Thanks for your interest in LOOKING INTENTLY!
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3 Free Online Bible Study Tools.
If you do not see this email soon…
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While you are waiting…
Let me tell you about another resource that will take your Bible study to an even higher level. This is the approach I follow when I use the 3 online tools you will be learning about in that video. It is also the approach that has done more to bring alive my time in God’s Word than anything else, including a Masters degree in Theology and 20 years of preaching experience!
Check out this video – or read the text below…
The fact that you’re here means you probably have a desire to dig deeper into the Bible.
That’s awesome!
My regular videos do that for you – but the true goal of Looking Intently is to show
YOU
How to do it yourself.
What if I told you your time reading the Bible could become immensely more engaging, rewarding and literally transforming?
I know this is possible because I’ve seen it. Not only in other people, but in myself.
I come across so many Christians who say they want ‘MORE’ from their Bible reading.
Is that what you want?
Most people seem to think the reason for reading the Bible is to learn ‘what to do’ and ‘what not to do.’ But, is that really the case?
Do you ever stop and think—
What does God want to happen when a Christian reads the Bible?
The answer has to be more than learn to “do this” and “don’t do that,” right? I mean, if that was the case, the Bible could be a whole lot shorter!
The things we need to do and not do, those are really just a small part of the Christian life. Don’t get me wrong – it’s an important part, but a relatively small part.
You see, to make changes in WHAT we do
requires renewing our Mind,
so we know HOW to do it.
And even more than that –
we need to fully grasp
‘WHY?’
That’s the essence of the ‘Growth Pyramid,’
one of the four ‘Growth Geometry’ diagrams. (More on that in a bit!)
Why do (or, why should) Christians do the things we are supposed to do?
The answer: Because of our relationship with God… and God’s relationship with us!
That’s what the Bible is all about – from beginning to end.
And coming to know about that relationship, and then through that knowledge, coming to know… to experience that relationship is what God intends to happen when we read the Bible.
And all that becomes clear – when you read the Bible the way the way it was meant to be read.
When you read the ‘Good Book’ like a good book.
And like I said, that is possible – for everyone!
Not sure? I understand.
Maybe you’ve read a book or taken a class on ‘How to Study the Bible.’
Now, I’m not about to say I’ve read all those books or taken all the classes, but I’m familiar with several, and I will say this – I have never seen any that emphasize this aspect of ‘reading the Good Book like a good book.’
And what I’ve come to see is, doing that is foundational.
Other things are helpful ‘tips,’ but they don’t do much if your fundamental approach is wrong.
Maybe you’re thinking,
‘This all sounds good, but you probably need seminary education or years of experience studying the Bible to make it work.’
That is just not true!
How do I know that?
First, because I’ve seen it.
I have shown this approach to regular Christians and seen the results. The only thing necessary is to be eager and committed to reading the Bible more effectively. Here’s what some of those people have to say…
I’ve gone to church my whole life – but never have I had the opportunity to dig in the way Steve teaches you to! It brings the Bible alive to me in all new ways. I find myself saying, “What? It says what?” even though I’ve read through the Bible many times. What a great way to get your mind really thinking about how much God loves you – and always is in control.
Reflecting on the verses I read makes me really slow down and dig for meaning, which in turn, has me hungry to do God’s will by finding ways that I can apply it to my everyday life. I feel I have grown to know God on a much deeper level.
Steve Vinson is by far the best teacher and pastor I have ever known in my 75 years. His knowledge of the bible is unsurpassed and he has always given us a deeper look into the bible passages and encouraged us to do the same.
Steve is an amazing teacher. He asked our group to pick any topic in the bible. We selected the story of Joseph and he led us on an amazing journey of discovery that connected it all the way to Jesus.
And then second, I know this is possible because I’ve experienced it myself…
I have a Bachelors degree in Bible and a Masters degree in Theology. In addition, I have spent years studying the Bible. And, I mean that literally.
Not just that I’ve studied the Bible over the course of 30 years, but…
I estimate I have preached about 900 sermons.
I average around 12 hours of preparation (at least) for each sermon.
That’s 10,800 hours!
Divide that by 24 hours and you get 450 complete days.
Use a 40-hour workweek and it’s over 5 years!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I would not trade my education or experience, BUT…
What I have gained from reading the ‘Good Book’ like a good book these past few years has done more to… bring alive my time in the Bible than anything else.
Again, I would be the last person to downplay the need for education and experience.
But if you don’t read the Bible the way it was meant to be read, you will miss out.
Period!
What is this unique and uniquely effective approach to reading the Bible?
As I say over and over, it is reading the ‘Good Book’ like a good book.
That involves 3 steps.
The first is…
- OBSERVATION – What happened, or What was said in a passage?
This is what most people think of when they think of ‘reading the Bible.’ And obviously you do have to do this, but you can’t stop there…
The last step is…
- APPLICATION – What do I need to do or change in my life as a result of reading this passage?
Without this, the Bible is just a textbook – the source of a lot of information that doesn’t result in transformation.
That entirely misses the point!
BUT… there is a crucial middle step.
