Much thanks to PD reader, Lyn Woods, for an absolutely awesome link and suggestion that is a huge help for busy people wanting more time in the Word. Lyn listens to an ESV Bible online at this link, http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/browse/. It’s so easy to do. Just follow the link, pick a book and press listen.
 
Until Lyn sent me this link I had forgotten how helpful it was to listen to the Word. When I was in college, back in the good ol’ days of walkman cassette players, I spent many hours with the bible streaming through my head as I bopped across campus between classes. Absorbing the Word through my ears significantly shaped me.
 

AUDIO ADVANTAGES

MULTI-TASKING

The great thing about audio is you can listen to it while you do mundane chores, exercise, drive, etc. It’s a nice way to multi-task or squeeze in extra exposure beyond your normal reading time.
 

IDEAL FOR AUDIO LEARNERS

If you are an audio learner, listening will actually be the most advantageous encounter of the Word for you. Our culture has become visually dominated. We often forget that much of the Bible was likely passed along orally before being recorded. Even the Epistles (letters) were read aloud in communities. Many early Christians would have never seen a written Word, but they would have heard it repeatedly.
 

ELIMINATES AWKWARD GIBBERISH

Lastly, Lyn pointed out in her email to me that listening has been really great for the names and places that “read” as gibberish. Many people have shared the discomfort, if not discouragement, they feel when trying to plod through lengthy geneologies. May be those our times when you might want to consider listening rather reading. You won’t feel the same frustration and may even learn how to pronounce some of those names of places and people.
 
Lastly, you could easily miss the ‘listen’ link if you weren’t looking for it on the audio bible pages. The ‘listen’ link is in a small font just to the right of the chapter name. See the sample picture above. I have circled it in read.
 
Blessings on your reading AND hearing of the Word.
 
p.s. It’s not too late for you to read the Bible in a year. Sign up below, today. Don’t procrastinate another minute.

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SAMPLE LESSON
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Background

The earliest and most reliable information we have about the origin of the Gospel of Mark comes from Papias ca. A.D. 125. According to Papias, this gospel was written by John Mark a companion of Paul and later Peter. It was written around A.D. 65 shortly following the deaths of Paul and Peter. According to Papias it was intended to be read by the church in Rome. So as you are reading it keep in mind that this Gospel was most likely written for a Gentile, that is to say, a non-Jewish audience. Also, it would have been an extremely persecuted audience.
 

Themes and Features:

• Mark moves quickly. You are going to see the word “immediately” over and over again.
• This Gospel relates Jesus ministry from his Baptism up through his resurrection a full one-quarter of the book is spent on the details of the last week of his life. There is a strong sense of Jesus as a servant willing to suffer if necessary. A message that would have been inspiring for Mark’s roman audience who was being harshly persecuted.
• Lots of Stories in Mark reveal Jesus authority.  Watch for what Jesus has authority over.
• Secrecy.  Jesus frequently tells people not to spread the word about him after he performs a miracle.  There is a lot of speculation as to why Jesus did this.  Watch for this recurring theme.  Why do you think Jesus wants people to not talk about him?
• Mark begins his Gospel by announcing Jesus coming as the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah.  As you read Mark consider how Jesus is the fulfillment of what God sought to do in the life of Israel through the law.

 
I hope you enjoy the video and have a great read of the Gospel of Mark.
 
Blessings,
 
John Arnold
The Practical Disciple
 

Now I’d like to make a rather practical observation. A general desire to know and to study the Bible does not necessarily mean that we will always be overflowing with enthusiasm to do so. When we say that we desire to study the Bible we can mean two things. We can mean that we spring out of bed in the morning eager to rush to a comfortable chair and spend some time drinking in the Word of God. Though I think all Christians long to be like this, the sad fact is that very few are. The reason I am writing these words today is that I have felt little of this enthusiasm lately. I’ve found myself dreading times in the Word far more than I’ve eager anticipated them. And I hate this, I hate my lack of interest, my lack of passion and desire. And yet it seems to be where I am right now.

In my 25 years of reading daily, I have had more days than I care to admit where I just pushed through my Bible reading and I don’t regret it. When I was first compelled to read the Bible the motivating feeling was a sense of “should.” That’s not entirely a bad thing. It took a while for that to turn into desire. At first, I couldn’t find time to read and then as my interest and knowledge grew I felt at times as if I could not find enough time to read. I met a guitarist recently for a Christian Band named Last Hour. His name is Cliff Pennington. He sent me an email about reading the word of God that expresses that same shift. With his permission I am quoting his email.
 

