Jump In... Get Wet!

One of the first places I turned to after Piper was first diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2009 was to books!  Not necessarily ink and paper books, but online research for articles published in the scientific and medical journals that had been written over the years.  I decided early on that I wanted to know as much as I could about this thing that was attacking my wife’s body.  As a psychology major in college I quickly came to realize that everything in this field is based on research and testing with the results being published for the professional field to digest.  One of the things that was hammered into the student’s heads by almost all the professors was the process of investigating the research and how the facts were tested and compiled by the author.

Theories and findings are proven or at least seen as logical or illogical based, many times, on the testing that was done, the amount of subjects tested, the test subject’s qualifications in line with the theorem that is being tested and many such factors and controls put into place that validate the conclusions.

So with that in mind, I felt like I had a decent idea of what I was doing when I set out on my quest.  My initial thoughts for the research was to gain a reasonable understanding of what was going on with Piper’s brain and how to best interact with her as the changes occurred, have some knowledge of what to expect in the future, be familiar with the current avenues of treatment, and be able to converse somewhat intelligently with the various doctors we were beginning to see.

The other unseen benefit of the hours of research that I did and continue to pursue, was to be able to better counteract the information and supposed reasons for the sickness and potential cures that others felt very free to share during the early stages of our battle.  It suddenly felt like many people thought they were an “expert” on the subject!  Things got pretty bizarre for a while there as some family members actually accused me of causing it while other friends and family told me of destructive behaviors that I would “need to watch out for” as well as those who told me of what they “knew” to be the instigator of the disease and the cure for it.

So whether it was blaming me for Piper’s situation or the other incorrect reasoning’s that were shared, my research debunked most of the mis-directions, helped to keep me on a level path and not receive condemnation or needless fears.  It also helped to keep my faith on a strong path as I firmly resolved that the final word for Piper and I would always be what God’s Word says about Piper and sickness in her body.

I guess you could say that this is also the main reason I seek the wisdom and findings of God within the pages of my Bible on a daily basis.  It’s funny, because the more I read of His story, wisdom and plans, the more information I want!  So… how do I accomplish this?  Well, I start off my study time with the Lord in His Word by daily praying the prayers that the Apostle Paul wrote to us as found in Ephesians 1:17-23 and Ephesians 3:16-21.

Verses 16 and 17 in Ephesians chapter one perfectly summarizes what Paul was praying for his readers and what we can personalize and pray for ourselves saying: “I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you (me) a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you (I) come to know Christ better.  Then you (I) will have deeper insight. You (I) will know the confidence that he calls you (me) to have and the glorious wealth that God's people (I) will inherit.” (God’s Word ©)  The word translated “confidence” in this modern translation is stated as “hope” in the King James Version and would be better served to be translated “expectation.” (Strong’s)

As I personalize these scriptures as if they were written to me, I find myself getting excited about the wisdom and revelation that I am going to find in God’s Word that day and sense a burning expectation building up inside of me to receive and DO God’s best.

By this time I usually have a sense of where He wants me to begin my study and/or the subject He may want me to pursue.  Most times this direction is based on current life events I am experiencing, the Christian teaching book(s) I am reading alone or with my wife, or possibly something the Pastor or another minister that I may follow said that caught my spiritual attention.  So with various Bible translations spread out before me, or since my Bible School days, my (free) eSword Bible Study Program on my computer (http://www.e-sword.net/index.html), and my trusty notebook at my side, I jump in to reading the Word before me.

I’ll explain some more of my process in the next few posts, but to newcomers I might suggest one of the many “Through the Bible in a Year” Bibles available at Christian Book Stores or online.  There are also countless “Read the Bible in a year” plans where you can use your own favorite version to follow.  (To find many examples of these good volumes and plans simply do an online search using the “Through the Bible in a Year” keywords.)

One of the more popular Bible apps for your smart phone or tablet in recent years is “YouVersion” (https://www.youversion.com/).  Through it you can download many different Bible versions in order find the one(s) you like the best, follow multiple daily reading plans, interact with a community of users and much more!  I think many times about when we were in Church in Oklahoma and would glance over to the front row where the Associate Pastors would sit with their Bible’s in hand following the Senior Pastor’s sermon.  I would crack a smile almost every time when one of them seemed to buck the trend and would be following along with the Bible on his phone!

I would imagine that the Bible phone apps have surpassed the online versions that I like to use on my laptop!  I just like having the big screen and access to a full keyboard.  But anyway you like it, there are Bible applications available.  So give it a try!  Do some research, try out the different mediums including a nice paper and ink version… there is something about holding an actual book in one’s hand… at least to me!

Jump in… get wet… and don’t be afraid to get confused at first but keep pursing the wisdom in God’s Word and find out what works best for you!  I’ll give you more hints and ideas next time… but in the meantime… JUST GET STARTED!

Have a great rest of the week!  It’s snowing pretty hard out here right now!  So we plan to stay warm inside and enjoy the winter wonderland all around us!  Stay alert to God’s best for you, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “How EXPECTANT of God’s Best am I today?”