Before I was married, I read the Bible nearly every morning. It was a ritual I had developed as a teenager that carried on into my adult life. I often woke looking forward to God’s company, found in the words of Scripture. I thought of God as my friend, my… Read More

For fifteen years, I read the Bible every day. I craved it in the morning like my empty stomach craved breakfast. Then slowly, the cravings stopped. My relationship with the Bible got complicated. Questions arose that I didn’t have the answers for, and the Bible became a source of confusion… Read More

Surrounded by admirers and enemies, Jesus teaches in the temple. He experiences what most would consider a mark of great success. He proclaims the good news concerning himself, saying, “I am he” (John 8:24, 28 ESV), the one sent from the Father (John 8:16, 29). Then, “As he was saying… Read More

If you’re like most Americans, you’re on the internet once a day or more. A 2018 Pew Research Center study showed that 77 percent of Americans are in that category. That includes 43 percent who are on the internet several times a day and 26 percent who are online… Read More

I used to read my Bible every morning with a cup of coffee and a journal full of notes and prayers—a scene worthy of Instagram. That habit of consistent Bible study filled my heart with God’s voice. But I’m not there right now. After a recent change in my… Read More

Several weeks ago, I visited the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. As I walked through an exhibition hall full of historical Bibles and replicas, I heard recordings of Scriptures being played through the speakers. To my surprise, they were in many different languages—I heard psalms in Hebrew and… Read More

One afternoon around lunch one of my oldest and best friends walked up to my desk at work with a book. Without preamble, he handed it to me, already opened to page 8, and said, “I think you should read this.” I did. In the space of the next six… Read More

When I first started reading the Bible regularly, I read in energetic bursts. I read because I felt I needed to. It seemed that every few verses, God was speaking to me. I would press my finger to the page, running it over a line of text, as if I… Read More

In September, I embraced the inevitable. Summer was ending—the light narrowing and slanting toward autumn. Each year we New Englanders welcome the change while bracing for another winter. We look forward to the first nip of frost, the crunch of a freshly picked apple, the sweet aroma of wood smoke… Read More

Perhaps you’ve selected a Bible and started reading it. Maybe you’re even setting aside regular times to reflect or pray. You’ve gotten a taste of what’s inside, and a desire for God’s words is growing in you as you recognize the nourishment God offers in these encounters. What comes next?… Read More