Beyond Bible Study: Discover Identity Club & Start a Group
Looking for Something That Goes Beyond Bible Study?
What if Bible study wasn't just about learning the words God spoke thousands of years ago, but hearing what God has to say specifically to you, today?
I love discovering new things about God. I love those moments when something I've read a hundred times suddenly makes sense in a way it never did before.
But I've come to believe something important.
Knowledge alone doesn't change your life. What you do with that knowledge does.
You can spend years reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture, attending church, and discussing God's promises. But what happens when it's time to actually live what you've learned?
What happens when forgiveness is no longer just a Bible verse, but forgiving someone who knowingly did something evil to you?
When loving your neighbor requires giving up your hard-earned free time?
When trusting God means walking into something you're absolutely terrified of?
That's where things get interesting.
What If Bible Study Went Beyond the Bible?
Traditional Bible studies have an important place. They help people understand Scripture, develop their faith, and build relationships.
But I wanted to create something that went deeper.
I wanted a group experience that embraced the wisdom of the Bible but didn't simply accept everything we'd been taught to believe about it.
I wanted to look beyond familiar interpretations, explore what we might be missing, and ask the questions we've been afraid to ask.
What does science tell us? What can psychology teach us? What can we learn from people's real-life experiences? What do ancient scriptures and writings left out of the Bible reveal? What do different cultures believe, and how do they experience God?
And how does all of this compare to my own personal experiences of God's character?
But discovering the answers is only half the journey.
What are we going to DO with everything we've learned?
That's where Identity Club goes beyond the typical Bible study guide.
From Darkness to Discovery
My journey to creating Identity Club began at the worst moment of my life.
In April of 2023, my husband sat me down at our kitchen table and spoke 18 words that would change my life forever.
“I have a sex addiction, and I have never been faithful to you since the moment we met.”
His confession stripped me to my core. My life began unraveling at a rapid pace.
If the person I loved and trusted most could deceive me so completely, what else was a lie?
And what in the hell had I been working so hard to build if it could all just crumble anyway?
I had spent my life doing everything I thought I was supposed to do. Being a great wife, a great mom, building a beautiful home, a successful career, and financial security. Giving back to my community, serving others, and doing all the things I believed a good Christian woman should do.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure what was real anymore.
I had a thousand questions and absolutely no answers. I didn't know who I was, what to believe, or where to go from here.
So I did the only thing I knew to do.
I cried out to God.
And He answered.
What followed was an extraordinary journey in which God became my mentor, teaching me 21 lessons about our true identity, who we were created to be.
Those lessons eventually became My Identity Journal: A Guided Journal to Rediscover Who God Created You to Be.
I wrote about the painful experiences, the awkward questions I asked God, and the answers He showed me. I held nothing back. I left it all on the paper.
But along the way, something else became clear.
We aren't meant to figure everything out alone.
We were created as one body, with each person playing an important part in the whole. You don't have all the answers, and you weren't given all the gifts.
When we come together, we bring different gifts, experiences, strengths, and perspectives. What one person lacks, another has. Together, we become capable of accomplishing things we could never do alone.
Other people recognize gifts in us that we haven't discovered in ourselves. They can help us identify harmful patterns, challenge the lies we've believed about ourselves, and remind us of who we really are.
And when life beats us down, they can lift us up until we're strong enough to stand on our own.
But here's the beautiful part. You have something they need, too.
That's what it means to be one body. We weren't created to do everything. We were created to do our part, together.
That realization became the foundation of Identity Club.
You Can't Heal What You Keep Hidden
Identity Club isn't about bringing your "best" self. It's about bringing your true self.
How can you ever address the broken and abused parts of yourself if you never acknowledge them? How do you grow into your God-given identity if the person who shows up is always wearing a mask?
Identity Club is built around three guiding principles:
Always Show Up. Never Judge. Protect Everyone's Heart.
These principles create a place where people can ask difficult questions, share personal experiences, challenge limiting beliefs, and speak divine wisdom into each other's lives.
