This past week we launched our first, “Sermon Prep Challenge”. We wanted to challenge and encourage all of you to connect with God through His Word and His church. When we first came up with the idea, we had no idea it would be happening while we went through a pandemic. It was bittersweet to go through this challenge and not be able to sit with fellow brothers and sisters at the end of the week to soak in the sermon together. However, it did allow me to feel a bit closer to my church knowing several of my friends were all diving into this passage of Scripture together, along with our pastor. 

My church had just begun to study Psalm 23, with this past week’s sermon focusing on the four simple words: “I shall not want.” Each day, the Dayton Women of the Word team had a study tool to focus on. 

Monday: Context
Tuesday: Annotation
Wednesday: Compare Translations
Thursday: Cross References
Friday: Word Study
Saturday: Respond to the Text

I was by no means an A+ student with this challenge. I have a 2-year-old at home who requires a lot of pretend play and snack deliveries. Yet almost every day, I found a little bit of time to sit down and study the Psalm. I loved that with each different study tool, something new stuck out. When I was annotating, I noticed that David goes from a style of, “He makes, He leads, He restores” to “You are with me, You comfort, You prepare.” I wondered whether there was some significance to this. When I compared translations, the simplicity of, “I shall not want” was broken down in a new way that brought clarity. One time there was a cross reference that went to a passage my husband and I had just read with my daughter at bedtime the night before. Suddenly other passages in Scripture were coming alive to me in new ways.

Instead of being tempted to be distracted by my phone or my kid during the sermon, I was motivated to remain focused.

On Sunday, I tuned into church. I was excited to hear how a fellow believer dove into the text. What did he take from this passage that I didn’t? What was the same? Instead of being tempted to be distracted by my phone or my kid during the sermon, I was motivated to remain focused. I was so excited when one of the big questions I had been sitting on was addressed by my Pastor. (If you’re curious, he mentioned the style change and how it was David reminding himself the promises of God when it shifted in style.) 

This was the first time I studied the text of my church without having a group of girls in a Bible Study doing it alongside me. I found the simple structure was enough to hold me accountable each day to get into the Word. It was such a purposeful way to engage with my church on Sunday mornings; I’m motivated to do it again. On Monday morning, the sermon was still fresh in my mind, because I had studied it for myself.  It also was a great way to remind me to pray for my pastor throughout the week. 

This is a study tool to keep in mind if you’re ever in between Bible Studies or just not sure what to study for yourself.

Did you do the challenge? It’s not too late to try it yourself! This is a study tool to keep in mind if you’re ever in between Bible Studies or just not sure what to study for yourself. It’s also just a great way to stay engaged with your own church! We will definitely be doing this challenge as a ministry in the future. So whether you do it now or later, we’d love to hear how it went. 

You can always email us (daytonwomenintheword@gmail.com) or tag us on Instagram or Facebook sharing your experience! 

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Jen Ward is the Written Content Contributor for DWITW. Jen wants to live in a world where chocolate croissants grow on trees, all babies automatically sleep through the night, and every woman feels empowered to study Scripture on her own.  Connect with Jen via Instagram @JenieAnn.

Natalie Herr praying over the women of Dayton, Spring 2016.

My dear Dayton women, 

Today, I sit down at my keyboard to say my goodbyes. As many of you know, the Lord is sending my family out on our next Air Force mission this summer. This means I must leave Dayton, as well as my post as Team Lead of DWITW. As a military wife, I’ve known since the beginning that I’d have to step down one day, so I’ve spent a lot of time imagining how it might go. Sheltering in place because of a global pandemic was certainly not on my list of possibilities. I had planned to say my goodbyes more publicly at Yet Even Now in March, then phase out quietly later the next month. In light of the changes COVID-19 has brought, Brittany and I have decided that now is the time. I confidently leave the mission in her capable hands.

I couldn’t shake the voice of the Holy Spirit asking me to move. 

I wish that I could deliver this goodbye to you in person. I long to look into your faces, hug you hard, and thank you for all the ways you’ve shown me Jesus. Six years ago, around this time, I was praying and planning to ask some of you to study the book of Joshua with me. I’d never taught the Bible before, and I didn’t know how it would all come together, but I couldn’t shake the voice of the Holy Spirit asking me to move. 

Here we are, six years later, and a small Bible study has transformed into a city-wide network of women who are in love with Jesus, the very Word of God (John 1). Every time I think about the story of DWITW I am overwhelmed with awe. I feel completely unworthy of the blessings He’s poured out on us. He gave us the unmatched gift of Himself and His Word. He gave us community with like-minded women who wanted to study their Bibles. He gave us wisdom, discernment, joy, peace, and countless other benefits that flowed from the time we devoted to Him. And we did absolutely nothing to deserve it. He brought us near to Himself because it pleased Him (1 Sam 12:22). It just pleased Him to be near to the women of Dayton, Ohio. 

