We Saved You a Seat Bible Study begins today! This is the introduction week for online Bible study. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet our Bible Cafe™ team and start your first online Bible study. Because….we saved you a seat! If this is your first time at the Bible Cafe™, make sure you read the Getting Started page. You’ll find helpful information about joining groups, finding your books, and having conversations.

I’d like to introduce myself. I’m your Bible Cafe™ Coach and Founder of this ministry. I’m from California, married 30 years, and have two adult daughters. I also have two rescue dogs who keep life playful and fun. We live near the beach in a coastal community. My neighbors are my friends, and we enjoy swapping scones, banana bread, and storm stories. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you in this online Bible study.

We Saved You a Seat Bible Study

You’ll want the workbook from Lifeway Women for this study. We Saved You a Seat by Lisa-Jo Baker is a 6-week online study and our discussions will be centered on weekly reading assignments. I bought my book at Amazon but you can also find this at Lifeway Stores and ChristianBook.com

When you hear the word “friendship” what is the first thought that comes to your mind? I like to think of a friendship garden! My friends look different, grow differently in seasons of life, and need to be nurtured (like me). I love when we celebrate the bright days and when we pull together under the dark and cloudy days.

There are many examples in the Bible about the friends of God. I look forward to learning from this viewpoint and hope you will too.

Since we just completed a 10-week study about the Prayers and Promises Bible Study, I wanted something lighter and saw an opportunity to help us grow closer as a community. If you are a member of the Bible Cafe™ then you’ll find this study to be less “homework” each week. This is only three reading lessons per week, a topical study about friendships.

In this study, we are looking back at past friendships. We are also looking forward to modeling our friendships after Jesus. When I think of the Savior, He had 12 apostles but not all were “inner circle” friends. He had three that He was closer to…and then one who was like a brother and cared for His mom.

We will learn about discernment and decisions…who stayed with Jesus in the darkest hour. And who Jesus did NOT trust within that circle of twelve. Sound interesting???

When I spend time with friends, I enjoy drinking lattes at a cafe! That is how I founded the Bible Cafe™ in 2009…I modeled it after my conversations with friends at local coffee shops.

I prefer everyone to be a friend, even my cashier at the shopping mall or the grocery store. And so, I invite them to the local cafe. Initially,  I know their names, bring them gifts, and pray for them when they need comfort.

For me, an acquaintance is someone who has entered my friendship door and is ready to receive the hospitality of Jesus. Like Jesus, I am on a mission to make disciples. So they need to enter the door.

In this study, I want you to learn how to strengthen your friendships so they look more like Jesus and less like the world.

 As YOU study friendship you will have skills you can teach your children, nieces, nephews, or grandkids. You are learning something that can be valuable to the NEXT generation.

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Christine Abraham writes for the Bible Cafe™ community. Learn about living by the Fruit of the Spirit as you enjoy her online Bible studies. Join Christine at the Bible Cafe™ University for weekly Bible teaching.