struggle of actually reading a book. I must admit, I have used Sparknotes quite a bit (English Teacher Crime Alert). Honestly, for something like Shakespeare, Sparknotes were my hope for comprehension as I was not raised in a way that Old English made a lot of sense. The problem with the "Sparknotes" version is that I am reading to receive only the information that I feel I need to answer a question, write a paper, etc. I am not getting to know the author when reading the Sparknotes. At best, I am getting a faint picture of the author's intent. Unfortunately, I have taken this same approach to reading the Bible (the Book of Life!). Too many times I sit down to read the Bible as if it is a book about me. The end result: I feel encouraged, sometimes I feel emotionally touched, and I know Christian verbiage. That doesn't sound so bad right?!It may not sound bad, but the side effects of this approach are harmful. Side effect number one: I'm not getting to know the author and the true meaning of the God breathed scripture placed at my fingertips. I can drink coffee out of an inspirational mug and write notes in a journal with hand picked scripture spread throughout, but without the discipline of knowing the book, I will not know truth. I believe God can speak in many ways. The primary way that He will, and has already spoken to all of us, is His Word. This is why I will spend 31 days http://write31days.com/ (Thank you Kim Barker for sharing) writing about how true Biblical literacy has shaped by beliefs and rocked my world. Many "Sparknotes" assumptions that I have made have been corrected and misconceptions unveiled, which has allowed for more truth and great love for the author of the book.
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