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how He desired, more than anything, to transform me from the inside out. With each venture to church, my head filled with more and more knowledge but my heart was numb to relationship with Jesus. I had no idea how to dive into Scripture, how to connect to the heart of God through the pages of His Word. I ate what I was fed and lived the first fifteen-plus years of my Christian life on the regurgitated messages of others. Yes, my head was full of Jesus stories, but the deep places of my heart were empty, craving more. Years ago I made the choice to dive deeper into God’s Word because I needed some Jesus—not religion, or tradition, or denominational mandates. I just needed Jesus and His Word. I’m not going to lie to you. Diving deeper into the Scriptures has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m no academic scholar. (And if you were to ask my second, third, or tenth grade English teachers, they’d have told you I’d never amount to much in life because I was “challenged” and had “learning disabilities.”) I don’t do well with big words. I’m very literal, yet I overanalyze everything. And I’m horrible at memorizing Scripture. But I haven’t given up or given in, and I’m not going to. Listen: I don’t know where you are right now in your relationship with Jesus or your desire to dive deeper into His Word. But I’m
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almost certain you fall into one of these categories: Satisfied. You’re satisfied and settled in your “church world,” dipping into God’s Word every now and then. Christian books and TV evangelists are your go-to’s when life becomes a little shaky. Tuesday morning Bible study or Thursday night small group is your Jesus fill-up. Keeping the coffee station running
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on Sunday morning is your weekly service. You’re satisfied, but emptiness looms. Afraid, yet searching. You fear the Bible and question whether or not it can work for you. You’re trying your best to live up
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