Keep on Reading

Over the last year I've been on a Bible reading plan. I must confess, I've never used a Bible reading plan prior to this. But last year when I saw the The Books of the Bible presentation of the TNIV put out by the International Bible Society, I was immediately attracted to the format and its possibilities for encouraging fuller Bible reading. So last January several members of our church committed themselves to reading the Bible in a year. We even had a special service dedicated to the importance of the Scriptures in our lives as Christians -- we also dedicated and handed out these new Bibles during this service.

Generally, one would think that being on a reading plan would make it easier to dedicate oneself to keeping regular in one's Scripture reading. And I think that, largely, this is true. I've been more regular in my reading over the course of this past year as a result. Although one of the things I've said to those also on this reading plan is that the important thing, even if you get behind, is to keep on reading. So, if you're supposed to be in the NT and are still finishing up the OT, don't allow getting behind become a discouragement that halts your reading. Keep on reading. Even if your one year plan turns into a two year plan, keep on reading.

I've had to tell myself this too. Over the summer it was a little easier to let myself get behind, especially once I was in the major prophets. Some portions of Scripture are definitely more challenging and difficult than others. Some books are simply hard to plow through. And as a result, I'm behind myself. And although the reading plan is meant for us to read the Bible through from beginning to end, I've actually chosen to mix-up my reading, moving from Paul's epistles to Acts, to the general epistles, and back to the OT. This, I find, helps. I'm not entirely sure yet whether I'll complete it within the alloted year -- and I certainly plan on attempting this -- my plan is still to keep on reading.

One of the great benefits of a reading plan is that you don't arbitrarily decide what portions of the Bible to read. It's not only about reading your favourite books of the Bible. It's not just about finding an encouraging verse (out of context!) for the day. You're taken through the entire Bible. Rather than sticking primarily to the epistles (especially Paul), the Gospels, and the Psalms, you also have to read the minor prophets, the books of the Law, wisdom literature, and lots of genealogies!

Of course, one of the downsides of a year-long reading plan is that you read at a pace that doesn't really allow for deeper study. And if you get behind at all, playing catch up means you have even less time to ponder the words you read. But, that said, there is some benefit to reading through an entire gospel or epistle all at once as one would a book or novel. Like reading a novel, one is immersed in a story, a world, and you become a participant in it. So much of the Bible is narrative that one must think that God intends this. Verse and chapter divisions, while helpful for some purposes, is not as helpful for this kind of reading as it tends to encourage atomizing the text.

I will say, though, that this kind of Bible reading should not be our only kind of Bible reading. As much as I love reading through a whole book in a sitting (when possible!), as is the case with one of the epistles or even one of the shorter gospels (such as Mark), there's no substitute for deeper, more intensive Bible study. Breaking down verses, getting a grasp of specific words and their meaning in context, pondering the text slowly and prayerfully and studiously is a discipline important for all believers, not only pastors and teachers.

So I encourage those of you who haven't ever tried a reading plan to do so. You may think that there's no way of getting through the Bible in a year, but even if you don't make it all in a year it is good to have the discipline of a reading plan. Probably without exception, most who work through reading plans have days when they miss their daily passages. We all get busy. And sometimes we can let lesser things crowd out the priority of Bible reading. But a reading plan does have a way of reminding, of keeping you on track, and of keeping you accountable. All this to say, keep on reading.

Truth in Fiction

Both at home and in my office at the church, there are walls lined with books. And in both places some books belong to me and some belong to my wife. In fact, during our actual wedding ceremony we included as a part of the vows, "All my worldly goods to thee I endow." Then and now, there is something ironic about that vow. We didn't have an abundance of worldly goods then, and the same is true now. We joked at the time that this part of our vows referred specifically to our respective book collections! So, appropriately, my books are also hers and vice-versa.

But of course we have different interests when it comes to books. Alisha prefers fiction, particularly historical fiction, and books that relate to whatever she's working on. For instance, she does some home-schooling with our daughter, and so we've seen many books on this topic borrowed from the library clutter endtables and dining room tables and various other nooks and crannies.

As far as I'm concerned, however, my reading tends toward the academic or semi-academic. To take one example, I just picked up Darrell Bock's book, The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities. And I likely would have done so whether I were presently a pastor or not. It's not simply work reading. I also spent a considerable amount of time re-reading some recent books by Eugene Peterson over my vacation: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and The Jesus Way. I didn't finish them by any stretch, but enjoyed immensely what I did read.

But one thing that rarely makes my reading list is fiction. For some reason fiction and I have never clicked. My interest has never been stoked by novels. I think in part the reason is that my experiences with literature in high school did nothing to endear the classics to me. If anything, it instilled in me an aversion to the likes of Shakespeare and anything that we had to study in class. We were taught (or they tried to teach us) to analyse rather than enjoy and savour. But nitpicking and picking apart just seemed, to me at least, to suck the life out of books that I might have otherwise appreciated.

And rarely does my wife hassle me to read anything. Except she recently read a quadrilogy of books by Karen Hancock called The Legends of the Guardian-King. So she kept insisting (more or less) that I ought to read these books. One thing in her favour this time is that they were fantasy novels. One of the rare instances where I picked up novels includes reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

So when on vacation, I decided to give them a whirl. I have to say that I was very surprised and impressed. Of course, I still have to finish book four. Full judgement is something I reserve until the very end. They're touted as being an allegorical fantasy series, and there are definite biblical parallels to both characters and events, but they would be readable and enjoyable even without that extra layer to the narrative. On a non-allegorical level, there is a faith perspective in these books; that is, there is a spiritual world-view that parallels Christianity. Tersius is the Christ-figure. Eidon is God. Terstmeets are church services. If you're looking for some good fantasy fiction, I heartily recommend Hancock's books.

