Okay, I am way behind on posting about Alpha, apologies, I just have so much to write and before I knew it, I had missed about 3 weeks.

So Alpha-

Why and how should I read the bible? and How do we hear God speak through the bible?

I have learned that 'The bible' is the best selling book ever, if it was in the 'book charts' it would permanentely be in the number 1 spot.

I began reading the bible as soon as I had started going to Church, I wanted to know for myself of the sermons I was hearing on Sundays that 'fired' me up.

I opened the book randomly and read - the power from the words felt as if God was speaking to me himself straight out of the book ( a bit like the Never ending story).

I read from the New Testament, after all thats what I thought I knew best, and this is the passage I read
Do Not Worry

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

...and thats when it struck me, God was talking to me. My husband was self employed and getting very little work, I was battling day after day in my head about 'how can we afford this? how can we afford that? will we ever be able to plan a holiday? Christmas is coming up what should I do?'

All of this stuff was emotionally wringing me out! and the words said Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? That was the moment that I realised that the bible is our guide to life, we need to read it regularly so that we can put into practise what God wanted of us, he loves us all and Jesus spoke of 'the way and the truth' "I am the way" "I am the truth" he entrusted the writing of the bible to his disciples, he entrusted the word of God..........

A man who worked on the translation of the book in the 1940s said this of his experience

The present translator who has closely studied these letters for many years,is constantly struck by the living quality of the material on which he is working. Some will no doubt, consider merely superstitious reverance for holy writ, but yet again and again the writer fell like an electrician rewiring an ancient house without being able to turn the mains off.

That shows the power of such a book, spiritual authority is within this book and in order to be close to God we need to read everyday. I myself, find that if I do not read regularly I lose touch with God and the same with prayer, I have to find to talk to God everyday or else I can lose touch, it becomes very apparent when I get to Church on Sunday if I haven't been close to God then he is right there on Sunday telling me.