You know we were talking about God’s Word and trying to get kids to read it. If we can just get them to read it! I was going to say that for me personally, the thing that helped me the most, was the day that God helped me to realize that His word is not a burdon. His instruction is not restrictive. Basically, The Bible is not a “RULE” book. It’s the key to life, the abundant life, that Jesus promised us. Living by it’s teachings and focusing on it’s truths and principles is really what sets us free and helps us to begin living… Truely living. I’m one of those people who always used to use the excuse that I just “hate” to read but once I gave in to the Master’s will and did it anyway, He spoke to me through it. Now I can’t read the Bible enough or even books by other people about the Bible or what they’ve learned from it. Now all of the sudden I’ve read books by C.S. Lewis, John McArthur, Ravi Zacharias, Less Strobel, J.I. Paker, Bro. Andrew, Alex McFarland, and many more. I just can’t explain in words the joy I’ve received from God through His word and I want to convey that to everyone just like you do. The world teaches us that by constricting ourselves in our lives to God’s word that we are limiting the joys we can have in life. I say that God created us; knows us better than we know ourselves… He should therefore understand how to make us happy. Why shouldn’t He? He’s our father… He’s tied His happiness to our hapiness. The limits presented in His word simply guide us down a path that leads us to ulimate “true” happiness. The world only presents to us “false” happiness that never lasts. True happiness, in God’s love through His perfect guidance, will never end.

Mindset has a lot to do with how hard or easy it is to get into the Word. We have a lot of choice around mindset. It’s good to be reminded by Cliff about the pure joy it should be that we get to read God’s Word, not that we “have” to read it. It’s good to read things like Chris’s quote and it’s good to be in fellowship with other believers reading because it can help inspire us when we are going through one of those low periods, such as the one that Tim Challies is in right now.
 
So, I just want you to realize that if you are struggling right now with reading, what a lot of people don’t tell you is that this is not unusual. Seasoned Christians with an amazing love of the Lord go through times where reading is just inglorious tough work. Those times pass though and I would urge you to persevere. Do your reading and pursue study diligently.
 
Lastly, I would encourage you to also not judge the value of your Bible reading based upon your experience of your actual reading time. In our culture, immediate gratification has come to drive many of our expectations. Yet, you are not going to necessarily have some epiphany or visionary insight every time you read the Word. I first learned this from a wise old monk. The trappist monk, Basil Pennington, who has written and taught extensively on centering prayer, once said to a group of students I was retreating with that we shouldn’t judge our prayer based upon the experience of the prayer time. We should instead judge the value of our prayer based on how our lives were transformed over a season of prayer. He said that we should wait and see if we are treating our family with more kindness. Are we slow to react angrily? Are we more loving? The wisdom of his words are equally true for other spiritual disciplines, such as, bible reading. The really value is not in the immediate experience but rather instead, in the transformation God affects in you over time.
 
Stick with it. Enjoy it. Revel in it. Blessings on your reading
 

• Investigation–Detect, study, explore, gather
• Incubation–The longest stage, quantity over quality, can involve blending, traveling, polarizing, walking, meditating, praying and sharing
• Illumination–The editing of stage two, illuminate the big idea, the “Aha!” moment
• Illustration–Portray and personify the big idea, design, create

 
I read this process and immediately thought, this sounds very much like the process I try to follow when writing a sermon.  It is a fitting general prescription for Bible reading as well.  I had never really thought about my general Bible reading as a creative process, but really it is. Each time we read we should strive to manifest the word as a living reality in our lives. That is truly a creative process.
 

FIRE THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD SAYING,

“YOU’RE NOT CREATIVE”

IT’S A LIE.

You might be thinking, “But I am not creative.”  Kick that crud out of your head.  You are created in God’s image.  God declares that immediately on the heels of creating everything, including people. Do you think God forgot to include creativity?  Also, when you look at all of creation people are the one thing that God created with the ability to create just for the beauty of creating.  That includes you.  Have you ever seen a child with no imagination?  You where once a child.
 
Let me ask you this, do you worry about things that never come to pass?  Just think about that for a moment.  Those worries are fantasies of fear created in your head by…guess who….YOU!  Where else did those fantasies come from accept your imagination?  I bet you never thought about that as being creative.  It is creative, just in an unhealthy manner.
 
So, when you pick up that bible…

• Investigate–have the curiosity of a child. Go at scripture like you are on a treasure hunt.
• Incubate–Go ponder. Take a hike. Sit around doing some handy work. Mull it over while doing something slightly physical but pretty much mindless.
• Illuminate–Once you have had some mull time, try to formulate a response out of the ideas that arise.
• Illustrate–Find a metaphor or picture. Can you find an analogy that captures your insight. This will really cement your discernment in your long term memory. Often times a metaphor or picture will be a catalyst for deeper insight. Also, put your words to work. Live them out. Living out the Word of God is how you truly come to understand it deeply. When you do that you are creating at the finest level. You living into the image of God.

