"I don't want to have bumper sticker theology." This term a friend used recently has seared into my brain this week. I don't either! So, how do we fight the temptation to boil down all of our deeply held beliefs based on the truths of Scripture into catch phrases, platitudes or misused verses? We fight "bumper sticker theology" by understanding the full context of these truths in Scripture. "Joy of the Lord" by Rend Collective brings out an oft-used phrase that we will keep out of the zone of "bumper sticker theology" by studying the context of when it was first spoken.
Meet me in Nehemiah where the Hebrew people were a hot mess. I think you may be surprised why.
On this episode I discuss:

Education without action is entertainment
Don't just decide to read and interact with God's Word this week...jump in!
Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - our Bible Interaction Tool Exercises this week are:

Read in context
Discover and do


Story behind the song "Joy of the Lord" on New Song Cafe by Worship Together - YouTube Video
The place of despair and loss of identity by the exiles in Jerusalem
What the people did right after the wall was rebuilt - Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5
The praise that followed the reading of God's Word and the posture of the people - Nehemiah 8:6-8
Where the lyrics of our song come from (in context) - Nehemiah 8:9-10
How further study of God's Word showed the people something they had not been doing and what they did with that "discovery"
The lesson I "discovered" with my girls in Scripture this week - Colossians 3:13

 
Additional Resources

Lyrics
The song story behind the song "Joy of the Lord" by Rend Collective - YouTube Video

This Week's Challenge
Read Nehemiah. To make this challenge even more enjoyable, I give you permission to skim through the lists of names found in several places throughout. If you discover something you have not been doing, by all means make arrangements to start following the direction of the Lord!