Oh, sisters, how often I have labored in prayer for you. How I have longed to see this city full of women who read God’s Word, believe what they read, and share it with others. How I dreamed that the women of Dayton would be a mighty force for the Kingdom of God! And by the Father’s grace, I’ve seen it happen. I’ve watched God transform your hearts. I’ve seen your passion for Him grow. I’ve watched you feast on His Word together as if it was your last meal. 

When I said yes to this call from God, I did it believing that I probably wouldn’t get to see the fruit. How wrong I was! I have seen God raise you up, one by one, and send you out to serve Him in your churches, homes, and communities. I’ve watched you start Bible studies in your neighborhoods and teach the Bible to others even though it scared the pants off of you. I’ve watched you lead us in worship, proclaim Jesus online, raise up the next generation, and lovingly, practically love our Dayton neighbors— all with God’s Word firmly planted in your hearts. 

I know with certainty that God has more good to come for the women of Dayton in the years ahead.

This ministry has changed me forever. I am convinced that I have learned more from all of you than you could ever learn from me. There have been many missteps and failures along the way, as I’ve been growing and changing right along with you. The moments I will treasure most are the “lightbulb” moments— the ones when I’ve watched you put something new together about who God is that you learned in His Word. There is a beautiful, awe-filled look that comes over your faces when this happens, and it gives me such hope and joy. I know with certainty that God has more good to come for the women of Dayton in the years ahead.

I have loved walking through the Scriptures with you these six years. I have loved hearing what God is teaching you, how He is refining you, and how He’s changing the way you see the world. The cherry on top is watching you take what you’ve learned and do so many wonderful things with it for the Kingdom! 

And now I end where I began, awestruck yet again with the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:

“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deut. 32:46-47)

My dear sisters, never forget this precious truth! The words of our God are not empty. They are our very life. Let them dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16). They are good and true and fully able to sustain us through these troubling times. All we need, we find in Him (Col 3:11).

May God continue to stoke the fire that is burning in your hearts. May He draw you daily into the feast of His Word. May He deploy you across the city and to the ends of the earth, in service to His Kingdom. May He sustain all of us, as we long for our heavenly home. May His name be praised and His Word be proclaimed rightly in this city until He returns.

I will miss your fellowship profoundly and will remember you often in my prayers. What a joy it will be to worship one day together in glory! Lord Jesus, hasten the day.

With deepest love and gratitude,

Natalie Herr

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Natalie Herr is the founder of Dayton Women in the Word. She is a servant of God, a wife, a mom of four and a God-sized dreamer. She loves teaching and equipping women with God's Word.

Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash

Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and coming in from the time forth and forevermore.

I was convinced this was all a bunch of hullabaloo. It’s linked to the election. It’s like the flu. Everyone needs to chill out.

And then a very intimate writing retreat I was chosen for was cancelled, and all I saw was red.

With each cancelled event, I got angrier and more agitated.

One day, in an attempt to calm myself down, I took a bath and came across a video of a neighborhood in Italy. Men, women, and children all coming out to their balconies as the sun descended to her rest, and they sang together - building community in the midst of isolation.

I felt a small nudge - it started in my ribcage and worked its way up my throat, and eventually I was weeping as I watched Italians make the most of a horrific situation.

People were dying around the world, and I was an angsty teenager moping about a couple missed concerts.

Ah, there’s your privilege, my conscience whispered to me. It’s showing again, and it’s ugly.

Since that day, I’ve recounted all the ways I am privileged - and ungrateful. My greatest grievances were a postponed writing workshop and two rescheduled concerts - oh, and I could no longer get food and eat it outside of my home.

Ah, there’s your privilege, my conscience whispered to me. It’s showing again, and it’s ugly.

Grandparents are being called Home, globally, and countries with little to zero infrastructure are being infected by this disease, and I was pouting about my social life being slightly altered.

Friends of mine have become unemployed in the midst of our country trying to buckle down and prevent more damage, yet I sit in the comfort of my home and continue to work 40 hours a week. And yet, I was put off by closed nail salons.

The singing Italians shifted my entire perspective and begged an unsettling question - just when did I allow my privilege to overcome my heart, and what I know to be true about the world?

We live in a country who will readily refill shelves, whose medical supplies will likely be replenished or donated, and we are led by a government who, for the most part, cares about its people and makes decisions to reflect that compassion.

We are citizens of a country who provide unemployment when jobs cannot be worked, with bosses and directors who ensure working remotely is an option, if feasible, and many landlords, utility companies, and loan departments are offering grace and forbearance where it’s needed.

I do not wonder where my food will come from, or if it will come at all. I rest well at night knowing my lights and heat will remain running, even as I sleep. I know my job is secure and will continue to be, no matter the length of this quarantine.

My life is riddled with privilege. 

