Simple Conversations: Everyday Conversations That Change Our Lives

By Stewart Moody

Engage in conversations that will change your life.

Stewart helps us see that conversation is the universal language of love where we can uncover all of what’s on the inside of us.

In this practical book, Stewart help us see through story after story that life is not meant to be lived on the surface or in isolation. In story after story, Stewart helps us see that life is worth living when we do it with others.

In the book you will learn:
-To get beneath the surface of life.
-See that life is richer when engaged with people.
-Uncover stories of Jesus through the conversations he had.

The study questions in the back provide on ramps of great journaling and great small groups discussion as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664223646

Stewart Moody

Stewart lives in Statesboro, Georgia, with his beautiful wife, Julie, and their wonderful daughter, Ellie. Stewart and Julie have lived in Statesboro for twenty-three years and love their community. They have served the Lord in three great churches during their time in Statesboro: FBC Statesboro, Southbridge Community Church, and now Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Stewart loves to teach God’s Word and disciple people over lunch or coffee. His passion is to see people grow to be the very best they can be as the walk with Jesus. Most days you can find Stewart around Statesboro in a coffee shop writing or meeting with people. If his table is open, grab a cup of coffee and sit down with him. He would love to talk with you. Remember: we are not meant to do life alone.

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Copyright © 2021 Stewart Moody.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2365-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2366-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2364-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021902877

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/08/2021

CONTENTS

Foreword

A Word Before

Introduction

Chapter 1 Getting Honest

Chapter 2 Playing Cards

Chapter 3 Church Planting

Chapter 4 Community

Chapter 5 Late Night

Chapter 6 Jazz Music

Chapter 7 Mentors

Chapter 8 San Francisco

Chapter 9 How Is Your Heart?

Chapter 10 The Power of Story

Chapter 11 Interlude

Chapter 12 Loving Our Neighbors

Chapter 13 Enemies

Chapter 14 Well Water

Chapter 15 I Want to See

Chapter 16 Redemption

Chapter 17 Healing at the Pool

Chapter 18 Out of Wine

Chapter 19 Discipleship

Chapter 20 Amanda

Epilogue

Journal Prompts and Small Group Questions

Notes

Acknowledgments

I dedicate this book to my parents, Chuck and Carol Moody, for giving me a foundation to do all God inspired me to do with my life. Without you, I would never be the man God made me to be. Thank you for your selfless lives as you gave so much that Stephen, Charlie, and I might serve the Lord faithfully.

FOREWORD

I have known Stewart Moody since 1997 when he was a seminary student and came to First Baptist Church of Statesboro, Georgia, to be our college intern. I could tell immediately that he was a special young man who loved to be involved in conversations. After his internship and his seminary graduation, we called him as our college minister, reaching out to the students of Georgia Southern University. After a number of years in that position, Stewart felt led to start a church, and it grew and grew under his pastoral leadership. He is now pastor of another church in Statesboro.

One of Stewart’s unique abilities is to engage people in conversations. I saw it from the beginning. He would go out of his way to talk to people—not just students but people of all ages. He taught me that our lives are a spiritual mixture of conversations we have had with others and with God. He understands that life is to be lived in relationships. Conversations are the way people feel welcomed, comfortable, and loved.

In his book, Stewart points out that much of the gospels show Jesus walking slowly through crowds of people, engaging them in conversations. I tended to see the gospels more filled with action; Stewart helped me listen more closely to the conversations Jesus had, some of them short and others long. It was through his conversations that Jesus went deeply into the lives of people. When Jesus went away from the crowds to spend time alone, he had conversations with his Father, showing us that our prayers are magnets that draw us closer to God, covering us like a warm blanket.

I forewarn you: do not read this book if you want to spend your life alone, sitting and pondering and observing life. But if you have a deep desire to show people the love of Christ, to advance God’s kingdom, and to have your own life grow through relationships, this is the book for you.

Bill Perry

A WORD BEFORE

We are all broken and flawed. The world is not operating as it should because of sin. You see this in the mess all around us. I want to introduce you to a book to take your mind off the mess. The book you are about to read is filled with conversations. They are not always pretty and neat, but they do express how the gospel changes us. I pray it will restore your hope in the power of Jesus to change lives through our daily interactions with people.

I encourage you to find hope in the life of Jesus. He had these conversations throughout the New Testament. He walked slowly through the crowd and got to know people. He knew that knowing people’s names and talking with them was the way change happens. If you have not, I invite you to start the journey of talking with him. It will certainly be the best conversation you ever had.

If you’re willing, let’s take a journey together as we explore the world of conversations. Let’s get into a rhythm of these daily chats and see what happens inside us. May you experience the power of the gospel changing you from the inside out so we can be the people God has called us to be.

Stewart

INTRODUCTION

I have been involved with conversations all of my life. These interactions have happened all over the world. I love people, so these talk fests have come pretty easily for me. They make life come alive. You get to talking with people and learn so much. In one sense, they make the world go around. I have seen conversations change people for the better. A good talk about faith can change your direction in life or the things you are living for. This is a good thing.

I’ve never had a problem talking to people. I would sit beside someone at the mall and start talking. I did not care if people thought I was weird; it was simply fun to talk with them. I would find out where they were from and what they did in life. But the conversations I had the most were in my head. Psychologists call this kind of conversation self-talk. You know those voices in your head that make you feel weird at times? Those voice that say nasty things to you? That’s what I’m talking about.

