I am so tremendously encouraged by the work that you are doing through BibleViews2Use and now the book you are writting. I have been saved for decades now and have been faithful in staying in the scriptures, however more often than not, I find myself spiritualy dry. What you have touched on in your book has genuinaly caused me to stop and consider some things I know, and believe, yet too often have let get put aside. Somewhat grudglingly or out of obligation, I did the "work/exercises" that you encouraged at the end of the chapters. It was not long and I felt a personal revival.

I'm grateful for the encouragement you've been sending regarding the book. I rewrote chapter seven and am in the final stretch of editing chapters eight through ten. Pray that the beta readers can help improve the book as it moves to professional editing. I'm seeking to publish it by October but don't want to rush it. I'll need help designing the cover soon as well, hint, hint 😉

I added another channel here for sharing your prayer needs, offering praise and answers to prayer. I'm grateful for each of you who are here and look forward to building some meaningful community with you.

I’m trying to set a new routine of reading my Bible in the morning consistently (instead of snatching verses during the day or trying to stuff it into evening tasks). I like the morning light coming through my window, and I light a candle so it feels cozy. I don’t risk making coffee yet in case my youngest daughter awakens early (per usual) and cuts the time short. When it works out the time with God is really sweet and I’m thankful for Steven’s encouragement to love God’s word even more and treat time with Him as important as it is! If I wake up early to do it free of distraction, my daughters don’t see me reading my Bible. I’ll have to work that into other parts of the day or read aloud sometimes so they know it’s something we should do. So thankful for the grace of God and His mercy in how we try to do this life with Him! 😃

I have to catch up on the newsletters and book excerpts. This invitation has given me the motivation to do so. 🙂

Great honest start. If we don't find the Bible challenging, disturbing, often hard to understand, our view of God is probably too small. The longer I live, the more I find I do not know however I have learned that He is faithful and loving and His character is unchanging. I love hearing about what drove you to Him.

Wow, even though I drove through the Bible course/cohort there are still days of hmmm, uncertainty! I'm so looking forward to the journey of finding my way through the Bible, through this book in the path to never being lost again. Praising God for the opportunity to finding my way home.

This space is for you to get to know others who read and share the newsletter.

It's also for you to comment on the newsletter, encourage others, share a prayer request or ask a question. Talk to and pray for each other.

Each newsletter will also post here when it's sent on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You'll find them on the Newsletters Channel.

I've created another channel for the Book Project. I'll be adding excerpts and asking for feedback. I'd love to hear from you over there.

Just a couple things to set the tone:

Be respectful. People from different backgrounds, life experiences and theological perspectives are part of our community. Honor each member wherever they are in their journey.

Be Thoughtful. We're here to encourage a stronger walk with God, but not enter into theological debates. Help keep the conversation going instead of shutting it down.

Be Intentional. This is a space for discussions about the newsletter, book and your spiritual walk. No solicitation, abusive or offensive language, memes or other content is allowed. Stay on topic and keep it edifying.

I'm deep into the to edit/revision phase of the book. I'd love to hear your thoughts, reactions, questions or comments. It's time to start naming the book too. I'd love your suggestions based on what you read here. Thanks for reading!

It All Begins Here

When I got up off the floor, the puddle of tears and snot in the carpet weren’t my first concern. I checked on my one-year-old daughter asleep on the floor nearby then sank into my couch. Sitting there processing what happened I knew life would never be the same. What was Lorie, my wife, going to think? And how was I going to tell her when she got home?

I made my way down the narrow hall past a little closet and made two phone calls. First, to my brother. It was 1994 and a few years earlier he gave me a beautiful leather-bound Bible that he knew Lorie and I needed more than what little they had to make ends meet.

I wasn’t interested in God at the time and so I put that Bible on the upper shelf in the back of that closet. When I opened the door and reached up it was right in the corner where I placed it: still unopened.

But that was about to change. Bible now in hand, I sat back on that couch, looking at my daughter, having had my first real conversation with God. I just invited Jesus into my life and didn't know what to do next. But I did know it started somewhere in that Bible.

Lorie and I had gone through quite a rough spell in our young marriage and had come to the place where we knew that God needed to be a part of our journey forward. Neither of us grew up with religion and we had lots of questions. It seemed like everyone had an opinion but neither of us thought it would start on the floor of a little cape cod in Greece, NY.

At age thirty-one, and for the first time in my life, I believed I was holding God’s word and the key to a brighter future. That Bible was the biggest book I'd ever picked up. It was intimidating to say the least and I was clueless how to begin. I didn't know what to expect but I had heard enough about it to feel overwhelmed before I even began.

So, I started where most people do: “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1). I couldn't explain it at the time, but those words felt right. A shift had occurred and I was feeling something new and inviting. When you finish chapter two of this book, you'll understand what I didn't at the time.

Because of my brother Scott's love and genuine concern for Lorie and me, we finally had the map and compass for the journey we were about to set out on. Walking into a new paradigm of life full of adventure and discovery, we had God’s word to guide us.

Etched into the history of that little cape cod is one of my fondest memories. While holding that precious gift, I called Scott and told him what had happened. Twelve years of his burden for us was finally lifted. Wow, did we rejoice. Then I called my friend Brad.

He too had found the treasures of Scripture and a life yielded to God and wanted that for Lorie and me. His Christian wedding earlier that year left me longing to have what they had and I couldn’t shake it. Little did I know, that from across the country he and his wife had “been praying every night for the past thirty days.” Well, God answered their prayers and round two of rejoicing rang out.

Things were getting exciting, and Lorie wasn't even home yet. Both offered some encouragement and helpful advice about where and how to begin reading Scripture. One week later, Lorie too had the most important conversation of her life with God and was more than ready to venture into our new life together with God.

It didn’t take long for questions to start pouring into my mind. Whose views about God, Jesus and the Bible are correct? Why do Christians argue and disagree on so much? Whose brand of Christianity was most aligned with Scripture and how would I know? Why are churches so different and why do some make such sensational claims?

But determined to start somewhere, I started in the beginning with God. Page one, chapter one, verse one. It immediately captured my attention, and I found the Bible hard to put down. But not too far into my journey through Genesis my eyes started to glaze over. I wondered if something was wrong with me. By the time I got to Leviticus, it was getting hard to pick up. I didn’t understand it and it was becoming intimidating and overwhelming.

We knew some friends who went to a large denominational church nearby and soon that became our church. We knew next to nothing about what was “biblical” but soon felt uneasy about some things we were hearing from the pulpit and experiencing in that church. Questions were piling up and discouragement was setting in.

It became clear that we needed help making our Bible reading easier. But we also needed guidance on how to figure out which beliefs were the right beliefs. Applying Scripture to our lives wasn't as easy as we thought. Were we supposed to do everything Scripture said? Who could or does? Why do they believe that and where is it taught in the Bible?

Soon, that map and compass I held in my hand felt like it was for a foreign city in an ancient land - not the one I was living in. I felt lost and uncomfortable while wondering "Where am I, who are these people, and how did I get here!?" “Can anyone point me in the right direction?”

I started buying and consuming books and messages about the Bible. My library of commentaries, study Bibles and other aides to understanding Scripture grew. Yet many held different views on important biblical subjects, and I had to start choosing sides. And when I had discussions with others, I was often left with more questions than guidance and some of it landed hard. Thankfully Lorie and I persisted and figured it out.

A journey that started on the carpet of a cape cod has led to this book. I’ve been reading, studying and learning about the Bible every day for over thirty years. I’ve been trained, ordained, a pastor, teacher, preacher, counselor and minister of God’s word for decades. An earned master’s degree in ministry has helped refine my teaching skills.

