The NeverEnding Story

Posted On January 1, 2023

“Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever.”

Matthew 24:35 TLB

“The Bible is filled with stories of love, war, birth, death and miracles. There’s poetry, culture, history and theology. It’s a suspense novel, a book of sociology, a history lesson — all woven around one, eternal conflict: good versus evil. . . .
The Story opens a door to truth that can be found nowhere else. A door for which every person is consciously or unconsciously searching. A door that lead to freedom, hope and God himself!”

The Story, Preface

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s time for those New Year’s resolutions, and this year I would like to invite you to be a part of one of mine. A few months ago, I laid out a new Bible study plan for myself based on some of the books that I have (I listed them at the end of this post in case you’re interested). But just as I was about to dive in and get started, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to wait. So I did, even though I was unsure why He asked me to do this. Then a few weeks ago, as I was trying to decide on a blog topic for New Year’s Day, I understood: I believe He was leading me to share my Bible study plan with all of you so that we can journey through it together. So that’s our plan, and I’m excited about it!

To get us started, I want to share this trailer with you. It’s for the fantasy movie that inspired the name of this post . . .

“. . . the Bible has cast its spell, and we are caught up in the story.”

Rachel Held Evans, Inspired

I remember seeing this movie back in the 80s and being fascinated with the idea of a book coming alive, of being a part of the story told in its pages. But that’s just fantasy, right? Not necessarily. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is alive and active” (NIV). And Psalm 139:16 says, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book” (NLT). So the Bible is alive and we are part of the story. That’s mind-blowing! But it’s true.

As we begin our journey through the Bible, we will discover the wonders hidden within its pages. We will see impossible things happen. We will enter a world that is vast and eternal, treacherous and dazzling, unforgettable and free. And we will be transformed in the process. For anyone who’s ever made a wish, believed in a fantasy, or had a dream, the Bible really is the NeverEnding Story!

“Once upon a time, there lived a girl with a magic book. Like many other books, this one told tales of kings and queens, farmers and warriors, giants and sea monsters, and dangerous voyages. But unlike any other, it cast a spell over all who read it so they were pulled into the story, cast as characters in a great epic full of danger and surprise. . . . Rumor had it the book was divinely inspired, and she believed it, for every word she read echoed with the voice of God.”

Rachel Held Evans, Inspired

The Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and it contains amazing, life-changing truths. But if you’ve ever wondered how to read and understand the Bible, you are not alone. Do we start at the beginning and read it straight through to the end? Do we study one book at a time? Do we focus on the details or the big picture? What if we don’t understand something? Do we need to read a bunch of Bible study books, too? Do we need to learn Greek and Hebrew?! . . . Trust me, I understand. I have often let these questions stop me in my tracks before I even get started.

I think the answer is that there’s no wrong way to read and study the Bible as long as we approach it with a humble heart. If we let God take the lead, He will guide us to the truths He wants to share. So don’t let yourself get overwhelmed or think that you need an advanced degree in biblical studies to be “worthy” to understand the Bible. God meets us where we are and moves us forward from there. I don’t think we will ever exhaust all the wisdom and knowledge to be mined from its pages, no matter how many times we read it. So think of it as a lifetime learning process, and just get started.

That being said, a little structure would be nice, especially if we are going to read through it together. So I am loosely basing our Bible study plan for the next year on the The Story, which contains excerpted chapters from the Bible placed in chronological order. As stated in the book’s subtitle, it allows us to “read the Bible as one seamless story from beginning to end.” I may fill in extra chapters here and there (the book of Job, for example) and I will use the companion book The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee, as well as other resources I have on the Bible, to gain more understanding and to discover new insights. However, my main focus for this next year is not a Bible study in the traditional sense, but a Bible adventure in the spirit of my vision for Wondertakings. So, as we begin our journey and travel forward, we will always keep in mind Socrates’ words: “Wisdom begins in wonder.”

“In those first, formative years of my life, before I knew or cared about culture wars or genre categories or biblical interpretation, this is what Scripture taught me: that a boat full of animals can survive a catastrophic flood, that seas can be parted and lions tamed, that girls can be prophets and warriors and queens, that a kid’s lunch of fish and bread can be multiplied to fee five thousand people. At times I wonder if I understood my sacred text better then than I do now or ever will again.”

Rachel Held Evans, Inspired

“Your story indwells God’s. This is the great promise of the Bible . . . . Above and around us God directs a grander saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, unveiled according to his calendar. And you are a part of it. . . . Your life emerges from the greatest mind and the kindest heart in the history of the universe: the mind and heart of God.”

