Well(deep subject, I know), I’ll be honest and say I fail miserably in this regard. We haven’t been to Church very much since this stupid Pandemic started and we need to fix that. Gotta find a Church that both my wife and I enjoy attending.

A very special person gifted one of those audio bible radio things. I listen to that for a few minutes every day. It’s really handy because NO email and/or texts are on that thing!

I try try to read 2 chapters every night before I go to sleep, sometimes I’m just too tired; no that isn’t an excuse, I need to make that time. I use my iPad mini for this because I have this great app called Olive Tree Bible Study. Perhaps I’ll make an effort to study in the morning as soon as I get up, coffee and the bible ought to get the day started off right.

I do have https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ bookmarked in my browser, but that’s more for a quick read at lunch, not really studying much.

The Bible is a book of many books. Most of my life I never read the Bible but would hear about different passages at Church in readings–from the Epistles or from the Gospels. I knew some of the “classic” stories, Noah and the flood, David and Goliath, Jonah and the ‘whale’, and others, but that’s all they were, “stories”.

It wasn’t until much later in life when I became a believer that I started reading and studying the Bible. I, frankly, didn’t even know where to start as it seemed so overwhelming. A friend suggested starting with First John, so I did. He also suggested “themes” to read about, like “salvation, forgiveness, marriage, ” and others. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. This was definitely not the “Baltimore Catechism”.

I tried different translations, as some seemed more difficult to read, follow and understand. I found one or two that I liked and stayed with them. Another friend suggested something new to me, an indepth studying of the Bible through a group called BSF, Bible Study Fellowship. Over about 7 years, we would meet weekly for about 9 months (with breaks for the holidays) read both Old and New Testament sections (with the help of a study guide) and break into small groups of about 10 men to talk about what we read, what we understood about it, how we might relate to it and how it might affect our lives. At first it was intimidating as I was never taught to share such thoughts but as time went on it became easier. The small groups changed from year to year and always had a mixture of men who’d been doing it for years and some “newbies”. We were able to get through most of the Bible.

This helped me develop some reading skills, prayerful thought and applications for daily life. The books of the Bible are filled with History, Adventure, Poetry, Mystery, and Guidance. These were real, living and breathing people who were not perfect and had their own flaws but were nevertheless used by God to accomplish His perfect plan. I could identify with many of them.

So, I continue to read, continue to study and every once in awhile will have one of those fantastic “revelations” about what a passage means to me. I try to start each day with Psalm 5 and 51. The Old Testament was probably written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek and I’m studying how these interpretations have been translated into what I’m reading. There is often much more to the passage than I imagined that is contained in the original words.

Lastly, The Bible helps me to learn a little more about the character of God, how He loves us for who we are in spite of all our failings and how He wants to have a relationship with us. He has a plan for us no matter our age or place in life. We get to know Him deeper through knowing His son, Jesus, meeting Him in the Gospels and getting to know Him personally.

It’s all in there, all one has to do is start and I’m so glad I did.

Thanks to you all for sharing. I don’t read or study the Bible now. I was brought up Lutheran and learned a lot in catechism. 7 years ago my brother had lung cancer and lived with us in his final year. Jehovahs Witness lady chatted with us on the porch and started to come by and she continued to stop by each week after he passed away. We studied the Bible together. I really enjoyed talking to her, but I didn’t join their church and it sorted of faded away. I didn’t agree with all of their beliefs, but shared love for God and Christ.
Each night I pray and meditate and talk to God and Jesus. Mostly I ask Jesus to help all of these souls dying of Covid to pass peacefully with love. I’ve felt so upset lately. There is so much turmoil, strife, and hatred in my state. I pray for us to care for each other and learn to be kind to each other again. I pray that I can still learn to be a better person.
Music I listen to gives me spiritual sustenance. Sometimes I have one song roll through my head like a prayer. I look forward to listening to my collection of songs but they are always in flux. I like to hear a Bible phrase in a song.  I am enjoying Mandys first few porch talks and when I joined this site I really love Mandys reminder that Jesus loves me.