One of the things that struck me as I was reading these books was how the author wove into the story faith elements that could resonate deeply with people of faith in the real world, whether it was about the mystery of God and what it means to trust him even when we don't fully understand his ways or how we can sometimes struggle with our calling and vocation, with our own weaknesses, despite the identity we know God has given us. She also shows through her narrative the way people struggle even in coming to faith and how individuals can resist the pull of God on their heart. She shows how God can allow us to experience trials and how trials can make it more difficult for people to believe in God. We also see characters who are Christians ("Terstans") and how they try and live lives of witness to those around them who still refuse to believe.

What I also appreciated about her writing style is that she doesn't bludgeon anyone over the head with religious belief -- there is never a moment when you feel manipulated as a reader. Rather, she allows the story to play out more naturally. These books are not sermons in narrative form. Her writing is artful, thoughtful, and rich with visual detail and description that pulls you not only into the characters but into a vivid, imaginative world that betrays the rich influence of other writers like Tolkien (Middle-Earth) and Lewis (Narnia). Of course, I doubt she's unique among modern fantasy writers in her ability to do this, but since I read next to no fiction it is new to me.

I also enjoyed how some of her themes and ideas resonated with me personally -- that is, I found myself, at times, in her story. And this, of course, is the whole point of story. This is the power of story. And so it's no wonder that much of our Bible is cast in story form. The Scriptures are the story of God with us. I said that her ability is obviously not unique. All good storytellers do this. So when I told my wife and mother-in-law about my experience of reading these novels, they weren't surprised but were glad that I enjoyed them. If you're already a fan of classic writers like Tolkien and Lewis, no doubt you'd enjoy these books too.

The Discipline of Devotion

Quite a while back I posted some thoughts on reading our Bibles and in that post I mentioned a new edition of the Bible published by the International Bible Society called The Books of the Bible. It uses the TNIV translation, and my real reason for loving this edition is the format itself: no chapter and verses in the text, single-column, no headings, study notes relegated to end notes, and, though this feature was less compelling to me, the re-ordering of the books of the Bible according to their probable dates of composition, literary style, and theological content.

Right now there are just over 20 people in our church reading through The Books of the Bible in a year. At the website you can find a handful of different reading plans for just this purpose. At the beginning of the new year we had a special service wherein we dedicated these new Bibles and handed them out to those who had signed up to read it in a year. And we are also meeting once a month for prayer and encouragement. Of course, not every one is literally on the same page, as nice as that might be; however, the point is that people are reading. That said, I still tease my wife since she is still behind! But, again, she is reading. And when it comes to the Bible this is the most important thing.

We're not always much for discipline in our churches. And trying to read through the Bible in a year no doubt serves as a reminder of this. I imagine there are some in our church who opted out of even attempting this simply because they couldn't imagine finding 15 - 20 minutes a day to read their Bible, fearing from the outset that they would fail miserably. But even for those who have taken up the challenge, we too are discovering that finding time is not always easy. Hence those who are still reading through Exodus when on the schedule we should all be in Leviticus or Deuteronomy.

I sometimes wonder if the reason we have trouble with discipline regarding spiritual things has to do with more than simply our busy lives; I wonder if it has something to do with our attitude about spiritual matters to begin with. Is it possible that our reticence to engage in spiritual discipline reflects the degree of our devotion? Do we need to repent of a halfhearted love for God? Or is it perhaps a symptom of a culture that wants everything in quick fixes and therefore wants spiritual enlightenment and growth in the same time that it takes to watch a TV sitcom?

Now, I completely understand and can identify with those whose lives are full and who simply find it difficult to squeeze in time for prayer and worship and Bible reading because there are work and family demands that leave us exhausted and drained of motivation at the end of the day. I, too, once the day is done and the evening begins often want nothing more than to sit in front of the TV to enjoy a favourite show. This is especially true if the day has been both busy and stressful. I don't want to think. I'm too tired to be of much value. But I also know that it doesn't necessarily take a great deal more energy to sit and quietly read my Bible rather than watch another episode of The X-Files. So it seems to me that having a busy and full life is no excuse for not taking time out for my relationship with God which, like any relationship, requires deliberate attention.

A part of this is simple habit. What have we habituated ourselves to do when we have free time? Do we allow the hours to be occupied by a lot of what we typically call screen time? This is certainly our cultural habit, one that is ever increasing since screen time can now include TV, computers, cell-phones, video games, etc. What we need, though, are holy habits, ones that do more than simply entertain us and, worse, numb us to the realities of life. In other words, we need to do do much more with our time than indulge in escapism. Rather than habituating ourselves to escape reality, holy habits such as reading Scripture prepare us to face reality but on God's terms.

But, unfortunately, this takes discipline. It takes intentional effort. It takes a willingness to put the things of God before the things of men. And it means doing so regardless of the poorer habits we have formed over time. But such disciplines of devotion are part and parcel of our life of faith and constitute much of our training in holiness. Growing in holiness, or spiritual maturity, is not an overnight process. It takes place in fits and starts. It happens incrementally. It takes place in a world of dirty laundry, crying children, busy schedules, long days at work, and arguments with our spouses. And unlike other, less noble habits, such holy habits actually imbue life with value and meaning and purpose rather than simply anesthetizing us against life's hardships.