I had the opportunity to present at the Best Practices for Ministry Conference last week. My title? The same as this newsletter: Bible Curious.
My thesis is that curiosity is an act of love.
We are curious about the things people and places we love. The idea of spending more time with these, getting to know more about them fills us with joy, peace, security. It puts a serene smile on our face just thinking about the things, people, and places we love.
I talked about things that get in the way of our curiosity, gave some tips on asking questions, particularly in a Bible study setting. We practiced asking as many questions as we could about three Bible texts (which was quite the delight, and an exercise worth trying sometime, especially in a larger group).
But the thing I remember most is learning from the attendees.
One particular attendee had worked teaching people how to read with a program called “Emergent Readers.” She said as part of increasing comprehension, literacy, fluency, etc. the teachers would pause partway through the reading and ask the students, “What questions are running through your brain right now?”
I think we all are emergent Bible readers. We are all still learning the language of heaven, still growing in fluency with the words of eternal life.
So the next time you are reading the Bible, maybe stop and ask, “What questions are running through your brain right now?” Write them all down. Then see what curiosity journey they lead you on.
Be Curious. Ask Questions.
Andy