This Sunday, June 13th, we are going to open our Bibles together and "Jump into the Story!"  I am going to show some ways in which the stories of the Bible can become more vibrant and vivid for each one of us.  I think this is a crucial task for modern Christians; too often I hear the lament that studying the Bible is dull and/or boring.  Perhaps it is.  But the fault lies not with the scriptures, but with the way we approach them.

One of the reasons we find the Bible difficult to study is that we are far too easily distracted.  We are pulled and tugged in a dozen different directions.  Email, facebook, texting, mobile phones, twitter . . . you name it.  There is a buzz that surrounds our lives these days.  And it's not always helpful to our peace of mind.  It is getting harder and harder to be present before God.

One of the symptoms of this is when we hurdle through life, always slightly behind the curve.  We are often ill prepared for our time together as a family and as a church.  We cut corners and very often trivialize the truly sacred moments of our lives with our inattentiveness.

This Sunday I have a simple request that help us all be more attentive to God:  Show up to church ten minutes early.  Give yourself time to put the little ones in the nursery and quietly walk to the sanctuary without having to rush.  Take a moment to seat yourself, before the worship service begins, and ask God to quiet your heart and prepare yourself for worship.  It will make your worship go deeper into the presence of God.  You will lose your distractions and gain something far more important.