Today I’m grateful for studying the Scripture in (online) community! I’ve been leading women through various short term Bible studies in our church for fifteen years. For at least 12 or 13 of those years I’ve dreamed of what it would look like to offer them online. (This was what prompted me to start blogging, actually.) Women being able to gather during their little ones’ naptimes. Or late at night. Or simply making studying Scripture in community accessible for those who can’t normally join in a physical space for whatever reason.
12 years ago was too early for this dream.
Last year I started leading a group of women, mostly from our church, through a chronological Bible reading plan with online and in-person components. It was a BLAST. Like a dream come true. I love love loved having these lightbulb moments for women who had never read the Bible like this, or had started a year-long plan multiple times but didn’t finish because they needed the additional support and help and the group enabled them to do it. I also learned some things about leading an online study. I didn’t think I’d do it again in 2020, but we decided to just keep rolling.
Enter ‘Rona.
12 years ago was too early. But 2020 has a whole lot of tools and resources we didn’t have just a few short years ago. I didn’t think this would be how offering online formats would become accepted and not-scary, but here we are. As much as I’ve missed in-person study times, I’m so GRATEFUL for things like Zoom and Facebook groups and messaging apps on smartphones that have allowed us to stay connected. Thank you Lord, for all we have available to us.