There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:6-7)

Meditation:

The verses upon which we have reflected over the past several days have revealed many benefits that come into the life of a believer with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have looked at power, love, self-discipline, community, peace, and a whole list of fruits. But, to what end are all these things given?  Is drawing near to the Holy Spirit nothing more than a self help program?  Not at all. The gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit are for the common good.
 
If you are wondering about the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, do not look so much at what it has done for you, but how the transformation of you has effected the common good. Does your joy bring joy to a community? Does your love lift the body of Christ? Does your power inspire, strengthen and support God’s family? Do your spiritual gifts build the body of Christ? Does your gentleness reveal the mercy of God? Does your kindness point to the cross?
 
Even then look at your community and ask if that community reveals God to the world. When Christ promised the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John and he prayed for believers he also prayed that they might be one. He wanted them to have that unity and joy so that others would come to believe. When all is said and done that is the true proof that what is moving in your life is the Holy Spirit. If God is honored, glorified and made more manifest to the world then the Holy Spirit is truly moving in power.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I have prayed that you take captive my words and my thoughts in prior prayers, but to what end did I pray these things? I pray this day that all that I say and do can bring Glory to God the Father and reveal the grace of his son Jesus Christ. I want you to saturate not only what I do, but how I do it. When I labor, may I not only labor for the Lord, but in a manner that is worthy of Him. May I bring joy, gratitude and humility to my action. May I bring kindness, gentleness and peace to my interactions. May I have the mind of Christ, who was willing to humble himself even to the point of death on a cross. Frankly, though I know that these are the proper words to prayer, there is part of me that fears such prayers. Do I really mean them? Or, am I just saying it because it is what is good and right? Help me Holy Spirit to have integrity between the words I am willing to pray and the action I am willing to take. I know that by your Spirit all things are possible and God’s strength can be revealed through my weakness. May it be so. Amen.
  

Call Before You Fall

Verse:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Meditation:

In yesterday’s verse we were urged to set our minds on the Spirit that we might live by the Spirit. In today’s verses, Paul paints a picture of what living in the Spirit looks like. Given what we learned yesterday; specifically, that the focus of our minds produces are actions and eventually our character, what thoughts are necessary for us to find the fruit of the Spirit in our lives? What thoughts lead toward joy? What thoughts produce patience? What thoughts kindle kindness? etc.
 
Similarly, we must understand what thoughts lead us away from the fruits. We must recognize what thought patterns push us toward being impatient, cruel, bitter, envious, etc. Whenever we recognize that we are trapped in those thoughts, we need to call upon the Spirit to help us walk faithfully.
 
Yesterday, I was lying in a hospital emergency room being checked out after a car accident. I saw a sign on the wall of someone holding a nurse call button and above it where the words, “Call before you fall.” I commented to my wife that it was a sermon in a sentence. When we find ourselves thinking thoughts contrary to the Spirit we need to call out to the Spirit before we take any steps. If we do not, then we are sure to fall.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I quiet my heart before You so that I might become aware of  any thoughts contrary to You. I would like to be able to observe my thoughts without reflexively reacting to them. Bring me that awareness. I want enough objectivity in my relationship to my thoughts so that when I stray from  you I can see it happening and choose differently. Then I pray that through your power, I am able to disassociate from my mind of the flesh and embrace a mind of the Spirit. When I consider the vast stream of never ending thoughts that rush through my head, bringing them under the control of your Spirit seems nearly impossible. But, I know that all things are possible through You. Thank you for your gift of power, love and self-discipline. I give you my mind. Use it for your purposes. Amen.
 
P.S. In regards to my car accident–The car was totaled, but I am not. Just got some nasty bruising and swelling from my safety belt doing its job. I want to thank the many friends and family who have offered prayers and words of encouragement.
 

If you are new to this Ghost Dose series, you may want to read the post, A Protestant Novena, A Dose of the Ghost..

Verse:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6.
 

Meditation:

How you live is a by-product of what you think. We are reminded of this truth in today’s scripture and I am reminded of an old proverb.

Sow a thought, reap a deed
Sow a deed, reap a habit
Sow a habit, reap a character

If your life is reflective of the Spirit, then it is almost assuredly true that your reflect on the things of the Spirit in your mind. If you life does not reflect the Spirit then it is time to take a hard look at the focus of your mind.

