MY ETERNAL LEGACY

Rushing a Bible Study is not the way to go.  It is important to have time set aside, which you specifically chose for study, which is not the same as a quiet time when you are praying and reading a devotion. This doesn't mean it has to be your only time for study. Personally, I have set aside Saturday mornings. My husband works night shift so he is in bed sleeping. I usually have no other plans for the day so I am not in `let's just get this done' mode. Also, for some reason Friday nights I seem extra tired, so I usually go to bed earlier, and wake nice and refreshed Saturday morning. During my quiet times, throughout the rest of the week, I often come across something that excites me, and I will jot this down in my notebook. I have also got into the habit of taking my IPAD and notebooks to every specialist appointment at the hospital, so I can again jot down observations.  On Saturday, I will then get out my `tools', looking a little deeper perhaps, and then begin ...

"One day a man asked me, `What is the best translation?' (He was referring, of course, to the best Bible version).   I answered, 'The best translation is when you translate the Word of God into your daily life'. He said, 'But I've got my Living Bible'.  (He still didn't get the picture). I replied, `You ought to BE a living bible! The word made flesh ought to be visible in your life."                                                                                Rick Warren. When beginning my recent study on the Psalms, I found myself doing these things: 1. Reading and observing - writing down a few facts and my own interpretations. 2. Asking questions and applying what I had read to my life.  3. Seeking the help of my favourite authors: Matt Lucado, Charle...

For the next few weeks, while I am in Sydney for the Hillsong Colour Conference and to spend some time with my son and his lovely wife, I will be spending my down time getting stuck into the WORD. I will be focusing my BLOGS on "Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods", with some of my own inspiration which comes from 51 years of listening to the Bible being read to me, and reading it myself. In my book `In the Palm of His Hand', I tell this little story - one of many my Dad told us as kids, as we sat on and around his knee each night.  Dad loved the Bible and he brought it to life by telling other stories, and introducing us to its wonders. "A little boy and his father were entering an old mining cave.  The little boy was excited as he put on his miner's hat - just like his Dad's. He held his Dad's hand tightly.  As they walked, he let go of his father's hand and ran ahead. Suddenly there was a crash, and the walls of the cave started falling down ...