It is one of my great hopes — passions really — that we would be a church of people who are committed to reading the Bible. So many people have their image of God shaped by everything except the Bible. Yes, the Bible is occasionally confusing. Yes, God appears to do things that don’t make sense. And, yes, without context some of it can be a bit tedious. But, the broadly sweeping story of God is one in which He longs to rescue people out of captivity (whatever that might be) leading them into wholeness, becoming the people He intended them to become. We miss that story when we only read the Bible in excerpted form.
We may hear about God’s goodness from something quoted to us. We may hear about Jesus’ life during a Sunday sermon. We may get wise insight on how to live from a devotional website. But, generally, we aren’t forced to wrestle with the difficult stuff of the Bible when we encounter it in tiny chunks. Our faith grows when it is stretched. We need to ask big questions and wrestle with weighty doubts. I want us to be a church where people can own their faith — not with arrogance but with humble confidence — with a persistent heart for people who don’t yet know the full story of God’s great love. Let’s read together. Pick up a Daily Message at the bookstore or download the mobile app.
Last week, I mentioned something in my note about the “mobile-app” version of the Daily Message (Mariners’ daily Bible reading plan). A number of people either stopped me and asked about it on Sunday or called the church to ask about the mobile app. So, let me walk you through the process of downloading the mobile plan for reading your Bible on an Apple device. I know many of you do not have an Apple (iOS) device. But, the process should be virtually the same for those of you with Android and Windows smartphones as well.
- Visit the app store and search: “YOUVERSION.” Then, add the app to your phone.
- Open the app and search: “PLANS”
- In plans, search: “DISCIPLESHIP JOURNAL’S BOOK AT A TIME”
- Start your reading.
See you Sunday,
Jeff