Life as a Christian Woman

I was reading a book to my daughter tonight called The Voice. Written by R.W. Metlen, it is described as “a story about faith and trust.” While it is a kids book, the message extends to us all.

In it, a man is in a boat fishing, and a voice commands him to, “Follow me.” Of course, the man doesn’t, and gets mad at the voice for intruding. The boat begins to leak, the voice say, “Follow me,” and the man gets madder, and more stubborn. The voice says, “Follow me. I love you.” The man stews. The boat begins to sink, the man is afraid, but decides to listen to the voice and follow. He is saved and walks to safety on the water.

Obviously, the voice is God’s, and the man is representative of all of us. We all get complacent in our lives, happy for things to continue. But that is not how we can best serve Him. Perhaps we best serve him when we venture into the uncomfortable and depend on Him to lead us, depend on His voice to speak to us.

And sometimes God speaks to us and we miss it. Or maybe we just don’t want to hear it. I’m reminded of an old joke:

A man is drowning in the sea. A man in a rowboat comes by and says, “I’ll save you.” The drowning man replies, “No thanks, God will save me.” A fishing boat comes by and offers to save the man, but he says “No thanks, God will save me.” Finally, a cruise liner goes by and throws the man a life preserver. “No thanks, God will save me,” the man answers.

Soon, the man drowns.

He goes to Heaven and comes before God. “I trusted you to save me,” the man says. “Why didn’t you answer my prayers?”

God responds, “I sent you a rowboat, a fishing boat and a cruise liner. What were you expecting?”

We want God to fit into a little box, one that will come out when and where we want it, respond to our prayers in the manner we request (or demand!). We have all achieved an amazing ability to block out the voice of God when He wants us to do something that we don’t want to do, or if we are “fat and happy” in our lives the way they are. What would our world be like if no one answered the voice of God when it calls? How many lives would be lost to an eternity apart from God, were it not for ministers, missionaries and others who hear and follow God’s voice.

This book is great for kids, but the message is one all of us need to learn and remember.

For reviews on the book The Voice, follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0809105276?showViewpoints=1

Just one quick look at the Bible section at any bookstore is enough to send your head spinning. It seems like there is a Bible for every age, gender, denomination, height, weight, color combination… well, you get the picture!

But how do you pick out the right Bible? Is there a “right” Bible?

Let’s try to take things in order… first, which translation? There seem to be thousands! Some recommend that you have two translations, one that is more scholarly (footnotes and comments on each page) and another that is more readable, easier to “digest” so to speak.

Popular scholarly Bibles include The (New) Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard.

Popular readable translations include the New International Version and the Good News Bible.

And if you were raised on the King James Bible and prefer that, then stick with it!

Try to make sure that the translation that you select has been out for at least 10 years. When new editions come out, it takes time for them to be “vetted” and corrections or revisions to be made by those who did the translations.

Don’t look for a Bible that agrees with you… you want to be challenged by the word of God, to grow, so don’t look for Bibles that adhere to a specific doctrine. You want God’s word, not the opinions of those who translated and edited!

Next, you must decide what binding, or format, you would like. I have always been drawn to the beautiful leather with the wafer thin pages. Unfortunately, that type is rarely good for hauling back and forth to church. A hard back will hold up better, and you shouldn’t have to replace it too often. Or you may want to have a small Bible or New Testament to carry in your purse… but make sure the type is big enough for you to read!

Beyond that, you can decide if you want a “red letter” edition (the words of Christ are highlighted in red), or a Bible written in paragraph form.

As for study Bibles, be very careful. Many tend to speak as if the translators and editors know exactly what God was thinking. They are giving you opinions, rather than letting God speak to you through his words. Of course, they are wonderful for explaining what different terms really mean in their initial language (the word “love” alone can have several different meanings).

Two popular study Bibles that come highly recommended are The HarperCollins Study Bible and the New Annotated Oxford Bible.

