Understanding the Bible

If you find the Bible difficult to understand, you are not alone. So what should a person do? Well, for starters, avoid reading the difficult parts and begin with the books that are easier to understand! And for a little kick start, here's a list of 32 (of 66) books that you may find easier to understand:

Old Testament
~Genesis
~Exodus 1-20
~Deuteronomy
~Joshua
~Judges
~1 Samuel
~2 Samuel

~1 Kings
~Nehemiah
~Esther
~Psalms
~Proverbs
~Jonah
~Haggai
~Malachi

New Testament
~Matthew
~Mark
~Luke
~John
~Acts
~1 Corinthians
~2 Corinthians
~Ephesians
~Philippians
~Colossians
~1 Thessalonians
~1 Timothy
~2 Timothy
~Titus
~James
~1 Peter
~1 John

Need further clarification? You can't go wrong with Psalms and Proverbs in the Old Testament. I encourage people to read one chapter from each every day. They are quick reads.

For the New Testament, I would encourage you to read Luke & Acts (they are written by the same author and combined they make one seamless narrative of the life of Jesus and the early Church). Other quick, helpful reads from the New Testament would be Ephesians, 1 Thessalonians, James, and 1 Peter.

If you're looking for a GREAT study Bible, I would highly recommend the Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).

A book you may find helpful in learning to read and study the Bible is "Living by the Book" by Howard Hendricks.

Another one is "Talk Thru the Bible" by Wilkinson & Boa.

Hope these suggestions help you as you read the Bible.

Ultrasounds are Invasive?

Hum... I just heard a pro-abortion advocate blast states where ultrasounds were mandatory prior to an abortion saying that the ultrasounds were "invasive and unwanted." Really? And abortion is not "invasive"? I guess we are to believe that abortion is not invasive as long as the baby is unwanted. Wow.

Isaiah 5:20 reads "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

For those of my friends who think I'm getting political ... I would beg you to understand that abortion is first and foremost a moral issue - an issue of the sanctity (or not) of life. Please stop and think through the rhetoric for a moment and listen to what we are saying.