Without it, even if we do apply what we read, we end up applying superficial Observations.
That’s not necessarily bad, but it’s far from what God intends.
Because what we are applying is usually far from the main lesson God intends us to learn from
each passage.
How do we get that main lesson?
The middle step of reading any good book, including the Bible is…
- REFLECTION – What is the theme… the point… the Lesson from What happened and/or What was said?
It sounds simple, right?
Well, yes and no…
It should be simple to see that this is how you read a good book (or even watch a good movie). All of the Observation-level details, they are there to convey a theme. A lesson.
NOW, please don’t misunderstand me…
When I compare the Bible to other books and even movies, I am not for a second denying or downplaying the fact that the Bible is the only book inspired by God.
What I’m saying is, this book that God inspired, it’s just that – it’s a book.
And if we don’t read it that way… read it the way people learned how to read books for centuries (prior to recently), we are going to miss out on SO MUCH of what God intended.
Think about it this way…
If you tried to use a chain saw – without starting it, how effective would you be? Not very!
Would that be the fault of the chain saw? Of course not.
The point – if you don’t read the Bible the way it is intended to be read – that doesn’t mean the Bible is at fault.
Let me give you an obvious example,
if you read in Genesis where God tells Noah to build an ark and then Noah obeys… Well, that’s the Observation (What happened; What was said).
Now, if you were to skip straight to Application – you should be building an ark right now! Good luck with that! It took Noah dozens of years. Granted, modern tools will speed up the process, but still…
I’m guessing we all know God doesn’t want us to build an ark.
BUT, that is because that example is so obvious,
not because we read the passage the way it should be read—
Reflecting on what happened and what was said to get the lesson God does intend for us to apply.
… And, let me just say this, when you do Reflect on that Noah’s ark passage,
the lesson is far more than ‘Obey God,’ which is what most people would say.
That is what this approach to reading the Bible is all about.
And that is what you can do, with a little training and A LOT of practice…
I won’t kid you there – it does take practice, BUT…
your time spent reading and studying the Bible like this,
it comes alive so much,
you want to read the Bible more.
AND, not just that…
Remember what I said God wants to happen when you read the Bible?
God wants you to come to know about
the relationship he longs to have with you,
and even more, to actually
experience it!
You see… reading the Bible this way doesn’t just teach you more about God – it brings you closer to God. It helps you mature and grow into the person God created you to be…
Speaking of which…
You remember, earlier I mentioned ‘Growth Geometry’?
I don’t know about you, but I understand and grasp things better when I can see them visually.
Well, I was always talking and teaching about the Why-How-What levels of spiritual growth,
and how they operate in our Mind, Heart & Will.
Then throw in the part that God’s Word, Situations, and Relationships play in our growth and I
was wondering what it all should
look like.
So, I put together some diagrams (Spheres, a Pyramid and a Triangle) that show what everything looks like.
They have really helped me as well as many other people grasp these foundational concepts.
Why do I mention my ‘Growth Geometry’?
Because, I am going to include not only the diagrams I’ve created, but also a video explaining them
when you get the “How to ‘Look Intently’ at the Bible” training.
Not only are these helpful in general, but I refer to them often in the weekly videos.
I want you to have them, so
I’m including them for free with
the Observe-Reflect-Apply training.
Which, to give some details…
The “How to ‘Look Intently’ at the Bible” training consists of 3 videos (with the last two divided into two parts).
- In the FIRST VIDEO, I give some helpful introduction to studying the Bible, then I explain in detail each step of the Observe-Reflect-Apply approach.
(I include a handout so you can follow along and take notes.)
- In the SECOND VIDEO, I illustrate the process using a narrative passage (a story) from the book of Acts.
- And then in the THIRD VIDEO I show you how these steps work with a passage from a New Testament epistle (Ephesians).
Altogether, you get almost 5 hours of training.
While it won’t make you an ‘instant expert,’ it will start you on your way to reading the Bible the way God intended it to be read.
So, that brings us to the inevitable question –
How much does the training cost?
One thing about Looking Intently that I always want to be true –
Not only do I want to give more value than what I charge,
I want everyone to be able to afford the resources.
With that in mind, I’m offering this training for only
$12.
For that, you get…
The three “How to ‘Look Intently’ at the Bible” training videos and handout.
You also get the ‘Growth Geometry’ diagrams and the video explaining them
for free.
Now, at this point, sales people have told me, I need to have some kind of ‘limited time offer.’
Well…
I don’t.
This training will always be available. It may not always be $12, but it will never be much more. And I plan to always include the ‘Growth Geometry’ for free.
But, I guess there is a ‘limited time offer’ element…
However long you wait to begin reading the Bible this way, that’s how long you miss out on reading the Bible the way God intends it to be read.
And more importantly, you miss out on fully seeing and experiencing the RELATIONSHIP God wants to have with you.
I cannot emphasize this enough,
This approach to reading the Bible
has impacted my relationship with God
more than anything else in my prior
40 years of being a Christian.
I hope and pray that everyone would have that same experience.
Get the training…