Bible Studies Now Available!

This website has always been a place for me to share my writing. It began as a blog: mostly devotional or inspirational content for Christian women. Occasionally I’d sprinkle in a post with a personal update.

In 2018, my writing focus shifted from blogging to creating Bible study curriculum for the women’s ministry at my local church. I wanted to use my skills as a writer and teacher to help women become better students of the Bible. But I didn’t want to just stand up in front of women and tell them what to think about the Bible. I wanted to create curriculum that would help women open up their Bibles and begin to understand a passage for themselves before listening to someone teach on it. I wanted my studies to help women feel more capable of reading and interpreting God’s Word on their own without needing someone to hold their hands. Most importantly, I wanted women to know and love God more through studying scripture.

The first study I wrote was on the book of Jonah. It came out in 2019 and was well-received by the kind and supportive women of my church. I loved working on it and was excited to jump into writing another study…and then another. My studies on Galatians and Amos came out in 2021 and 2023, respectively. At this point, I’m not sure what I’m working on next, but I wanted to make my past studies available for purchase to anyone who might be interested in them.

If you’ve ever done one of Jen Wilkin’s Bible studies, the format is similar: there’s homework to do each week and expositional teaching audio to listen to. If you purchase one of the studies you’ll gain access to a digital-only copy of a workbook on that book of the Bible. The teaching audio can be accessed for free via the GBC Women podcast. This study can be completed with a small group or on your own. The number of weeks in each study varies. Below you’ll find a brief synopsis of each study.

Jonah: God’s Unfathomable Mercy

A 6-week study on the book of Jonah.

The story of Jonah is often presented as a straightforward tale of morality. A prophet runs from God, gets swallowed by a big ole’ fish, repents, and receives mercy. After that, he’s so thankful to God that he obediently brings a message of repentance and mercy to his hated enemies. They repent and everyone lives happily ever after. Reality is much more complicated. The book of Jonah ends with the prophet throwing a massive hissy fit about God’s mercy toward his enemies. God asks Jonah a pointed question about who should receive his mercy and then…nothing. No response from Jonah. The book ends on a cliffhanger.

Throughout this ambiguous book, we’re invited to see ourselves in Jonah’s struggle to understand God’s mercy toward him and his sworn enemies. Jonah reminds us that even when we wander from the truth of the Gospel, God is at work in us, patiently pursuing us through the Holy Spirit as we wrestle with the depths of his mercy. We may encounter storms, hit rock bottom, or pitch an unholy fit because we feel God has let us down somehow. Yet, he comes after us, patiently calling us to turn back and live in the truth of the mercy we have already received in Jesus.

Galatians: One Gospel, One Family in Christ

A 9-week study on the book of Galatians.

The world is full of false gospels trying to pass for the genuine article. Like shady salespeople trying to trick you into buying a fake Gucci purse, false teachers peddle the lie that the path to salvation is paved with good deeds and strict legalism. But falling for a false gospel is a lot worse than getting duped by a fake designer purse. The best way to spot a fake is to spend more time studying the real thing. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul passionately defends the true gospel and teaches us what it looks like to live it out by the power of the Spirit.

Amos: God’s Roar for Justice

A 7-week study on the book of Amos.

We are all born with a longing for justice. Few things make us angrier than the feeling that we’ve been treated unfairly or that someone has gotten away with mistreating us. When faced with something that feels unjust, we wonder: where is God in all this? The book of Amos answers that question. God sees the evil in the world more clearly than even we do. For a time, he mercifully restrains his righteous anger. But, justice will not wait forever.

The book of Amos warns us to be just as God is just or face the consequences. Yet it also points us forward to the hope that those who seek the Lord will enjoy abundant life with him forever, justified by Christ's death on the cross for our sins.

4 Ways to Connect with God When Life is Crazy

Is life feeling a little crazy right now?

You might have a newborn and be in survival mode. Perhaps you just started a new job and are trying to figure out your new routine. Maybe you’re running yourself ragged taking your kids to all their practices, performances, games, and activities.

You have too many places to be, too much stuff to do, and too many people relying on you.

And, oh yeah, try to squeeze in an hour-long quiet time in there every day, okay?

I think many of us feel that if we don’t have an hour, thirty minutes, or even fifteen minutes to devote to serious, uninterrupted “quiet time” that we shouldn’t even bother.  Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea that meaningful interactions with God can’t happen in five minutes, or even in one minute.

Why is that?

We don’t expect every interaction with our friends, spouses, or children to be rich, life-changing experiences. Even deeply intimate relationships are filled with quiet, everyday moments: gentle hugs before leaving; sweet smiles over lunch; little chats about daily life; quick snuggles before bed. These mundane, seemingly insignificant moments form the foundation for deeper interactions. 

So why do we expect our relationship with God to be different? 

