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