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In Psalm 121:5, it says, “The Lord is my keeper. . .” In Hebrew, the word for Keeper is Shamar, which is translated as to keep or preserve. 

He will not remove a job without providing.

He will not empty a shelf without providing.

He will keep economies moving and families growing and science flourishing - He will preserve us.

But what happens when it seems like He doesn’t provide? I’ve been on the other end, when I’ve been waiting for His provision. Sometimes preservation does not look like what we expect to look like, or what we want it to look like. But we know God’s character. He preserves us always by bringing us near to Him, whether in life or in death.

He keeps us, He preserves us, He reminds us of just what we truly have and should be thankful for…

You might disagree with me, but I don’t think COVID-19 is God’s design. I think it is the result of a broken world, and as populations are hit by this virus and His kids are affected by it in its various forms, He weeps alongside us.

I also think He sings loudly with the Italians, and rocks slowly with the new mom in the hospital cradling her newborn. I think He crunches numbers next to the dad whose work is not culturally deemed “essential,” and brushes His hand across the primary colored graduation gown the high school senior wonders if she’ll get to wear. He plants and harvests fields with the hardworking farmer, and delivers food, toiletries, and other essentials with the overworked truck driver.

He soothes the woman who frets from home, wondering how long this will last and if her mental illness can handle it. He cooks mac-n-cheese beside the babysitter who provides care tirelessly so essential workers can continue to show up. He resuscitates and administers meds and responds first alongside the nurses, the doctors, the firefighters and EMTs.

When shamar is used, when the Lord says He will preserve, we are literally being told - I won’t allow anything to crush you. 

To my privilege, He says - I won’t allow it to crush you.

To our worry, He responds - I won’t allow it to crush you.

To the panic, He whispers - I won’t allow it to crush you.

The one thing I want to walk away with, and never lose my grip on again, is that He keeps us, He preserves us, He reminds us of just what we truly have and should be thankful for, and He’s got it all in His hands. 

Hallelujah.

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Steph Duff wants to live in a world where every human, whether small or regular-sized, learns to use their voice and is seen and known. When she's not traveling and story telling with Back2Back Ministries, you'll likely find her drinking excessive cups of coffee, with her nose in a book, or daydreaming about India. Her favorite scripture is Habakkuk 1:5, and she prays for a world in which Jesus is the name on every lip. Learn a little more about her love for semi-colons, what stirs her blood, and the yearnings of her heart over at www.stephaniduff.wordpress.com.



Below, Steph shares what she learns from the book of Joel. Don’t miss out on digging deeper into this book at our conference. Registration is still open!

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25

Three years ago, I lived in Hyderabad, India for a work assignment. While the children were at school, I wasn’t always able to fill the days with constant work. I decided I would flip through my Bible over the course of my stay and write down every “I will” statement the Lord made. 

There are a lot of them. As I wrote them down, uncovering true diamonds of God’s character, I felt pulled closer to the heart of He who I’d been following for so long. 

I will not leave you or forsake you. (Joshua 1:5)

I will make for you a great name. . . (2 Samuel 7:9)

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you. . . (Isaiah 41:10)

I will let you hear my words. (Jeremiah 18:2)

I will rescue my flock. . . (Ezekial 34:22)

I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people. . . (Hosea 2:23)

I will restore. . . (Joel 2:25)

I think 2:25 is my favorite verse in Joel - “I will restore to you the years . . . which I sent among you.” God is not ignoring the fact that He is all-powerful and, had He wanted to, could’ve stopped the swarm of locusts. He’s an honest guy -  He’s owning His part in the sending. I think the most powerful part of this verse is in the beginning - “I will restore to you the years . . .” 

In Joel, it’s the years overtaken by the locusts. Maybe in your story, it’s the years cancer took your energy, health, and time. Perhaps, it’s the years babies were removed from your womb or your arms. For my ongoing story, it is the years of darkness and depleted energy that chronic anxiety and depression take from me.

But He will restore them all, will He not?

He may allow hurt and pain, confusion and miscommunication, but He wastes nothing.

He will restore the time, energy, crops, happiness that has been lost in seasons of darkness or despair.

I am no Bible expert, but I believe the book of Joel reveals the character of God in mighty ways, which ultimately means two things - God’s justice prevails, always. And His restoration is radical. He sent the locusts in judgement, but not all hurts of this world are for the same reasons. He wastes no moment, no hurt, no hiccup, no moment of sorrow in the stories of His kids. He wastes nothing, He restores everything. And He will always do what He says He will, hallelujah.

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Steph Duff wants to live in a world where every human, whether small or regular-sized, learns to use their voice and is seen and known. When she's not traveling and story telling with Back2Back Ministries, you'll likely find her drinking excessive cups of coffee, with her nose in a book, or daydreaming about India. Her favorite scripture is Habakkuk 1:5, and she prays for a world in which Jesus is the name on every lip. Learn a little more about her love for semi-colons, what stirs her blood, and the yearnings of her heart over at www.stephaniduff.wordpress.com.

Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash

In the middle of Joel, there is a call to return to God in repentance. This is the turning point of the book. In the beginning of the book, the prophet describes the desperate state of God’s people who are keenly feeling God’s judgment through a locust plague. Then Joel warns about both a present and a future judgment day of the Lord. Then, Joel changes his tone, and calls them to action.

In the ESV, Joel 2:12-14 says:

“‘Yet even now’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” 

Comparing translations is one of the tools we use when we want to get a deeper understanding of God’s Word. As I’ve been digging deeper into the book of Joel in preparation for our spring conference, “Yet Even Now,” I’ve used this tool to understand one of the main passages: Joel 2:12-14.The AMP (Amplified Bible) always gets my attention:

When I look at this verse, I am reminded of three things: God always cares about the state of our hearts, our relationship with God is our highest priority, and genuine repentance leads to worship.

“‘Even now,’ says the LORD, ‘Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]; Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.’ Now return [in repentance] to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].”

When I look at this verse, I am reminded of three things: God always cares about the state of our hearts, our relationship with God is our highest priority, and genuine repentance leads to worship.

First, God addresses the heart. The Lord always cares about our genuine heart state. He doesn’t want lip service. He doesn’t tolerate hypocrisy. He wants authentic, humble repentance. Then what is going on within us will ultimately show on the outside of us. In order for change to be genuine, it can only go one direction. It cannot start on the outside and work its way in. This is not a “fake it til you make it” situation. Repentance has to start with a full on change within our hearts, and it involves our whole hearts. 

When we see the true state of our hearts as being so opposite of our God, we will see the grievous nature of it, and the need for God to do a great work in our hearts.

Secondly, God cares about our relationship to Him. The outward signs of repentance have a purpose in restoring relationship and removing barriers to that relationship. This relationship demands highest prioritization from our lives, and fasting, weeping, and mourning will cause us to once again position us to humbly depend on our Abba Father in everything. When we see the true state of our hearts as being so opposite of our God, we will see the grievous nature of it, and the need for God to do a great work in our hearts. We will no longer depend on other things, other people, or other identities to give us what only God can.

Lastly, God will restore our hearts and our relationship because it is who He is, and because it gives Him glory. When we genuinely repent, God can show off in and through our lives. Only God can be perfectly loving, patient, faithful, forgiving, and the list goes on and on! God uses our repentant hearts to show us Himself and the reality of the true gift of who He is! When we repent, we sometimes believe that continually looking at our own sin with shame is the right next step, but truly, worshipping God is the outcome of true repentance. We grieve in conviction, yes, but we do not stay there. We weep, we mourn, we fast, and then we look to Jesus.

The end of this passage states that God relents over disaster when His people repent. Yet, verse 14 introduces a question:

“Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], and leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the Lord your God?”

So, does God relent or not? The answer is both! This question is answered in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God, in His perfect justice, did not relent His sentence. For sin separates us from God, and the only way to be right with Him again is for that price to be paid. Jesus paid that price, and so our own sentence has been pardoned. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, our fasting and mourning turns to blessing and feasting in the right relationship with God the Father. All barriers have been removed between us and the Father, and the Holy Spirit continues to convict us when we live now out of our old sinful identity, instead of our new creation, new identity that Christ has achieved in our lives. 

So, where is your heart, really? And has something come between the sweet fellowship you have with the Father? And does your repentance cause you to worship? Do you see the reality of your sin, and the gift of God’s relenting through Jesus paying the price? Take some time to assess the state of your heart, mourn your sin and the separation this sin creates, and genuinely repent. Take the steps to allow the change in your heart to interrupt and alter the outward life you live. But don’t miss the last part. Worship God! For this process will undoubtedly reveal to you the beauty of who He is and you won’t be able to keep that to yourself.

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Jillian Vincent loves Jesus. She's a wife, a mother of boys, and a Dayton enthusiast. Jillian currently is a stay at home mama and spends nap times writing and discipling other women. She would (almost) die for an avocado, a cup of coffee made by her husband, a novel that makes her cry, and a bouquet of sunflowers.

We recently kicked off our eighth season of the podcast with a series entitled Breaking Barriers. In it, we are exploring various barriers which  keep us from growing in our relationship with the Lord. Today, we wanted to highlight a team journal by Kaitlyn Carl. She wrote on March 3, 2017 how grief was a barrier she worked through in her walk with the Lord. Be encouraged as we revisit how He moved Kaitlyn from a season of pruning.

