The Bible Gets You Going, Right?

Do you remember the first time you read a book that you couldn’t put down?

I’ve read a lot of books in my day, but I can vividly recall the first book I couldn’t put down. This page-turner was Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick. The jist of the story is that the beautiful and unsuspecting Sophie, new to America from Czechoslovakia, found herself unhappily keeping house for the gorgeous Alec and his family. Yes, I was all of 12 years old, reading a Christian romance novel. (Insert snorts of amusement here.)

So, there’s me, a bit farsighted in my early days, hanging on every word of this romance novel with my bifocals on. (Go ahead, let your snorts turn into all out roars of laughter.)

Regardless of this absurd situation, I couldn’t put the book down. I felt myself completely involved in the story, wanting to linger on every word, yet speed reading through the details to find out what happened next.

Have you read a book like that? Have you read a book that changed you, altered the way you think or feel about some particular issue or even about life in general?

Books, really good books, are powerful.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, for example, with its vivid depiction of the cruelty of slavery, changed the way Americans thought about African Americans and slavery. Really good books leave a mark upon their readers, changing them forever.

My guess is that the Bible has not been one of these books for you.  I know, the Bible is supposed to be the book and it has been incredibly popular for centuries, but if you’re being honest, is it the page-turner for you that Sophie’s Heart was for me?

So many people have set out on the grand adventure of reading the Bible start to finish, only to give up somewhere around… oh… Deuteronomy?  (I wouldn’t have personal experience with that or anything.)

We know the Bible is an amazing book and it may even change our lives if we read it, but we just can’t get wrapped up in the pages. It just doesn’t do it for us.

Do you know what I mean?

That’s where Quest’s current Sunday series comes perfectly in to play.  See, our topic from now until November 20, entitled ”Making Sense of Scripture”, is going to show us how and why the Bible is an amazing book, difficult and complicated, but still amazing. There’s a reason people have been reading and rereading it for thousands of years and we’re gonna figure it out.

We are focusing on the book Making Sense of Scripture by David J Lose. His hope is that by studying his book, we will gain the confidence to explore the actual content and claims of the Bible in our own ways.

Bring your questions, ask them anytime here on the blog or on our facebook page, and follow along to engage the major questions about the Bible that people of good conscience and abundant curiosity often ask.

Before we get started with topics over the next several weeks, take a moment to think about where you are with the Bible at this very moment, as Lose urges us to do in his introduction to the book. What are your feelings toward the Bible?  Is it sacred or secular, inspired or interesting? Does it reveal God’s will for you and the world, offer a record of ancient history, or offer timeless wisdom and inspiration? Has your experience of reading the Bible been positive or negative, illuminating or confusing?

Feel free to share your feelings in the comments!