Eat this Book Archives | Lynn H. Blackburn

How Do You Actually DO This?

Lynn Blackburn — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Last week’s post – Are we taking the “RunPee” approach to the Bible? – generated some interesting feedback both in the comments and in person.
The basic gist of it was this….it’s all well and good to say we need to read and embrace all of Scripture, but we don’t want to just go through the motions.
How do you actually DO this?
To answer that question, I’m going to give you a brief rundown of what I do to help me through the more challenging parts of Scripture. It’s not the only way, but it works for me.
1. Pray about it. I know that sounds like the Sunday School answer, but it’s the most important and very first step. If you’re a believer, the Holy Spirit lives in you. He is more than willing to open your mind and eyes to the nuggets tucked away in random Old Testament passages. Ask Him!
2. Don’t panic. When you read three chapters in Leviticus and have absolutely NO IDEA what you just read…That is OK! Some days you’ll close your Bible and say, “Well, God, um, that was, um, well, I have no idea what that was!” Don’t let days like that make you feel like you’re missing something. Again, the Holy Spirit will show you what He wants you to see. Keep showing up and giving Him the chance!
3. Bible in Five videos. These videos, produced by Blackhawk Church (the people who developed the Eat This Book program we are doing this year) are fabulous. They help you get the big picture of the entire book, which makes it easier to see how it all fits, especially when you have a day where nothing makes sense!
4. Study Bible. I prefer to read out of a Bible with minimal notes, but I’ve recently pulled out our massive ESV Study Bible as backup! I usually read out of my Bible, but keep the study Bible nearby so I can check the notes when something is confusing. You can get a “personal size” ESV Study Bible from Amazon for $15. It contains all the notes in the regular ESV Study Bible and then moves some of the longer articles on-line where you get free access. I haven’t purchased the personal size yet, but it’s just a matter of time.
5. Patience. Depending on your background, some of this stuff may not only be dry, it may be brand new. Think of it like building a house. You are laying the foundation right now. It’s not flashy. It can be downright boring. But you’ve got to have the foundation before you get to see the masterpiece the architect has designed.
I hope that helps! I’d love for you to share your favorite Bible study tips in the comments!

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Are We Taking the “RunPee” Approach to the Bible?

Lynn Blackburn — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

How many times have you been sitting in a theater—jumbo Coke and large popcorn forgotten—trying to concentrate on the movie while another part of your brain is analyzing each scene for an opportunity make a mad dash to the restroom.

Well, there’s an app for that. It’s called RunPee and it can make your movie going experience far more enjoyable.

I’m not making this up!

You can check to see when the best times are to “run pee” during the movie—then, when you have to make a dash, you know you aren’t missing anything important. The good folks at RunPee have determined which minutes you can miss without impeding your understanding of the story, and just to be sure, they provide a handy summary of what happens during your time away.

You slide back into your seat, take a sip of Coke, and pick up right where you left off.

While this works great for movies, I see a lot of believers taking the “RunPee” approach to the Bible. There are sections that just don’t seem to be moving the narrative forward. You’ve got Leviticus and the repetition of laws and detailed instructions on sacrifices. Sacrifices, I might add, that are no longer necessary because of Jesus, so we can totally skip that part.

Right?

Then Numbers starts off with a few chapters only an accountant could love. List after list of people with difficult to pronounce names and lots of, well, numbers.

And can we go ahead and talk about the genealogies. Hellllo? This guy begat this guy who begat this guy…Can you say snoozefest?

Of course, most believers I know would never say such a thing. We toe the party line…“If God put it in the Bible then it’s important.”

The deep down truth is that we don’t believe it. Those verses are fine for skimming (or skipping when you fall behind on your Read through the Bible in a Year plan).

So you slide into your recliner, take a sip of coffee, and pick up in Joshua or Matthew 2.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to pretend that my soul is stirred when I read about purification rituals or the procedure for sacrificing a bird, but this is the Bible we’re talking about, not the latest Hollywood attempt at entertainment. I’m not reading it because I want to feel good or get a laugh (although I frequently do).