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For the things that are seen are transient

Photo by Natalie Grainger on Unsplash

“SO WE DO NOT LOSE HEART. THOUGH OUR OUTER SELF IS WASTING AWAY,OUR INNER SELF IS BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY. FOR THIS LIGHT MOMENTARY AFFLICTION IS PREPARING FOR US AN ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY BEYOND ALL COMPARISON,AS WE LOOK NOT TO THE THINGS THAT ARE SEEN BUT TO THE THINGS THAT ARE UNSEEN.FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE SEEN ARE TRANSIENT, BUT THE THINGS THAT ARE UNSEEN ARE ETERNAL.” 

- II CORINTHIANS 4:16-18

I experienced a season of pruning in 2016. We suffered a horrific miscarriage only a couple of weeks before we moved into our new home. Not only did we have to say goodbye to that sweet baby long before we were ready, but I also had to be stripped of my “I can do everything by myself, no help needed here, thank you very much” mentality. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t pray. I’ve never been a “couldn’t” person. But the whole house still needed to be packed into boxes, clothes still needed to be washed, and I already had two beautiful daughters who needed me to care for them. And in my “couldn’t,” God provided an abundance of “coulds”. Meal makers, packers, babysitters, house cleaners, prayer warriors, a Great Intercessor (Romans 8:26-27), and so much more. I experienced abundant love and sacrificial service from those around me and was utterly blessed, even in my grief and pain.

One month after we moved into our new home, my husband’s grandmother came to live with us. We had a joyous time with Nanny. The girls adored her, and she adored them. I loved having an adult to converse with throughout the day, and she even helped clear the table and clean the dishes after dinner! Joyous as it was, it didn’t come without pruning. When you’re 86, life moves at a much slower pace, and the Lord graciously used Nanny to s-l-o-w me down from my ever-hurried pace. Through her, the Lord helped me see  the world wasn’t going to end if I wasn’t constantly moving 100 miles a minute; in fact, my marriage, parenting, prayer life, Bible study – almost all aspects of my life – have benefited greatly from this lesson! Not quite two months after she moved in, while the whole family was over on Christmas Eve, Nanny collapsed, and passed in the hospital six days later. Again, we were sent reeling. Again, only three months after our miscarriage, the sympathy cards came rolling in, and with them, new waves of grief over the loss of our baby and over the loss of Nanny. We felt as if the crying had never stopped and were left wondering,  why, God, why? 

We thank God for the days we have, even the hard ones. … And all the while, we look forward to the promised land: the New Heaven, Earth, and Jerusalem. 

We may do this, because we know the end of the story, dear friends.

This world is not our home, dear sisters (Hebrews 13:14), and the evidence is all around us: pain, suffering, injustice, betrayal, sickness, death. We are sojourners and exiles here (I Peter 2:11): in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-18). Praise God! He has chosen a people for Himself and is bringing them home, to the place  He has prepared for them (I Peter 2:9, John 14:1-3). But until then, we are here. We’re in the final chapters of the Story, yes – Christ has come, and He has died, and He has risen and ascended into heaven, and through Him we have forgiveness of sins and life eternal, hallelujah! But we’re still here. We’re not home yet.

We had so many plans for that little baby. We had so many hopes for the years that we envisioned Nanny would live with us. "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:14). God is pruning and burning away in His refining fire the white-knuckled grip with which I hold on to so many things in this life. He is slowly helping me to see what it looks like to loosen my grip on the things in this world because I’m just passing through. And I’m not saying we should stop caring about the people around us or to walk glibly through life with no attachments to anyone or anything. In fact, God tells the Israelites living in exile in Babylon to "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters…multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:5-7). We do all these things with this end in mind: I will bring your back to the place from which I sent you into exile (Jeremiah 29:14).

It’s about maintaining an eternal perspective, "for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18). We live hard, love hard, cry hard, play hard, pray hard while we’re here, because we don’t know how long our life is, nor the lives of those around us. We thank God for the days we have, even the hard ones. We treasure our loved ones while remembering  they are ultimately His. And all the while, we look forward to the promised land: the New Heaven, Earth, and Jerusalem (Revelation 21). We may do this, because we know the end of the story, dear friends. We know  we will not always be sojourners here in this foreign land. We know where our true home is: a place where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, death shall be no more, and there will be no mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). Praise the Lord!

As our ministry has grown in the three years since DiscipleHER, we’ve become more and more convinced our purpose is simple, but narrow: to help women to read their Bibles.

In less than two months, our ministry team will be hosting its second conference, Yet Even Now: A Weekend In Joel. When God asked us to put on our first conference back in 2017 (DiscipleHER), we were answering a call to focus on the specific topic of discipleship. God had given us the topic first, and a conference seemed the best way to tackle it. This time around, we knew that God was calling us to put on another weekend event, but our direction for the content wasn’t certain.

As our ministry has grown in the three years since DiscipleHER, we’ve become more and more convinced our purpose is simple, but narrow: to help women to read their Bibles. This is the mission that guides all of the decisions we make as a team. Though we weren’t yet sure of our focus, we felt a conviction to choose a specific portion of Scripture to study instead of a Biblical theme. We agreed this direction would make the most of our time together and serve the mission to the highest degree. We spent quite a bit of time praying and processing the decision, and eventually chose the book of Joel.

