I want to share with you what the "Journey" is that I spoke of last night. "Everyday Mom" wanted to know, so, I'm hoping this will answer her questions, and give everyone else great information!
The Journey is not a type of Bible. It really isn't even a Bible study...
It is, however, a Bible reading program that our whole congregation is doing this year, 2009. People who wanted to participate were issued a 'flight bag' and a 'ticket' on the first Sunday in January.
The ticket was a commitment card.
The 'flight bag' contained a pen, highlighter, a journal, and a bag of peanuts, a 'flight' schedule (laminated, this schedule lists the chapters to be read on corresponding dates of the year--today we read John 18, tomorrow will be John 19, etc.)...and 'flight instructions' (also laminated, this card contains the SOAP exercise for journaling, explained in detail).
Also, we made available, NIRV(reader's version) New Testaments available for those who didn't have Bibles, or the version they have is hard to understand.
This Journey is through the New Testament. One chapter per day, Monday-Friday. The journal is for each of us to do a 'SOAP' exercise each day.
SOAP exercise stands for:
S...a Scripture that pops out at us, speaks to our hearts.
O...this is for Observations for the chapter we just read...things that are there that we notice...places and times...people present...usage of words, etc.
A...how we, as individuals, Apply the chapter to our every-day lives. Scripture is useless, unless and until we apply it or integrate it into our lives and our character.
P...closing the journal exercise each day with a short written Prayer about what this means to our lives.
The sermon on Sunday morning goes along with the previous week's reading. On Wednesday evenings there is a more in-depth Bible study offered to take an even closer look at those chapters. Questions are also taken from the group that meets.
I, personally, am using this for our ladies Sunday school class. Because, we're all reading the same thing each week, it makes class very exciting! The ladies bring their journals, or notes, and we have an open-forum discussion about what the scriptures said to us in the previous week...really good stuff! Of course, you can't go wrong talking about God's word!
I said it last week in Sunday school, I'll say it here: People are so thirsty for living water, and don't even realize it!--They'll drink anything at all, including poison (false doctrines). Keep that in mind when you are tempted NOT to read and Love God's word!
It's refreshing to think truth is really available--not a myth! And, it satisfies our thirst!--Remember: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." In my Bible, these words are in red, that means they are very important, because My Saviour spoke them!
--Also from our Journey reading...but more importantly, from the book of John (7:37 & 38),. Jesus spoke these on the last and greatest day of the Feast...the day when THE Party started!, right after they poured out the pitcher of water that had been drawn from Siloam... Very cool picture of Jesus standing and saying those words!!!--At just the right moment!
See, here I could go on and on about Scripture...but I was trying to write about the Journey! I get excited when I talk about the Bible and applying it's words to our lives--can you tell!??!?!
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