I started Thoughts on the Word for a few main reasons: (1) to help people new to the Bible feel comfortable getting into it, (2) to help people think and talk more about what they're reading, and (3) to show that you don't need a seminary degree or class in ancient languages to understand, love, and grow in the Word.
God has delivered us His Word to read, understand, and use, but a lot of people seem to see the Bible as something more like a doctoral thesis paper that requires a lot of background and specialized language and knowledge to follow. But that is not at all what God has given us. The Bible can be picked up, read, and understood from day 1.
That said, while each book or letter in the Bible is it's own work, there is a lot you are likely to miss if you don't know the rest of it. Think of it like listening to two friends laughing hysterically as they quote a movie they both love but that you have never seen; you will get some of the jokes, but there is a lot you're going to miss until you go and watch the movie. In the same way, as you read through the gospel accounts of Jesus' life and ministry, or read through the New Testament letters, there is a LOT you will understand and that the Holy Spirit will use in your life, but as you continue on, reading the Old Testament histories, prophets, and wisdom, you will start to see themes, imagery, and ideas that add incredible depth and richness to the understanding you had at first.
This is why I deeply disagree with the sentiment I hear all too often today, especially in certain Christian circles, that, "Reading the Bible isn't studying it." The idea is that if you are just reading, you aren't going deep enough, and really you need to be doing inductive studies, word studies, reading commentaries, etc. to really understand the Word, but that's simply not true. The Bible was written to be read, just like any other book or letter that has ever been written. Sure, those things can be helpful, but if you haven't "watched the whole movie" yet, there's no reason to spend your time trying to dig deeply into the "movie quotes."
My hope with these posts is that they would help people connect the dots a little faster. I want these posts to help people see the themes and ideas flowing through the Scriptures, as well as to think a little more deeply about what we are reading each day. It is easy to fall into a routine of reading the Bible without ever really stopping to think about it, so, as we build a habit of daily time in the Word, and work our way through books, images, and ideas that maybe we haven't read or noticed before, let's take the time to sit with them before the Lord and let Him shape our thinking and our understanding of Him, His Word, and His world.
About me
My name is Joe Belisle. I am a husband and a father of four, and a software engineer by trade.
My main qualification, as I see it, for maintaining this blog is that I am not in any kind of paid ministry position (nor have I ever been), and I don't have any degree in anything to do with the Bible, or Christianity at all for that matter. I did take one class on Isaiah through an extension campus with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School that I wanted to try for fun, and it was fascinating and I learned a ton, but it was also way more work and time than I should really be devoting to something I am doing just for fun, so I never signed up for any other courses.
Ultimately, I'm a guy who loves the Bible and wants to help others build and enjoy the same love for the Word that the Lord has built in me.
I came to faith in Christ at 20 years old in 2008. I had the privilege of being part of a church that highly regarded the Word and taught it faithfully, both at the church-level, as well as in small groups, so I had a lot of opportunity to learn. I really didn't enjoy reading the Word much though, and definitely didn't make it a habit for at least the first couple years I was a Christian. At one point though I decided that, if the Lord says I should be reading the Word regularly, then I probably should, whether I enjoyed it or not, and so I started in on a reading plan. Over the course of that bible-in-a-year plan, I started to see and understand so much more of the interconnectedness of Scripture, and started to really enjoy the time I was spending reading the Word, such that by the time I finished it, there was no question at all that I was going to keep going.
I have followed various Bible reading plans at times since then, but I honestly much more enjoy just reading through it like a book, not limiting how many chapters a day I'm reading, and not reading a bit from here and a bit from there each day, but just having the time set aside to sit down with the Lord and His Word and enjoy it. I especially love a good verse-less Bible for this because when you read without verses, headings, footnotes, cross-references, study notes, etc., it is so much easier to just get lost in what you are reading.
