092: Through the Bible, Part 1

Subscribe in iTunes | Play in new window | Download There are two ways of seeing. One is to look at a forest, and take in a landscape, and the colors, depth, dimensions, and nuances of all of it. But there is also the act of getting on your hands and knees and looking at one flower, and one petal. – Walt Harrington, The Everlasting Stream What do we do with this collection of ancient texts called the Bible? For many of us, even the word “Bible” elicits mixed feelings. As I talk to men, these sorts of words often surface: pressure, “ought to,” disdain, guilt, pain, delight, gratitude, anger, and awe. Let’s face it, the Bible can be intimidating, inaccessible, or less relevant to life than we might hope. To cope, we might stick to the parts that seem comprehensible, positive, and comforting, avoiding the rest like an ominous forest from which we aren’t sure we could find our way back.  For some, the complexity and strangeness of the Bible has demanded a rejection of the whole thing, along with the One whose voice is said to be found within.  But God is not on trial.  Neither is his story.  And neither are we.  What if there were teachers and a community willing to engage our questions and face the strangeness of the Bible head on with us?   What if we could start at the beginning again with a posture of honesty, openness, and curiosity? What if we could follow wise guides right into the forest of these texts and find a compelling revelation of  the Living God and Reality afresh, one that would stir our hearts, expand our imaginations, and renew our whole person with Beauty and Mystery as never before?  In this first episode of a three-part series on “Through the Bible,” Cherie and I are stepping under the shepherding care of the wise guides at the Bible Project and engaging texts that have troubled and intimidated us for years. Friends, this is the beginning of a treasure hunt. You don’t want to miss this.  Spoiler Alert –  This three-part series is an invitation to join me and a tribe of like-hearted allies as we walk through the Bible as a community beginning January 1, 2022! From my experience, having traveled this journey all of 2021 with a few different groups, the bar is low and the fruit is immense. All BGS subscribers, young and old, women and men, are welcome. More to come, but if you’re interested, sign up. Referenced in this podcast are Eugene Peterson's introductions to each of the books of the Bible. You can find a link to download that PDF in the ARSENAL section (under MORE) of BecomeGoodSoil.com. For the Kingdom, Morgan