I’m reading it because I want to know the One who wrote it. I want to understand the Story I’m living in.

All those numbers and rituals and genealogies? They make my reading of the New Testament richer and my appreciation for grace deeper.

I see my Jesus in a way I’ve never seen Him before, and my Jesus is so amazing that I don’t want to miss even one second of His story.

So tell me…how do YOU feel about Leviticus, Numbers, genealogies, or other difficult to digest parts of Scripture? Have you always skipped over them? If you’ve slogged through, have you seen things you’ve missed before? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

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When God Doesn’t Clear the Obstacles

Lynn Blackburn — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite things about reading through the Bible is finding verses that I’ve never noticed before.

A few weeks ago, I found a little nugget tucked away in Exodus.

The Israelites are camped out at Mt. Sinai and God is promising them that when they go into Canaan, they will be victorious. There’s all sorts of awesome promises about angels going before them to guard the way and how God would be the enemy of their enemies. There’s even a really interesting one where God promises to send hornets into the land to drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites.

Then, God drops in this little aside.

“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.” (Exodus 23:29-30)

Honestly, it seems pretty obvious to me why He did this. With what we know about the Israelites abysmal short term memory, if He’d cleared out the Promised Land in one fell swoop, they would have forgotten before they got half a mile in. Then they would have complained about wild beasts and overgrown fields while calculating how many days it would take to get back to Egypt.

I can see this so clearly when it comes to the ancient Hebrews, but I don’t like it so much when God applies this same principle to my own life.

I want God to give me a nice yellow brick road. A straight, obstacle free path leading from where I am to where He wants me to be.

Instead, He shows me my own Promised Land, promises He will never leave me or forsake me, and teaches me to trust Him in and through each obstacle—the ones He chooses to clear aside and the ones He chooses to allow me to endure.

All the while, I’m growing, learning, changing, and preparing to possess the land.

When I get there, I’ll appreciate every square inch of it, because I will have seen—and will remember—how God cleared the way.

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Currents :: 03-03-13

Lynn Blackburn — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:31:00 +0000

Books: Recently read Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson and Undaunted by Christine Caine. Both were excellent and I highly recommend them. Stay tuned for my reviews.

Writing: Thinking about entering my first 1500 words in the Frasier contest. Terrified.

Scripture: Our church is going through a Bible reading program called Eat This Book. (You can read about it here). Each day we read 2-4 chapters and then a Psalm. I’m thinking about having t-shirts printed that say “I Survived Leviticus”! Seems like there should be some sort of Christian merit badge for such an accomplishment (I’m kidding. Sort of). Of course, we went right into Numbers, and so far, Numbers is worse. So many, well, numbers.

Food: I’m avoiding wheat, refined sugar, and most dairy products for at least the next 30 days. I feel better…except for the part where I think I could tackle someone for a Reese’s cup.

Music: Completely hooked on Spotify. Have you tried it? Right now, I’m listening to the score from Pride and Prejudice. Love!

TV: Recording The Bible series on the History Channel. I’ve heard great things. Looking forward to watching!

Wonders AND Weirdness: While I’m thrilled to be past it, I have to say that in a weird way, I enjoyed Leviticus. There’s so much imagery, so much Law, so many ways to mess up. Which leaves me in fresh wonder when I contemplate Grace!

May your week be filled with wonders and weirdness!

Grace and peace,

Lynn

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A Different Kind of Margin

Lynn Blackburn — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:57:00 +0000

I have not been in a “bloggy” mood lately, which is weird for me. I love this blog. I love opening up my laptop and watching my scrambled thoughts morph into something that makes sense. At least to me.

Most of the time, I have three or four blog posts ready to go, but for the past couple of months, I’ve felt dry. Uninspired.

Empty.

Which is why I decided to take an unscheduled blog break.

For two weeks, I haven’t attempted to blog at all. I’ve journaled some during my quiet time (with a pen if you can imagine it!), and I’ve spent several hours on my fiction work-in-progress (the opening scene is my absolute favorite thing I’ve ever written, which probably means I’ll have to delete it, but for the moment, I’m quite pleased), but I’ve avoided anything that could look like a blog post.

I’ve been busy living my life instead.

I’ve planned and more or less succeeded in pulling off a double birthday party for my ten-year-old daughter and two-year old son.
I’ve taken my children for a long overdue trip to the Children’s Museum (we now have annual passes—that place is awesome)!
I’ve done a lot of normal things like laundry and meal planning.
I’ve played all sorts of random games with my kids.
I’ve enjoyed an oh-so-peaceful afternoon sitting in our “library” with my husband while snow fell in fancy flakes and piled up on the ground until we couldn’t stand it anymore and he retrieved all three kids from grandma’s house so we could build a snowman together.
I’ve started training for a 5K (that’s going to be interesting).
I’ve gotten a new haircut. I love it and have almost figured out how to fix it on my own.
I’ve been reading Leviticus, which everyone agrees can be a bit of a slog-fest, and have been stunned to discover how much great stuff is in there. Sure, there’s a fair amount of repetition with regards to long lobes of the liver and fat and entrails. And there’s no question that it’s a bloody book. Despite that, over and over again I find myself in awe, because unless we get just how onerous the Law was, how can we ever hope to appreciate the beauty and generosity of Grace?

After a few weeks of giving myself the margin to do a lot of ordinary things and a few things out of the ordinary, my heart is full and my thoughts are scrambled. I’m itching to start making sense of them again. I hope you’ll join me in the weeks ahead.

Grace and peace,

Lynn

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The Romans Project

Lynn Blackburn — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:47:00 +0000

Last week, I shared the Eat this Book program with you. After a full week, I have to say this is the easiest “read the Bible in a year” program I’ve ever tried. (And yes, I’ve tried to do this before. Pretty sure I’ve never made it past February).

Our pastor recommended that we make an effort to read at the same time and in the same place each day, as part of the way we establish the routine. I agree with him. I’ve had a spot and a time (chair in my bedroom, first thing in the morning) for the past couple of years. I move out to the deck when the weather cooperates and I start as many days this way as I possibly can.

But I have kids.

Three kids.

Kids who, on occasion, wake up way too early, or wake up sick, or wake up cranky. I also have been known to hit cancel instead of snooze on the alarm and for some reason, the kids never wake up early on those days and then I go into full blown tornado mode.

Tornado mode does not include me curling up in my chair with a cup of coffee and the Word. Tornado mode looks more like me praying “Jesus, help me not strangle anyone” as I race around the house, tossing lunches into boxes, pulling shirts over little torsos, and cramming shoes onto tiny feet.

Needless to say, tornado mornings often roll into frantic days where the chair and the Word, while longed for, just aren’t going to happen.

Which is where the YouVersion Eat this Book app has saved the day!

We are on Day 9 and I’ve already done some of my reading everywhere from the car to the bathroom. (TMI? Sorry. I have three kids, remember. Sometimes the bathroom is the only place I can get any peace. At least until they find me and stand outside the door, banging on it, begging for water, or sliding fingers under the door and asking if I’m in there…)

I’m convinced that technology, while full of pitfalls and time-suckers (Pinterest, anyone?), can also be one of our greatest assets as we seek to put on the full armor of God.

Which is why I’m ridiculously excited to be joining The Romans Project, hosted by Ann Voskamp and available for free through Scripture Typer and on her website, A Holy Experience.

Ann Voskamp challenged her readers to memorize the Sermon on the Mount last year and, frankly, I thought she was nuts. I’ve memorized a lot of Scripture, but the vast majority of it was as a child in Christian school and AWANA. My recent attempts have been feeble and unsuccessful. The odds of me memorizing three whole chapters were negative to nonexistent.

Of course, she makes very compelling arguments about why we need to be hiding the Word in our hearts. Arguments I could not refute. Arguments that had been tumbling around in my heart for a while, but I’d refused to give the time of day.

So this year, when she mentioned memorizing three chapters of Romans, I thought it might be worth considering.

To my intense surprise, I am having a blast!

