Reading in context and reading repetitively are key. That step of self-discovery follows on the heels of a deep pondering of this question: “What does the Bible say about God?” Could this be what Paul was talking about when he told his readers to be “transformed by the renewing of your minds?” (Romans 12:2) That means I’m not looking for tiny tweetable truths about me. When I read Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin’s first book, I was riveted by her firm belief that studying the Bible is a means of training our minds to love God. However, cross-references, dictionaries, other translations of the Bible are fair game, and the process of working through this study will provide ample opportunity to learn how to use most effectively those aids in study. That means no commentaries and no study notes - at least not until after homework is done. Therefore, in tackling I Peter: A Living Hope in Christ with Jen Wilkin, the foundation is laid for studying the Bible by. When studying a short book like I Peter, it’s possible to read the whole thing in a sitting, and that’s the first order of business each week of this nine-week study.

I’ve learned that if I wait for perfect conditions to begin anything, I’ll never get started, and the first step to a study with Jen Wilkin is: open your Bible and read. With rain pattering on the roof of the mini-van, I opened my tiny New Testament to the book of I Peter and dove in.

Jen wilkin a living hope in christ