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Study Gateway's First Listens: Find your next Bible study! Join host Shelley Leith as she curates first sessions of Bible studies on various themes each season, taught by some of the world’s most influential Christian authors, teachers, and pastors. To learn more, visit https://StudyGateway.com.
First Listens Season 4: Episode 7
You Belong, by Candace Payne
Plus interview with Candace Payne
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: Well, welcome to Study Gateway’s First Listens, where you get first listens to the first sessions on Study Gateway, so you can find your next video Bible study. We are in Season Four where we're taking inspiration from Women's History Month, and we're focusing in on women Bible teachers you should know. I'm your host Shelley Leith, and today, I am so thrilled to be bringing you Candace Payne, author of Defiant Joy and You Belong. Welcome Candace.
CANDACE PAYNE: Well, thank you for having me. I'm excited that you thought I should be somebody that somebody should know. That is a big honor.
SHELLEY: For sure. We're going to discover why. Candace, if there is such a thing as a typical author or Bible teacher, you are not it.
CANDACE: Every single box that you would check is left unchecked with me.
SHELLEY: Tell us why I that is.
CANDACE: You know what? I always joke that everything in my life has been accidental, and it's been good. You know, the good things in my life have come to me have just been accidental. Now, if you're a believer, you know that that's not true. You know that everything has been ordered and orchestrated by God. But for me, it's felt pretty much like an accident. I... I've always kinda felt like, oh, what whoops did I do that? Did I... Oh, oh, oh, no. Here we are! So I find myself being a Bible teacher and being somebody that's a speaker because of a video that I posted with myself laughing in a car with a Chewbacca mask, for about four minutes, with no desire to be famous, no desire to be known, and listen. That video landed it the Guinness world book of records, and it still holds the highest viral video the count to date on Facebook live. And the highest viral video view count of anything that's not a movie trailer or just a personal video within forty eight hours. That felt very accidental. There was no purpose in it. It was just being me. And from that moment, doors began to open, opportunity began to present itself. And I knew that there was something that I'd already been called to do by the Lord, which was just be faithful to him, use whatever gifting he had given me, and walk in whatever ways that he told me. And this felt very counter to your typical way of ever finding this kind of job and work that I'm in right now.
SHELLEY: That's exactly what I was imagining that, like, who gets to become an author that way?
CANDACE: Right. Right. You know, the reality is is I never had it in me to feel like I wanted to write a book, let alone have eight different things that I currently have out in the world right now. But on top of that, I was such a nomad in my childhood. We traveled and we moved so frequently, we were homeless at one point when I was nine years old. And because of that, I'm not joking about this—my spelling, my grammar. All these things were so backwards to what is just a normal thing that an author would even have in their bag. And so for me, it never felt like an attainable dream. It didn't even feel like it was a DREAM. You know? And now I find myself really relying on Grammarly.com, spell check, good editor. But the heart of the message, the heart of the teacher, the heart of what God's put in me...You know the saying that he qualifies the called? I feel like I'm a living example of that, of him continually just qualifying me for things that I know have just been a deep-rooted call inside of my gut since I was a kid that I have not taken the normal—if you would say that there is a normal path—but definitely not the normal path for sure.
SHELLEY: Okay. So you belly chuckle your way onto the world stage. And then very soon after, you had a pen thrust in your hand and a mic put in your face and you were asked to start teaching and writing. So lest anyone think that all it takes to become a bestselling author and Bible teacher is to be a viral internet sensation, what would you say was the preparation work God was doing in your life in the years leading up to that moment of hilarity in your car?
