Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Have you ever watched the first round of the show American Idol?

There are always a handful of contestants who are trying their best, but it's clear that they are on the wrong career path. If only, they had someone in their life who'd be honest with them. Unfortunately, they have to make some big mistakes sent in front of loads of people, no less, and only then will they hear the truth for the first time. I've made mistakes like this, too. Just last month, a friend sought me out for some advice, and I made a few suggestions

which she thought were great. Then I said, before you act on my advice, would you mind if I

ask someone else I know who's a professional and has actually dealt with this a few times before?

She agreed, so I called the professional, I shared my friend's situation, and my brilliant

proposed solution. Without pause, the professional replied by saying something along the lines of,

that is terrible advice. Never do that. I had to laugh at myself. The council I thought was so great

that my friend also appreciated, the pro just dumped cold water all over it. And the suggestion

she offered instead was brilliant. Suddenly the gaps in my advice were glaringly obvious. Her wisdom was

not only helpful to my friend, but to me as well. Sometimes that's what it's like to read or study the

Bible on your own. I'm not saying God can't speak to us directly through his word. He can and does

all the time. But even in scripture itself, we see examples of other seasoned believers

helping people understand his word. The Levites explains the law to the people. Philip

unpacked prophecy for the Ethiopian eunuch. And Paul's letters are basically him teaching

through Old Testament texts like a sermon outline. Especially if you're new to reading scripture,

it's tempting to draw quick conclusions, like we talked about in episode five. One of the best ways to help yourself avoid this pitfall is to make sure you read or study the Bible alongside others. In some ways, this podcast can help with that, but it has its limitations. It's a one-way street. You can hear from me, but you can't talk to me about where you're struggling or the things you're learning about God and his character. I'm going to try to preemptively answer any questions you have, but I'm going to miss some of them. And while I'd love to actually sit down with you and hear your thoughts on all of this, even a one-time coffee date won't do the trick because we're going to be doing this daily and hopefully for the rest of our lives. So here are a few things I'd suggest to help you

with this. First, find another actual human to do this reading plan with you. Surely you know

someone else who's been a long-term passenger on the Bible reading struggle bus? Ask that friend to

join in this with you. Maybe you can both read the plan and listen to the Bible recap daily,

then get together once a week to talk about it.

You can share your questions and discoveries and even the things you think I'm wrong about. Maybe you're a Christ follower and the person you want to do this plan with is someone who wouldn't consider themselves a Christian. That works too. There are lots of people who aren't Christians who listen to this podcast regularly. This could be a great way for them to lean in and learn about the God you love and why you find him so lovable.

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