Women of the Word (Advance Reader Edition): How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin

Author:Jen Wilkin [Wilkin, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2014-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

6

Study with Process

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Prov. 24:27

We have been learning to build Bible literacy by studying with purpose, perspective, and patience. But as with any building project, a good process is also required.

The process I am going to outline here is different from what you might find in a typical “packaged” study. Many studies ask you to read a portion of Scripture and reflect, after which they offer thoughts on its proper interpretation and application. The process I want to introduce asks you, the student, to carry the burden of not just reading, but owning the text, and then of attempting interpretation and application on your own. Only after you have done so will this process direct you to look to the opinions and scholarship of others for help.

I’m a fairly creative person. I would rather sketch freehand than trace methodically; I like playing the piano by ear better than by reading music; I like to sew without following a pattern; I like to plant my flowers all willy-nilly instead of evenly spaced; and I like to cook without measuring anything. It may not surprise you that my results can be a little hit-or-miss.

My husband Jeff, on the other hand, is a master of process. He comes from a family of process-driven people who do things the right way for the sheer satisfaction of doing so. There is a right way to do whatever needs to be done, the Wilkin family knows that way, and they will do it exactly that way, no matter how hard it is or how long it takes. There is a proper way to fold towels, to organize a pantry, to trim a hedge, to clean a paintbrush. I have affectionately dubbed this the Wilkin Way. I and my entire crooked-towel-folding family of people-who-would-rather-just-buy-another-paintbrush-than-clean-one-out, find the Wilkin Way both magnificent and incomprehensible.

Let’s just say the early years of my marriage provided an opportunity for me to learn and grow.

I like to think Jeff has grown in his appreciation for the happy accidents and unexpected genius I have contributed to meals, Halloween costumes, and the occasional gardening triumph. I have certainly grown in my appreciation for honoring a process. I have watched the Wilkin Way result in beautifully refinished furniture, meticulously painted rooms, perfectly crafted decks, immaculately manicured lawns, and barbecue that will make you weep just to taste it.

The world needs both willy-nilly creatives and process-driven builders. Both contribute their strengths to the body of believers. But Bible literacy is closer to a building project than an art project. If you were building a house, you would hire a builder who observes process, not one who thinks building codes are “great suggestions.” You would want a builder who subscribes to the Wilkin Way of thinking. And that’s the kind of builder you and I must become in order to build Bible literacy. We must be those who build on the rock-solid

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