CANDACE: You know, for me, there are specific markers in the years that preceded that viral video. And a lot of people have heard this if I've come to their event and spoken. But to really share it on a broad scale, it takes a big chunk of time. So I'm going to try to condense it. But in 2014—this video happened in 2016, so let's keep that in mind and in our frame of view—but in 2014, the Lord had called me to a year of redemption. He wanted to redeem all the things that I had tried to do on my own efforts, my own merit, my own wants and wishes. And listen, I was somebody that thought that my life would end up on SNL. I mean, I thought I'm going to be a comedian, I'm going to write comedy sketches if I do write, and maybe, you know, Hee Haw got canceled, but I was really wanting to be a part of Hee Haw back in the day. You know? Carol Burnett, sign me up! But I found myself really enjoying what happens when people get just this little glimpse of joy when they can just have the levity from laughter. And some all my roads led that way, but I felt like the Lord was saying, I've called I've redeemed you. And anything that you've put your hand to that's been selfishly motivated. I want to redeem that even.
So in 2014 I did a house concert with eleven songs that I wrote in my private prayer times with my husband playing drums behind me. We recorded it for seven people. And then I felt like God said, I'm going to redeem your worship. I'm going to redeem the songs in you. Then I went and signed up for my local laugh comedy workshop, and I took two classes, and then I spent the next four weeks doing, you know, the open mic night at a comedy club without any self-deprecation, without any cuss words, with just honestly being fun, you know?? And I got heckled a lot. It tested the fortitude of that calling. Those were the hardest tests I've ever walked through. But God redeemed the humor in me. God redeemed that joy in me that year. And I went through several different things in that. But those were very, very specific that I remember were kind of things that catapulted me into the next season, which 2015 became an Esther year. And I felt like the Lord was saying, for the first six months of this year, we're going to cast down all the idols. We're going to remove anything that needs to really mark your purity. Because that's what they did in the palace is the first six months, she went through beautification and purity treatments and, you know, got all the junk out of who she was in the culture, and I felt like God said, that's what we're going to do with you the first half of 2015.
And as I rounded the second half, you know the second half of the story is that Esther says that maybe, maybe, who knows, she was made for such a time as this. And I felt like the Lord was saying, I'm going to make you beautiful in the world's eyes. I'm going to put you at tables you don't belong at. I'm going to give you a voice of influence that you didn't ask for. So be ready. And so I was nearing the end of that 2015 year. And it came right at Sunday, I posted the viral video on Thursday. And then my life literally shifted into a place of influence and the ability to be in places where I never thought I'd have an invitation. And I just watched the hand of God move. And when you know in private that he's been doing those things personally in your life, and you've taken steps of obedience, and I'm not perfect by any stretch of the means. There were days where I wanted to sit down and say, not today Lord. And you know a lot of people say, not today, Satan? I was saying not today, Lord! Let me have a break, you know? Can we have a non-obedience day and some queso? Can I just do that for a couple seconds? And so, there were moments where that was the hardest walk, and the hardest private moments I've ever encountered because it was so dependent on something that I honestly didn't know if would have ever ever come through. I wouldn't know what it would look like when it did. I just knew that he was telling me to do it, and he'd made some promises, and I just decided to be faithful. And from that, those were the things that led to the journey that I'm on right now.
And now, even nearly seven years removed from that viral moment, I see differently how much God has given authority in areas with my counterparts that are other incredible women teachers of the gospel in the Bible. That they've been living those private places of obedience and surrender as well. And I just look at that and I go, you know what? I'm in good company. If otherwise, I'd walk into a room going, I don't belong here. But God qualified me in that call. He qualified me to be able to stand with some incredible women and say, I'm in the race now, and I'm with you and let's go. We've got a job to do.
SHELLEY: I love that. I love that. And that was my first impression of you, was this person is all fluff and no depth. And the shock of discovering that you brought with you to the table this incredible background of pain and spiritual depth and leadership and you were worship leader already, these things were already in place and God put all these building blocks in place to give you this platform from which you then were able to become this very influential and incredible Bible teacher. I just love that.
