Thursday, May 10, 2012

Studying To Show Ourselves Approved


"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."(2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)


About 2 weeks ago, Anthony & I decided that we needed to start a Bible reading plan together, not a devotional or a book study but just reading straight from the Source. There is nothing wrong with (most) devotionals or book studies, we have several that we want to start working through, but we decided that those should in addition to daily reading of The Word. 


YouVersion has a pretty cool (& free) Bible app for smart phones. Typically I use the ESV Bible app (mainly for it's simplicity) but YouVersion's has great functions. One of the best features that I enjoy from the app are the Bible reading plans. 


Anthony & I chose the chronological Bible reading plan. So far we have read Genesis 1-11, then hopped over to Job, & now we are back in Genesis again.


With the YouVersion app, some of the translations have audio with them. We like the English Standard Version (ESV). So, we play the audio while following along on either our phones or the iPad. Then, after each chapter, we talk a little about it & I'll read any notes that are in my Apologetics Study Bible


My grandmother (aka, my Aunt Cynthia) gave us a SUPER cool bible as a wedding present. It is the Life Essentials Study Bible: Biblical Principles to Live By. Throughout the Bible there are QR codes. You scan the code with your smart phone or iPad & it takes you to a video with Gene Getz teaching about a particular passage. Even Christ in Prophecy (aka Lamb & Lion Ministries) recently did a show about this new multimedia Bible that you can watch here. So we want to start incorporating that into our Bible study time as well.


We are loving doing this together. We are going through it fairly quickly. If all goes as planed, we should complete the entire Bible in a year. After we finish, we'll find a plan that goes at a slower but deeper pace.


Currently, I'm finishing up a lesson/presentation/article aimed at Christian youth. I have also started the very early stages of research for the first book I want to write. I plan on it being a very basic/layman's/introductory book of Christian theology. Basically covering some common questions that every Christian should be comfortable explaining or, at the very least, understanding. Such as, "Where did the Bible come from & how were the books that are included chosen?" "Can we trust what the Bible says to be the Word of God?" "What do we believe about sin, God, Jesus, salvation, Heaven, Hell, the unsaved, etc...?" "What is theology, doctrine, dogma, apologetics, polemics, etc... & why should we study it?" "What is 'The Gospel' exactly?" "Why are there so many divisions within Christianity?" "How was Christianity founded?" And maybe a few more. If you have any questions, please send them to me. I'm really just gathering ideas at this point & reading...lots of reading. Also, I am thinking about starting another blog just regarding my writing, a place for me to make some short articles about what I am studying at the moment, to hash out some ideas, to keep me motivated/accountable, & to practice writing. Anyway, any ideas for a title for that blog?


Well, that is how we are trying to lay a strong foundation. Just thought I'd share. :)

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