A new hobby
I just wanted to let you know I'm alive and kicking, and mesmerized by a new hobby, namely bible study.
I got on to it through Pinterest, as a matter of fact. Someone pinned a link to a blog entry about the method they used, called S.O.A.P. The acronym stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. You're supposed to first think about the text itself. I find it helpful to read one sub-chapter at a time, unless the chapter is very short. You consider just what is said; who are the persons involved, and what are they saying and doing? Where does the action take place? Who are the adressees of the epistle? What are the circumstances? Next, you make observations about the text, trying to combine it with other things you know, or other scripture passages. How does this text relate to that other text? Application is where you think about how you can put the things you learn into practice. What is the lesson to be learned here? What can you do in your own life to follow this advice, or to avoid this pitfall? Lastly, you pray about the things you just thought about, trying to apply the encouragement, or warnings, or general lifestyle tips, into your own life, and thinking about people in your life that may be going through the same sort of troubles.
I found this method of studying very helpful, because it really makes you think about what you're reading, to the point that I found myself browsing through commentaries, something I almost never do. I also like the idea that you're supposed to think the thing through for yourself. There aren't any answers in the back of the book, to make sure you get it right. I'm always suspicious of any bible study with ready-made questions, because I don't want to be forced into someone else's interpretation of a text.
Some days after I started this method (I've read Paul's letter to the Romans, one of my old favourites) I joined this. It's completely free, you don't get any spam, and you don't have to join anything else or prescribe to newsletters. Also, you don't have to clutter up your bible with notes and underlinings, unless you want to, because all the texts are online, and you have several versions to choose from. I'm enjoying The Message, although I read the English Standard Version as well. You just can't beat Paul in the Message. He's straightforward enough in the ESV (and also in the conventional Finnish and Swedish versions, which are the ones I'm used to reading), but he really lays down the law in the contemporary English of the Message. I find that I pay more attention to the text when I read it in an unfamiliar translation, whereas a very familiar text makes me just skim over it. I'm sure you all know the feeling: suddenly, you notice you've been reading something, that's gone "blahdiblahblahblah" for a long time...
Anyway, we're having lots of snow, uncommonly for February, and it's not going to be pretty once it all melts, and we're ploughing our way through slush once more. But it's getting close to Valentine's day, and mother's birthday, and my own birthday, so that's something to look forward to. Sadly, I've still heard nothing about a new flat, nor about a job, although I did a translation yesterday, and I'm applying for another grant for that book, since the last application was rejected. So things are going somewhere, and I feel very good about that. I'm always grateful for the fact that I'm so flexible, because it allows me to enjoy my situation, although it's not the best I've ever been in. I will be very grateful when I finally get a flat of my own, however. It's going to be a breeze moving, when almost everything I own is already packed...
Have any of you taken up new hobbies? Or do you prefer the ones you already have? I find that almost all of my new hobbies are fairly similar to the ones I had before. I don't venture out with something entirely new very often. Maybe I should try that...
I got on to it through Pinterest, as a matter of fact. Someone pinned a link to a blog entry about the method they used, called S.O.A.P. The acronym stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. You're supposed to first think about the text itself. I find it helpful to read one sub-chapter at a time, unless the chapter is very short. You consider just what is said; who are the persons involved, and what are they saying and doing? Where does the action take place? Who are the adressees of the epistle? What are the circumstances? Next, you make observations about the text, trying to combine it with other things you know, or other scripture passages. How does this text relate to that other text? Application is where you think about how you can put the things you learn into practice. What is the lesson to be learned here? What can you do in your own life to follow this advice, or to avoid this pitfall? Lastly, you pray about the things you just thought about, trying to apply the encouragement, or warnings, or general lifestyle tips, into your own life, and thinking about people in your life that may be going through the same sort of troubles.
I found this method of studying very helpful, because it really makes you think about what you're reading, to the point that I found myself browsing through commentaries, something I almost never do. I also like the idea that you're supposed to think the thing through for yourself. There aren't any answers in the back of the book, to make sure you get it right. I'm always suspicious of any bible study with ready-made questions, because I don't want to be forced into someone else's interpretation of a text.
Some days after I started this method (I've read Paul's letter to the Romans, one of my old favourites) I joined this. It's completely free, you don't get any spam, and you don't have to join anything else or prescribe to newsletters. Also, you don't have to clutter up your bible with notes and underlinings, unless you want to, because all the texts are online, and you have several versions to choose from. I'm enjoying The Message, although I read the English Standard Version as well. You just can't beat Paul in the Message. He's straightforward enough in the ESV (and also in the conventional Finnish and Swedish versions, which are the ones I'm used to reading), but he really lays down the law in the contemporary English of the Message. I find that I pay more attention to the text when I read it in an unfamiliar translation, whereas a very familiar text makes me just skim over it. I'm sure you all know the feeling: suddenly, you notice you've been reading something, that's gone "blahdiblahblahblah" for a long time...
Anyway, we're having lots of snow, uncommonly for February, and it's not going to be pretty once it all melts, and we're ploughing our way through slush once more. But it's getting close to Valentine's day, and mother's birthday, and my own birthday, so that's something to look forward to. Sadly, I've still heard nothing about a new flat, nor about a job, although I did a translation yesterday, and I'm applying for another grant for that book, since the last application was rejected. So things are going somewhere, and I feel very good about that. I'm always grateful for the fact that I'm so flexible, because it allows me to enjoy my situation, although it's not the best I've ever been in. I will be very grateful when I finally get a flat of my own, however. It's going to be a breeze moving, when almost everything I own is already packed...
Have any of you taken up new hobbies? Or do you prefer the ones you already have? I find that almost all of my new hobbies are fairly similar to the ones I had before. I don't venture out with something entirely new very often. Maybe I should try that...