I have a ton of Bibles, I admit it. Many have been passed down through my family. One has notes in the margins along with dates that indicate it was being read in 1901! I also have my late mother and father’s Bibles. I cherish them all, but they are not the ones that I read day to day. Currently I have two NIV’s. I keep one in my car, so I generally always have one with me, and one in my home for in-depth Bible study. I have several reference books, as well, but they are mainly used for topical study (such as the article I wrote on gossip the other day).

Now, if you want a real experience in reading the Bible in the manner in which it was studied in the days of the ancient Christians, here is a suggestion I found on the internet. Have four people sit in a circle, have four glasses of water and four copies of a readable and responsible text of the Bible… the water is so you won’t have to get up to get a drink. Make sure you are in a quiet room and cannot be interrupted.

Take turns reading a chapter of Mark out loud. There are 16 chapters, so it will work out evenly. There should be no discussion or side comments, just the reading of the scripture. When you have finished reading the entire Gospel of Mark, discuss what you have read.

This is a powerful way to share the gospel with your friends, to reconnect with how the Bible was read by the ancients, and will draw you closer to God.

(Courtesy KenCollins.com)

If you love God, and love to laugh, have I got a book for you.

Entitled God’s Blogs: Insights from His Site, it is a humorous look at what God might write about if He had His own blog. Written by Lanny Donoho and with recommendations from everybody from Andy Stanley (pastor, North Point Community Church) to Dolly Parton (I’m assuming you know who she is), this book is both funny and insightful.

First, how I found it. A group of us moms go to Barnes & Noble every Friday night… I mean EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT. We bring our kids and let them play in the kids area, while we sit there solving the world’s problems and drink mocha frappuccino’s (ok, I just drink water, but my friend’s drink the frapps). Last week, this book “appeared” in front of me. Usually the only thing that appears in front of me at B&N is a peanut butter-chocolate cookie, so I was intrigued. Turns out the daughter of my friend had picked it up to have a look, and somehow it ended up in front of me.

Hmmm, what would God say to us if He could communicate by blog? That was an interesting thought. Sure would make life easier, huh?

The book opens with a “nondisclaimer.”

In case there are those out there who would have a problem with someone writing or speaking for God…
Try to relax.
This book is supposed to be an enjoyable look at the principles God put in the Bible… and they’re done with a twist. For some people it is easier to grasp the grace and truth of God if they feel like His word is personal to them…from Him…
Everybody has their ideas of what God might want to say to them.
These are mine.

One of the first pages I came to was called: Favorite stuff I have done. Some of the entries are;

• That Red Sea incident, • Surprise Lazarus! You’re back!, The whole Jonah episode…

You get the idea.

But when I began reading the book more deeply, an amazing thing happened. I began to realize that this was leading me into a place of worship! This silly little book was giving me a fresh look at God.

So many times religion is so serious… we can’t see the humor for the stained glass, as my childhood preacher used to say. I even wrote about it in a blog the other day (Did Jesus Laugh?)

But this funny little book touches on real life topics. Marriage, and what God intended it to be. Preachers, and their role in our lives. And funny little things like making it snow in Florida… and the resulting snowball fight (a true story interwoven into the “blog”)

The book talks about time, from God’s perspective, and about how we always claim that we don’t have enough of it. And about money and tithing, and about how all belongs to God.

Periodically in the book there are “blogjots,” or random thoughts. All are good, but one sticks out to me:

BTW… reflections happen best when you are standing near to that which you want to reflect. (That which you were made to reflect.)

That one has stuck to me like glue. If I want to check my makeup in the mirror, I move closer to it. If I want my daughter to behave, I pull her close to me.

So it stands to reason, if I want to reflect God’s love, shouldn’t I move closer to him? And there are so many ways to draw closer to Him… through study, music, and even laughter… after all, He invented laughter (it says so, right there in his blog!)

So I hope you will get a chance to look at (and maybe even buy!) “God’s Blogs” by Lanny Donoho. You’ll laugh a lot, and be blessed in the process.