Yet what you’ll find in this book is not going to be academic or scholarly. It’s not a textbook or how-to manual with technical language. It’s written for the average person who struggles to pick up and enjoy reading and understanding the Bible. It’s written to get you started on the road to reading the Bible the way it was intended to be read; to aligning your beliefs with Scripture instead of what others have taught or told you to believe.

I am not going to tell you what to believe, attempt to talk you out of your beliefs, or encourage you to believe as I do. I am going to give you some essential principles, insights and tools that will help you get the most out of the Bible and start you down the path to a lifelong love of Scripture with some guardrails to keep you out of the ditches.

This book is dedicated to those who go to church (or don't) and find the Bible challenging. Maybe you’ve been part of a church or tradition for years or have no religious background at all and want the Bible to make more sense but without everyone else’s spin. You might have tried but have lost motivation or just feel lost and need a good map and guide to move you in the right direction. Some feel like something’s wrong with them because they don't get much out of it even after reading for years.

You might be like many who know what their church or denomination teaches but question some of it. Deep down you wonder if it's rooted in Scripture or tradition or worse, error. You’d like to have an easy and memorable way to evaluate the religious beliefs and behaviors of others who preach and teach the Bible. And you’d like to be confident but not arrogant about what you believe and why.

This short practical book will likely change how you read the Bible. And that has the potential to change your life. Enjoying and understanding Scripture is not as hard as you might think. I’d like to commend you for taking seriously your journey into the book of all books we call the Bible.

The material I’ve condensed into this little book is what I’ve taught others in live classrooms and online cohorts for decades. It’s written out of years of experience and feedback from students in church settings and at ministry level training. It’s not the only book on this subject but there isn’t another one like it. I pray it will whet your appetite for more and accelerate your understanding of Scripture.

You're about to gain the understanding and tools needed for a lifetime of meaningful engagement with God's word. Give yourself permission to read it carefully and do the short daily exercises. It's how you'll get the most out of it. It's short, but I didn't write it to be a "quick read". There’s plenty in here you’ll want to put into practice.

My one-year-old daughter who slept on the carpet that day I opened the Bible for the first time is in her thirties now. She knows what I believe, grew up in church, travelled with me to other church conferences and has heard about and read the Bible (almost) daily all her days. She's seen the good, bad, messiness and privilege of ministry firsthand. She’s “heard it all” and likely knows enough to write this book herself.

One day several years ago while sitting outside overlooking our pond and hayfield, my "little girl" had something to say. She gently reminded me that she was ready to live out her own faith now. She knew what she believed and it didn't all have to align with me. It had to align with what she believed the Bible taught and called her to walk out in genuine faith. Wow. Mission accomplished. It was a little scary but rewarding.

It is my prayer that this primer on the Bible will help you get to that place too. It's more than time for you to get the most out of Scripture without feeling intimidated, frustrated, defective or overwhelmed. When you finish this book, you'll be able to quickly identify the four-fold context and three key applications of every part of the Bible. You’ll also be equipped with several techniques for effective Bible study. And it's easier than you think!

When you turn the last page of this book you'll begin the rest of your journey with God's word. You'll have a routine to look forward to every day and a faith you can call your own. You'll have the motivation, structure and material to grow your comprehension of God's word. You're also going to know how to evaluate truth claims about the Bible that others make. You'll know what you believe and why so that you can explain it to others. But most importantly, you’ll have a faith you can finally call your own.

Think of being lost on a road trip, confused, disoriented and searching for direction. You stop at a gas station, and someone points you in the right direction. You listen to their instruction, act on what they said, and feel like you can enjoy the journey again. While there, you also picked up the right map for the city you’re navigating. With confidence you now journey on.

We’re going to begin a road trip together. It is my hope that you’ll always remember this book as that stop that pointed you in the right direction and gave you the map that led you into a lifetime of love, enjoyment and engagement with God’s word. Chapter one is waiting, and the trip is going to be well worth taking. But we need to begin somewhere. Chapter one is waiting so go ahead and turn the page.