So the week off has finally been completed and I have attended the next of the Alpha sessions. That now makes session 5 + the intro session. As per usual we watched the video and had the discussion afterwards. The video this time was about "Why and How should I read the bible?" which was interesting as one of the other things I don't do very well is read the bible, in fact i'm fairly poor at it because where do you start. Well everyone says in the new testament rather than the old testament because it is easier to read. I have to say I have found the law section in the Tora interesting because of the difference of some of the rules that are in there as opposed to what we do today.
You can look at these rules and try to understand why would God want his people to follow all these rules. As one of the leaders said they are all for their own protection as you have to put the whole thing into perspective. The year was over 2000 years ago, living standards and homes were different to what they are now and some of them probably are a lot more relevant than they are today.
But generally I haven't been very good at reading the bible as I probably don't really understand how to read it. I know there are lots of guides as to how to read the bible in a year by doing 15 minutes a day etc but I just haven't been motivated to get into it. I kind of just pick it up when I want to read a bit and then put it down for a few days.
From the video Nicky says that the bible can be a "well thumbed manual" but actually you can miss the point of the book. The reason you can miss the point is because the bible is one of the ways that you communicate with God. I was suprised to hear that you should pray before reading the bible. I have to say that idea had never occurred to me before as i imagined that you just pick it up and read it. If however this book is really how you communicate with God then it is more than just a book, just a collection of words written on pages.
He also refers to something relating to his expectation that God is going to speak to him every day. I just can't imagine him speaking every day. I guess I am still not really sure I have heard him, but then that could be me not listening rather than God not speaking.
I suppose the thing about reading the bible for me is that I don't have any feelings other than I am reading an interesting piece of text. This is probably not good and probably the thing that Nicky wants to get away from but it is a book, a historical account of something that happened. And me with my scientific brain reads it as a historical account of what happened. It is words on a page and isn't alive in my life. I don't understand how to change that or even if i am supposed to. I am just putting it down the way it is.
Then the other thing that is referred to in the video is to set aside regular time to read the bible, so I am supposed to find regular time to pray and regular time to read the bible. That seems to me like an awful lot of effort. Funnily enough praying makes more sense to me than regularly reading the bible as you are trying to talk to him, whereas reading the bible is learning about a subject.. and this isn't meant to offend anyone so sorry if you have been. That kind of makes me think that I haven't come as far down the journey as I thought which is quite sad and a shame.
The thing though I have achieved is that I have changed (or been changed depending how you look at it) as I am not the same person I was at the start of the year. Something has changed the way that I think and the way that I approach the world which has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I am certainly keeping my young lady on her toes as she can't predict what I am going to do next (in a good way). So I should be pleased with that.
I was referring earlier in the blog to "coincidences" of the Holy Spirit Sermon and the Father Heart of God sermon and they were good but there may be another one that has been placed in front of me. In the group is a person who is a proper analytical scientist who has recently come to Christ and it was good to listen to their experience so far. I am wondering if they are going to come back to Alpha again as their experience is interesting as to how they got the "faith" idea functioning whilst being an impartial scientist. I have been asking for weeks for one to appear and now it has been given. Is that a coincidence or something else at work.
Anyway unfortunately I am not going to be at church tomorrow because of other commitments but I am still going to be looking and thinking. Anyway I might add some more later today. TTFN
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