God is not boring

There is nothing boring about God. Religion, yes. God, no.

If you want to get closer to God this Summer, one of the best ways is to read the Bible. OK, I already said that yesterday. But reading the Bible is considered boring by most people and I thought it good that I say that reading the Bible is important again. It's important because it will change your life, not because that's what "good" Christians do.

I didn't read the Bible much growing up...even as a pastor's kid. There were two big reasons. First, the Bible I had access to was written in 17th century English. I didn't talk that way. When I read it, I sounded like I had lisp with all of the words that ended in "eth." Second, I heard people talking like that when they prayed and they thought that you had to speak King James English to talk to God. Something wasn't right about that because when I talked to God he heard me just fine. I waited for a better Bible translation. Until a better translation came along I listened to my Dad explain that "And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me" meant Jacob was going to hang back, send a present ahead, and wait to figure out if the guy he wanted to see would talk to him. All that being said, I didn't study the Bible that much. Now I do.

I study the Bible a lot now, not so much because it's my job but that it's a good book you don't get tired of reading. It's not boring. It's only boring if you read it the wrong way. If you start in Genesis and read it like a regular book, you'll start having problems focusing about Leviticus, which is less that 5% into the book. To really understand how much God loves us and wants a relationship with us you need to read different parts of the Bible simultaneously. Otherwise you get stuck somewhere in the blood and guts of 1st and 2nd Samuel or the "begats" of the Chronicles. The great news is that some genius (I really mean that) figured out that if you read a certain amount of different parts of the Bible everyday, you could read the Bible in a year.

Try using a One Year Bible. Go buy a hard copy or go to www.oneyearbibleonline.com and just click on the current day. You can either read it or listen to it (great for stay at home moms). It will make the Bible much less boring because you get a balanced diet of God's story.

When you read the Bible, you're reading what God thinks about you and the world you live in. You're reading about real life...birth, death, war, love, sex, spirituality, kids, husbands, wives....and the God that cares enough to talk to you about all of it. Read the Bible and I promise you'll be closer to God this Summer than ever before.