The Adventure Begins...

After taking the dog out in the wee hours of the morning today, I sat down on the edge of the bed, in the dim of the nearby nightlight and found myself lost in thought over my past, present and future.  For some reason, I began to recall the day near the beginning of my senior year in high school, when my new girlfriend… to whom I was growing rapidly attached to… gave me a used gray colored paperback version of The Good News Bible.

And with that thought in mind, I turned around and grabbed hold of the little Passion Translation Bible that I had sitting on the other side of the bed.  It reminded me of that old paperback version as it also is gray in color, although this one is bound in leather.

As I held the Bible in my hand, I recalled coming home from school that day, so many years ago, and walking down the hallway toward my bedroom.  I held many school books for homework in my hands, but at the very top was the slightly worn, paperback Bible… which… at the time… I didn’t know why… it just felt special.  Then today, right there at around 5:30 in the morning… it dawned on me why!

And before the thought actually formed in my head, I called out aloud, “That’s it!”  And I immediately realized that EXPECTATION for the Word of God working in my life, was born at that very moment in me!

Nowadays I can’t help but to smile every time I see a Bible sitting on a self or on a table in somebody’s house or on the seat in their car… but it especially warms my heart when I see one that is open in someone’s hand!  Over the years, the Bible has become a personal friend to me… You see, it’s not just a book, but it is the very words and power and will of God that speaks directly into yours and my daily life.

Once I climbed back under the covers this morning, I began to think of all the ADVENTURES that Piper and I experienced, both individually and together, over the years, as we stepped out in faith due to our ever-increasing understanding and personalization of the Word of God that is contained between the covers of our Bibles. 

The Apostle Paul talks about these ADVENTURES in I Corinthians 1:9 when he wrote,

“God, who got you started in this spiritual ADVENTURE, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.” (The Message)

Lying there in bed also got me to thinking about the early 1980’s children’s TV program that we used to watch and record for our kids called “SUPER BOOK.”  It was a Christian anime television program that was produced in Japan in cooperation with the Christian Broadcasting Network here in the United States.

The series chronicled the ADVNTURES of two children, Chris and Joy and their toy robot Gizmo, who comes to life after they find an ancient Bible that can speak and send them back in time each week, to experience ADVENTURES from various stories within both the Old and New Testaments.  Each episode began with the deep and booming voice of the Bible talking to them, followed by an explosion of bright light as the ancient book opened its covers and magically sent the time travelers off into a new ADVENTURE of faith as taught in the Word of God.

I know that I’ve said it before, but now that Piper has gone home to be with the AUTHOR of our Bibles, I find myself feeling closest to her when I read the many, many highlighted, circled and underlined portions found within her different Bibles.  I can sense what ADVENTURES she was feeling, learning and experiencing when she read those particular verses… and assimilated them into her life.  And as each of her Bibles were used at certain times during her life, I can also recall what was going on in our relationship, our family and in the world at that time!

When I peeked out from under the warm covers once again this morning, I set my attention on that little Passion Translation Bible sitting next to me on the bed.  And I couldn’t help but to smile and laugh as I pictured that little Bible beginning to shake, hear its deep voice beginning to speak and witness the bright flash of light as its covers dramatically flew open and began to draw me into the next ADVENTURE of faith that God was desiring for me to experience and learn today!

What about YOU?  When was the last time that YOUR Bible drew you into an EXCITING, NEW and LIFE-CHANGING (for you and/or others around you in your daily life) ADVENTURE of faith?

When you look at YOUR Bible… or at any Bible for that matter… what do you think about?  Do YOU think ADVENTURE… or something else?  How would you define YOUR interactions with God’s Word?  Hummm… something important to think about… wouldn’t YOU say?

Have a great weekend… and as you do… take a moment or two to consider the ADVENTURES that God might have awaiting you!