Journalling and Bible Reading

November 18, 2020 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Journalling and Bible Reading

One thing that has revolutionised my personal Quiet Times has been journalling my Scripture reading. I regularly post these on my blog and social media with the title of “Reflection on [Bible Passage]”

Writing down my thoughts slows me down. It forces me to read the Bible passage slowly and carefully, and to think about what God has said in His word.

In addition, a framework called SOAP – Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer- helps me to listen to what God is saying to me now. This framework is a variant on the ancient practice of lectio divina.

Here is how I use journalling in my daily devotions.

Firstly it is important to settle my heart and to focus. I calm my thoughts and pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to me in the word.

Next, I read the passage, perhaps a chapter or half a chapter, to get a feel for what the passage is about. I used to let the Lectionary of the Uniting Church guide me in this, but in recent times I have been working through a book of the Bible.

Having read the passage, I look for a verse that is being highlighted by the Holy Spirit. Occasionally I will read the passage up to three times before I see the verse that is the one I need to think about.

I write the verse down under the heading “Scripture” then move on to “Observation”. Under this heading I summarise the passage so that I am understanding the verse in its context. Typically this section is about 2 to 4 paragraphs. I use a Study Bible in my devotions, so sometimes I might look at what the footnotes have to say.

Application is where I look at the Scripture verse and think about how to apply the verse. What is this verse saying to me today. How might I need to change my thinking or my actions in order to apply this verse?

Finally I pray about the verse, and anything else that God is showing me in this passage. I write down a short prayer of one or two sentences that summarises what I want to say to God about my reflection.

Our daily devotion time is meant to be rich as we encounter God in the Scriptures. Unfortunately, for many of us, it becomes a religious ritual in which we rush through a short passage, then a commentary such as Word For The Day, before a quick prayer and dashing out to work. Journalling invites us to slow down and meditate on God’s Word.

Ann Voskamp” How to Give up “Devotions” & Look God in the Eye (Or: How to Walk 130 Miles with God for Lent)

March 29, 2019 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

A very powerful message from Ann Voskamp about the power of the Bible.

When you first meet this guy named Joshua, you’d never know that he’s been in the mouth of a lion.What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

You’d never have the faintest idea that lion teeth slammed down on his waist while he was just a kid sleeping out in the wilderness with his herd of goats.

Clenched between the incisors and canine teeth of the lion, Joshua found himself dragged into the bush, braced to be ripped apart for a pulpy nocturnal feast for the beast.

And in the split second that the lion dropped the mangled boy to get a better grip, the kid’s barking dog lunged in between the lion and the boy, growling and snarling, holding the lion at bay until near-by goat herders snapped awake and dragged the barely-alive Joshua out of the lion’s deadly reach.

The boy lived to become a scarred man. What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

“Why?” I ask Joshua standing there in the wilderness, holding the reins of a camel. “Why — give your entire adult life, nearly the last three decades of your life, to translating the Bible into the language of your people?”

Joshua leans forward. “It is like giving them a weapon.” He points to a tree where women in these stacking rings of glorious, rattling beads are gathered under its branches.

“One of those women told me said “Now you have given us a weapon that we can use. Which is God’s Word. It’s like you have given us a spear that we can use to fight a spiritual warfare.”

Because you have to beat back your lion attacks, because “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Joshua holds up a Bible.How would everything in this tilting world stand stronger if the Word of God laid more open for us than closed?

“This is — powerful. The weapon is God’s Word. Now, we can be equipped. But the problem is now — we need the other bigger part of the weapon. The Old Testament. We also need the Old Testament.”

Read the rest of this article here

Reading The Bible

March 28, 2018 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

bible-Sunlight

I was talking to one of my parishioners the other day about daily Bible reading. She said to me, “I find it so hard because my first reaction when I start to read is, I’ve read that before and I know what’s in it.”

This is a real problem for many people, especially christians who have been diligent for many years in reading the Word. At times I have (still do, occasionally) fallen into this trap.

So how do we overcome it?

I think the key is to approach our devotional time with expectation. We must expect that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us something that we need to know. To do that, we must slow down the process, slow our reading, become more meditative.

Here are some keys to reading the Bible more effectively.

Stop using devotional books such as “Word For Today” and “Every Day With Jesus.” These are excellent resources, but the problem is that they can give you the “right answers” before you have worked at reading the word of God. They then stop you from digging deeper into the Scripture because you think you have got what you need. If you have been a committed christian for more than 5 years you need to cut the string. You don’t need it. I know it’s like parting a toddler from its dummy but really you can do this.
Use a plan of some sort. I use the Revised Common Lectionary, because of my Uniting Church roots and because it gives you four passages a week from various parts of the Bible. You might prefer to go through a book of the Bible (a section of about a dozen or so verses), but don’t stick to your “favourite” books.
Journal. This is the key to slowing down. Write down your thoughts. Use pen and paper rather than an electronic devise such as a tablet or computer. Yes you can type faster than you can write, and yes it is more legible. But remember that we are trying to slow down, to spend quality time with God.
Use a meditative approach. The ancient process of lectio divina directs a method of contemplating, praying and living the Scriptures. There are many articles on the internet about lectio divina, including this brief description.

I often use the SOAP method pioneered by Wayne Cordeiro. Most of my Reflections published on my blog are in this format. Remember that this is a process for structuring your thoughts and writing in your journal.

Pray. Ask God to show you what He wants you to see. Open your heart and mind to Him.
Scripture: Read the passage. Is there a verse, sentence or phrase that leaps out at you? If not, read the passage through again and again until the most important phrase becomes obvious. Write down this Scripture next to the letter S.
Observe: Read the passage again and now summarise briefly what the passage is about. What is happening? What is said? This is the context for your highlighted Scripture.
Application: Looking again at the highlighted Scripture, what does this mean? What does it mean for me today? How can I carry it with me, put it into practice?
Prayer: Write down a short prayer asking God to help you with this.

This is a really simple but profound way of reading the Bible. It will bring your devotions to life.

The key to it all is that you are spending time in the presence of the Living God. It’s not about gaining knowledge or self-improvement. It’s about relationship with God.