When reading the Bible, I am responsible for the kinds of questions I'm willing to ask and for the way I am willing to hear what a text is saying. I'll come back to that idea.  But first...

The word “Godhead” in some English translations of the Bible is misleading, since people often equate it with the word “Trinity.”  The word “Trinity” never...

Right now, we’re reading Ephesians—a small, positive, powerful little book.  So, to all of our reading partners, I’m suggesting that we approach it like talking with a...

For this reason, take up the full armor of God
so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day,
and having done everything, to stand.  

Paul (Eph 6:13)

Starting...

Our families, our churches, our towns and cities, our country, our society, our world—we would have to be close to blind, or in abject denial, not to see that, in many ways, we are coming...

It's sorely lacking in US and world politics, general society, churches, among neighbors, and, especially within families—to the point of a frightening urgency.  We all see it.  We...

Before you watch the video, I have an important piece of information.    

This video might not be what you expect. 

All my life, I've heard the following...

Your Expectation

It is mouthwatering when we take with us through a day a healthy, vibrant, eager expectation for the good that is about to happen next. It dramatically affects how we experience...

Since most people have never heard of "Power-Reading the Bible" or of "engaging biblical authors in conversation through their texts," it's important to point out that this is not business as usual...

Today, we continue with 2 more of the 5 strategies that Bible readers should seriously embrace to help create a mindset for entering into conversation with biblical authors...

How do we consciously and strategically create a mindset for entering into conversation with biblical authors through their texts? That's our main question in this sub-series of...

You got up late this morning after texting too long last night with your best friend about some random issue. Consequently, the kids and the dog were acting up this morning. Traffic was heavy and...

If you want to get depressed, go look up the "Flat Bible Believers" Facebook page. Its very existence helps to demonstrate that people read the Bible every which way they can, and every which...

In my previous post, I talked about self disciplines (or disciplines for the self) as specialty tools, and I noted that these tools are designed to do some things, but not other things. I...

Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" came out in 1964;  a new version by the group Disturbed in 2015.  I only heard the Disturbed version two days ago—exactly 60 years after...

"You just think everybody has to become a scholar to read the Bible!"  Occasionally, some feel uneasy with what I’m saying in the previous posts, and some even get offended by it,...

We certainly need to read the Bible for personal and lofty reasons, in search of spiritual formation. As with textual interests, there are methods that are applied to the self.[1]   Back...

Frankly, the basics are pretty straightforward:  think of every biblical text as a friend, and then treat your friend the way you want to be treated. Start by listening to your...

“What does Bible study even mean?” Strange as that may sound, not everything that calls itself “Bible Study” is.

What It's Not

Unfortunately, this phrase gets attached to...

It is not in spite of, but because of our love for our ancient, precious biblical texts, that we, with energy, seek out how to read them. We respect methods developed over centuries, and they are...

How do you know when the Spirit of God is speaking? 

Claiming that "the Spirit told me" something is very easy to do.  And when you hear someone say that, it's...

All readings of biblical texts should be Spirit-led. If any method of reading is Spirit-led, it will at least attempt to be responsible to what that text is trying to say and do.

The Psalmist says,...

We’re talking about reading the Bible. So, right up front, let’s put this on the table: When reading the Bible, we need the Spirit of God. All reading of biblical texts...

Power-Reading the Bible can fundamentally transform how we look at the Bible, how we handle it, what we get from it, and how we apply it to ourselves and to others. 

So, starting now,...