Category / Bible Study

by Andrew White

Bible Study Basics: How to Read

“I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.”

C.S. Lewis, quoted in R. L. Green and W. Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Biography (New York, 1974), page 115.

One of the most prolific authors and theologians of the 21st century, C. S. Lewis once wrote that we ought to study with pipe in teeth and pencil in hand. Now, I think pipes are gross, so if you’ll allow, I’ll modify the quote a bit.

“The best way to study is with coffee in one hand and a pen in the other” – Dr. Andrew White. There you go!

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by Andrew White

Bible Study Basics: Get Started!

A few years back I spent a couple months working with a company that installed hardwood floors. I was totally unqualified for the position. The owner of the company gave me a job because I really needed one and he was a nice guy. But it quickly became apparent that I had no experience in manual, skilled labor. If I were to guess, the first clue was when I showed up on the first day with zero tools in hand. To the praise of God’s glorious grace, the Lord provided me a job for which I was better suited after just a few months.

Last week, my pastor preached a fabulous sermon from Ezra 7:10 on being devoted to the Word of God. In response, we asked our Community Groups to commit to make a plan to begin studying God’s Word. I quickly learned that many Christians are intimidated with the idea of becoming a serious student of Scripture and may not know where to start. That is what this blog series is all about. I want to help put tools in your bag to become skilled in the labor of Bible study.

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by Andrew White

The Proof of Gospel-Centered Parenting

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses introduced the idea of gospel-centered parenting to the people of Israel. Now, upon hearing this declaration, you might say, “Wait…Jesus had not yet come, so the gospel had not yet been fully revealed.” True enough. But in Deuteronomy 6, we find the single most important declaration in Jewish life, the Shema. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV).

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by Andrew White

Suffocatingly Beautiful

Have you ever been lost in painful contemplation?  Have you ever felt restlessness creep into your soul?  Even if you had someone to talk to who could empathize with you, you just could not communicate the goings on deep in your soul that had you so introspective.  Ever been there?  I was there last night.  My soul was restless, my mind relentlessly pressing into that dull awareness that something was not right in a desperate search for clarity and understanding.  My wife was there, witnessing this process.  I love her very much, and she understands me better than anyone on earth.  But I could not adequately communicate the issue for her understanding.  Why?  Because I couldn’t even manage to completely understand myself at the moment.

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by Andrew White

Don’t Jack With the Presence of God: Part 2

I believe that I have failed to adequately cover this topic in only one post.  My friend Chad posted a comment on the previous post that exposed this truth.  In this quick article, I will do my best to answer his question and complete our exploration of the topic.  Here is his question:

“So, because God is unchanging in nature, obviously to ‘jack with the presence of God’ is still a serious mistake today. However, I don’t hear about too many people dropping dead for committing this particular offense. That said, in what way do you think God deals with people who commit this offense, particularly those in leadership?”

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