Reading the Bible in One Summer
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A recent guest speaker encouraged my congregation to take Christ out of the church and into the community. I wondered which of my friends would respond. I knew I wouldn't. I'm not exactly a theological go-getter. What I am is a minivan driving, over-programmed mother of three who spends summers at the pool slathered in SPF 45. But whenever I thought about the speaker's words (always in the context of how his message would work through other folks), I had a crazy vision of seeing the women of my neighborhood reading their Bibles at the pool.
This wasn't the first time I'd felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. And if I chose to ignore this nudge, well, that wouldn't be the first time either.
But I couldn't shake that crazy vision. And the idea took hold: I could invite the women in my neighborhood to read the Bible during the summer. But not just a book or two. The whole Bible in 90 days.
Because it was such an ambitious plan, I thought maybe six or seven women would agree. And half of us might finish. Regardless of the number, I told myself that if even one woman did it (and that one woman was me), it would be worth it.
I quietly asked a couple of my friendliest neighbors what they thought of my idea.
"Love it!" was the consensus.
That boost gave me the confidence to push myself out of my comfort zone and reach out to others I didn't know as well. After e-mailing neighborhood friends and encouraging them to invite others, I was blown away when 20 women took the plunge!
All the Details
We all know it's easier to get a group of busy women to agree to start something than it is to get them to finish it. How could I ensure that the women kept reading from Genesis through Revelation?
Because I'd been faithful in listening to the Holy Spirit in the first place, I had to trust that he wouldn't run from me now. And I had to believe there was a reason this idea had been placed on my heart, not someone else's. In retrospect, I think the Holy Spirit nudged me because of who I am. And perhaps more so, because of who I'm not.
I'm not a Bible study leader. There was no way I'd be able to explain the relevance of Obadiah when I barely understood it myself.
But I am an organizer. Plus I'd attended many Bible studies and knew that the successful groups met regularly, had time for fellowship and prayer, and included in-depth Bible study.
So I picked up The Bible in 90 Days DVD to do the teaching. I made sure coffee, cold drinks, and some type of brunch-y bread was on hand. (Sharing food and coffee is a great way to develop deeper bonds of friendship.) And I invited the women to my home for one hour each week.
We began on time and we always ended on time. Sometimes that meant I cut off people when they were chatting about the latest swim team crisis. But they knew I was doing it because I wanted to respect their time.
Related Topics:
Bible Study, Commitment, Community Involvement, Community, Christian, Leadership
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