For any who struggle to read the Bible,
I offer these thoughts
I found along the way
Grace and peace to you…dw
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A prayer when reading scripture
May your word fall on me and cover me;May it root deeply in me and grow in me;May it fill me full and bear fruit in me,Overflowing for you. dw For context, look at the parable of the sower and it’s explanation in Luke 8:4-15. I say this prayer pretty much every time I read
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I had lost something
Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which could never be restored to
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Crucifying the truth
We are too much like Pilate. We are always asking, “What is truth?” and then crucifying the truth that stands before our eyes. — Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island, Sincerity I’m reading through Proverbs and using, for the first time, Eugene Peterson’s translation called The Message. Bible reading has been a regular
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Begin well
The Bible isn’t a novel. It’s not meant to be read from beginning to end. If you “start at the very beginning”, it probably isn’t “the very best place to start.” The Bible does have a plot, a story that develops over thousands of years. But it’s really important to know the end of the
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Continue well
Once you have finished either Mark or John (referring back to Begin well…), then read the other. Jesus did what he did because he was who he was. He was who he was because he did what he did. We need to hear from both Mark and John to come to know the person the
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Continue continuing
Once you have read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John… If you find yourself wanting to move on (maybe you’re thinking “Ok, I’ve read that bit, now let’s get to the rest of the story” or maybe you’re not) Don’t do it. Stay right here. You’ve just met the person you’ve been longing to meet your
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Give Paul a Break
You may be tempted to read the letters written by the Apostle Paul. My advice: Don’t. Not yet. Not until you’ve soaked in the Gospels for a good while. And John’s letters. And James’s letter. And Peter’s letters. And maybe a good bit of the Old Testament. Why? It’s easy to get things all turned
becoming flame 