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Reading the Bible

The Bible is a gift of God to the people of God - the words of scripture can bring hope, inspiration, edification, illumination, correction, renewal, and resurrection! But for many of us, reading the Bible can be a difficult task, because of the wide cultural gulf between our time and the time of its composition and collection, and because of the bewildering variety of genres and styles in its collection of 66 books.

We suggest the following approaches to get your feet wet, and eventually dive into the treasure God has prepared for you in the Word of God:

1. Start with a readable, accurate translation. We use the New Living Translation (NLT) in worship at Skyline, but you may find the Contemporary English Version (CEV) or Today's New International Version (TNIV).

2. Dedicate yourself to a disciplined, systematic approach to reading the Bible. We suggest the following ways to dip in or to dive in:

bulletThe Upper Room Daily Devotions give you a daily seasoning from Scripture. We have paperback copies of this devotional in our foyer for you to use.
bulletOur Worship Outlines includes scripture readings, background notes and devotional questions for you to use alone or in a group to compliment the scriptures we focus on each Sunday at Skyline.
bulletYou might want to try reading the entire Bible in a year! It takes only 20 minutes a day. The One Year Bible plan is a great resource for this endeavor, because it includes a reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Click on the table below to go to the reading for today:
 
bulletThe other approach is to introduce yourself to the Bible through key books. You could start with any of the four Gospels that begin the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The book of Psalms, in the middle of the Bible, contains prayers that we can relate to after thousands of years of searching for God.  A great resource for this kind of reading is Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible, called The Message. It's not as accurate as a translation, but it's a great way to read the Bible with new eyes.
bulletWe offer many studies of the Bible at Skyline Church throughout the year - keep your eye on the bulletin and calendar. Every year, we typically offer a 32-week intensive Bible Study course called Disciple that meets 2 hours each week. Don't see what you're interested in? Contact Sandra Cox or Suzy Kittle, our Small Groups Pathway Ministers, to speak with them about starting a group tailored to your needs.

3. Praying the Hours, a wonderful resource collected by Phyllis Tickle, includes many Bible passages that guide you into prayer. This is great way to immerse yourself in prayer and scripture throughout your day. The link here is to an online version of the Hours provided by Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, but you can purchase the book at Amazon here.

4. Remember God's Word is a gift from heaven to you and to everyone who wants to find God with all their heart. You are not alone! And remember to open yourself - your heart - every time you open God's Word. You might experience a strange warming sensation. Not to worry. It means God is with you!


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Last modified: 02/11/08