For several years, I have had the privilege of teaching a women’s Bible study. I’ve watched dedicated women open their Bibles with a genuine desire to know God, only to feel unsure about what to do next.

They loved the Lord. They wanted to understand Scripture. But many simply had never been taught how to study the Bible for themselves.

We tried different Bible study methods, but some felt cumbersome and complicated. I began to wonder:

What if there were a simple way to help women go deeper into Scripture without feeling overwhelmed?

That question became the beginning of the ABIDE Method.

The Heart Behind ABIDE

My desire was never to create another complicated Bible study system.

I wanted to create something that would gradually lead women into a deeper time with the Lord—one step at a time.

The goal of the ABIDE Method is simple:

To help women grow closer to God without becoming overwhelmed.

Opening a Bible can feel intimidating when you don’t know where to begin. You may wonder what you’re supposed to notice, how you’re supposed to understand the passage, or whether you’re even “qualified” to study it.

But here’s what I want women to know:

You can learn.

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar with years of theological education to study God’s Word.

God’s Word is living and active, and it is accessible to all of us.

The ABIDE Method simply gives you tools to help you slow down, ask questions, investigate the text, and discover what God has placed there.

Why “Behold the Text” Matters So Much

Although I love every part of the ABIDE Method, Behold the Text is a pivotal step for me.

We live in a culture where we’re often tempted to make everything mean what we want it to mean—including Scripture.

But Bible study requires us to stop and listen before we start applying.

A passage cannot mean something to us that it did not mean to the original audience.

That’s why we begin by asking:

What does the text actually say?

We observe.

We investigate.

We pay attention to words, context, structure, repetition, people, places, and everything else the author intentionally put into the passage.

Interpretation and application come later.

There is something beautiful about slowing down enough to actually behold the text rather than rushing to tell the text what we think it should say.

We Need to Slow Down

One of the reasons I love creating Bible study workbooks, worksheets, Scripture-writing journals, and other hands-on resources is because they encourage something we desperately need in our digital age:

We need to linger.

So much of our world is designed for speed. We click, swipe, scroll, finish, and move on to the next thing.

But the Lord is not like that.

He invites us to stay awhile.

I’ve also found that something shifts when we pick up a pen or pencil.

We slow down.

We become more intentional.

We’re not simply consuming information and moving on. We’re engaging with it.

Writing Scripture, making observations, mapping a verse, answering questions, and physically working through a passage gives us an opportunity to engage more of our senses and, in turn, remember what we’re learning.

For me, creating these tools isn’t about making Scripture prettier or busier.

It’s about creating space to pay attention.

You Are Capable of Studying the Bible

One misconception I would love to erase completely is this:

You have to be a Bible scholar to understand God’s Word.

You don’t.

The ABIDE Method teaches you how to study.

And my hope is that women will eventually stop saying, “I’m just not good at studying the Bible.”

Instead, they’ll begin to say:

“I know how to study God’s Word.”

That’s a profound difference.

I long for women to discover that they are capable of seeing God’s Word come alive for them.

Not because they suddenly became Bible experts, but because they learned how to slow down, observe, investigate, dig deeper, and respond to what God has revealed.

Bible Study Was Never Meant to Be Done Alone

I also believe deeply in the importance of studying God’s Word in community.

We need one another.

That’s part of the heart behind the Abide & Bloom Circle.

I want it to be a place where Christian women can learn together, encourage one another, ask questions, share what they’re discovering, and support each other as they grow.

Because sometimes we need someone beside us saying,

“Keep going.”

“Look at what you just discovered.”

“I never noticed that before.”

“Let’s dig a little deeper.”

Bible study can be deeply personal, but it doesn’t have to be isolated.

What I Really Hope ABIDE Accomplishes

When I think about the future of the ABIDE Method, my greatest measure of success isn’t how many people use the workbook.

It’s this:

What if a woman uses the ABIDE Method long enough that Bible study becomes a lifelong habit?

That would mean everything to me.

If women take this simple system and develop a lifelong habit of opening God’s Word, studying it, thinking deeply about it, and allowing it to shape their lives, I will feel like I have done what God asked me to do.

Because ultimately, this isn’t about a method.

It’s about a relationship.

As we continue spending time in God’s Word, our relationship with Jesus will sweeten.

And that is what I want for every woman who picks up the ABIDE Method.

A Word for the Woman Who Feels Intimidated by Her Bible

If that’s you, I want you to hear this:

God’s Word is living and active—and accessible to you.

You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

You don’t have to know everything before you begin.

And you don’t have to be a Bible scholar.

Everyone can learn to study the Bible.

The tools are simply there to take some of the pressure off and give you a place to begin.

So open your Bible.

Take your time.

Ask God to meet you there.

Behold the text.

Investigate.

Dig deeper.

Embrace the truth.

And most importantly—

abide.

Because the goal isn’t simply to know more about the Bible.

The goal is to know God more deeply.

And that is the journey I hope the ABIDE Method helps women begin.

Join me in the Abide and Bloom Circle as we study God’s Word.