How do we read the book of our own lives? How do we read the book of Revelation? It turns out there are three questions and how we answer them will impact the course of our lives - who and where we will be five years from now. And those three questions are the very ones that the book of Revelation is trying to get us to think about.

Does life ever seem meaningless to you? Or, have you made some bad decisions, or are you facing some hard choices? In each of these cases what we need is wisdom - godly wisdom... and it can be found the section of the bible known as the books of wisdom. Job,Proverbs,Ecclesiastes are known as the books of wisdom and together with Psalms and The Song of Solomon are also known as the books of Poetry. Each of these five books gives a different type of wisdom that we desperately need to hear. Today we look first at a guiding principles for understanding each of these books, then apply this approach to the first two chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes. It turns out that in the very place that seems so hopeless - a man crying out "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless" - true hope can be found! A worksheet for this sermon can be found at http://www.southridgeworship.com/how_to_read_the_bible_for_yourself1.htm

Can you really be content in all circumstances? Why does Paul say things that seem harsh ? Have you ever been inspired to read a book of the bible based on a great quote you saw, only to find there was a lot of other stuff in the book that seemed not so great? Was Paul grumpy in some of his comments to the Philippians? All of these questions turn around how we interpret the Epistles - the letters of Paul. Reading the Epistles is like reading someone else's mail and so we really need to understand the context if we are going to get what the author is trying to say. Today we look at Paul's famous verses about being content in all circumstances. We start by realizing that this was a letter written on a specific occasion - Paul is writing a thank you note to good friends for a gift they gave him. We end by looking at the secret of Paul's contentment. This recording starts several minutes into the sermon.

If Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, then the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are a crucial and logical starting point for our first readings in the bible. The gospels contain both the story of Jesus' life and his teachings. It turns out the Jesus of the gospels is much more startling than the Jesus of American imagination. We illustrate two practical tools for reading the gospels and then apply them to the section of Luke's gospel that gives us both an example of narrative (Jesus exeperience with Zaccheus) and example of Jesus' teaching (The parable of the Minas).

Like reading a book with a pair of glasses, we all read the bible through our presuppositions, through the conclusions we have before we even start to read it. Some glasses distort what we read while others correct a defect in us so we can actually see what is there. It turns out that when we realize that God's primary characteristic is generosity we begin to see both the bible and our selves in focus.

If God sent you a prophet - would you actually listen? What if he was gruff, loud, and self-confident? How can you tell a true prophet from a false one? Why do the old testament prophets have so much doom and gloom? What guidelines can help me to read the old testament prophets for myself ? Join us to find out!

Why are there so many strange laws in the Old Testament? Do the laws of the Old Testament still apply today? We look at the TV Series LOST, and white water rafting to discover a set of basic principles that will allow you to read the Old Testament Law in a way that makes sense for today.

In part 2 of "How to read the Bible for yourself" we realize that if you really want to know what the bible says you need to recognize that it includes many different genres - proverbs, songs, laws, history, letters - and that do justice to each we must read each according to it's particular genre. This week we look particularly at how to read Old Testament narratives as they were intended. Is so doing, we discover an amazing insight into how to think about our own family history and how to live within it

We dont like people invading our personal space, but the whole point of the gospel is that Jesus came to invade our lives... and save them. We look at this beloved psalm including the part no one wants to talk about. Join us as we look towards the one who knows us better than we know ourselves

Do you sometimes think 'If only I was more organized, and my house was more organized, and my schedule was more organized, then I could have some real peace and satisfaction? Maybe what is more important than being organized is what your life is organized around. With our busy schedules and hectic lives, is it possible to be both active and still and centered on God? Yes. We contrast the deep peace of the Psalmist in Psalm 131 with what organizes the grumbling woman and the artist described by C.S. Lewis in The Great Divorce. We discover three basic clues in Psalm 131 on how to live with our heart and soul located in the very presence of God, regardless of how crazy our lives are!