As I ponder the
three conversations concerning the Bible that have challenged and shocked me,
let me ask; How do you read the Bible? How do you experience the Bible?
As you look back
over your life, do you read the Bible the same way today as you always have?
Has your experience with the Bible changed over the years?
Do you read articles,
letters, books, cards, and documents the same way? Do you read marketing
material the same way you read an email from a friend? Do you deal with spam
email the same way you deal with email from a family member or a coworker?
If you are in a
romantic relationship, do you write and “sound” differently to that special
person than you do if you are sending a business email? Is your writing “voice”
different when you write to a high school friend of many years than when you email
an appliance repair company asking it why it has once again failed to show up
for an appointment?
In my business
career I wrote in many genres. I wrote technical instructions for using software.
I wrote advertising copy. I wrote personnel reviews. I wrote contracts. I wrote
letters putting parties on notice for contract violations. I wrote letters to
government officials. I wrote letters to clients. I wrote thank you notes and
letters to vendors and team members. I wrote strategic plans.
Each letter or
email or contract or procedure I wrote required that I think about who I was
writing to, who else might read what I was writing, the purpose of my writing,
what I wanted to communicate, how best to communicate…and so many other things.
If I was writing
a personnel review for someone who had a well – developed vocabulary, I would
write one way; if English was a second language I would write another way. If
the person needed to receive a strong message that immediate job improvement
was critical, I’d write in one voice (at least in part of the review), if the
review was more along the lines of continued successful development and coaching,
I’d write in another voice.
If I am opening mail
at home and have five pieces from companies that want to sell me the newest computerized
mousetrap, I am going to handle those pieces differently than I will the card from
our friends in Munich, Germany. My expectations will be different, my critical
thinking will be different, my heart will be different, my defenses are up with
mousetrap marketing, they are down with the card from our friends.
The way we
approach the Bible matters, the way we listen to the Bible matters, the way we
communicate the Bible matters, the way we respond to the Bible matters.
How do you read and
experience the Bible?
How would you
like to read and experience the Bible?
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