Through group discussions and shared activities, participants learn to recognize one another's strengths, discover their individual gifts, build relationships that last a lifetime, and find their true purpose.
Because discovering who God created you to be is only the beginning. Imagine what becomes possible when we bring all those gifts together.
How Do You Start an Identity Club?
To lead an Identity Club, you don't have to be a pastor, professional teacher, or experienced Bible study leader. You just need a willingness to bring people together.
Getting started is easy.
Step 1: Purchase Your Identity Club Leader's Guide
Start by purchasing the Identity Club Leader's Guide and reviewing the program.
The guide provides everything you need to organize and lead your group, including:
Complete lesson plans with biblical teachings and supporting research.
Discussion questions to guide meaningful group conversations.
Step-by-step meeting instructions to help you organize and lead each session.
Scheduled group activations that turn lessons into real-world experiences, including activities that take members beyond their meetings and into their communities.
Supply checklists so you know exactly what to prepare for each meeting.
Groups are designed for approximately 12 or fewer participants, meeting every two weeks.
Step 2: Register Your Identity Club
Create and register your Identity Club on our website. Registration is free!
You don't need to have all your members before getting started.
Register your club so people in your area can find it and request to join. Or invite people you already know directly and keep your group private.
Registration also gives you access to additional resources, including downloadable materials, PowerPoint presentations, and tools to help you lead your meetings.
You'll also become part of a larger Identity Club community where leaders and members can share ideas and experiences.
Step 3: Gather Your Members
Each participant needs:
My Identity Journal for their personal lessons and guided journaling
A blank notebook
A pen or pencil
A highlighter
Some group activations require inexpensive additional supplies, which are outlined in the Leader's Guide.
Participants complete their personal lessons in My Identity Journal, then come together for group teaching, discussion, and activations.
That's it. You're ready to begin!
Your People Are Out There
Are you ready to find them?
For more than 85 years, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has investigated what makes people happy and healthy.
And one of its most important discoveries? It's not wealth, fame, or success that matters most. It's the quality of our relationships.
Think about that. After decades of studying human lives, researchers found that meaningful, loving relationships are among the strongest predictors of happiness, health, and longevity.
But what if I told you the Bible was teaching us something remarkably similar almost 2,000 years ago?
In 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, Paul tells us that we can possess extraordinary spiritual gifts, understand great mysteries, have incredible knowledge, and even have enough faith to move mountains.
But without love?
“I am nothing.” — 1 Corinthians 13:2 (WEB)
Paul tells us that knowledge, accomplishments, and even extraordinary spiritual gifts mean nothing without love.
And what makes a relationship truly meaningful if not love?
This is exactly how Identity Club works.
We begin with the wisdom found in Scripture. Then we dig deeper. We explore scientific research, neuroscience, psychology, ancient religious and spiritual writings, cultural traditions, different perspectives on God, and people's real-life experiences.
We ask questions. We challenge our long-held beliefs. We examine what we believe, why we believe it, and whether those beliefs stand up to what we're discovering. We explore where different sources agree, where they differ, and what we might have been missing.
Sometimes, what we discover brings an entirely new understanding to something we've read in the Bible a hundred times before.
But we don't stop at understanding.
We put what we've learned into action.
Because knowing that relationships matter is one thing. Building relationships where people are genuinely loved, supported, encouraged, and valued is another.
Nothing changes without action.
If you're ready to find your people, why not be the one who brings them together?
Still wondering what an Identity Club actually looks like? Take a look inside the books!
Our free book preview shows you how My Identity Journal and the Identity Club Leader's Guide work together, from your personal lessons with God to the group discussions and activities that bring those lessons to life.
And if right now you're thinking, I hear what you're saying. It makes sense. It sounds good. But the thought of putting on pants, leaving my house, and actually talking to other humans makes me quite queasy...
I have another place for you to start!
My Identity Journal was created for the journey you take alone, just you and God. You can begin discovering who God created you to be at your own pace, in your own home.
And yes, pants are optional.
Find Out Who You Are. Find Your People. Find Your Purpose. Change the World.
Comments