't know. I can write a book. I can talk before thousands, but to go in there and figure out what 5 appliances I want and have to deal with a salesman who's gonna pressure me.

KC Wright: Right, right.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, I handled it fine.

And I just saying it out loud reminded me, okay, Jennifer, you know, sometimes you have to speak things out loud to realize what you're really feeling. Right. We leave there and here's my 30-year-old assistant saying to her 60-year-old boss, "You did really good. You did really—" I'm laughing. I'm going, "Yes, I know."

So let me just say, because people could think, "Oh yeah, she has figured this out." Dude, I am always figuring it out. And there's certain things that bring out our insecurity, you know?

Now it was fine, of course.

And you know, I told you a few questions back the importance of touch it once. Once I realized, Jennifer, just close the loop, touch it once, just deal with it. I even said, I looked at the salesman, I said, I'm very insecure about making these decisions. I already have decision fatigue and we haven't started. I'm afraid you're going to oversell me. I did. I told him everything. I said, I have— this is my budget.

Well, of course we came in $1,000 over, but anyway, right, it was hilarious. So yeah, we're always, always, always growing in this area.

KC Wright: What a good answer.

And insert my favorite Bible study you've ever done. The Bible study on courage. Take courage. Take courage is my favorite one you've ever—

Jennifer Rothschild: and isn't that true? And, and what is it, Haggai 2:4? Yeah, we can take courage and do the thing, right? Because the Lord is with us. The Lord is with us.

KC Wright: That's why she's not nervous to speak in front of thousands, but a Maytag gives her a rash. Seriously, seriously.

Jennifer Rothschild: He even— the salesman even said, would you like coffee? And I thought, no, do not give me coffee. My heart cannot rise anymore. Okay.

KC Wright: This is the last one, even though this has been so much joy for my heart. And I know the listener is loving this, but this is my last question. Okay. Even though we, I would love to spend more time here. Okay.

If you had 5 minutes to speak to every person listening right now, what would you want them to know about God? I know that is a loaded question.

Jennifer Rothschild: That before you were, he is. And to have a right understanding of God will give you a right understanding of yourself. So that which you seek— identity, love, belonging— all of that is met in him.

And you will never have a right understanding of what your true needs are and the true way to have those needs met until you have a right understanding of God.

And so I began to explain this by saying, before you were, he is.

I think what we try to do sometimes, and the reason we find ourselves lacking and longing, even in our faith or in our quest for faith, is because we try to create God within our understanding and image of time and space and humanity.

And we assign to God all the human things we can understand.

And there is a degree to which that is an okay thing to do. I mean, the Psalmist do it, you know, the hand of God is not too short to save, the heart of God, the eyes of God. Like we assign human qualities to God, but in doing so, we may inadvertently limit him and create him in our image without recognizing.

So before KC, before you were, before I was, God is. So there is this eternal— it's so important to understand the eternal nature of God.

And when we do, then our, our place here in time and space can begin to take shape as God intended. And God shows us how that can happen. Because God, the eternal being, took on flesh like you and me. And Jesus, being fully God and fully man, showed us who God was.

And so, if I had 5 minutes, which I'm almost up now to, with somebody, and what would I want them to know about God? It would be this, that before you were, he is.

And he came in human form to show you who he is. So know Jesus.

And as you know Jesus and you trust Jesus and you love Jesus, then you become the full human God intended you to be here on earth, which prepares you for the beautiful eternity of being home with him forever.

KC Wright: That was a gift. Thank you, Jennifer Rothschild.

Jennifer Rothschild: I can't wait to be back with you live with our podcast refresh in just a little while. Remember, it's going to be a new sound, new look, same great content.

So I hope in the meantime You are over at Spotify listening to some of those curated playlists that I made for you. There's one on relationships, one on mental health, one on just things that will equip you to have a fresh start.

And my favorite is the audio pictures. You wanna go to Italy? Well, you can go with me in your ears because I've got audio pictures to my trip to Italy and to Ireland and to the Badlands. And it would be so fun for you to join me with whatever you're doing these next few weeks in August.

Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. I can't wait to see you back here live in September. You're gonna love what we've done. It'll be a new sound, a new look, same great content. See you then.