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 through their texts.

2. Keep it Simple

Especially starting out, it is a good idea to aim at light conversation. Just like in everyday interactions, it is always possible to come back later for more. No one is trying to turn you into some kind of biblical scholar. This really should not be all that difficult for anyone who actually wants to have genuine conversations with biblical authors. If you start simple and keep it that way for awhile, you will do a better job of understanding and mastering the principles of good Biblical Conversation skills. Once you have those down, you can strengthen them to any deeper level you like.

3. “I-FACE” the Bible

Worthwhile, personal, face-to-face conversations don’t just happen all by themselves. Effective conversations require that we pay attention to some important factors.  (There are countless articles, books, school programs, seminars, and classes on what makes for effective conversation. It is not a “fluff” topic.) The following five are a crucial minimum:  Both parties must

1. be truly in-the-moment,
2. bring focus,
3. practice the art of listening (before we open our own big mouth to start speaking),
4. show genuine care and concern for the other party, and
5. energetically participate in the conversation (as if we want to be in it).

We could expand the list; but at least these are essential. Take any one of these out (stop focusing or showing concern, for example), and the interchange suffers.

It may help to remember these characteristics by reading them poetically as a chiasm (where the item at the center is usually most important, and the flanking items tend to correlate):

a  In the Moment
        b  Focus
                c  Art of Listening
        b  Care
a  Energy

The Art of Listening certainly does belong at the center of any worthwhile conversation, and being in the moment with energy, and focusing with great care and concern will aid in that listening process. Good listening is active listening, where the hearer is asking questions to clarify and understand.

We all know what it’s like to be in a conversation with someone who keeps checking his “smart phone,” or who keeps interrupting to say her piece and then won’t shut up, or who is just plain not paying attention. That is not a conversation; it is a waste of time!

“I-FACE” can genuinely help. If we were to memorize this and then practice it in every conversation we have, it would change our world; and it would help to transform reading the Bible into conversing with its authors through their texts.

First, these are obviously not “methods for reading” or “steps” to take, one after the other (we'll get to those in a few weeks); instead, they show which way we are leaning when we read. We all can easily recognize which way people are leaning when they stomp their way into a room with a scowl, as opposed to whistling a happy tune. How we are leaning when we open a Bible makes a difference. If you say to yourself, “I-FACE the Bible!” and recall the acronym, it can help you lean toward becoming a participant (instead of leaning away from it).

At this point, we're talking about creating a mentality (a mindset) for having a conversation with a biblical author.  We've considered 3 principles already;  next week, we'll look at 2 more.  Power-reading the Bible is all about reading conversationally.  

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Click Here for the whole blog series:  Power-Reading the Bible 
 

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