Intrigued by Faith: How an Agnostic Discovered God’s Redeeming Love with Shadia Hrichi

Welcome to Episode 180 with Guest Shadia Hrichi! Shadia shares what she calls an "ugly" past, filled with self-destructive choices and dysfunction. Her story includes co-dependency, alcoholism, abortion, abuse, date-rape, divorce--but God intervened and redeemed her broken past. Once an agnostic exposed to many religions, Shadia was intrigued by the authenticity and genuine faith she observed in her Christian friends. She was so intrigued that she wanted to know more about Jesus and the Bible. Once she surrendered her life to Jesus, she went from not knowing what Bible study was to writing them! That's our God. Shadia has a passion for not only studying God's word, but also teaching it. Through her gift of teaching she shares the bigger picture story of the Bible and expands on thematic elements we might otherwise gloss over. It is Shadia's desire that others would fall in love with God's word as she has, and hunger to walk deeper in Scripture. She's drawn to those messy-life kinds of stories in the Bible--stories like Rahab the prostitute and Hagar, who felt discarded and abandoned until God met her right where she was in the wilderness. This episode is filled with serious and sensitive topics, yet you'll also find it light and fun. I'm not sure if I've laughed with a guest as much as I have with Shadia. She is truly joyful, and I know what she shares will encourage, inspire, and challenge you, so listen in while I have a chat with Shadia Hrichi. Connect with Shadia and learn How ! You can connect with Shadia at shadiahrichi.com and grab her books and free resources mentioned in the show! As Shadia mentions in the show, you can also easily find each of her studies by simply using the web address with that study's name. For example for Rahab you can find it by typing rahabbiblestuy.com or legionbiblestudy.com , isn't that cool? Check out these amazing studies by Shadia ... RAHAB: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me TAMAR: Rediscovering the God Who Redeems Me  HAGAR: Rediscovering the God Who Sees Me LEGION: Rediscovering the God Who Rescues Me Worthy of Love: A Journey of Hope and Healing After Abortion More About Shadia! Shadia Hrichi is a passionate Bible teacher and award-winning author who loves seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. Having experienced many heartbreaks, including abortion, date rape, divorce, and more, Shadia captures the hearts of her audience as she illustrates, through personal experience, God’s love, faithfulness, and power of redemption. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies as well as a master’s in criminal justice. Shadia is the author of several Bible studies, including Rahab, Tamar, Hagar, Legion, and Worthy of Love (see above links) and the recipient of several awards, including the 2022 WCCW “God’s Word is Alive” award. Shadia is often invited to speak at retreats, conferences, and other events and has served on faculty for a number of Christian Writers conferences. Her bible studies have been endorsed by Bible Study Magazine (Faithlife/Logos Bible Software), Liz Curtis-Higgs, Francine Rivers and many others. Currently residing in northern California, Shadia loves to visit the ocean each week for “a date with Jesus.” What Threatens to Steal Your Joy? Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/