Month: August 2020

A bike and the Bible – finding a Bible – part 5

Like an ill-fitting bike rack, finding a Bible that works for us can be a challenge. Do we try to read it ourselves or let someone else do the heavy lifting? How do we find one we’ll use?

After a week off to share about my book project on Leviticus, this week returns to the bike ride I went on last summer and how it reminded me of the journey through the Bible.

Bike rack didn’t fit

We attempted to put a rented bike rack on our car, but it didn’t fit. After several tries we figured out the bikes couldn’t be secured in place and were at risk of falling off on the way from the bike rental to the trail head.

Finding a Bible

Kind of like finding a Bible that works. I’m not talking about what’s inside it. I mean the size of it. Bulky or compact. Is it portable or once I buy it will I just leave it home – and in the box?

Rent bikes

In the end it was better to rent bikes and have them transported to the trail head by others.

Read from the Bible

Listening to others read from the Bible is fine in the beginning. We can learn what’s in the Word of God at church or from someone’s teaching in a Bible study and avoid fumbling through the pages of Scripture trying to figure out how to read it ourselves.

Our own encounter

Hearing about someone else’s experience with Scripture is a great place to start. Let it be the first step toward having our own encounter with the Bible and what’s inside it.

What to look for when choosing a Bible

Gear

This bike ride was hardcore. The other riders had their gear. I had my purple helmet. And one pant leg rolled up in my sock so it wouldn’t get caught in the bike chain. At least on that point I was prepared though not very fashionable. They were cool. I was scared. I wasn’t here for adventure. I was here for survival.

When we need help

But isn’t that usually when we need help? When we’re in survival mode, unsure of ourselves? Maybe I was where I needed to be.

Question

Have you found a Bible that works for you? What hesitations did you experience trying to read it?

Want to keep following the journey of a bike and the Bible? Subscribe for free to know when the next stretch of the journey is up.

Catching up?

A bike and the Bible – an adventure – intro – part 1

A bike and the Bible – reservations – part 2

A bike and the Bible – what I thought – part 3

A bike and the Bible – getting started – part 4

For the Love of Leviticus – Finding Jesus

How I discovered a love of Leviticus on a journey through the Bible.

I entered a writing contest. I didn’t win, but I did. Before you write that off as an “everyone’s a winner” statement, let me explain.

Back in March a week before we all had to stay home, I woke up one Saturday with the notion I should enter a writing contest.

I had been writing on a project for fun since January. A book about Leviticus, the road block in the Old Testament. I had always struggled getting passed Leviticus on a Bible read through. But after I read through the entire Bible with my Bible study, I discovered a myriad of connections to Leviticus throughout the whole Bible.

I began writing about my experience in hopes of helping others find connections too.

Big picture

Having decided to enter the contest, I soon realized I had one week to pull together the writing sample. I needed a big picture view of the book, chapter summaries, and sample chapters. Doing this gave me a vision for the project that created momentum.

A few months went by and I was notified I was a finalist in the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Awards. Talk about validation! The judges’ comments were encouraging, insightful, and helpful.

I wrote some more.

Then life happened. I continued working on other projects, but didn’t spend much time on the Leviticus book, though I kept it on my to-do list.

Motivation

Two weeks ago I dove back into writing on this book. My new motivation? Finish writing a bad draft before the winners were announced. I didn’t know what the contest outcome would be, but I did know it’s more fun to write while you think you could win than if you know you didn’t.

So I did. Write, that is. I wrote like crazy. And that’s when I won. Not the contest, but something better.

A profoundly deeper understanding of the sacrificial love of Jesus.

Every writing session brought another jaw-dropping insight into the connections between Leviticus, that oft-ignored and neglected book of the Old Testament, and the compassion-filled love of our Savior.

Connections to Jesus

Most of us will never know just how much Jesus loves us. Oh, sure, we know from the children’s song, favorite Bible stories, and personal experience. But we don’t know from the perspective of Leviticus. We can only know if we look and nobody wants to look at what’s in Leviticus. It’s gross.

So I’ve been writing a somewhat humorous, yet insightful look into the connections to Jesus found in Leviticus.

I met my goal. I finished the bad draft. Now comes the fun part. Pulling all the pieces together to shape it into something you, my reader, would enjoy perusing.

Don’t worry, it won’t be a thick book. And if you’ve ever attended my Bible study you’ll find it to be much the same: motivating, encouraging, thoughtful, and a little entertaining.

The book is still in its early stages, but here’s the first line:

“Ask anybody what book of the Bible they’ll never read, chances are you’ll hear Leviticus.”

My title?

