Today, I got to meet up and talk to my dear friend Lauren. We have known each other for over ten years and during that time Lauren has served in Bible Study Fellowship in several different capacities. Over the years, she has served in the BSF Children’s Program, as an Administrative Leader, a Substitute Teaching Leader and was even the first woman in our area to launch one of the online classes to shepherd a group of women from around the world. So, Lauren has a great knowledge of and love for Bible Study Fellowship. I wanted to get her perspective on how BSF has affected her life and how she sees it helping others to know God and walk humbly with Him.
Tell us a little about yourself. What is your background and how did you learn about Bible Study Fellowship?
My name is Lauren Peters. Soon after I graduated from Texas A&M University (several years ago), one of my college friends started telling me about Bible Study Fellowship (BSF.) She had been attending a class in her city and kept telling me, “I really think you’ll like it.” I kept telling her, “I’m too busy for that!” But she was persistent! So, after my son was born, I finally looked into BSF. I went online to https://www.bsfinternational.org/ and found a class that met near me. I joined the class knowing some, but not tons, about the Bible and what it said.
What BSF history would you like to share?
At the time, all I knew about BSF was:
1) A BSF class met at my neighborhood church;
2) It was a place I could go to learn about God and have fellowship with other believers; and
3) I could bring my son. He got taught age-appropriate Bible lessons from the same passages I was studying.
As a bonus, I got to share what I was learning with my college friend. Even though we lived in different cities, we were both studying the same parts of the Bible through BSF.
I’ve since learned that BSF is a world-wide ministry with over 400,000 members across the globe! They have groups for men, for women, and for young adults. They even have groups that meet online!
How do you see BSF helping others to know God and walk humbly with Him?
BSF provides structure, encouragement, and community for studying God’s Word. The ‘Bible Study’ part is not about “homework” – it’s about “heart-work.”. To know God’s Word is to know God. And how can we walk with God, keep step with Him, if we don’t know Him?
To that end, BSF has 10 different Bible studies that span both the Old Testament and the New Testament*. Each study lasts about 30 weeks – from September to May. During the study, members read the Bible for themselves, line by line, and answer a few questions about what they’ve read. Then, they meet weekly with a small discussion group to discuss what they’ve learned. Lastly, BSF provides a teaching (lecture) and written notes with additional insights. This ‘four-fold’ method of doing, discussing, listening, and reading really helps the learning sink in!
* BSF studies include: Genesis, The Life of Moses, People of the Promised Land I & II, Isaiah, The Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of John, Acts of the Apostles, Romans and Revelation.
You’ve been a part of BSF for almost 10 years now… Can you share about your personal experience over the past 10 years?
Yes! Reading and studying the Bible for myself, day after ordinary day, has changed my life. BSF has facilitated the process of allowing God’s word to intersect with my life. But all glory goes to God. Only God can make words written on a page “living and active.” Only God can take a Bible verse, written down thousands of years ago, and have it “leap off the page” and into my life. This happens week after week!
I’ll give an example. Several years ago, an important relationship in my life was severed. Ended. Done. I felt as if a part of me had died, and I mourned. As I shared my sorrow with God, He brought to mind a verse that my BSF group had studied just days ago. He reminded me of John 12:25. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” At that moment, I knew that I could live, even though a part of me had died. The resurrected Jesus became very real to me that day.
Jeremiah 6:16 says,
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
Being a member of BSF has helped me stay on God’s ‘good path’ and experience His steady peace and presence throughout the normal ups and downs that come with a decade of living.
And one other thing – the F in BSF stands for ‘Fellowship.’ What that’s looked like for me is that through BSF, I have met many great women of faith, from a cross-section of cultures, races, and generations. Some of these women have become dear friends who walk beside me and encourage me along the path. Others are further ahead of me on the path, and I look to them as examples of a life well lived.
How can the readers participate with them?
For more about the organization or to join an in-person class, visit: https://www.bsfinternational.org/
To join an online class, visit:
Also, Created for Commitment’ written by A. Wetherall Johnson and True to His Word’ by Deborah Shaw Lewis and J. Gregg Lewis are two great books that go into more detail about the history of BSF and the people who are a part of it.
#bsf #biblestudyfellowship #justkindhumility #bsfonline #biblestudy #justice #kindness #hesed #humility
Photo credits: Lisa Lee
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