24...the heart/mind deposit

As promised, I want to take a few minutes to give you some practical helps in reading/ reflecting/responding to the Bible. Here's a method I've been using to study the Bible for over a decade. It's summed up in 3 letters: O, I, A. I take a short passage from the Bible and ask 3 questions:

O stands for observation. Here I ask the question: What's being talked about? Overall, what's the subject or theme in this text (try to write it down in a sentence)? If I'm in Psalm 23 maybe I would conclude it's "God's care for His people".

I stands for interpretation. Here I ask: What's being said (specifically) about that subject? Again, in Psalm 23 I'd specifically write down how God cares for His people: He restores, refreshes, guides, protects, etc.

A stands for application. Here I ask: How does all of this apply to my life? Back to Psalm 23, maybe I'm dealing with some fears and maybe I need to claim the promise of Ps. 23:4 (dealing with God's closeness and protection). In my journal I'd write down what I was afraid of and then write out a prayer incorporating Psalm 23.

Hope you try the O-I-A approach. It's a winner. In fact why don't you try it today or tomorrow and use Psalm 23 as your text.

I'm also curious how you're doing with the 6-9 am morning practices we talked about last weekend. As promised I prayed for everyone who said they were going to try the practices out (that means I prayed for over 300 of you). Awesome!

Pastor Phil

24...the morning hours

How do we take an ordinary day and transform it so that we experience God in a deeper way? We talked about 3 morning "spiritual routines" that just may help us to be more aware of God's presence: the 30 second pause (before your feet hit the floor pause and welcome God into your day), the shower assignment (use your shower time to pour out your concerns to God and confess your sins to God), and the heart/mind deposit (find a quiet place and read and reflect on God's Word before your work day begins).

WHERE DO I START IN THE BIBLE? Yes, it's a big Book. Yes, certain sections are hard to understand. Where does the "novice" begin? I'll give you 3 options:

A. Start in the Gospels, which tell about the life and teachings of Jesus. The Gospels are in the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They record many of the same events from different perspectives. Start in the Gospel of John. Read a short section or two and reflect on what you've read.

B. Start in the New Testament book of James. James is one of the most practical books in the Bible. It's fairly easy to grasp and is only 5 chapters long (I'd suggest that you read about 1/3 of a chapter per day).

C. Read 1 chapter from the Old Testament book of Psalms and 1 chapter from the Old Testament book of Proverbs each day. That would be a good 15 minutes of reading. Proverbs is full of short, wise sayings. The Psalms are fairly short, from-the-heart kind of writings...many of them were ancient songs that were sung by God's people.

Pick one of the options and JUST DO IT! I'll give you some more practical helps on Tuesday.

If you were at Crossroads this past weekend, you heard me plug the TV show 24 (we ripped off the title for this message series). The premiere Sunday night was awesome...but I hope you heard my warning about the show--it's not for kids. It's about a counter terrorism unit which means it can get pretty violent. Be discerning.

Blessings,

Pastor Phil