CANDACE: You know what's so funny is when I hear the word influential or inspiring, those are never words I would ever describe myself with. The two core things that I always say, if I lose those about myself, I lose all of my call in my ministry in a heartbeat. And these two words are relatable and authentic. And I feel like when you're talking about a Bible teacher that just feels different, it's because I feel like you. I feel like I could be sitting in your seat, in your small group, asking the same questions and bringing up the same pop culture references that nobody else gets at the table because they're too holy to watch the show. At least they’ll never admit it. And then I also feel like this authenticity of just the purity of... Can I ask this? Can I ask this of the Lord? Will he be okay if I dig deeper into this? Why is nobody else saying this? Is there a fear that we have? Because perfect love casts out fear, and I know that he is the author and perfecter of my faith and he himself is love. So there shouldn't be a fear in coming before him with authenticity. And so, when I teach from that space, I have no back agenda in my mind to be like, oh, I hope this is so inspiring, or what an influence to somebody to change their life. My hope and my goal is that people will get real, get real before the Lord, and that they will stay humble in his present so that nobody around them feels as though they've ever come up and made it. That they're further along or elite, that they'll feel like I can walk with you. And I think we don't have a lot of—if I'm being very candid—we don't have a lot of leadership in in the big C church doing that well. And want to be a pioneer if anything in that. You know?
SHELLEY: I love that. Okay. Today we're going to be listening to the first session from You Belong. And I have to ask you what was like to film that. So tell us about some of the crazy things you did for that and how you came up with the ideas?
CANDACE: Well, You Belong it came from a personal walk with the Lord of just really saying, okay. You are the God that says that you are I Am. So I could have a list of all the things that you've told me you are throughout Scripture. But how do I relate to that God? Where is that relatability as your child? Because you’re Father, well then I'm child. And if you're the Bread of Life, then I hunger. And if you're the Good Shepherd then I'm a sheep. And so I just started thinking about these fundamental things that he is. And how we belong to him. And once we know how we belong, man our identity just feels so much more set. It feels less questionable. And so I started thinking well. Okay. Shepherd. Let's get in the field with some sheep. Do we do we know anybody that's got sheep? So we went out field with llama and sheep. And boy those things were running us around, and it was so much fun. We filmed that day and I loved it. We talked about him being the vine and we are the branches or vice versa. I think I might have messed that up. I am the vine branches. No, I was correct. In my mind it felt counter. But we went to a vineyard. We pulled out grapes. We got to experience just this harvest and walk through these beautiful, beautiful vineyards and watch the grapes cast shadow on the ground around us. You know? I mean, it was a beautiful moment there.
But I will say, this is the apex of my creativity that they let me have, and I thought I would be turned down. I thought Zondervan would say no, ma'am, no, ma'am. You cannot do this. No way we can condone this. But we went through and talked about being the body of Christ, and I just jokingly said in a meeting, wouldn't it be hilarious if I had an anatomy body suit? And they were like, yes. And I said no no no. You were supposed to be my stop. You were supposed to be the hard stop with reason in this moment and tell me no ma'am. And before I could blink, I had ordered an anatomy body suit off of Amazon, found myself packing it in my luggage and arriving on set with about six grown men with cameras and boom mics. And my one female editor that she was my comrade in the entire thing laughing, and I'm wearing a skintight anatomy suit and talking about being the body of Christ.
SHELLEY: How did you get through that with a straight face?
CANDACE: Oh, do you even know how hard was? It so hard. We took a lot of takes. I'm just going to say that. And they had a really good professional camera crew and they were like, Candace. Stop laughing. And I was like, yes. Got it. Let's go. You know, I was like, okay. Reset. Baby buggy bumpers. You know. I was just doing everything I could to try to get through it. But it was such an example of how I just taught Defiant Joy, and now I'm teaching in a new subject matter about belonging, which is where I feel like a lot of people lose their joy. Is when they feel isolated, cast out, the red headed step child of the kingdom. You know? I just kind barely got let in here. And so I thought, this is one of our biggest joy stealers. So why don't we have fun in the way that we communicate this and study through this?