I kept coming back to Joel. There was something about the book that seemed especially relevant to our community here in Dayton.

Our first thought for the conference was to choose a passage where Scripture talks about Scripture. (It doesn’t get much more Scripture-saturated than that, we thought.) We threw around the idea of using Psalm 19 or 119, but it didn’t seem like the best fit for the time allotted. So we extended our search. For the sake of time, we looked at books of the Bible that would be small enough to tackle in a weekend. We ended up looking to the Minor Prophets and some of the shorter epistles.

As I was doing my own personal prayer and study over our plans, I kept coming back to Joel. There was something about the book that seemed especially relevant to our community here in Dayton. The verses that stuck out to me in a big way were Joel 2:25-27:

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
My great army, which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.”

As I read over these verses, I thought about our Dayton community. In the last year especially, we have experienced loss, destruction, pain, and grief. We’ve walked together through trials, lonely seasons, struggles, and questions. We’ve felt some of the same emptiness that these Israelites likely felt after the locust plague destroyed everything they had. So the promise of restoration Joel shares felt like it could be a real balm to our aching hearts. I felt the sense that this message of hope and restoration would be relevant to women in a variety of circumstances and seasons.

And so I put forth Joel as an option for our conference book. Along with it, we considered Amos and 2 Timothy (and ultimately chose 2 Timothy as our Summer Study book!) The team agreed that the themes found in Joel were timely and relevant. We acknowledged together Joel would not only provide us some hope, but also challenge us to press into some difficult themes like God’s judgment and the Day of the Lord. 

God’s call to His people in Joel is not revolutionary or new. It’s the same call He has given throughout the generations:

“Return to the LORD your God, 

For he is gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love;

And he relents over disaster.” Joel 2:13

We hope you’ll consider joining us as we answer that call together this March. 

For registration information, click over to our conference page.

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Natalie Herr is the founder of Dayton Women in the Word. She is a servant of God, a wife, a mom of four and a God-sized dreamer. She loves teaching and equipping women with God's Word.

The past decade has been a journey of learning how to increase my time and desire in the Bible.

It’s almost impossible to start off a new year without reflecting on the past. Kicking off 2020 was a big one as folks started recalling not just their past year, but their entire decade! All those Instagram posts I saw prompted me to think about my last ten years. While there were many significant life moments, what struck me was the realization that the past decade has been a journey of learning how to increase my time and desire in the Bible.

For me, a barrier of getting into the Word was quite simply because I didn’t know HOW.

I know I can’t be the only one that would start every January 1 with the goal to read my Bible more. Yet no matter what kind of resolution or goal I made, the year would end with me not feeling like I had grown. For me, a barrier of getting into the Word was quite simply because I didn’t know HOW. Every time I opened up my Bible I felt like I was searching for clues for a hidden message God had for me. Unless I was in a Bible Study with clear fill-in-the-blanks to guide me through the passage I was reading, I really struggled with reading anything on my own.

About five years ago I read Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word book. And after that I found other women hungry for change. We were tired of sharing, “I should read my Bible more,” without making the changes to do it. We wanted to know God and build that relationship with Him. It was around this time that Dayton Women in the Word also started. God wasn’t just stirring this in my heart; He was stirring it in women all across the Dayton region! Slowly but surely, things began to shift in how I read my Bible.

I began praying for a desire to open my Bible. I prayed God would open my eyes to what He has to say in His Word. I’m excited to say that I can see how God answered these prayers slowly but surely. I have actually started to read my Bible regularly and fall in love with the Word. I can see growth in my relationship with God and knowledge of the Word. Don’t get me wrong. This has taken time and I still have room for improvement (we always do!), but God has truly been faithful in answering my prayers. 

If we are steadfast in asking the Lord for help and drawing near to Him, He will help us understand His Word!

So what did I find as I began my journey of opening my Bible more? I learned that the Bible wasn’t about me. I wasn’t finding the “clues” for what God was trying to tell me because it wasn’t about me at all. We don’t need anything special to make the Bible come alive. It already is alive, as it says in Hebrews 4:12. If we are steadfast in asking the Lord for help and drawing near to Him, He will help us understand His Word! This made me excited for the revelations He had for me. 

Next, if you’ve been in a DWITW Summer Study, or been around our blog or social media long enough, you have surely come across the tools we suggest when reading your Bible. These were the tools I found that gave me that ability to be able to truly study the Bible all myself. (Even *gasp* Old Testament books.) It really can feel like a foreign language, but it doesn’t have to if you have some ways to help you get started… like simply looking up the historical context or using your dictionary to help.