Max Lucado, God’s Story, Your Story

The key to this adventure is to remember that we are a part of God’s story and not the other way around. We must be prepared to surrender our own plans, desires, and vision for our lives and let God show us how we fit into His grand design. If we are willing to open His Book and let it draw us in, He will show us amazing things and take us on new journeys we never could have imagined.

Another requirement for this quest is perseverance. There are times when the trek will be difficult and our progress will seem slow. We may not be able to see what’s ahead. We may not always understand what God is saying to us or how He’s working in our lives. But that’s when we need to press in and press on. God often leads us in ways we don’t expect, and in my experience it usually takes a lot longer than we would like to reach our destination. Rachel Held Evans points out that the Bible is not a magic book. It’s something even better: It’s inspired.

“Inspiration, on both the giving and receiving end, takes practice and patience. It means showing up even when you don’t feel like it, even when it seems as if no one else is there. It means waiting for the wind to stir. God is still breathing. The Bible is both inspired and inspiring. Our job is to ready the sails and gather the embers, to discuss and debate, and like the biblical character Jacob, to wrestle with the mystery until God gives us a blessing. . . .
Inspiration is better than magic, for as any artist will tell you, true inspiration comes not to the lucky or the charmed but to the faithful . . . .“

Rachel Held Evans, Inspired

“What God did then he is still doing now. His story isn’t finished yet. Your life is unfolding even as you read these words. You see the events of your life . . . from your perspective. But Know this: God is writing a story, and you are a character within it. He wants you to see your story from his perspective. He wants you to align your story to his story. The same God who was at work in the pages of the Bible is at work in your life.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

As I mentioned above, we will loosely base our plan for the new year on The Story (Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008), which is basically an abridged, chronological version of the Bible (NIV). The overview below lists the Scripture texts for each chapter and shows our focus for each month:

I also have several other books on hand that I plan to use to help us on our way. I have listed them below in case you would like to get a feel for what I have in mind for the year ahead, but I will use these more for reference than for in-depth study:

• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End (Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008)
• The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story by Randy Frazee (Zondervan, 2017)
• The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible by Tara-Leigh Cobble (Bethany House, 2020)
• Literary Study Bible, English Standard Version (Crossway, 2019)
• Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2012)
• God’s Story, Your Story by Max Lucado (Zondervan, 2011)
• The Journey: How to Live by Faith in an Uncertain World by Billy Graham (W Publishing Group, 2006)
• Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, 2008)
• Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans (Nelson Books, 2018)
• God of Wonders: 40 Days of Awe in the Presence of God by Faith Blatchford (Chosen Books, 2021)
• The Good Book: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible’s Biggest Ideas by Deron Spoo (David C Cook, 2017)
• Mysteries of the Bible: The Enduring Questions of the Scriptures (The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 1988)
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Biblical Mysteries by Donald P. Ryan (Alpha, 2000)
• Various other Bible resources (handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, commentaries, etc.)

As I said, I don’t plan to follow a strict Bible study format, because I want to remain open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. I still plan to work in movie clips, music videos, creative writing, or anything else that I find inspiring. My main goal is to keep a sense of wonder as we journey through God’s Word together.

“The Story you’re reading is not any ordinary story. You are reading a story that has the power to change who you are, what you think and how you view life. You are exposing yourself to deep, transforming truth. . . . So sit back and enjoy the truest, greatest story ever written.”

The Story, Preface

This week’s Scripture passages remind us that we are all a part of God’s grand story, and we all have a part to play in His eternal plan. As we open the Bible and let it draw us into a world full of wonders, we will see miracles unfold before our eyes, not only on its pages but in our own lives. This is going to be an amazing adventure for all of us, and I can’t wait to see where God leads us!

“God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”

2 Samuel 22:25 MSG

References:

• Evans, Rachel Held. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again. Nelson Books, 2018
• Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• Lucado, Max. God’s Story, Your Story. Zondervan, 2011.
• “The NeverEnding Story (1984) Official Trailer – Childhood Fantasy Movie HD.” YouTube, uploaded by Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, https://youtu.be/UeFni9dOv7c.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.

Images:

• Magic Book featured image by NoName_13 from Pixabay (edited)
• Bible and Cross image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay (edited)
• Girl with Magic Book image by ThePixelman from Pixabay
• Storybook image by Dorothe from Pixabay
• Library to Heaven image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay
• Bible image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay