2010 was a great year in the life of our church. Many people
participate in our year-long initiative of Bible Study known as
the Life Journal. We continue this amazing journey through
God's Word in 2011. Click here to download the
first portion of scripture references that we will be studying
together.
Below are some frequently asked questions about the Life Journal.
If you have further questions feel free to contact us in the church office.
What If I Miss A Day … or Three?
There will be times that you will miss a day (or a few days) of reading. You are fearful of beginning
again because you will have to "catch up!"
Don't try to catch up. Start on today's reading. Whatever day it is, start there. Don't try to rewind
the tape and catch up all the days you missed. That will discourage anybody! Start with today. Don't
worry. You'll come around to it next year. Or if you have a day off, you may want to go back and read
one or two that you missed. But don't get discouraged. Get back on the bus and discover what God
has for you today!
But I Don't Understand!
What if I don't understand 90% of what I am reading? Then don't journal on the 90% you don't understand.
Journal on the 10% you do! Begin there. If you toss the Bible out with the bathwater, your understanding
will actually decrease. But if you will be faithful to journal on what you do understand, God will reveal more
to you next time around.
Be faithful with what God shows you. This year, you may understand 10%, and if you are faithful to journal
and apply that, next year, you will understand 30%. Then the next year, 50%, and then 90% the following year!
Stay faithful and don't let our lack of understanding decide how we will live our life. Choose the best for your life.
It will last you the long haul!
Why Should I Journal?
Some people say, "I read the Bible, but I don't journal. Should I journal?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Well, partly because in the book of Deuteronomy, God required Israel's kings to write out all of His Word in their
own handwriting, then read, every day, what they had written. He mandated this practice, He says, so that the
hearts of the kings might not be lifted up above their fellowman and would not become prideful.
If God made this a daily requirement of Israel's kings, then it's not too much to ask of the King's kids. Regular,
prayerful time in the Bible keeps our hearts from straying.
How about other reasons? For one thing, journaling will help you when the tests come—and they will.
Also, the more you learn to write, the better your communication will be. You become better able to take tangled
thoughts and articulate them. You develop the ability to compose your feelings and ideas in an effective and
powerful way. When you're called upon to stand and speak, you'll be able to communicate more effectively because
you've learned to write.
Sir Francis Bacon once said, "Reading maketh a full man; conference maketh a ready man; and writing
maketh an exact man." today, we'd say that writing makes us more precise thinkers.
As you write, you become a wordsmith: "Hmm, this adjective doesn't work; this adverb is better; this turn of a
phrase is better." Writing teaches you to do it on the fly. One practical serendipity is that one day, when you begin to speak
extemporaneously, you'll also start to wordsmith on the fly. You'll say in your head, This phrase works better than that,
and this is better than the other. In nanoseconds, you're wordsmithing. The regular practice of journaling will be a tremendous help
in developing your communication
skills.
Which Bible Translation Should I Use?
There are lots of great versions and easy to read paraphrases of the Bible. What’s most important is that, whatever Bible
you choose, that you regularly use it! Of course, you don't want one that calls itself The New World Translation—that's a faulty
version created by a cult. And make sure that you have a translation you can understand. Any Mt Vernon staff member will
be happy to help you select an appropriate version or paraphrase.
So, what’s the difference in a version and a paraphrase? In broad terms, a version has been translated, word for word,
from the Bible's original languages. A paraphraseis taken from a version and is presented "idea for idea."
Among the various versions, the New International is very well-loved. Most people read at around an eight-grade level. The
relatively easy to understand NIV has positioned itself into that category. The New King James Version is listed at a ninth-grade
level, and the New American Standard Version is rendered at an eleventh-grade level. These are more accurate on the verb tenses
but sometimes a bit harder to read. Among the paraphrases, several are excellent, including The Message and The New Living Bible.
As you begin, you may find one more suitable to your style than another. A brand-new believer may settle on a paraphrase at first,
then move to a translation later.
Choose whichever translation fits best for you. Whatever you choose, get to know this book! Get to know it with all your heart.
Choose to regularly sit at the Lord's feet and listen to His Word. The bottom line is that you read the Bible!
What's Wrong With Using Other Books for My Devotions?
There is only one book in the universe that God promised to inspire. That book is the Bible. The Bible is God’s love letter to mankind.
You may say, "I do my daily devotions, but I read My Utmost for His Highest or Our Daily Bread. What's wrong with using books like these? Aren't they based on the Bible?"
There are many excellent devotional tools available today. None compare with the Bible itself. Paul, in Ephesians 6, calls it the sword of the Spirit. No other tool can claim that fact.
Of course, this is not an either/or thing—it's a both/and! But first and foremost, you need to go directly to the Word itself for God-breathed instruction. That's what inspirationmeans: "God-breathed."
The Bible has stood the test of time. Other volumes may be classics that remain popular for a hundred years or even a thousand. The Bible has endured from the start, and its end will never come. We simply have to get back to the Bible as the source.
Why Is It So Important to Do Devotions Every Day?
Let's change the question a bit. What if God traded out our eyes for His? What if, by divine dispensation, we were allowed to see things through His eyes … to see, not as man sees, but as He sees? What if we were granted a momentary metamorphosis and saw people's true, spiritual condition? Would we be heartbroken or heart-lifted at what we saw? Sad or surprised? In anguish or in awe?
What if we could see, not how we look to one another, but how we look to God? What would happen if we could pray, in faith, a prayer like that of Elisha regarding his servant?
"O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
What would we look like if we snacked on meager food morsels during the week and ate only one good meal on the weekend? You know the answer, don't you? You'd find yourself surrounded by emaciated, gaunt people in desperate need of nutrition.
And how would these undernourished believers fare against a demonic adversary? Can you imagine how this army would look? You'd see threadbare skeletons with hollow cheeks and sunken eye-sockets, lined up like phantoms. Weakened by famine, that shriveled militia could barely stand at attention; each would struggle to find the strength to keep his or her bony frame upright.
Could this "army" conquer an opposing force?
No way. No earthly general would send them out to fight.
Well, then, how about the army of the Lord? What of those who gather on Sunday mornings? Are they spiritually nourished to fight the battles ahead? Considering what most members of God's army subsist on—an occasional tidy snack from a devotional book and perhaps an average-sized meal on Sundays to satiate conscience—you'd have to conclude that God's fighting force has some serious training to do.
Have you ever wondered why marriages seemingly crumble overnight, and—out of the blue—Christians leaders fall to luring temptations?
The truth is, no marriage instantly disintegrates, and no one suddenly falls away from Christ. For that matter, no one dies from an eating disorder after missing a day or two of meals.
It could better be described as a slow decline—gradual spiritual starvation, barely even discernible to the outside observer. The malnourishment of God's sons and daughters happens over time, as they eat less and less. Then, in their weakness, they do something that shocks everyone, finally revealing what was really going on in their spiritual lives.
Did you know that more than 80 percent of those who call themselves Christians read God’s word only once a week? And that's usually on Sundays, at church. They come to church to get their spiritual fill, and then snack on devotional tidbits for the rest of the week (if even that).
What if God changed the way our eyes work, so we would see ourselves spiritually? We'd see most American churches filled with skeletal, hollow-eyed saints, looking as if a gust of wind would blow them away like tumbleweeds.
Which is why, when some new trend floods America and pushes our nation further away from God, further away from our spiritual roots, the church is unable to withstand the tide. We simply don't have the strength.
So what's the solution?
The American Journal of Medicine recently published a highly revealing conclusion: The health of twenty-first-century America will no longer be determined by what people can get doctors to do for them but by what doctors can get people to do for themselves.
Do you see how this prescription applies equally to the church? If we eat only once a week, it's no wonder Christ’s church is weak and struggling. But daily fresh bread can change all of that. Regularly dining on fresh bread makes for a stalwart, strong, developed army—the only kind of force that will always make a difference in this world.
But What If I Just Don't Have the Time?
Sometimes even though we know reading the Bible is important, we don't think we have the time to do it regularly. So many things are happening in our lives—we are just too busy! We'd like to feast on God's Word, but when will we have the time?
Fact is, we will always have time for the things we see as important and enjoyable.
If we think golf is important, we find time to play. We might feel listless and tired on Sunday morning, in no mood to attend a church service—but if a friend invites us to try out a new course, we'll find the energy.
Because we always have time for the things we enjoy and consider important, what does it say to us if we claim we simply can't find forty minutes a day to spend alone with God?
Some Passages Are Difficult to Understand. What If I Only Understand Ten Percent?
You're not alone in this. Peter understood exactly what you're going through. Listen to these words:
This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand.
Don’t you just love that! If Peter had a tough time, we certainly don't need to be wound up about not comprehending everything. However, we don't end there. If you don't understand 90 percent, then don't get tied up about what you may be "missing" this time around. Journal on the 10 percent you do understand.
Be faithful with what God reveals to you. When you are, next time around, you will understand more, and the next time even more. Obeying what you do understand is crucial to receiving future revelation. If you don't apply the truths you do understand, why should the Lord reveal to you truths you don't yet understand?
And here's a great prayer for when you begin reading the Scriptures. David said this, and the same is offered to you.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
He will.
What If I Miss a Day or Two?
Do not be discouraged! When you get back to your schedule, begin with the present day's reading. Do not go back to where you left off and attempt to motor your way back. Start with today's reading and hear what God is saying to you. Then, should you have some extra time, go back and revisit the days you missed. If it's several weeks, simply pick up with today's reading and, next year, you'll go back over the territory you missed.
Refuse condemnation. Reject discouragement and guilt. We're all growing and developing godly habits. Don't induce fault, remorse, or a sense of failure into your discipline. Only joy!
How much of the Bible do I read?
Each day has specific passages of scripture assigned.
As in question 1 above, you may also choose to read only until the Holy Spirit reveals a gem of wisdom. When you come upon a verse that stands out, stop there. Journal on that verse. It will contain an amount of wisdom you will need for something you will be facing soon.
All Life Journals contain the same scriptures each day, so everyone will be on the same page and be reading the same passages. This is for the sake of unity and fellowship, camaraderie, and solidarity.
Where can I learn more about how to journal?
No one method is the right one or the only one. Pastor Jeff speaks about Life Journal often. In addition, new information is available on the Mt Vernon website,www.mtvchurch.com and occasionally in the weekly eletter.
At Mt Vernon we have several small groups that discuss Life Journals as a part of their regular group meetings. People who are more experienced with journaling, Bible reading and/or the Christian life share with everyone else in the group.
At Mt Vernon in 2011, small groups that involve Life Journal do so in a variety of ways. While some groups utilize their Life Journals as the primary topic of study, others discuss their Life Journal as it may relate to their current study.
