BRINGING THE BIBLE TO LIFE™
One of the most popular books from the Christian world in the late 1990’s was the book Boundaries, by Townsend and Cloud, which to-date has sold over four million copies.i This volume opens with a sad, but common fictional scenario of an overwhelmed Christian mother named Sherrie. She is desperate, lonely and exhausted from too many demands, burdens and expectations from her family, her church and the culture. In her late-night despair, she crawls into bed, picks up her Bible and resorts to the “flip-and-see”ii method of seeking help from God. Cloud and Townsend set up a scenario that suggests to the undiscerning reader that the Bible is not only unhelpful, it is irrelevant to the everyday issues of life. They describe her experience in a compelling, yet pathetic way:
She picked up her Bible from the bedside table and opened it to the New Testament. “Give me something to hope for, Lord. Please”, she prayed silently. Her eyes fell to the words of Christ in Matthew 5:3–5:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.”
“But Lord, I already feel like that!” Sherrie protested. “I feel poor in spirit, I mourn over my life, my marriage, my children. I try to be gentle, but I just feel run over all the time. Where is your promise? Where is your hope? Where are you?”
Sherrie waited in the darkened room for an answer. None came. The only sound was the quiet pit–pat of tears running off her cheeks, and onto the pages of her Bible.
This scenario is all too common in the Christian heart and home. Sherrie evidently hasn’t learned to use the Bible biblically, nor is she aware of the power, scope and sufficiency of scripture. Furthermore, Sherrie’s prayer suggests that she hasn’t learned how to wrestle with God, expressing lament and grief as she shepherds her own heart towards right thinking and soul-rest. Sherrie’s sword of the Word of God has no handle. She lacks training in waging spiritual warfare.
The “Sherries” of this world need help and so do the pastors, leaders and influencers of the American church culture. BCM exists with a passion to step into this kind of suffering. We believe that by equipping the local church to build a culture of Biblical SoulCare™, we offer something much more robust and relevant than books like Boundaries, in spite of their popularity and prominence. We believe the power and wisdom of God’s Word is superior to the shallow solutions offered by authors like Cloud and Townsend.
It is this pain and passion that birthed the series Kent has labeled, Bringing the Bible to Life™. It is his perspective from observing years of counseling a vast variety of individuals and families, people much like Sherrie, that these nine subjects are essential and foundational to a vibrant and blessed walk with Christ. And when any one of these themes is weak or tainted, there will be additional struggles and difficulties.
Note also, the double meaning in the title, Bringing the Bible to Life™.
1) Our passion is to see the Bible come to life for the “Sherries” of this world so they can wisely open their Bible and find help, hope and healing in the midst of their trials and pain. Sadly, Sherrie’s Bible had nothing to offer her, not because it was stripped of its power, but because she didn’t know how to use it.
2) Secondly, The Book of Romans confidently declares that true disciples of Christ can be “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another (Rom. 15:14 ESV). And therefore, God’s people can be enabled and empowered to “bring the Bible to life for others in their struggles for upbuilding, encouragement and consolation (1 Cor.14:3 ESV) through the wisdom (Pr. 1:7) and power (Heb. 4:12-16) of the Bible. In other words, Christians should be equipped with biblical wisdom, knowledge and understanding and able then to minister the word to the “Sherries” of their sphere of influence.
Our prayer is that the Bringing the Bible to Life™ series will become a foundational resource for the local church to build a culture of biblical SoulCare™ by beginning to stir confidence in the average believer in the power and robust nature of the Word of God. We pray that this will be a tool that God uses to motivate the people of God towards a lifestyle of stirring one-another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). Each topic builds on the previous and together creates a cohesive, biblical SoulCare™ world view.
SESSION TITLES
1. Who Is God? And Why It Matters.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” ― A.W. Tozer
2. Is the Bible Relevant for Today’s Problems?
This session seeks to restore trust in the relevance, sufficiency and superiority of God’s Word to help us please God in all areas of life.
3. Who Am I? A Biblical Understanding of the Nature of Man.
Our culture has proclaimed autonomy and ‘self-love’ as an integral part of personal identity and fulfillment. God’s Word reveals a radically different definition of your identity.
4. How the Gospel Transforms and Defines My Identity.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers real hope in one’s identity defined by the Authority of Scripture, rather than the voices of your past, your feelings, your perceptions and the voices of the culture. These truths are vital for you to grasp and cling to personally but are also critical for you to know and employ as you shepherd and minister to others.
5. What is My Purpose in Life?
A life lived without purpose leads to depression, despondency, despair and doom. The Bible reveals clear purposes for you as an individual and for His Church!
6. Motivation: Why Do I Do What I Do?
True change cannot be realized until one understands the root reasons for why they do what they do.
7. How Do I Change?
God’s Word, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and faithful prayer, gives great hope to believers to change and grow to become more like Jesus.
8. Becoming an Active Disciple in My Church.
Our purpose in life is to love God, love people, make disciples and use our spiritual giftings to build the Church of Christ for God’s glory! The Bible does not leave room for a true disciple to live apart from the authority, shepherding and community of the local church.
9. Dealing with Disappointment and Loss.
Many people, including Christians are confused and defeated because they’re unaware of the reasons why God orchestrates evil and suffering. This session seeks to offer hope to enable you to suffer well and be ready to give an answer for the reason of the hope that you have in hardship, disappointment and loss (1 Pet. 3:15).
We’ll unpack each session in more detail in future conversations.
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i https://www.boundariesbooks.com/products/boundaries-updated-expanded-edition Accessed 6/6/25
ii This phrase originated from Pastor Jeff Thames in a personal conversation somewhere around 1999. This refers to flipping open the Bible at random, without concern or attention to the context or original intent of the specific author, to “see” what God might “say” to the specific need of the moment. This is no less foolish than walking blindfolded into a pharmacy and grabbing the first bottle that seemed to fit the grip of your palm. Sadly, the authors fail to point out the dangerous results of this grave error of Bible reading.