Now, as I start 2020, my prayer is that my hunger for the Word continues to grow for the next ten years and I overcome the new barriers that get in the way. As much as I want to open up the Bible, there’s the typical challenges that come with being a full time mom. And yes, I still am guilty of sometimes binge watching Netflix more than opening my Bible. The good news is that God wants to come alongside us and help us mature in our time in Scripture. He knows our struggles and has given us the Holy Spirit to help. Not only that, He has provided me accountability within studies like Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), DWITW summer studies, and great friendships to allow me to keep me diving deeper in seasons when it can be harder. 

Are there barriers that keep you from getting into the Word? We’ve found there’s a lot of things that can keep us from reading the Bible. In our upcoming podcast season, we’ll be digging deeper into what keeps us from opening up our Bibles. We invite you to join us this season as we pray for trust that God is greater than our barriers. He wants to bring us closer to Him through His Word. My last decade is a testament to this. 

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Jen Ward is the Written Content Contributor for DWITW. Jen wants to live in a world where chocolate croissants grow on trees, all babies automatically sleep through the night, and every woman feels empowered to study Scripture on her own.  Connect with Jen via Instagram @JenieAnn.

Dear friends of DWITW,

It’s been another year of rich blessing. In a lot of ways for us at DWITW, that feels like business as usual! God is always showing up, always providing, always with us in this work, but we never want to take that for granted or forget it. God has been good, and we make it our aim to recount His goodness regularly. So here, at year’s end, we’ll repeat the practice.

The lyrics of Bethel Music’s ‘Goodness of God’ are ringing in my heart and mind as I write these words to you:

“All my life you have been faithful
All my life you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God”

Here are some ways God has shown His goodness and faithfulness to us this year:

• God made a way for the DWITW team to re-write, film, edit, and launch our At Home in the Word video series and accompanying practice PDFs. This was a project we labored over for several years and were overjoyed (still are!) that it’s out in the world for all to use. (Special thanks to Laura Walters, Molly Bellanco and Kristen Whitt for their help on this one!)

• God provided our team a stable office space at Keystone Church for much of this year. It was extremely helpful to have a home base, especially during the wild and wonderful months of summer study!

• God brought more women and children than ever before to our 5th annual summer study through Mark. He gave us an amazing set of teachers, a reliable team of volunteers, and a gracious host church (Keystone) for both sessions. We also saw several satellite groups start up in homes around the city (see Caitlin’s story.)

• God allowed us to celebrate five years of His faithfulness with a worship night at FCF at the close of summer study. What a joy it was to say thank you to God for the last five years and to remember (much like we are doing now!) how much He’s done. Women all over Dayton have been revived and made alive by His Word. We couldn’t help but sing.

• God provided all the finances we needed (and more!) as is His custom! He did that through many of you, who gave sacrificially to see this ministry of the Word thrive and reach more women in 2019. Thank you to all of you who graciously partner with us financially! It spurs us on to stay faithful in the work.

• God gave us encouragement through the writers of our DWITW Blog. We got the privilege of reading and learning from our sisters through Team Journals, the Nameless series, and several submissions from women in our network.

• God brought two more seasons of the DWITW Podcast to the airwaves - the At Home in the Word series on Biblical Genres and Good News, our series on sharing the gospel. We were encouraged by hearing more stories of how women in our city follow Jesus. We continued to focus on diversifying our guest list to represent a fuller picture of the women of Dayton.

• God refocused and reenergized our efforts at Teaching Collective! We switched our format to include more equipping and more personal engagement. God’s been regularly calling up this group of gals to teach about Him and proclaim His name boldly. They are being deployed for the gospel! It’s been a joy to watch them grow into their gifts and face their insecurities in a safe space.

• God provided us not one, but two conference co-directors! Our directors felt led toward hosting a conference, but no one was able to take on the task. We prayed for God to bring us a gal with experience who could take it on. We got more than we could have asked or imagined in Melanie Newhouse and Kacey Dixon, and we started the initial work planning Yet Even Now: A Weekend in Joel. God also answered our prayers for a conference venue and teachers for the main sessions in beautiful ways that showed off His kindness toward us.

• God was exceedingly generous to us by filling up our DWITW team for 2020. We’ve been praying over this transition in particular for not just months, but years, as 2020 marks a year of big changes for us as I transition out of my role as Team Lead. I couldn’t be happier with the women He’s brought to the team for next year and my heart swells with gratefulness thinking of God’s care for us and for His Word ministry in Dayton.

• Lastly, God brought us through many difficult personal challenges this year. Our DWITW family walked through some painful seasons together and continue in them, even now. God has sustained our team and strengthened us in faith in 2019, and given us a fresh longing for His return.

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“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come,
I will remind them of your righteousness alone.” Psalm 71:14-16

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On a more personal note, the end of this year has been quite tender and sentimental for me. As many of you know, I am transitioning out of the Team Lead position and preparing to leave Dayton in June as our family relocates with the Air Force. Know it has been a joy to lead and serve you these past five years. There isn’t enough space on this blog to tell you all the ways I’ve seen God revitalize our city by His grace.

