Whew! It’s been a whirlwind of changes the last month huh? Here’s the great thing though, although the name has changed and the logo and colors have changed, the message has stayed consistently the same, I want to help you get started reading your Bible, or I want to encourage you, to help you stay motivated to read your Bible, or I want to cheer you on and tell you, “You can do it!”
Another thing that has remained consistent this past month, our Online Bible Study Community. We’ve continued just like we have been for almost three years now. We’ve met weekly in a live Zoom call, we’ve prayed for each other, and we’ve studied another book of the Bible; this month was Acts of the Apostles.
Our Online Bible Study Community will celebrate our third birthday this summer! There have been some people come and go…but they almost always come back at some time or another–yes, we’re that great! Things have remained unchanged for the most part these past three years. There are some changes coming though.
I will be closing registration for our Online Bible Study Community the end of May and won’t reopen registration until right before Advent. As I’ve been learning and growing, I’ve felt the pull to look around and maybe go in different directions. All that has done is clarified where my online heart is, with our Online Bible Study Community. I want to spend the next few months nurturing and loving on our Community more than ever before.
When our Online Bible Study Community reopens registration in November, there are two definite changes that I already know of: the price and the access. Right now, membership is $9.99 a month; that price will increase in November. Right now, when you become a member, you have access to all of our past Bible Studies–3 years worth! (These are available for sale in my shop individually by the way.) Access will be limited when registration reopens in November. Joining this month grandfathers you in at the lower price and access to the past three years worth of studies.
Now, if you’re unsure about joining us, let’s consider a couple of common concerns: time and need.
First, “Will I have time for this Bible Study?” Yes, you will have time for this Bible Study. Our Online Bible Study Community was born out of this very concern. I did not have time for a typical Bible Study. Most evenings of the week, I’m either driving children to practice or sitting in the car during their practice. Daytime hours are for school, appointments, the house, etc. I did not have time to physically attend a Bible Study. But, I could attend an Online Bible Study! And if I couldn’t attend it live while sitting in my car, catching up on house things, or just sitting in my bed in my pajamas, I could catch the replay.
Along the time concern, “How long does the study take to complete each day?” That’s entirely dependent on you. Each day there is a Daily Scripture Writing Plan–unless it’s a large book like Acts or like our May study of 1 Corinthians, then we have a Daily Reading Plan. Once you read or write, there are either Journaling Reflection Questions or we SOAP it, LOL! SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. You can spend as little or as long as you want on the Journaling Reflection questions and the weekly Live Zoom calls are 45 minutes to one hour.
Finally, need, “Do I need the Online Bible Study Community?” Well, “Yes and No.” Let me explain. We need God. We need to know, love, and serve God. We need friendship and intimacy with God. We need to spend time with God and what better place than in His Word. We also need each other–spoken from an introvert so don’t come at me, LOL! God created us for union with others. God, Himself is in perfect union with others!
If you’re new here, two of my favorite stories in the Bible involve being in friendship with others.
The first is a Moses story. I’ll shorten it for this post. Basically, Moses is watching over an Israelite battle. As long as he holds the staff up, the Israelites are winning the battle. Nut when he lowers his arms because they are getting tired, the Israelites start losing. Aaron and Hur find a rock for Moses to sit on and they stand on each side of him and hold his arms up. The Israelites defeat the other army!
The other is a story from the Gospels. Jesus is healing people. The crowd is so great around Him that no one can get close to Him. A paralytic man’s friends carry him to Jesus, cut a hole in the roof, and lower him down so he can be healed by Jesus. The Scriptures state, “And seeing their faith…” Jesus healed the paralytic.
I completely understand, “It’s hard.” I know it is. It’s hard to make friends for any number of reasons and especially in adulthood. Not only are there the physical demands of time and work and family that can hinder making friends, but there are also the emotional, mental, and spiritual stumbling blocks. I can truthfully tell you in almost three years we’ve not had even one blip of a problem in our Online Bible Study Community.
We all hope you’ll join us in May as we read, write, pray, and study 1 Corinthians. You can click here to sign up. If you’d like a preview of what a study kind of looks like, here’s a free, 7 day, Psalm 91 Bible Study for email subscribers.
Robin Sellers says
We really need to plan a retreat! We can bring our camper. It would be a blessed and fruitful event!
Jenny says
I agree!
Robin Sellers says
I can’t believe we’ve been on this walk for almost 3 years. Time has flown by. I hope more people join the group and become part of our family.
I love the new name and look. I’m sharing everything I can to spread the word. Thanks for all you do for our group, and personally as well. Looking forward to the future! God Bless You!
Jenny says
I know! Thank you for keeping track of our anniversaries! I cannot wait till the day we finally get to meet in person♥