My name is Dwayne Phillips. I have been reading the Bible since I could read. I guess that goes back to the first grade somewhere around 1964. I have read the entire Bible through one time a year since 1988. There isn't any verse of the Bible that I have not read several times.
To find an on-line New International Version of a verse, go to http://biblegateway.com
Despite reading the Bible through so many times, I may read a passage from the Bible that causes me to pause. Something happening in my life that day or week relates to that passage in a special way.
I have noticed that often a week later I cannot remember what I read and how it related to my life. The special moment is gone.
This is where I have the idea of contemplative Bible reading. I don't claim to have created this concept, but I don't recall reading it or hearing about it before.
When I read a passage that strikes me, I write about it. Sometimes I will stop my reading, grab a computer, and write for ten to thirty minutes. Sometimes I will grab a 3x5 card, jot enough notes to capture the experience, and write about it later. Sometimes I will grab a piece of paper and write for a while.
My desire is to keep what I write. I want to keep these contemplations in some place where I can go to them later.
What will I do with these contemplations? Who knows? Perhaps I will use them as the basis for a Bible class. Maybe for a sermon; maybe just to read and re-enter the experience I had earlier.
(d.phillips@computer.org)