Another big thing I had to do was provide tactile activities. There's no reason any of us should feel as though we're all stuffy and heady and intellectual with the Lord. He is somebody that we couldn't even match. So what do we do? Let's play like children. Let's get back to our childlike faith. And so there's some of the activities that you get to do in You Belong where you play with M&M's, or you bring some toys out, and you actually have fun with one another at your table. And it's to inspire the fact that the Lord is in the midst of that. You know, a cheerful heart does good medicine to the soul. And so for those needing healing, start with a cheerful heart, make room and space for joy as you study.
SHELLEY: That's awesome. Alright. You have a podcast. Tell our podcast listeners about your podcast.
CANDACE: Oh, well, the name you gotta listen in carefully.
SHELLEY: You have to say it very carefully.
CANDACE: I do, I have to say it slowly, but our podcast is called Shut the Should Up. So we you say it fast it's Shut the Should Up. And you go excuse me? What was that? And you're like, yes, I said Shut the Should Up. Here's the deal. I feel like so many people are living in slavery, a yoke of slavery that they put on themselves, simply by that word should. . It's... I should do this, or I should have done this. Or, you know, shoulda coulda woulda has destroyed so many movements of the Lord. It’s been the greatest pillar against him I've seen. And so we have a podcast, I have a co-host and friend, Jenny Randall, and we just talk about the things that we tell ourselves that we should or shouldn't do and how to find freedom from them.
SHELLEY: Sounds like you can't miss it, people. So go listen. So Candace, what is next for you?
CANDACE: Oh, goodness. Well, on the horizon, there's a few things with just keeping up with my robust teaching schedule and speaking at events. Anybody can get in contact with my website and fill out a form, and I would love to come and be a part of your event. But privately continuing to write, I have a new word that I really feel like is relevant and fresh for where we are at big C church, and I'm excited about that. So I'm working on a private project right there. And then I've been going to Israel at least one or two times a year, and I just feel like Isaiah 2 really talks about how in the latter day that the Lord is going to bring people to Mount Zion to Jerusalem to worship, and people will come from all over the world. And I've just found there's some beautiful things that the Lord's been revealing to me not only in that space in that city, but through his first born, and the Jewish roots that Jesus himself is. I mean, I cannot have my Christianity without my Jewish faith as well. And so it's been beautiful to discover that and to learn and lean into that. And so I'm starting to figure that out and write and teach a little bit more about that as well. And also on the horizon, if you’ve got people and followers out here that are praying people. I will tell you this. I'm in my middle forties now, walking through the later stages with aging parents. And if you've been there, it is a season, definitely in and of itself that could take some time and need some reprieve. So my mother in the last stages of Alzheimer's right now, and so I would just covetr everybody's prayers as we continue to walk with her and make sure that we do what Deuteronomy tells us to to bless our our mother and father and it will go well with us.
SHELLEY: Well, Candace, it has been just as great of a delight meeting you as I thought it would be, I wanted to thank you so much for being with us today and now, I am so excited to be able to share with our First Listens audience the first session from your Bible study called You Belong. So let's tune in right now to Session One called Do I Belong?
[MUSIC PLAYING] CANDACE: I remember this scenario well. Opening the door, looking into the luminous giant cafeteria, and wondering which table do I pick. Will I fit? And is there a place for me to belong? Will the kids love me? Will they hate me? Will they think I'm too funny, not funny enough? Will I get made fun of, or will I be accepted?
You know, I had to experience that more than 20 times in my childhood. I can't help but wonder, even still, grown up, how many of us feel that exact same way when we walk into a room. We're not a six-year-old or a seven-year-old kid, but we're walking into an office maybe for the first time at a new job. And maybe we're walking into a church that we feel like, what am I doing here? I haven't been here in years.
Maybe we're walking into a new relationship or a new season altogether that's unknown. And we're just wondering, do I even fit? Do I even belong?
