My Knowing Smile - A Place to Think and Watch As Others do the Same.

Hi, welcome to My Knowing Smile.

I am starting this blog, today, Aug 21, 2017, as a 60 year old man.

"To what end?" you might ask.  Fair enough question.

In my life, I've always longed for being "that guy".  One of those guys who can, out of thin air, grab an appropriate Biblical reference, story, or verse, that applies perfectly to the subject matter at hand.

We all know those folks. We've all met them.  They often have some contribution that offers us a bit of insight or that seems to speak to our inner guidance systems.

But there is one thing to keep in mind.  

The fact that they can chew up and spit out Bible references with the best of them, does NOT mean they have the "correct" answers for your life.

Don't get me wrong here, they are far more likely to have the answer than someone relying on personal experience, or a good guesstimate of guidance or strategy.  The thing is, that they are still only human beings. Even with the best of intentions, and the unfailing information directly from the word of God himself,  they are simply people.

We each need a personal relationship with The Father.  Our churches, our pastors, our families, are only excellent resources, they are not the definitive answer to our problems.

So - back to my goal (and hopefully yours as well), how do we gain some knowledge from the Bible that isn't simply dogma, or memorization of someone else's interpretation of how to live our lives?

Well, the best way, is of course, to have a direct pipeline, from the Bible and its wisdom.
At that point, we can pray for God's guidance when we have troubles. We can ask him for insights as to our best course of action.

My talents run in the area of writing and the technical end of the world. I am in no way suited to be seen as anyone with a theological background sufficient to be considered "knowledgeable".
But I am hopeful, that I can change that.  That I can overcome my lifelong hesitation to dive into the Bible and pull from it, what God wants us, ALL of us, to know.

After all, I have been hearing various Bible stories since childhood. These are historical recordings and are of importance not just because they are a direct pipeline from The Creator to we, His creations. Also important is that they are actual events in human history. Events that changed human civilization in a powerful and positive fashion.

So what I would like to do here.... and I hope you are willing to ride along with me (and if not, that's fine too!)  is to just start to dip my toes into reading the Bible WITH you. I'd like to just start out, and offer my views and thoughts on the various pieces as we go through.  If you have something you disagree with on it, please PLEASE feel free to speak up and share your take.  Read along with me if you want... I am sure each one of us has something we take away that would be of value to others.

Here's the thing - I am doing this more for myself than for others. I believe it will be helpful to others, and that will be one awesome benefit, but ultimately, I think more clearly when I have to read, digest, and write about that subject matter.  And in conveying it, I often have to read it a couple times and look in a biblical study text to understand the context of the story.  So that understanding is more easily written, if I do it in my own words - as the Bible sounds to me...in my head - in a more modern storytelling style.

Now that might be the rub! Some would feel that it is dangerous or wrong to rely on a retelling of the Bible through a "round the campfire" telling in modern vernacular.  Similarly, some might find it slightly more readable or relatable. No matter what the thoughts you might have, I am only trying to motivate others to actually read the Bible itself because the text here created a more familiar feel. 

It's certainly not a replacement or substitute by any stretch. It's to prime the pump so that others may not have to wait until they are middle aged like myself, before they come to the realization that the Bible, contains incredible stories of God's great power and love and that the wisdom that it holds is DIRECTLY applicable in learning about our own modern lives. 

That wisdom, many centuries old, trapped in ink on a page, is just waiting to catch fire in your brain and change everything for you.