This Here Bible

This Here Bible is the same one I've had since I was a kid.

Got it when I was 5 years old.

Pictures were nice. So were the stories.

Then I grew up and started to question what I read.

Made things a little more difficult.

But no less true.

And the Bible stayed with me.

We traveled and moved and worked and worried.

Loved and hated and learned to forgive.

The cover of this here Bible got worn out a little.

Over the years, so did I.

But the words inside this here Bible never changed.

It was always there for me when I needed it most.

This is God's word. It endures. Perseveres. Inspires.

The people who wrote This Here Bible suffered for their trouble.

Many died as a result of following Jesus. Who gave his life to make up for our sins.

God wants us to know the whole story.

The good. The bad. And the ugly. God loves us all.

We should remember to love Him.

In fact This Here Bible talks a lot about love.

It also talks a lot about how God talks to us if we're willing to listen.

In places, God's voice is a mighty wind.

In others, speaks to us in tiny whispers.

But mostly God calls us to love through This Here Bible.

That is why it pays to read This Here Bible right out loud.

So you can hear God's voice.

So you can hear God speaking through our own voices.

To revel in the language of scripture in all its rich symbolism.

To learn how God appeared on this earth in human form.

Through His Son, Jesus.

This Here Bible tells how Jesus shared the truth of God through parables.

How he made that truth available to everyone.

How he fought with those who wanted to own that truth for themselves.

Priests turned scripture into law, then wielded it like a weapon.

Others took literal words more seriously than the true hope of God.

Jesus warned them not to do those things. But they persisted.

They could not see the real truth for all their selfishness.

This Here Bible tells it all.

Here's the basics of what This Here Bible really has to say.

That Jesus brought a new hope to this world.

That we should be careful not to crush that hope through any means.

Like love of earthly power.

Or want of earthly wealth more than salvation.

Do not trust those who use the authority of faith to control others.

Instead, learn to love first and always. Trust God. Then spread the Word.

Great leaders learned these lessons by reading This Here Bible.

You can learn these lessons too, and grow closer to God in the process.

This Here Bible is an amazing book.

But you have to let it speak to you.

Without prejudice. Without vanity.

Without letting truth be obscured.

Without being too literal about every word.

Because that obscures the meaning.

This Here Bible is much more than that.

God speaks. It is our job to listen with an open mind.

And an open heart.

So open the book.

This Here Bible wants to speak to you.

And remember to share.

by Christopher Cudworth (2008)