One of the great things about The Bible Challenge is that you can participate on your own and when it suits your schedule. It is said that 23% of Americans have a work conflict that makes it difficult for them to attend church on Sunday morning. Fortunately, there is not set time when you must participate in The Bible Challenge. You can read the Bible in the morning, afternoon or evening. One thing is vital. You and I need to participate four, five or six times a week to make true progress in your Bible reading. This is what President John Adams, our second President of the United States, did every year during his adult life. Adams read the entire Bible each year from cover to cover. He studied the Scriptures every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.
Unlike John Adams, who could read the Bible only in a printed form, we can listen to the Bible on CDs, MP3 or on Pandora or read it on a mobile device such as an iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Nook or Blackberry. The genius of The Bible Challenge is to give the Bible back to people. Yes, the Bible is the Church's book, but more importantly it is your book. The Bible is God's Word intended for you to read like a love letter from God written directly to you.
Bibles studies are not daunting. Everyone in them is an amateur. All of us are learning. Each person had to start out somewhere and begin reading and studying together for the first time. Most Bible studies love to see someone new join them. Please let me know if I can personally help you with this. All of our Bible studies are open to you to join them. There is no secret pass code or no level of education or Bible understanding that you must have reached before you can join, visit or inquire about participating.
The Bible is meant to be read and studied in a community. Jesus says, "Whenever two or more of you gather together in my name, I will be in the midst of you." The implication is that when we come together to study God's Word, to learn from God's wisdom and to discuss and share what we hear and see that God has revealed for us in the Word, then Jesus will truly be present with us. (words borrowed from St. Thomas Church, Whitemarsh)
We will have a Bible 201 class on March 4 and you are invited to share how you are doing with your own Bible Challenge!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Film & Food ~ Saturday Nights
Please join Ann Robinson for Film & Food Saturday Nights at St. Peter’s
6 PM ~ Memorial Room
“A Mature (or not) Perspective on Life”
March 3
Autumn Spring
(Czech)
March 24
Autumn Sun
(Argentina)
April 14
Away from Her
(Canada)
from our Bible 101 Forum
This what we covered in Bible 101:
Opening Prayer:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (from the BCP)
Bible Challenge:
Information taken from the website of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania (Center for Biblical Studies).
This year I have decided to join others in the Bible Challenge, to read the Bible every day. It is so fruitful that I want to encourage you to do this as well! Here are some of the Bible Challenge options for 2012:
Bible 101:
from The Thoughtful Christian
Old Testament (Hebrew), Apocrypha, New Testament (Greek)
Hermeneutics – principles of interpretation (tools & approaches we use when we study the Bible.)
There are three handouts from the meeting:
additional copies available in the Undercroft.
Opening Prayer:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (from the BCP)
Bible Challenge:
Information taken from the website of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania (Center for Biblical Studies).
This year I have decided to join others in the Bible Challenge, to read the Bible every day. It is so fruitful that I want to encourage you to do this as well! Here are some of the Bible Challenge options for 2012:
- Read the entire Bible (cover to cover)
- Read the New Testament or Apocrypha
- Read the Psalter (150 Psalms) during Lent
- Read the Gospel of Mark in a slow, meditative fashion
- Use the CT Bible Society Daily Bible Reading Guide for those who want to join me in reading the bible every day.
Bible 101:
from The Thoughtful Christian
Old Testament (Hebrew), Apocrypha, New Testament (Greek)
- The Bible as Anthology, not as “one” book.
- OT: Law (Torah), History, Poetry & Prophecy.
- NT: Gospels, History, Epistles, Apocalyptic Writing
Hermeneutics – principles of interpretation (tools & approaches we use when we study the Bible.)
There are three handouts from the meeting:
- Bible 101
- Teaching your Child about the Bible
- The Bible & the Episcopal Church
additional copies available in the Undercroft.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Quotes about the Bible
“I'm looking for loopholes!”
(Said when caught reading the Bible.)
~ W. C. Fields
“I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me . . they're cramming for their final exam.” ~ George Carlin
“It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one.” ~ William Sloane Coffin
“I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book that you can by reason and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man. It is the best Book which God has given to man.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.” ~ Martin Luther
“When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is talking to me, and about me.’” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” ~ Mark Twain
(Said when caught reading the Bible.)
~ W. C. Fields
“I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me . . they're cramming for their final exam.” ~ George Carlin
“It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one.” ~ William Sloane Coffin
“I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book that you can by reason and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man. It is the best Book which God has given to man.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.” ~ Martin Luther
“When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is talking to me, and about me.’” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” ~ Mark Twain
Bible Resources
Some resources to help you in your choice for reading the bible.
