Walking Through the Word
Back in January, I joined a small discipleship group at church—a pilot ministry started by my friend, who also happens to be our Women’s Ministry Director and the Pastor’s wife. God had laid five women on her heart, and I was one of them. When she invited me, I was honestly so excited. Over the past couple of years, my love for the Bible has absolutely taken off, so the idea of growing in the Word with a group of women felt like a gift.
We meet twice a month, and the original plan was to keep going for a year. The goal? To grow in our understanding of Scripture and learn how to disciple others—just like Jesus did. He invited people to follow Him, learn from Him, and walk closely with God. That same heart for relational growth is what we’ve been trying to follow. Now that we’re more than halfway through the year, I’ve been reflecting on how it’s going. Honestly? We’re probably not going to finish by December like we originally thought. Life happens. We’re all juggling responsibilities and learning as we go—and that’s okay. This isn’t a race, and the beauty is in the process. Personally, I’ve grown a lot. Especially during our time in Genesis. I used to skim that book with a “yeah, yeah, I get the gist” attitude. But this time, I slowed down. I prayed. I asked God to help me see what He wanted me to see. And it changed everything. There’s so much depth and meaning in those early chapters—more than I ever realized before.
That said, if I’m being completely honest, the group sometimes feels like just another Bible study. And we already have one of those at church. While I’ve definitely gained a deeper understanding of what we’ve read, I’m not entirely sure I feel equipped to disciple someone else—at least not yet. But this is a pilot group. It’s the first time we’re doing something like this, and I trust that God is shaping it. I’m sure there will be changes once the year wraps up and our leader has had time to pray and reflect on everything. Is it a successful group? Yes and no. Yes, because I’ve loved the intentional, deep dive into Scripture with other women who love Jesus. Our study format works really well—we spend two weeks on our own reading, praying, and reflecting on the assigned passages. Then we meet for a roundtable-style discussion. It’s open, honest, and Spirit-led. And it’s always interesting to hear how each person has experienced the text differently. The Word of God meets us where we are, and no two journeys are the same.
The Senior Pastor from our sending church likes to say, “When you add people into the mix, there’s bound to be challenges.” And yep, that’s true. We all come with our own stories, past wounds, and strong opinions. Some of us are carrying enough baggage for a trip around the world. But even in that, there’s so much grace.
I really do love these women. We may not all see eye to eye on things like parenting or marriage, and we definitely run in different circles—but that’s okay. The point of this group isn’t to become best friends. It’s to build each other up in Christ. To support one another through prayer. To offer biblical wisdom. To hold each other accountable. If deeper friendships form from that, praise God. But whether we’re close outside the group or not, we still need people who will speak truth to us—even when we’re not quite ready to hear it.
That’s real community. That’s discipleship in the making.
And as for what we’re studying next? Jonah! That’ll be the focus of our next meeting and also the first book I’ll be writing about on my Personal Bible Study Blog here on the site. I can’t wait to share what I’m learning with you.
Here’s a quick snapshot of what we’ve studied so far:
Genesis 1–6
Genesis 7–13
Genesis 14–19
Genesis 20–26
Genesis 27–33
Genesis 34–40
Genesis 41–46
Genesis 47–50
Colossians
James
And now… Jonah
More reflections coming soon. If you're on your own journey of learning, growing, and maybe even discipling—welcome. You’re in good company.
Peace,
B
