Does Anybody Else...?

... Keep a study notebook/journal? For your Bible study, I mean. How has it helped you? 

I think that the best thing to come out of keeping a study notebook is just seeing how far I have come in my understanding of certain things. Whenever I have questions about something in the Bible, I remember a passage from Proverbs 25:2 pointed out by Chuck Missler to think about when we have trouble understanding:

 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”

 As I have pointed out, this past year was my time to do Bible study deeper than I have ever done. I read the passages out loud (or listened to the audio); I keep my notebook, marking out highlights and questions; I use every commentary, dictionary, and any other resources I can find (for which e-Sword is just invaluable); I pray before, during, and after reading; I seek out sermons about whichever passage I as studying, and I make lists of things to follow up on. (By the way, following a reading, I usually look for a corresponding lesson from Missler's Learn the Bible in 24 Hours - which, for some reason, I always call 24 Hours Through the Bible! Here's a video of one lesson.)

I was leafing through my study notebook to extract the questions I've noted up to this point. I am almost 85% of the way through the Bible and am now in the Gospels.

So, I have wondered if anyone else has the same questions I do? Or if anyone has already "searched out" the answer? Here is a shortlist of some questions. A very short list:

• (from Proverbs 8): What does it mean that Wisdom was there with God was making creation?
• (from Kings 11): Solomon turned away. Is he still saved?
• (from 2 Kings 4): Where did the dead who were healed back to life go? Lazarus and the little boy, for example?)
• (from Isaiah 36:11): Are Hebrew and Judah languages different or the same?
• (from Luke 12:14): Should we be concerned with politics and civil matters to the extent we are these days?

One thing I have noticed about keeping a study notebook is that when I review questions I wrote down, I sometimes have found the answer further into my reading. This is another good reason to keep a notebook, I suppose.

So, now as I start my reading today (Matthew 27; Mark 15), I am going to ask again for guidance and understanding of the Word.

Peace

--Free

Bible Study for Beginners (Like Me)

Good evening, all. I'm Trudy - long-time Christian, first-time student...

Since I started my doing more Bible study, I am picking up on things like a baby picks up on learning to walk and talk. Now that I have started reading and studying, I can't seem to get enough. However, I really am like a child who is learning to take one wobbly step at a time. I want to keep sharing what I pick up on from day to day.

I recently talked about discovering the "Helps" at the front of my KJV Study Bible (Thomas Nelson 135BG). Let me tell you, those are truly helpful. Since I kind of went over those in that post, in this one, I wanted to cover a couple other things.

Now, I have the KJV Study Bible that I am talking about here and I have a NASB Study Bible that does not have nearly as many "Helps" as does the KJV.  Tomorrow, the Wiersbe NKJV Study Bible should be delivered. I will review that one in a separate post. What I want to point out is that not all Study Bibles have the same "Helps" and notes, of course. But by telling you about the ones I am seeing in different Bibles, you can at least go look up the information online. For instance, this next "Help" I am going to tell you about is something I never even thought to Google or ask about. So, here goes.

 Introduction to Doctrinal Footnotes

This is a screenshot from online of exactly what is shown in that section in my own Bible - down to the page numbers. You can find the text and read some of it here on Google Books so credit to them. 

I was almost ready to advise you to Google the various sections but too much information from questionable sources out there. I don't want to have an SDS or JW follower showing me anything about biblical doctrine. However, if you don't have a study Bible, you can use resources from:

1. Blue Letter Bible - there is a "Study" tab that leads to various free resources. 

They have free  Blue Letter Bible Institute courses in a range of categories that I can't wait to explore for myself. (That link might redirect you to the course page.)

2. Bible Study Tools has a place on the site where you can compare various translations. 

3. On Bible Gateway you can look up passages from a selection of translations for free and a paid membership gives you more access. The free resources are plentiful and I like that there is a selection of reading plans and Bible apps for reading and for audio.

4. Got Questions has a search engine where you can ask almost anything and get good results. Try it when you can't find a resource elsewhere. I love that, for almost every answer, they include other sources to check out.

5. YouTube - As mentioned, be discerning when searching for resources, but YouTube has so many useful videos and channels to choose from. I like John Ankerberg, John Kostik (who does a lot of Hebrew word studies) and, of course, the dear late Chuck Missler of Koinonia House. By the way, there is a channel that has many playlists of Missler's teaching videos. 

6. Speaking of Missler, Koinonia House has Bible Study arm called Koinonia Institute. Fair warning: The K.I. is for serious study. VERY serious. For those just wading in and want to get an idea of how intense these study lessons are, first check out some of the videos I just linked to.

 I would also like to mention that my blog post here points to a lot of resources.

When I was searching for a good study Bible, I came across the Foundation Bible. I am only going to provide the Amazon link because of their handy "Look Inside" feature. It comes in various translations and I found it online also at Walmart for a bit cheaper in price. One reviewer mentioned that he thought it was perfect for "beginners" because the notes are "very basic". This is a snippet of the way it's set up:

The one thing I look for in a Bible - whether for studying or just daily reading - is the font size. That's is so important. If you are like me and have "aging" eyes, look for something called "comfort print". I learned that Zondervan uses it too but I first noticed it on the Thomas Nelson site showing a comparison.

My KJV Study Bible is from Thomas Nelson and it must be comfort print because it's really easy on the eyes. I can't wait to see the Wiersbe Bible which is supposed to be in "Clear and readable 10.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®", thank heavens.

As I think I mentioned, I will try to review the Wiersbe Bible in a later post - with photos - but I hope that, for now, this post was helpful. The important thing about Bible study is to start somewhere. And always pray before reading or studying. That's key.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Forgive any errors. I was trying to get this written and done with so I can explore the new study Bible when it comes tomorrow. Can't wait to review that one for you all!