No matter where you're coming from, my hope is before you leave this study you will confidently know you do belong. You belong to God. I'm serious. When I was looking through the scriptures, it was almost laughable how many things point to our belonging. I'm just going to run through them. I want you to hear it because this is straight from the Bible.
Look at this. 1 Corinthians 6:19. You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Romans 14:7-9, for none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord. And if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
John 11:2, to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Psalm 100:3, know that the Lord he is God. It is he who made us. And we are his. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Isaiah 43:1, fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.
1 John 4:4, you belong to God. I mean, how much more clear could it get? You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory because the spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 2 Corinthians 1:22, he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts. As the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God who, through Christ, reconciled us to who? To himself. Your belonging is in God.
And here is an even greater concept. Why in the world would God want us? Why would he want to say you're mine, you're my people, you belong with me? Did you know that our belonging actually fulfills his joy? I'm telling you. It's in the word of God. You're going to hear it and be blown away.
Hebrews 12:2, for the joy that was set before him, Jesus, he endured the cross. Now, let me read it to you out of the Passion translation. "Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation. And sits exalted now at the right hand of the throne of God."
God's joy is made complete when he has you in the palm of his hand. For the joy of knowing that you would be his, are you kidding me? There is nothing that God wouldn't do or endure to have you belong to him. Your belonging depends solely on what God has already done for you.
You don't have to struggle or wrestle with what you have to do for God. As a matter of fact, you're not able to do anything for him. He's the one that started this. He's the one that set it in motion to make you his, to give you a place to belong, to allow you to know what that feels like. The only requirement that you have to belong is surrender.
Did you catch that? The only requirement you have is surrender. In Luke 9 Jesus said to all of his followers, if you truly desire to be my disciple you must disown your own life completely. Embrace my cross as your own and surrender to my ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will embark on a discovery of more and more of true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourself, you will lose what you try to keep.
Maybe your frustration is in the fact that you're approaching God with closed fist and closed hands. And all he's asking for you to do is just simply open them up and surrender. You know, when we surrender our lives to God, we are promised a full and abundant life.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY: I love how Candace Payne starts out in this session with all the scriptures that declare that we belong to God. I didn’t know there were so many! You’re listening to the first session of You Belong, by Candace Payne, published by HarperChristian Resources and streaming on Study Gateway. Study Gateway is a streaming video service, and we’re the only one that has a subscription plan especially for small groups. For our First Listens listeners, we offer you an exclusive rate on our small group plan. When you use the promo code FIRST at studygateway.com, you’ll get 20% off of a small group plan for up to 20 people. And, for a complete experience with You Belong, take advantage of our publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide designed to be used with the videos. This is one of the most fun study guides we have published, because Candace has made sure to include activities in every session that appeal to the kinesthetic learner – the type of person who learns best by taking action. Get all the details at Studygateway.com.
Now Candace is about to talk about one of her favorite verses which is one of my favorite verses too. Let’s listen in.
[MUSIC PLAYING] CANDACE: John 10:10 is absolutely one of my favorite scriptures. It's red letter. It's Jesus himself. He says, I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect, life in its fullness until you overflow.
So by and large, why doesn't it look as though God's people are fulfilled, abundant, free, joy-filled in their belonging? I want to propose it's simply this. We don't understand how we belong to him.
Now, I really want you to camp on that thought for a second. Do you know how you belong to him? All throughout scripture, the people of God, his belonging, are described in various ways. Now, why is that? I mean, why do we have to be described as so many different things? Have you ever thought about that?
I read over and over and over again that we are described as sheep. We're described as the body of Christ. We're described as a bride. He could have just chosen one way and allowed that to be the final understanding of our belonging.
But he didn't. He chose multiple ways to describe his people. And I think it's because there's something more than just a moniker. You know, I have a moniker, one that I didn't choose, one that maybe you actually know me as. And that's how you're even doing this study. How many of you know me as Chewbacca mom? First of all, I would have never chosen that name for myself ever in my life. I mean. Does it mean that I'm Chewbacca's mother? I don't know.