Bible Reading Resources:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha
New Revised Standard Version, Fourth Edition
available at www.amazon.com; www.bn.com
Common English Bible & The Message are two other Bibles that may be helpful.
available at www.amazon.com; www.bn.com
Online/Mobile Resources:
www.youversion.com
This site offers numerous bible reading plans from read a bible in a year to plans on exploring faith, love, etc. The site includes downloads of mobile apps where you can do the same plans on your smart phone ipad, Blackberry and Android phones.
www.oneyearbibleonline.com
One Year Bible Online a reading plan divided into daily readings containing a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
www.Biblegateway.com
is a great searchable bible with multiple options for finding just what you need.
www.amazon.com books and downloads available for Kindles, smart phones, Blackberry and Android Phones, NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD] Zondervan Publishing (Author)
www.BN.com books and downloads available for Nook Readers, Smart phones, Android Phones.
www.bibleresources.bible.com & www.bible.com are two other sites with great resources.
Our parish library also has resources (books, CDs, Cassette Tapes).
Bible Challenge Invitation
John Adams, our second President of the United States, used to read the entire Bible each year from cover to cover. He studied the Scriptures every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth President, called the Bible “the best gift God has ever given to man…But for it we could not know right from wrong.” Woodrow Wilson, our twenty-eighth President, once noted, “The Bible is the Word of life. I beg that you will read it and find this out for yourself.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, our thirty-fourth President, and his family used the Bible each day during family devotions with each family member taking his or her turn in reading a passage. Jimmy Carter, our thirty-ninth President, reads the Bible daily and has taught a Sunday school class for over three decades.
This year I have decided to join others in the Bible Challenge, to read the Bible every day. Some are taking on the challenge of reading the Bible cover to cover, others are trying to get through the Gospels or the entire New Testament. It is so fruitful that I want to encourage you to do this as well!
Here are the Bible Challenge options for 2012:
- Read the entire Bible
- Read the New Testament
- Read the Psalter (150 Psalms) during Lent
- Read the Gospel of Mark in a slow, meditative fashion
- Read the bible everyday
Other possibilities: Use The Message by Eugene Petersen – a wonderful rendering of the Bible in ordinary language or The Story by Zondervan – a seamless collection of Bible stories that reads like a gripping novel. We also have some books of the bible in Graphic Novel format in the parish library. Families with children are encouraged to read The DK Children’s Illustrated Bible or The Big Picture Story Bible.
If you decide to read the entire Bible, I invite you to use the “Read the Bible in a Year” reading plan found on the Center for Biblical Studies website, which lists what chapters of the Bible to read each day. I have copies of the CT Bible Society Daily Bible Reading Guide for those who want to join me in reading the bible every day! There are lots of good bible apps for iphone, ipad, and android. You can download bibles to your Kindle and Nook. We also have The Message on CDs and Cassette Tapes.
I believe that taking time to read the Bible each day will transform our lives and our families. It will help us to be better parents, spouses, brothers or sisters, neighbors, Christians, workers and citizens. It will help keep our head and our heart in the right place and prepare us for eternity with God. I hope that you will accept the Bible challenge as together we seek to lead more ethical, loving and connected lives.
Please let me know if you will join me in the Bible Challenge!
~ Rev. Kurt ~
Information taken from the website of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Bible in 100+ Words
The original came from Mary Matthews. I have added some in italicized print
Word spread,
God remains.
God created.
Eve wondered.
Cain slew.
Noah arked.
Babel blundered.
Willfulness grew.
Sarah laughed.
Jacob schemed.
Joseph ruled.
Princess dreamed.
Bush talked,
Moses balked.
Pharaoh plagued.
People walked.
Sea divided.
Miriam danced.
Wisdom guided.
Promise landed.
Eve wondered.
Cain slew.
Noah arked.
Babel blundered.
Willfulness grew.
Sarah laughed.
Jacob schemed.
Joseph ruled.
Princess dreamed.
Bush talked,
Moses balked.
Pharaoh plagued.
People walked.
Sea divided.
Miriam danced.
Wisdom guided.
Promise landed.
Othniel, ideal —
Deborah outplayed.
Jephthah distrusted.
Samson betrayed.
Saul freaked,
David screwed.
Solomon lavished.
Manasseh crude.
Huldah prophesied.
Jeremiah warned.
Persians tromped,
Chosen scorned.
Esther rescued.
Judith defended.
Daniel lionized.
Freedom lamented.
Exiles returned,
Remnant resentful.
Temple rebuilt.
Prophets judgmental.
Mary believed.
God walked,
Love talked,
Compassion forgave,
Wisdom nourished.
Deborah outplayed.
Jephthah distrusted.
Samson betrayed.
Saul freaked,
David screwed.
Solomon lavished.
Manasseh crude.
Huldah prophesied.
Jeremiah warned.
Persians tromped,
Chosen scorned.
Esther rescued.
Judith defended.
Daniel lionized.
Freedom lamented.
Exiles returned,
Remnant resentful.
Temple rebuilt.
Prophets judgmental.
Mary believed.
God walked,
Love talked,
Compassion forgave,
Wisdom nourished.
12
called
Healings
began
Parables
told
Prophets
proclaimed
Establishment
feared.
Anger crucified,
Hope died.
Love rose,
Spirit flamed,
Anger crucified,
Hope died.
Love rose,
Spirit flamed,
Saul
raged
Jesus
intervened
Ananias
touched
Paul
changedWord spread,
God remains.
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