I’ve already documented my struggles with prayer. Prayer doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to some other people. Unfortunately, sometimes reading the Bible doesn’t come that easy to me either. I know there’s more to our lives with God than praying and reading the Bible, but those are two core disciplines that all followers of Jesus need to employ on a regular basis.
Here are some nerdy ways to help with reading the Bible.
Listen to the Star Wars Soundtrack
I know that some people call it a quiet time, but that doesn’t mean it has to be totally silent. If your goal is to just spend some time reading God’s word, then a little background music can’t hurt. What better way to get excited about reading the Bible than having John Williams’ iconic score pulsing through your headphones? It would be great to create Star Wars playlists designed for specific passages of scripture. You could play “Yub Nub” while reading about the Year of Jubilee, “The Imperial March” when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness and “The Cantina Song” when Noah plants a vineyard and gets drunk and naked.
Identify Religious Allegories
Nerdclinations are full of religious allegories. Reading the Bible could be a lot like a “Where’s Waldo?” book, except instead of looking for a candy cane hipster you’re trying to find Aragorn in the New Testament. Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, but it’s also had a tremendous impact on literature for hundreds of years. There are almost always religious undertones in books because of the ubiquitous influence of the Bible. Aslan is a Christ figure, Anakin Skywalker is an allegory for Adam and Edward Cullen is comparable to Samson, with his scintillating arms and incandescent chest.
Get Rid of Distractions
Let’s be honest, sometimes our favorite nerdclinations are the very obstacles keeping us from reading the Bible. I’ve recently started playing Call of Duty again and the late nights of Team Deathmatch could have an impact on my time in the Bible. Maybe it’s not a video game, but you’re too excited to see what happens next to Katniss Everdeen that you can’t put down The Hunger Games to pick up the Bible. Or maybe Netflix instant access to Battlestar Galactica, Firefly or Star Trek: Voyager (not really) is keeping your Bible dusty on the shelf. Most nerdclinations aren’t inherently bad but they don’t provide the solid foundation we need.
Psalm 119 is an amazing passage of scripture in which the writer expresses his love and passion for God’s word. Sometimes I have that passion but not as consistently as I should. Whether it’s listening to Star Wars music or turning off the Xbox, we should do whatever it takes to get us into God’s word.
What helps you spend time in the Bible?
Actually… Star Trek helps me get into the Bible. It is at least constant fodder for theological thought. And that usually leads to the Scriptures at one point or another.
Great post! I’d like to know where Samson’s “scintillating arms and incandescent chest” are described in the Bible, though. 😉
I think that part about Samson is only found in the Septuagint.
I agree that many things can lead us to read the Bible but we always need to remember that thinking about the Bible isn’t the same as reading the Bible.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Well said, and I quite agree. And reading is not the same thing as studying, either. All our pursuits should help us seek deeper understanding. Reading is its own unique discipline and well worth the effort – especially with a little “yub-nub!”