{"id":432,"date":"2011-05-09T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2011-05-09T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=432"},"modified":"2011-05-07T11:57:40","modified_gmt":"2011-05-07T15:57:40","slug":"rereading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/05\/rereading.html","title":{"rendered":"Rereading"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/234\/2011\/05\/little-boy-reading.jpg1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-435\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/234\/2011\/05\/little-boy-reading.jpg1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"627\" height=\"544\" \/><\/a>Each new generation learns valuable lessons that may be missed by a preceding group of people. \u00a0I love rereading my favorite books. \u00a0Yet, I came from a tradition in which you watched a movie or television show only once. \u00a0You certainly didn\u2019t read a book more than one time. \u00a0Nevertheless, I would pull out the books that were read to us in elementary school, \u00a0especially\u00a0<em>Penrod<\/em> and\u00a0<em>Penrod and Sam,<\/em> and reread them during my high school years for book reports. \u00a0When I became an adult, I would reread books when I read to my children.<\/p>\n<p>Rereading has now become a more accepted practice. \u00a0In fact with the advent of videos and DVD\u2019s, children memorize many of the children\u2019s movies because they view them so often. \u00a0By the time a child has reached his teen years, he may have read one of the modern classics many, many times. \u00a0There are great benefits to this practice.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First, it teaches children that one pass over a subject matter will produce a most limited knowledge of the subject.<\/li>\n<li>Second, children will understand at an early age the value of review.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Reading is one of the great pleasures of my life. \u00a0I can hardly imagine not being able to have that privilege. \u00a0Bible reading was introduced to me by my Sunday school teachers and mother. \u00a0We were able to get a check mark if we read our Bible each day. \u00a0I loved getting check marks.\u00a0\u00a0The denomination in which I was raised values the study of the Bible so much, that it\u2019s now being accused of believing the Bible is the fourth part of the Godhead. \u00a0However, reading the Scriptures has not always fared well through the ages.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/234\/2011\/05\/Martin-Luther-1483-1546.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-433 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/234\/2011\/05\/Martin-Luther-1483-1546.jpeg\" alt=\"Martin Luther (1483-1546)\" width=\"320\" height=\"468\" \/><\/a>In the 16th century, when Martin Luther entered the monastery, it was not typical for a person to read or study the Bible. \u00a0Men who had their doctorate in theology seldom read the Bible directly. \u00a0Few of them owned their own copy of the Scriptures. \u00a0It appears that Luther was one of the few men of his day who had a love for God\u2019s word. \u00a0On his death-bed, Luther wrote a note that extolled the value of the Bible and how important it was to read it with a humble heart.<\/p>\n<p>At Special Gathering, we put an emphasis on learning the Bible. \u00a0While most of our members cannot read, they still are able to understand what is read to them and the precepts contained there. \u00a0Last year, we inserted into the order of service a \u201cCall to Worship.\u201d \u00a0After the announcements and several upbeat praise songs, we calm the service and begin with a Scripture verse that is our Call to Worship. \u00a0We use one verse for three months. \u00a0A member reads the verse and we listen. \u00a0After two months of listening to the verse, I ask the members to recite it with me. \u00a0The Member Reader will read\u2013or say from memory\u2013the verse and then we will repeat it from memory.<\/p>\n<p>I am amazed at how quickly our members are able to pick up the verse and say it. \u00a0There are only a few things that have changed during the years we\u2019ve been conducting Special Gathering worship but I believe that this is one of the most beneficial.<\/p>\n<p>I understand that reading or even memorizing a Bible verse does little to ensure that this word will become affective in our lives. \u00a0However, I also know that NOT knowing the Bible almost guarantees that we will not be able to apply a truth to our lives.<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally, I will talk about an Old Testament precept that is repeated again and again. \u00a0People who don\u2019t read the Bible are shocked that these Sacred Writings even addresse things such as thrift, banking, ecology or conservation. \u00a0Some Christians have no idea that preservation of the land is a strictly-held concept taught in the Law of Moses.<\/p>\n<p>As a teacher and leader of a flock of men and women who are developmentally disabled, it is my responsibility to be sure that the Bible is learned. \u00a0Additionally, \u00a0the principles must be relearned and then reviewed time and again until they becomes a part of my life and the lives of our members. \u00a0However, I also find that I&#8217;m not any different from the people I teach. \u00a0I need review. \u00a0Each time I read a passage of scripture, I should be open to hear and see a new message from the heart of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Is reading the scriptures a chore? \u00a0Do you make it a habit to review familiar verses to see if you can &#8220;see&#8221; a new issue in your life that the Holy Spirit may want to help you overcome?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each new generation learns valuable lessons that may be missed by a preceding group of people. \u00a0I love rereading my favorite books. \u00a0Yet, I came from a tradition in which you watched a movie or television show only once. \u00a0You certainly didn\u2019t read a book more than one time. \u00a0Nevertheless, I would pull out the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,3,40,10,16,28,12],"tags":[690,21,688,696,7,699,691,694,19,689,692,700],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged","category-religion","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-inspirational","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mental-retardation","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-religion","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rereading - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rereading - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each new generation learns valuable lessons that may be missed by a preceding group of people. \u00a0I love rereading my favorite books. \u00a0Yet, I came from a tradition in which you watched a movie or television show only once. \u00a0You certainly didn\u2019t read a book more than one time. \u00a0Nevertheless, I would pull out the&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/05\/rereading.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-05-09T14:00:04+00:00\" 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