So what are things of the Spirit upon which we should focus our minds? The first thing that comes to mind for me is unity. When Paul addressed the conflict between Jews and Gentiles in the first letter to the Corinthians he noted,

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

He also urged the Ephesians to maintain peace saying,

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Obviously, walking in the spirit involves actively working on peace and unity. The journey toward community begins in the mind. You first judge a person in your mind. You first speak a hurtful word in your mind. You first lie, gossip or slander in your mind. You first consider forgiving in your mind. You first consider letting go of a hurt in your mind. To win the battle for peace, you must surrender first to the peace of the Spirit in your mind.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, take captive my every thought of my neighbor. May I only think that which will lead to greater unity, greater encouragement, and greater love.
May every ugly thought be tempered by your grace.
May every angry thought be softened and washed away by your unconditional love.
May every envious thought be satisfied by the knowledge that all I need you have already provided.
May every impure thought be purified by your holiness.
May every judgmental thought be abandoned for words of encouragement.
Holy Spirit, by your holy fire forge within me a burning passion for peacemaking.
Amen.
 
If you are new to this series of post you may want to read the post, A Protestant Novena, A Dose of the Ghost.
 
 

• Weekly emailed learning modules
• Process-oriented content i.e. provide tools for equipping rather than just information
• A password protected website of resources, links, modules, etc.
• A conference call system for coaching
• Multimedia content, i.e. video, audio, and text
• Both embedded and downloadable media for easy access.
• Action-the oriented content

 
So how did it go?

Putting together the initial structure was a huge undertaking that I had to pull off in under a week and by-and-large came together  as I envisioned it.  The three college students I recruited were awesomely receptive to the possibilities.   Everyone came out of the gate very enthusiastically, but we all struggled with busyness and how to integrate daily time in the Word.  Busyness was perhaps the single largest obstacle in the whole endeavor and I will say more about that under ‘lessons learned’ below.
 
While I want to revamp a significant portion of the content I feel like the content is solid, helpful and significant.  I did not teach any content about the Bible.  In other words, I didn’t teach any facts, information or lessons about the actual text.  My focus was equipping participants with tools for reading, learning, applying and experiencing the Word so that they would then experience transformation.  I am anxious to receive their feedback on the effectiveness of those tools and/or how much they applied.  Conversationally, I am aware that the participant’s activity level was very diverse.
 
Challenges

I found the biggest challenge in this process is not in creating the content but mentoring students toward application.  I know from my own experience that the tools I shared will prompt significant spiritual growth when consistently applied, but you have to help people apply them first.  As mentioned above, ‘busyness’ was the biggest obstacle for everyone along with the fatigue it produces.  When I revise the program and run a second test group  I am going to make the program longer with more incremental steps.  This will help people move into a more solid baseline of daily reading.  Also, I need to include some exercises for developing greater self-awareness around time management, priorities and self-discipline.
 
I am reminded of a friend of mine who created a fantastic independent study on animal tracking. He quickly discovered people couldn’t really do the program because they lacked basic naturalist skills necessary to understanding animal behavior. He had to create a naturalist study to get people the foundation necessary for the tracking study.   We live in a culture driven by immediate gratification and multi-tasking.   I have to help people tame those time beasts if they are effectively going to study and apply the Word of God in their lives.
 
Where do I go from here?

I have one last module to write to complete the study I started.  I will finish that, then get feedback.  Revise the program.  Then some time in the very near future, I will be relaunching another test group with preferable 15-20 people.   I will be adding a forum to the bible coaching website that will allow for peer mentoring and a place for people to post questions prior to the group conference calls.  I also am working on a series of “mindset” recordings.  There are certain mindsets necessary to being successful at any spiritual discipline.  I am hoping that the audios will inform, motivate and direct the participants toward greater success in the spiritual goals that they set.
 
Your prayers for this important process are much appreciated.  I hope you have taken time to evaluate your Lenten experience and worked on a “where to go from here” plan.  If not, then I encourage you to read my earlier post of questions to help you evaluate.
 
Lastly, I would love to hear from other readers what they did for Lent and any important lessons they learned.
  

I have used a variety of inductive Bible study methods over the years and find this particular study an extremely clear helpful process to follow.  The method is divided into two PDF files that can access using the links below.

• Inductive Bible Study Method, Page 1
• Inductive Bible Study Method, Page 2

This study method is published by the campus ministry Stumo.  Their purpose is to prepare laborers for Christ from college campuses.  You can learn more about them on their website Stumo.org.   You can also find a wide variety of other tools and Bible studies on specific topics or books of the Bible.

My thanks to PD reader Marshall for sharing these links.  The time was very Godly.

Lastly a word to Pastors, Christian Educators, Youth Leaders, Teachers and such–This Bible study method can be a really quick out of the box tool for leading a study with a small group.  Simple pick a passage and as a group work your way through the steps.

Last year a member of my church took on reading the Gospel of Luke in 40 days. That discipline got him start reading daily.  If you have wanted to read the Bible daily, but have yet to succeed, then reading either John or Luke in 40 days could be a great opportunity for you to get started.