“All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching and for training in righteousness, that the mane of God may be competent and equipped for every good work.”

                                                                                    2 Timothy 3:16-17

One of my favorite theologians is a man named Walter Brueggemann. He is considered by many one of the preeminent and most influential Bible interpreters of our time.  He is a much sought-after speaker, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and has touched the lives of countless seminarians and Biblical scholars in the last half century.

For me to read Brueggemann takes a while. I read every paragraph four times, because it takes me that long to try and wrap my brain around it. The first reading is slow because I know I will have to look up the meaning of at least one word every other sentence. The second reading is to get a “high level” view of what he is saying. The third reading is to start getting the “meat off the bone” and “chew on it”. Then the final reading is to digest what I have read and let it nourish me.

If this sounds a little much for reading scripture, I invite you to give it a try sometime. Does it take longer? Absolutely. But the rewards far outweigh the time spent, for the deeper you delve into God’s Word, the louder it will speak to you. And really, what else are you spending your time on that is better and more profitable than reading the Bible? Watching TV? Binge posting on Facebook? Surfing the net?

There are many choices we have on the way we schedule our calendars. I encourage you to move reading the Bible up your “Top Twenty Ways I Spend My Time” list. Way up. If you do, I promise you, it will be fructiferous, proliferate, and propagating.

Oh, Lord, I’ve caught “Brueggemann Syndrome” . . . where’s my dictionary?

Eternal God . Thank you for the power of Your Word, and Your Presence that comes as we dig deeper in it. This we pray in Jesus’ name, AMEN