Reading the Bible for Fun--Huh???

Do you ever pick up the Bible for fun, read through it the way you would a good novel, or toss it in your purse to peruse over your lunch break? If so, great! If not, let's think about why that is, and how we can change that.

Let's face it--most people find the Bible intimidating. First there's the presentation--a huge, heavy tome filled with tiny letters on onionskin paper. Just looking at it is overwhelming. The only comparable books most of us come across are college textbooks, so it's no wonder many people consider the Bible a receptacle of musty, scholastic wisdom, knowledge for knowledge's sake, full of information that is way over our heads.

But the Bible isn't one big book. It's actually a collection of 66 different literary works, from personal letters to poetry chapbooks to epic histories to ancient advice columns, written by a variety of inspired shepherds and politicians and prophets and fishermen and kings and IRS agents (a.k.a. tax collectors) over a 2000 year time span. It wasn't until later that scholars began hacking (erm, dividing) these books into chapters and verses, to make it easier to find specific passages.

As convenient as the chapter and verse divisions can be, it led to the next Bible-reading bummer--our tendency to read scripture in short, disconnected snippets.

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with this, as long as we know the context the quote is coming from. But seriously, imagine trying to piece together the plot of Huckleberry Fin from from a webpage full of Mark Twain quotes. Not happening. Quotes can be interesting and packed with meaning, but after a while (say, twenty seconds), they get boring. There's no story. There's no plot. There's no action, no momentum, no greater meaning. It's just a moralistic ditty to that sticks to your psyche like lumpy oatmeal to your ribs. (Do unto others...) And that's how a lot of people read the Bible.

But that is NOT how the books of the Bible were written, and it's not how they were meant to be read. If I had my way, publishers would start turning out cheap paperback versions of the individual books, maybe binding three or four of the shorter ones together thematically, so you could read the whole thing straight through, beginning, middle, and end, and know that you had accomplished something. I'm talking short, unimtimidating, purse-worthy books that you can peruse without straining your eyes or aggravating your carpal tunnel. I know things like that exist--I just don't know why they aren't being used, and passed around like wildfire.

Anyhow. If the thought of reading the Bible is intimidating, DON'T read the Bible. Peruse the table of contents in the beginning, then flip to a book like Esther, or Genesis, or one of the Gospels, and read it through, start to finish. Trust me, it won't take very long, and you might actually discover something that holds your interest--like a story.

Fair warning--this doesn't work perfectly for all of the books. The Psalms, the Wisdom books, and the Prophets are mostly poetry, and the books of the Law are legal documents, so a different approach is helpful. But we'll get to all of that later. For now, just know that reading a book from start to finish, rather than searching for meaning verse by verse, is the best way to understand what the author is really trying to get across.

So, before we begin our study on the Gospel of Mark, can I suggest that you open up your Bible and read it through, start to finish? It will only take about half an hour, and who knows--it might be exciting! After all, Mark was originally written for the Romans, who were hard-core adrenaline junkies.

But if you can't, or don't want to, that's okay, too. Gold stars and lollipops for everyone, because God loves you! :-)

Tweet, tweet!

Are you Twitter-pated? Then fly on over to the Chatterbox Commentary's newly feathered nest,  @chatterboxcom, to follow the conversation in your natural online habitat.

Only six more days until the chatter begins! I'm chirping with excitement!

Countdown!

The chatter begins January 3, 2011, and I am so excited! We'll be kicking it of by going through the Gospel of Mark, a fast-paced account of Jesus' life, death, and ministry.

In the meantime, dig out your favorite Bible and study resources, find yourself a notebook, and sign for "The Weekly Chatter" newsletter, for a sneak peek at the coming week's readings. You can also sign up to have the blog posts delivered via email, but make sure to subscribe to the newsletter as well--they're entirely different entities.

Check out the "How This Works" page to get familiar with the questions we'll be asking, and practice applying them to your Bible reading now. It's the week of Christmas--why not read through the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke, to get the backstory on the Nativity?

Merry Christmas, everybody! I look forward to studying the Bible with you in 2011!

In the beginning...

The idea of starting a "Bible blog" nagged at me for years, but it always seemed like too much work, and WAY too much commitment. Chronicle my "Through the Bible in One Year" adventure? As if--that would require me to stick to a schedule (SO not my specialty), and writing about three chapters a day is a teensy bit unreasonable. Dial it back to one chapter a day, and try to get through the New Testament? I'd still have the scheduling issue, and let's face it: spending three months in the Gospels, while good for the soul, WOULD begin to feel kind of redundant.

Then it occurred to me: why get all uptight about a studying a book that is supposed to proclaim freedom and abundant life? I mean, why not just enjoy digging deeper into the Bible and chatting about insights, questions, and occasional off-topic ramblings with friends, no stuffy-pants schedules or legalism allowed?
Sometimes I think that all the "sword drills," memory verses, and Sunday School attendance charts of our childhood have turned the absolutely amazing opportunity that we have to study the scriptures for ourselves into a colossal, guilt-ridden drag. And that stinks a big one.

It's time to take back Bible study! We women have always known that everything, from using public restrooms to studying scripture, is more fun if you do it with friends, so consider this a "Bible Book Club" of sorts: kick off your shoes, grab a cup of coffee, and jump in wherever you're at. We'll also discuss different Bible study tips, techniques, and methods, and highlight helpful resources that will grow your understanding of scripture. The only guidelines: remember the Golden Rule, and enjoy getting better aquainted with your Bible and others!

Jenny