Q&A

WE ASKED CAMP LEADERS HOW READING THE BIBLE HAS IMPACTED THEIR LIVES. A & Q " " I’ve found that having a guided page of scriptures to read per day incredibly helpful! Its added structure to my mornings and has become a part of my routine." — Millie Law The Bible has provided the resource for nurturing my life with Christ; it’s provided the framework for locating the story of my life within the big story of God’s dealings with us; it’s provided the means for understanding the nature of God-of God as loving Father, God in Christ, God by the Holy Spirit. It has also proven challenging, both in terms of challenging me to grow, and in terms of having to make sense of its many puzzles. Through it God has spoken to me/engaged with me.

Exploring the scriptures as a camper happened a long time ago, but it taught me to engage the insights of others, to experience the value of group study, and to have my discipleship formed in very focussed ways.

SUNZ Bible Reading Guides provided my earliest resources for regular Bible engagement and kept me at it in my early Bible reading years. In more recent years I’ve not used them but continue to use the Bible almost daily in my devotional life."

At Ponui Senior this year, one of our takeaways was putting time and intention into spiritual disciplines. I hadn’t used a Bible study guide since I was a kid, but found having it sitting on my " breakfast table a good prompt to help set the habit. Each morning, while drinking my coffee, I go through the daily devotion. The studies are short, though provoking and having something physical helps me engage more (I find that when I’ve used apps I get distracted and lose focus easily) and it’s a great way to start the day."

—Jo Wieland

In my family growing up, we knew that a great and loving God had made our world, that Jesus who was also God had come to live among us, and had given us his Spirit – and that we could not only " read about this in the Bible, but as we let its words sink into us, we would get to know him and share his life. We did lots of Bible memorizing (usually in the King James Version) – individual verses and whole passages – and this is something that has changed my life from what it might have been.

I can think back to many times when God’s word has come immediately to mind to speak comfort, or challenge, or whatever else I most needed. Here’s some quick examples: ¼ 16, at high school, feeling that I’d badly let God down with something I’d failed to do - “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Revelation 3:19)

¼ 19, alone in the house and receiving the crushing news that something terrible had happened to my little brother – “and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7)

¼ 30 or 40-ish, on the phone with a Christian friend pouring out her feelings of hopeless inadequacy and uselessness, and I cut in with “what God hath cleansed call not thou common” (Acts 10:15) i.e. because of Jesus you belong to God so don’t underestimate what He's doing in you.

And I could go on to the words of comfort when sleep is disturbed by anxious thoughts; and the clear directions in the midst of confusion and clutter; and the wonderful assurance of God’s wrap-around love. I praise God for all he means to me – and the wonderful book he has given to us.