Dayton has been a place that others have looked down on, forgotten, or made assumptions about. As it was said about Nazareth (John 1:46), it has been said about Dayton: “What good can come from it?” But we know better. We know all about the restoration, and redemption, and renewal God has brought, and continues to bring, to our city. God has not forgotten Dayton, Ohio, and this ministry is just one little proof! We see proof every time you share your excitement about something you read in the Word. We see it as we watch you use your influence for the gospel. We see it when you teach the kids class at your church, or host the teen Bible study, or give a talk at Collective, or share what you’ve been learning on Instagram.

Evidences of grace and growth are all around, my friends.

Let’s remember what we’ve seen in 2019, express our thanks to God, and believe for more in 2020 and the years to come.

Our great God has come near! Let’s spend our whole lives pursuing Him and sharing Him with others.

Unlike the other ladies in our nameless series, our lady in focus today is actually named!  I wanted to include her in the series, because I’d never heard her name until we went through Joshua during the very first summer study*. I’m writing about her here in the hopes she will no longer be nameless to you, as she is no longer to me.

Achsah is the only daughter of Caleb, one of the two spies who had faith in God and advocated for the Israelites to go into the promised land, despite the intimidating adversaries who occupied it. I’d encourage you to read the story in Numbers 12-13. Caleb was known as a man wholly devoted to God, so much so, that God gave him a special inheritance, which included part of the tribe of Judah’s lands (Joshua 14:6-15.) In Joshua 15:13-19, we come to the story of Achsah. Caleb promises her in marriage to whoever conquered the inhabitants of a place in the region named Kirath-sepher, also known as Debir. Othniel emerges victorious and wins the hand of Achsah. 

It might be tempting to think Achsah did not have a voice in this, if not for the following sentences. Let’s go slow motion through the next several verses. Scripture says she urged Othniel, her new husband, for a field from her father. (v18)

Then things get real. She gets off her donkey.

This gets the attention of Caleb who asks “What do you want?”

She replies “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.”

We don’t know if there was any more to their exchange. If there was, Scripture doesn’t record it, but we do know the outcome. In verse 19, Joshua writes Caleb “gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.” 

As I’m reading this in my house, I can walk about 20 paces to get to water. We have it so easy. Water in Achsah’s time, in a purely agricultural society without the technology we have today to transport water, is vital. These springs are not just a hot commodity; they were life. They would irrigate her field. They would feed her family. Caleb did not hold back. He gave her not one, but two of these springs! The gift Achsah’s father gave her was life, and life abundantly.

Sound familiar? 

Jesus said this in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Now, some who have written on Achsah say she was a discontent daughter who just wouldn’t leave well enough alone. They say she was greedy. She not only got a gallant husband, but a field, and not one, but two springs! Never satisfied. 

When we receive this water and own our identity as a daughter of the most worthy and good Father, we will have the confidence to come before Him to ask for everything we need.

I may be wrong here, but I beg to differ on this interpretation. It isn’t a far leap to put ourselves in the position of Achsah, because in Christ, our stories are the same! I am Achsah, and so are you! We are the daughters of a good (the best!) and devoted Father. He is worthy of our trust, and He has our good and His glory in mind. He has given us an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5)  and He has made us His children and fellow co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17.) He tells us to ask Him for what we need, as He is a father who gives good gifts (Matthew 7:7-12.)

And the good gift we receive from our Father is a spring of abundant and eternal life. To another nameless woman of the Bible, Jesus says “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

When we receive this water and own our identity as a daughter of the most worthy and good Father, we will have the confidence to come before Him to ask for everything we need. We won’t be shy. We will get off our own donkeys and approach Him. We will draw near to ask and receive everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3.)

Is it hard for you to ask God for His springs? Perhaps you see Him as stingy. Or maybe you are holding back because you have not yet fully comprehended His love for you, that overcame death to bring you life. 

As we like to say here at Dayton Women in the Word, Jesus is the true and better. He is the true and better Caleb. He is offering us His grace, His life. So now we draw near with confidence of His goodness and provision as Achsah did her father.

I invite you to stop, get off your own donkey, ask boldly, and receive. Isn’t it ironic that in our own English language, Achsah sounds kind of like “ask?” I hope this helps you remember her story, and encourage you that with a simple ask, it can become your own. 

*Listen to the lecture from week 8 of the DWITW Joshua summer study to learn more about Achsah.

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Jillian Vincent loves Jesus. She's a wife, a mother of boys, and a Dayton enthusiast. Jillian currently is a stay at home mama and spends nap times writing and discipling other women. She would (almost) die for an avocado, a cup of coffee made by her husband, a novel that makes her cry, and a bouquet of sunflowers.