Knowing and Loving the Bible

Has the BIble become like an old bike to you? Like the desire of a young child to have a new bike when they eye it in the store, they walk around and around it looking at it from all angles. They touch it and admire it, imagine themselves whizzing down the street on it. When they get it for their birthday it’s a tremendous joy! They can’t wait to ride it! They jump on it and ride and ride. But over time it loses its luster. It becomes just a means of transportation. They whiz home, jump off it, carelessly lay it down in the front yard and run in the house.

Is this how your Bible is to you? Did you devour it, write notes in it, underline meaningful verses, even memorize it at one time? But now it’s not that important. Other things take more of your attention. This study can help you refresh your perspective, remind you of the great value the Bible is, remind you it not only has a place in your life but a supreme place in your life. How powerful it is, how meaningful it is. It is the very word of God speaking to you.

Catherine says in her book “Knowing and Loving the BIble” that God desires fellowship with us and “heart-to-heart with God means God speaking from His heart straight to your heart-an intimate romance joining your heart to the heart of God. It is a radical intimacy with the God who created you, loves you, and wants you for all eternity. How does God communicate with you so that you may hear Him speak? God’s Word is filled with His words. If you want to know what God has to say to you and fellowship with the One who loves you more than life itself, open the pages of your Bible.”

I had a few more chapters of the Old Testament to finish reading last month on the Old Testament BIble reading plan we started last Fall at Woodcrest in conjunction with our survey of the Old Testament BIble study. I decided to try Catherine’s devotional BIble study method as I was reading these chapters in Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. I didn’t think I would get much meaning out of these old books of prophecy. Using the devotional method really surprised me! I actually was able to find significant thoughts and personal application from even these books! I was amazed! God spoke to me with encouragement for my own life!

What Catherine says is true! “Knowing and loving the BIble are as essential to spiritual life as breathing is to physical life.” We need the Bible. And as we read it and study it, it can change us, and teach us and make us grow.

I am thrilled to be joining with you on this six week adventure as we learn how to delve into the Bible and get to know God better!

Welcome to Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience!

I want to welcome you to the new study I’ll be leading this year beginning the week of October 29. No matter where you live in the world, you can join in. All you need is the book Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience. We will take 8 weeks to journey through this study in the psalms, learning from the psalmists as our prayer partners, teaching us how to pray. The psalmists are champions of prayer and will teach us how to adore God better, worship Him more, and draw near, believing Him for big things. I’ll be writing weekly on this blog and you can connect with others who are also doing the study. In addition, if you are joining from another area of the country or world, all my messages for Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience are available for download and viewing online at the Quiet Time Ministries Online Store. I want to encourage you to join me in this amazing experience of prayer. I look forward to learning together with you. God bless you and I’ll be back in late October. In the meantime, if you decide to join the study, why not introduce yourself in the Comments area of this post and share why you’re looking forward to learning more about prayer.

Meet Kathleen Rousar The Artist

I am so excited to introduce you to Kathleen Rousar, the artist of the Ballerina series of paintings entitled God’s Compassion - Our Dance With Him, featured on the cover and interior of A Woman’s Heart That Dances. You can see her beautiful painting here that was used for the cover design of A Woman’s Heart That Dances. I love this painting - can’t you just imagine this dancer with her eyes on her Lord, poised and ready to dance! I invite you to read more of the story of these amazing paintings at Kathleen’s website at www.klrousar.com. You will discover the meaning behind her painting including why she painted the shoes pink. And prints of four of her Ballerina paintings are now available for purchase at Imagekind. I first met Kathleen when I traveled to Minnesota to speak at a Women’s Retreat. The topic was A Heart That Dances. While standing at the book table during the conference, a young woman walked up and introduced herself. Kathleen just shined with the love of the Lord. Once home, I received a package from her, the first of many packages I’ve since received. It was a small book filled with prints of some of her paintings. I have to tell you I was just blown away with the beauty of her artwork. How can so much talent be in one person!! Kathleen is a gift from the Lord and she uses what God has given her for His glory. And so, when you get a copy of A Woman’s Heart That Dances, you will see her work on the cover and also at each section in the book. 

A Woman’s Heart That Dances has now been out for about a month and I am already receiving notes and emails about its impact in lives. This letter in particular touched my heart. A woman from South Carolina wrote, “From the cover to the title to the illustrations throughout the inside, this book called out to my spirit from the moment I spotted it on the bookstore shelf. Having been a ballet dancer for six years, this book has touched me in a way no other ever has. I have never cried so much while reading a book! I do not usually respond that way, but the Spirit has been moving so tenderly within me with every chapter of this book that I am consistently moved to tears. I even shared some about the book with my small group because I just could not keep all the things I was reading to myself.”

I loved this woman’s comments because God does work in us this way sometimes. I don’t know about you, but there are certain books that God has used to move me to a new place in my relationship with Him. My prayer is that He will use A Woman’s Heart That Dances to do exactly that for others - that as a result we will lean into the Lord’s embrace, follow His lead, and dance. I want us all to say, “Yes Lord, I will dance with you!”