You’ve got to check out Scripture Typer for yourself. You can join a group, such as The Romans Project, or set it up to help you memorize any verses you choose. Then, you type them over and over, to help you get them in your brain. You can set it up so you type the entire word, or just the first letter of the word if spelling’s not your thing. ~wink~

There’s also a Scripture Typer app which is not free, but is worth every one of the 599 pennies it will cost you, especially if you’re like me and are finding you spend way more time with your iPad than your laptop.

(By the way – if paper is still your thing, and goodness knows I do love a new journal – Ann Voskamp has some lovely free printables so you can make a little notebook of the memory verses and dive right in. Imagine, learning off-line. It can be done!).

With The Romans Project, we are learning two verses a week, which is quite manageable (and you could catch up in no time if you’d like to join in!).

I know you’re busy.

You are NOT too busy for this.

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Currents:: January 26

Lynn Blackburn — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Books: Loved Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer. You should read it!

Writing: The two main characters in my WIP are named Heidi and Blake and they are really hitting it off. I’m having a little trouble not jumping ahead to the kissing…

Scripture: I am loving our Eat this Book program. It’s great to literally be “on the same page” with so many of my friends!

Home: We took the baby gate down. I’m okay with it. Really. I am.

Movies: I still haven’t seen The Hobbit. This makes me sad.

TV: I have developed a ridiculous addiction to Castle. And a crush on Nathan Fillion. TNT keeps running Castle marathons. I keep recording them. And watching them. It’s getting a little, well, ridiculous.

Wonders: God sees me. I think El Roi may be my favorite of the names of God. Love so many things about that name, including that it was first used by a woman. Maybe God knew His girls would need to know—really know—that He sees us.

Weirdness: I think the Castle addiction is enough weirdness, don’t you?

May your weekend be filled with wonders and weirdness!

Grace and peace,

Lynn

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Eat this Book

Lynn Blackburn — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Now that I’m well on the road to recovery from my ridiculous thumb injury, it’s time to start talking about my One Word for 2013 – Margin.

One of the things I love about this word is that it has several different meanings. Which one do you think of first?

I tend to think of margin as the blank space around the page. The space where there’s room to write a note or add a thought. When this meaning is applied to my life, it’s the room I make on the edges of my responsibilities to allow me to say “Yes” to things when I feel God leading me in a new direction. It’s also the space that gives me the freedom to be spontaneous, should the mood strike.

(I’ll be talking about spontaneity in a few weeks and it’s sure to be entertaining given that “spontaneous” is the last word anyone would ever use to describe me, so stay tuned).

But there is another meaning. “Margin” is also used to describe the boundary or the place where we set up some priorities.

So while you might expect me to talk about all the things I’m removing from my life in an effort to establish some healthy margins, instead, I’m going to spend the next two weeks talking about some things I’m adding. I’m not adding them because I’m a glutton for punishment or because I’ve been pressured into it. I’m adding them because I believe both of these things are critical to the establishment of margins in my life.

Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Ultimately, I don’t want to be the one setting my margins. I want God to do it. But I won’t have a clue as to how He wants those margins set if I’m not saturating my mind with His Word.

Which is why I’m so excited about the Eat this Book program our church just started. For the next year, Southsiders (and anyone else who wants to join us) will be reading through the Bible. We just started on Monday, so it is not to late to jump in!

You can find all the details on our church website. I’ve chosen to download the YouVersion app to my iPhone and iPad to help me keep up with it, but there are free printable schedules on the website that you can print off if you prefer paper to digital :-).

One of the things that is fun about this program is the Bible in Five videos (also on the website). If the Bible seems like an overwhelming and complicated book to you, these five minute videos will help you get the big picture of what’s going on in each book. They are very interesting and even if you don’t want to dive into the Eat this Book program, you still should check out these videos.

Our pastor, Charlie Boyd, pointed out a few weeks ago that “Every Christian should be a Bible geek.” So join me? We’ll have fun. We’ll learn a lot. We’ll be able to say we read the whole Bible in a year.
Most importantly, we’ll be filling our heads and hearts with the greatest Story every told.

Who knows what God might do if His people became people of His Word?

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