Minor Prophets with a Major Message
Bible Studies written for Bible Reading Fellowship Guidelines (1997-2009) in the original format with a minimum of revision and the addition of some prayers. Designed for private daily devotion or Group Study to combine contemporary scholarship with a devotional approach to scripture to provide a variety of viewpoints for further exploration.
Life in the Wilderness
More Guidelines examining Wilderness in terms of personal experiences, the land, wild places and the environment, and the importance of God’s creation and our response in understanding the world we live in as a means of enriching our lives today. http://www.gilco.org.uk/lwd/
Genesis 12-34
More Guidelines, exploring the world of the Patriarchs as human beings with human problems not unlike our own, related very much after the fashion of Soap Opera, with a view to identifying with them, reflecting on what they did, why they did it and what it says to us about our life and our understanding of God in the light of their experience.
Exodus 25-34
More Guidelines, exploring the Creation of Community. Exodus is one book with two major sources, one going back to the wilderness years the other originating in the 5th-6th century BCE when the Jews were returning from Babylon and seeking to establish a new community, inextricably linked with the old but appropriate for the new. Here they are putting down markers: Focal Points of Faith. In a similar situation what might be our Focal Points of Faith?
Numbers
More Guidelines, and don't be put off by the title. Numbers tells of a Community on a Journey from Slavery to Freedom but it is more than that. ‘Numbers’ is simply the title given by the translators, presumably because it begins with a census, but it is not about ‘numbers‘ and certainly not statistics. It is about people, and people on a journey. The Hebrew title (‘In the Wilderness’) is more apt because that is a journey we are all familiar with. ‘Wilderness’ may not be the whole of life but it is a significant experience for most communities at some point or other. The details may vary but the similarities are remarkable. Their story is our story. So as you read, reflect and pray, think of it as Steps on the Journey of Life.
Lenten Laughter
A set of Daily Bible Readings (after the pattern of Guidelines) based on my Lewes Lectures 2005 on this subject, intended for use in Holy Week or any time during Lent and exploring the biblical texts relating to Easter. Is Austerity the only way to handle Lent? Might there be something here that we have missed, and is there some evidence for it in the texts themselves if we ponder their depth?
The Alternative Job
Job is a good story, though preferably not at one sitting. It touches on basic human issues, such as divine justice, why do the innocent suffer, and how to respond when all you have laboriously achieved suddenly disappears before your eyes. In twelve sessions we sit with Job as three 'friends’ (often referred to as 'Comforters') come to help, but are they really committed to helping Job or bolstering their own position? Standing in Job's shoes how are we to assess their contribution, especially when we hear ourselves in their arguments, and how might their counselling skills be improved?