Ancient stories still make sense? Yes, if you actually think about it

In my personal tradition for Lent, I've been listening to selected books of The Bible while running. Now, if you're unfamiliar with The Bible, hang on with me  - the best is yet to come. This year, I have gone through 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles and about to get through 2 Chronicles.

From flickr by Adam Dimmick

Those are very interesting books from, in Christian-speak, the Old Testament. In short, these are the stories of God's people, their constant pendulum of accepting and following God, moving away and ignoring God, then back again. And again. And again.

Much like real life.

The first time I went through these books of The Bible, I came away confused but intrigued. To me, having some knowledge about these years of kings and kingdoms helps explains so much the teachings of Jesus and his followers that came later. Get even a little grasp of the Old Testament, and the New Testament makes a lot more sense, in terms of location, groups of people, what people do and say and why, and much more.

One book that helped me a lot in my journey on this is the book "Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today," written by United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton. I downloaded the audio version from my local public library and listened to it several months ago.

Here's just a brief sample; click here to read the longer post (and find links to some of his previous posts):

'Do what it says'

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

-James 1:22

It's a busy world out there - so easy to get wrapped up on TV, telephones, computers, e-mail, text, etc. Much of the time, it seems, all we do is listen (or read, as in Facebook or Twitter).

I love to listen to the word. Often, in my running sessions, I plug in Bible recordings and just listen. It helps the miles disappear. I've gleaned so much understanding from just running along, with only Scripture with me.

So there's a time to listen and read, of course. But as James wrote, don't fool yourself - listening isn't all there is to it. You also must "do."

That's also the hard part. We can become so passive as we read or listen. The challenge to respond - at whatever level our abilities allow - is, to steal a Nike phrase, "just do it."



(Image by glorifing on Photobucket)

A good word for hope and praise to God

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

-Romans 15:7

I'm currently listening to Romans on my mp3 player during my running sessions these days. It's a great letter from Paul. This particular section - Chapter 15 - is full of hope and unity.

Do you need some hope? Read the chapter and Paul's other letters. Don't fall into the trap of not considering when the letters were written and the situations the particular groups faced. Find a good Bible with commentary, such as the Life Application Study Bible.

'It is he who will save us'

Lately, this blog has posted a lot of stroke-related news, but now, an effort to do more faith-based postings. BibleGateway.com posts a daily verse, so I'm taking those as inspiration. A recent one, for example, came from Isaiah 33:22:

For the LORD is our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
it is he who will save us.

A Scripture reference to keep in mind when it seems the world is taking us over - our final authority is above all. So struggling with stroke recovery, struggling with caregiving, struggling with decisions, a note to remember: "...it is he who will save us." Consider all the ways he can save you, including the ultimate prize.

Running with the word

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

For more than 20 years, I’ve been a dedicated distance runner. On any given Saturday morning, I’ll likely cover 10 miles or more. And for every mile, every yard, God is with me every step. As Hebrews noted, the word of God is active.

Prayer is always a part of my running routine. I’ve had some of my most personal conversations with God while pounding pavement on the streets or enjoying tree-covered trails. The scenery can vary – from watching the sun rise over Sydney Harbor to receiving quizzical stares on Chinese sidewalks to seeing a beautiful rainbow in Columbia, Mo. – but God’s active presence is always at hand.

If you run long enough, it’s not hard to wind up with a trophy or two. Mine sit on a shelf at home. The real prize, though, is God’s company. As sweat pours, as dirt grinds underfoot, God is not sitting on a shelf with manmade trophies. He goes with me.

Like many runners, I have a small mp3 player/FM tuner. Most of the time, it’s tuned to my daily NPR dose of news and current events – which often trigger prayers – but in the last few years, for Lent, I’ve downloaded recordings of books of the Bible from the local public library’s Web site and listened to the active word of God while running those miles.

For fellow stroke survivors, regardless of your level of physical ability, listening to God's active, living word might be just the encouragement you need.