I know that also I have other monikers that are quite similar to yours probably. I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, author, illustrator, worship leader, podcaster. I have many different names. But out of all of those monikers, which do you believe that my husband understands more intimately than any other? Wife, right? What about my children? Mom. I'm mom to them.
What about my parents? They know me as their daughter, and sometimes Candy, which I absolutely hate that nickname. And if I catch any of y'all calling me that when you meet me in real life, I will not respond to it. All right?
My siblings, what do they know me as? They know me as sister. Do you see it? I have many names that bear an understanding of how certain people not only know me, but belong to me. And in the same way, the people belonging to God are described multiple ways and yet, are limited in our understanding of how we belong.
Why are we called sheep, children, his bride, his body, branches, living stones? I can tell you how much joy you possess and express by how well you know who God says he is and by your understanding of how well you know you belong to him. Buckle up for an adventure my friend. We are going to encounter different levels of understanding how we belong to God over the next few weeks. For every name that describes us, there is a counter name that ascribes God with your how you belong to him.
We are going to trace the patterns of an abundant life found in the character of God that answers perhaps the most common question among all people-- do I belong. Yes, yes, you do. And your joy depends on it. Because God is who he says he is, you can be confident you belong.
All right, we're going to have some fun work. This is how it works when you join one of my Bible studies. We don't do homework. We do fun work. And what it is is it's supposed to just get you out of your shell and inspire you to think differently than you're thinking right now. You change your thoughts, you can change your whole entire destiny.
We're going to give you an activity this week. And what I want you to do is simply this. I want you to think clearly about what are the names that you have already upon your life that you respond to. Write next to the name simply this-- how do you feel when you respond to that name? How does that make you feel about who you are and what you're doing?
I know when my kiddos call me mama, I melt. I know when my husband calls me babe, nobody else gets to call me that. I feel a belonging in a way that only comes from that name.
So this week, just spend some time thinking about all the different names that you carry, because we're going to jump in and find out about the one that carries the greatest names of all to show us how we belong to him.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY: Oh Candace! Such a great lesson! And my dear listeners – go watch this session online. We have unlocked Session One of You Belong, and you get to see this cute outtake they put in there at the end – I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s just Candace being cute. You Belong is a video Bible study published by HarperChristian Resources and streaming on Study Gateway. Here at Study Gateway you can find your favorite authors, pastors and Bible teachers, all in one place. We’re the only streaming video subscription service that offers a small group-sized plan, AND has user-based pricing for churches, no matter what the size. And don’t forget, you can use the promo code FIRST to get a 20% savings on a small group plan, and that discounted rate lasts as long as you keep your subscription!
With Study Gateway, you also get a direct link to our store, where you get publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide You Belong. The study guide gives you everything you need to have a great discussion, and even play some games with your group, and then go deeper into your personal study of the Scriptures with what Candace calls FUN work – not homework, fun work. You don’t want to miss this study guide – it’s one of the most engaging ones I’ve ever seen. Is You Belong going to be your next study? I hope it is – You’ve got to see all the outtakes and fun Candace has on set! Get started right now by going to studygateway.com, click start free trial, choose the monthly small group plan, and use the promo code FIRST for your 20% discount.
Make sure you rate and review this podcast so other people can find this show too. And come back next week for our final episode in the season on Women Bible Teachers You Should Know. In Episode 8, we will get to meet one of my favorite Bible teachers of all time, Megan Marshman. We’ll get to hear how Megan’s experience in jail was the thing that launched her speaking career, which in an unlikely way led her into the pulpit at Willow Creek church where she currently serves as teaching pastor. She is such a great communicator, and you’re going to enjoy hearing how she approaches teaching through the book of John.
See you next time on Study Gateway’s First Listens.
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