Why do we expect every moment we spend with God to be lengthy, worshipful bliss? When real life just doesn’t leave room for a lengthy time of prayer and Bible study, why not let go of guilt and connect with God in small ways throughout your day? Those brief moments aren’t insignificant. In fact, I think they lay the foundation and whet your appetite for even deeper connection with God later.

When time is short and life feels out of control, you can connect with God in the midst of the craziness by filling your home with scripture, praying one sentence at a time, listening to scripture and good teaching, and listening to worshipful music. 

1// Fill Your Home with Scripture

I love buying and framing beautiful scripture printables. I have them in several rooms in our home, and I have even more pieces just waiting to be hung up. 

Displaying verses or quotes from hymns throughout your home is a great way to remind yourself of Biblical truth throughout your day. You won’t notice them every day, but you may be surprised at how they pop out at you on days when you need a little extra encouragement.

If you don’t want to bother with frames, I also have a lot of friends who write their own verses on chalkboards or whiteboards in their homes. You can even use whiteboard markers to write on mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors! 

Whatever the medium, filling your home with Biblical encouragement is an excellent way to connect with God throughout the day.

2// Pray, One Sentence at a Time

I think many of us hear others pray in public and feel intimidated. Their lengthy prayers are eloquent and inspirational, and our own prayers seem dull and clumsy in comparison. 

Whether we’re praying aloud or silently, our prayers are not an opportunity to show off our spiritual vocabulary. (Remember the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector: God wants humility, not bravado!) Prayer is an opportunity for finite humans to commune with an infinite God. 

Your prayers don’t have to be long or filled with big words to bring you into God’s presence.  You can come to Him throughout your day to repent, to ask for help, or to offer praise, even if you only have a few simple sentences to offer. 

• Thank you, Jesus, that we have enough food to eat.

• God, thank you for the beautiful birds that visit my yard every morning.

• Father, forgive me for being frustrated during my child’s screaming, crying meltdown at the grocery store today. 

• Holy Spirit, thank you for giving me hope when I’m afraid.

Because of Jesus, our humble prayers will always be heard, even the short ones.

3// Listen to Scripture and Good Teaching

I think one problem many of us struggle with is that we feel like we specifically have to read (with our eyeballs) the Bible to get something out of it. Why not listen to God’s Word as well?

I know what you’re thinking: I’m a visual learner! I don’t get as much out of when I listen instead of read it!

I get it, I’m pretty visual too. But, if you actually don’t have time to read, isn’t listening to it still going to be better than doing nothing?

A little over a year ago I was in the middle of a chronological Bible read-through. As usual, I’d gotten stuck in the Old Testament, so I decided to try something different: listening to my daily “readings” while I was getting ready in the morning or while in the car.

That small change made a huge impact in my life. 

I began to look forward to that part of my morning instead of feeling guilty about it. I would listen to more than one day’s worth of my reading plan each day, just because I was enjoying it so much. When life calmed down and I had more time, I would go back and actually read and study the passage later. Listening to God’s Word a little bit at a time actually set the foundation for me to study it more deeply at other times. 

The YouVersion app makes it really easy to choose a reading plan and then listen to it on your phone. There are also fancier audio versions of the Bible that have music and sound effects. Do some research, try a few out, and figure out what you like!

After I started listening to the Bible, I also began to enjoy many different Christian podcasts. There is a lot of excellent Biblical teaching out there and it's all completely free. Listening to great teaching helps me know and love the Bible more, even when I don't have a lot of time to sit down and study a passage for myself.

There are about a dozen faith-based podcasts that I subscribe to, but my favorites are Unlocking the Bible with Colin Smith, The Gospel Coalition, and Help Me Teach the Bible with Nancy Guthrie.

4// Listen to Worshipful Music

Sometimes I want to focus on God, but the task at hand requires my full attention or my brain is fried to the point that even listening to someone talk sounds too hard.

That’s when I listen to worshipful music.

I struggle with a tendency to turn on the television just for “background noise.” I’ll turn on a show I’ve seen several times and then half-listen to it as I do something else. Now, television isn’t all bad, so I’m not planning on completely cutting it out of my life, but I’ve been making an effort to at least keep it off when I’m not actually watching it. 

Instead, I make a conscious choice to listen to music. Specifically, music that directs my thoughts to God. I have a few different playlists I’ve created for different moods, and I often enjoy listening to contemporary versions of hymns from groups like Page CXVI. If that’s not your thing, no worries! Any music that reminds you of Biblical truth will do!

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Whatever the cause, sometimes life gets overwhelming. In those times, connecting with God might seem close to impossible. Instead of feeling guilty because you can’t spend as much time in prayer or Bible study as you would like, focus on the small ways you can connect with God throughout your day. As you do, you’ll be laying the foundation for deeper connection with God later, as things calm down a bit.

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Respond

How about you? When life gets crazy, how do you connect with God throughout your day?