For the Love of Leviticus – Finding Jesus in the Least-loved Book of the Bible

I look forward to sharing it with you when it’s finished.

If you want a basic orientation to Leviticus:

How to survive the journey through Leviticus

A bike and the Bible – getting started – part 4

Like getting started with the Bible, beginning with the bike ride felt awkward.

Getting started

I was getting a little nervous about this bike ride. Sometimes I’d talk myself into it, this will be fun, an adventure. Other times I’d try to talk myself out of it. At one point on the day of the ride we weren’t sure if we’d be able to get tickets. Can I say I wasn’t disappointed?

The drive up to the lodge where we registered for the ride was pretty. A steady climb. Trees in view. This ride is downhill, right? I didn’t sign up for a fitness class. I wanted a relaxing excursion.

Like getting started with the Bible. There’s a big difference between reading a few short verses and studying it.

Gearing up

We drove up to the appropriately named Lookout Pass to sign up, rent bikes, and hit the trail. This place just oozed adventure. During the winter it’s a ski and recreation area for you know, people who like adventure. I liked lunch. I was not ready for adventure.

Hesitant, unsure, ill-equipped, and feeling foolish, I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. Who did I think I was, geared up like I knew how to mountain bike?

I have friends who do this sort of thing all the time. This was not my thing.

Getting acquainted with the Bible

I remember when I first started looking in my Bible and not just looking at it. The lists of unfamiliar words and names in the table of contents made it hard to find my place.

When you’ve been reading the Bible for a while, or when you’ve memorized the order of the books of the Bible from a children’s song or two you have no issues with finding the section you want.

But when you’re new to the Bible it feels like all kinds of awkward.

Guess what? Everybody has to look up or fumble around when they are first getting acquainted with the Bible. Comfort comes with familiarity. If you aren’t sure where a book of the Bible is simply open your Bible and look around. The more you look, the more you’ll start to remember.

How I learned the books of the Bible:

Two things that kept me from reading the Bible – and what changed my tune

Question

How do you find your way around the Bible? Have you ever felt ill-equipped to start a journey?

Want to keep following the journey of a bike and the Bible? Subscribe for free to know when the next stretch of the journey is up.

Catching up?

A bike and the Bible – an adventure – intro – part 1

A bike and the Bible – reservations – part 2

A bike and the Bible – what I thought – part 3

A bike and the Bible – what I thought – part 3

What I thought this bike ride would be like and what I started to learn about it, differed somewhat. In some ways it reminded me of my initial approach to the Bible.

What I envisioned

Prior to the ride I thought the journey would be pleasant, that I would be fine. I’d seen the downhill path along the side of the road. How hard could it be? It was downhill. The path looked pleasant. I envisioned a boardwalk, promenade, leisurely stroll. You know, those bikes in the movies with a basket full of flowers on the front. Think leisure. Okay, so maybe I was also thinking lazy, effortless, gentle, meandering in a noncommittal way.

A verse or phrase

I like words. When it came to the Bible, I liked Scripture in short batches. A verse or phrase on a journal page or in a picture frame. The 23rd Psalm on a bookmark. I had time to read that. Not whole chapters or books of the Bible.

In church I heard selections from Scripture. At some point during the worship service a Scripture passage or two would be read. I always experienced Scripture in small segments, not in lengthy installments.

And because I tended to experience information from the Bible in limited quantities, I didn’t try to grasp the bigger picture or even anything beyond a few phrases at a time.

What I thought

My introduction to the bike ride was through posters and brochures. Somehow the images didn’t register. I had kept my own concept in my head of what I thought it was going to be like.

It wasn’t that. Whatever I thought it would be like, it wasn’t. Whatever I had imagined would be my experience. It wasn’t.

Something significant

Not long before the ride I started to read some information about the bike ride, to be better informed. I saw all these comments about a tunnel. By the tone and the telling it seemed to be something significant. I’ve been through a lot of tunnels, in a car. I think I’d ridden through one on a bike. (I’m just now remembering I’ve been through many really long tunnels on a train. I never made that connection until now.)

But back to my experience and recollection prior to the ride. Tunnels were no big deal. You go in, you come out. They’re dark inside but after a short curve you can see the daylight at the other end. End of story. Tunnels were no problem. Why did this one sound like it was going to be a problem?

Question

What were some of your initial experiences with Scripture or what unexpected journey have you faced?

Want to keep following the journey of a bike and the Bible? Subscribe for free to know when the next stretch of the journey is up.

Catching up?

A bike and the Bible – an adventure – intro – part 1

A bike and the Bible – reservations – part 2