How to read the bible without getting bored or feeling like it is an obligation.
This will take several posts.
There are huge problems with reading the bible. First, it is 2000 plus years old. Second, it is written by many different authors who used different styles. Third, much of the bible deals with difficult religious issues and concepts, much of it abstract.
This last point is an important one, since the teen age mind is not capable of dealing with multiple abstractions at the same time or dealing with systems of abstracts. Christianity is an abstract system.
Your brain is developing. At your age, you can handle single abstractions well enough. For example, God is love. But it will be harder for you to understand that God is love, and he is just. The good news is that your brain is developing! Although things may be confusing now, it will get better. I can already see this in your brother, Noel. He is asking different questions now than he did several years ago.
To start off. Try getting a easy translation to read. Have you seen the Message bible? or the Living Bible? They are both modern day paraphrases that will read easier.
More later.
4 comments:
Probably NIV, a good translation, but still will be more difficult to read than the Message.
I would get a copy of the Message. You can borrow my new testament copy if you need to.
Just a review.
You are slowly building a spiritual workout routine so that you can get into shape.
So far, you are working to increase you knowledge of God and his ways through reading your bible and reading other Christian writers.
Now you have added a short meditation to exercise your heart. You might consider doing this first, then set your timer for another 10 minutes to do your bible/Christian book reading. After you have shoved back the "wild animals" is probably the best time to read.
Your routine is not yet complete. We need to refine and add some exercises in each of these areas. And then there is still one more huge area that you may not be doing any workout in that we will need to add.
But you are on the right track! Don't get in a big hurry. Let's take it one step at a time. Keep up what you are doing, but just remember: None of this is required and do not have an obligation to any of it. So you do not need to be obsessive compulsive about any of it. Just try and do it "semi-regular" like Jesus did. You do have to make an effort, but you will never "earn" anything. Grace is opposed to earning, but not to effort. You have been invited on a journey to the mountain. It is hard to get started and to keep moving, but with each step it gets easier and more beautiful (metaphor alert!).
Pressure is the exact opposite of what you are shooting for.
The timer just gives me a little structure to what is otherwise an open-ended time. I own the timer, it does not own me. It works for me, but may not for others. No biggie.
I like using one as it frees me up to not worry about "How long has it been? Wonder if I should stop now?"
In my typical MUG time, I set the timer for 20 minutes for my contemplative time. I try to do it for at least that much time. Without the timer, I likely would stop sooner. But I have learned that the second 10 minutes is better than the first 10 minutes. Sometimes I continue past the time, but most of the time not. I then set it for 10 minutes and do some bible reading. Many times I hit it again for another 10 minutes if things are going good, but most of the time not.
This works for me. You need to settle in to what works for you. It may be more or less than what I do.
The best thing to do is to try something and then make adjustments as you go.
Don't get into a hurry! You have a lot to think about. We will get to the other thing soon enough.
[you like the suspense, don't you!]
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