As a child, I was a dreamer, but I kept having experiences that made me feel like I did not measure up. I began to believe that I did not belong. One time when I was playing little league, I had one of these situations. I was good at hitting the ball and led the league in hitting that year, but because I did not make the all-star team, I did not think it was good enough. Maybe you have had an experience like this.

I never really dated in high school because I did not think anyone wanted to have a date with me. I did not feel like the girls were interested in a person who was lame like me. I could not get over this feeling until college, when I was finally brave enough to ask someone on a date. I was surprised we had a good time! Over time I began to believe I was a likable guy. This helped when I asked my wife to marry me, and now we have been married for twenty-three years.

You have conversations in your head as well. Maybe you think you are not good enough and do not have what it takes. Maybe you are different, and the voices in your head tell you that you are the I in team. That’s called pride, whereas my issue was insecurity. For me, it was a conversation with my parents that made me realize that I could do just about whatever I set my mind to. This does not mean that I can be in the NBA at five feet four, but it means that I really did have what it takes to make it in life. The truth is you do as well.

A lot of the conversations we have in our head are lies—but we tell ourselves these tales over and over again and begin to believe they are true. Maybe you have been having this kind of conversation yourself. All I can say is find the help you need to get to the bottom of it. Realize that God made you a certain way, and you can get it done. Whatever you have on your mind, go after it and believe that you can make it in life. It does not mean it will be easy, but it means it will be worth it.

A school counselor made me feel like I did not belong in college. Not everyone is going to college, and that is fine. However, making a young person who wants to go to college feel like he or she can’t is sad. When I did get to college, I was not sure I could make it, but I put in the work, studied hard, and did well. I did not finish at the top of my class, but when I walked across that stage, I wanted to take my diploma to my counselor and show her I could do it.

If you are having trouble believing you belong, remember this: God made you, and he did not waste his time on you. He believes that you belong, and that should be enough. Because you do belong in the race, he will help you have the conversations that matter and accomplish what he made you for. If you trust him and walk in the truth of the gospel, the Lord will lead you. You can believe this. Over and over again in scripture, the Lord led people to overcome obstacles to live fully in the truth that set them free.

This book is about simple conversations that help mold your life. I want you to see that simple interactions can shape the trajectory and certainly the momentum of your life. God is using the everyday conversations you and I have to shape us. Although God is the one behind the change in us, the intentionality we have in these conversations is vital to make them purposeful.

I have seen how conversations have shaped my life and helped me be a better dad and husband. Just about every morning, I journal this very thought. I have seen progress over the years. I believe that our lives are a spiritual mix of the conversations we have. You can’t live in a hole and hope to be who God made you to be. Paul said that we are God’s workmanship. This means that God did not waste time on us. He made us to be the very best we can and to live life to fullest. I believe the best of us is brought out in the conversations we have. I hope you will be encouraged by this book and compelled to engage in worthwhile conversations. These conversations ultimately bring out the best of you.

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Getting Honest

A friend of mine and I love to get coffee and talk about our weeks. We sit down at the table, and nothing is off-limits. As we talk, we do our best not to get lost in small talk. Anyone can sit down and talk about the weather, but not everyone can sit down and talk about the state of one’s marriage. Not everyone can talk about the struggles one has in life. This is the essence of great conversations, those that get to the heart of the matter and leave you feeling changed in the end. If you want to make the most of your life, you can’t stay in the shallow end of the pool.

I can remember talking and having discussions about the sins we struggle with. We would talk about the struggle of lust or pride. These kinds of conversations help you deal with the struggles you face as others identify with the struggle at hand. It’s vital to have conversations like this because it provides accountability and a source of encouragement to walk closely with Jesus. For me personally, I need these kinds of friendship because it’s easy to stay isolated and feel lonely in the struggles of life.

James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another. This is hard. It seems messy and kind of strange. It’s sort of like going to a priest, but not. I have never done that, but I have talked to my friends about my junk. James means we need people in our lives whom we can trust so we can take the conversations to a deeper place. James goes on to say that when we confess our sins to each other, something spiritual happens in us, and we are healed. Maybe you need some friends like this. It is quite possible you need to confess some sin that’s been eating your lunch for a long time. Take time to find these kinds of people, and you will be amazed at the difference it makes.

Conversations are best when they are authentic and deep. This makes you a better person. I am personally better for the ones I have had over time with the people close to me. We need to talk about our lives and struggles to get to the heart of who we are. We will not make it very far in life with small talk. Talking about last night’s game will have little to no impact on your life. You may find it easy to talk about sports, but when you get in a conversation about the true nature of life, you never want to settle for something shallow, like whether it’s going to rain. It may not be easy to find these types of friends, but it’s worth it to seek them out. Pray and ask the Lord to send them your way. At different seasons of my life, I have had them. I am forever thankful for them.

When you get real while talking with someone, it can make you feel vulnerable. This is what some call getting naked before people. I like the analogy because when we strip down, we are putting out junk out there because we are tired of dealing with it ourselves. I seem to have a lot of mess, but if you think about it, we all do. Conversations like this change you and make you a better human.

A friend of mine invited me to go to Ethiopia and see how a ministry worked with the youth. The ministry, Compassion International, is geared toward people adopting kids as a way to provide for their various needs. This ministry is known for its good work with