3.18.2026

In writing about the potential negative effects of social media, I brought up one of the myths that keeps making its rounds: certain important books of the Bible were left out by the Catholic church, and in particular, the book of Enoch.

It keeps coming up. Just a couple of days ago on X (formerly Twitter) someone posted, “Go back and read Enoch!”  Someone recently told me he had just read the book of Enoch. I asked him, “What about the books that are actually IN the Bible? Have you read them?”

Before anyone gets wound up over those books supposedly left out, I would suggest we spend our time in the ones that are actually there!   

I get it. There’s a genuine fear of missing out (FOMO), and those of us with suspicious minds (I’m one of them) can be given to conspiracy theories (yes, they get my attention, but don’t forget my universal answer to everything is “maybe”). But unless I’m willing to do a lot more research and digging than I am actually willing to do, I’m going to content myself with reading and meditating on the book that has shaped both culture and the souls of humankind for thousands of years: the Bible.  

And, quite frankly, the devil loves to use our spiritual ADD to distract us from the Word of God that’s right in front of us. “Oh, look! A rabbit!” becomes, “Oh, look! A mystery!” And then we run off to investigate the latest cockamamie theory and waste time we could be spending in the Gospels. 

The devil loves that. 

So, to counter the devil’s distractions, read your Bible. Come to our Bible studies. Join us in our new adventure of memorizing scripture. Show up to church. Take advantage of opportunities to learn. 

Now, writing all this, I’ll be the first to admit that the Bible is not easy to read. All that legal stuff in Leviticus and Deuteronomy is hard to wade through. The prophets are a real challenge. Revelation . . . well, you know. But! The historical books of the Old Testament and the Gospels and Acts in the New Testament can be understood by anyone who loves a good story. True, the first half of Paul’s letters can be hard because he writes a lot about doctrine, but the second half, the “practical” section, is much easier, because it is practical, but then it’s also a challenge because it calls us to live differently . . .  as do the Gospels, and Acts, and the Prophets . . . 

So, yeah, the Bible is not always easy to read. 

The Bible demands something from us. The Bible invites us into another world where the universe is not just stars and planets, but was created to be the throne room of God; where humans aren’t the slaves of the gods (whether Baal and Marduk or any modern government or industrial complex) but are God’s image-bearers placed here on earth to tend and keep his creation; where God loves slaves more than Pharaohs, chooses the handsome baby-boy musician shepherd over his strapping soldier brothers to be king, and tosses out the rich and powerful in favor of widows and orphans; where God knows when a sparrow falls, counts our hairs and saves our tears in a bottle; where a used and abused foreign, sinful Samaritan woman can be an evangelist to her entire village; where, despite having his heart broken over and over again, he still loves the world so much that he gives his one and only Son to die for the world that has rejected him.

That’s the world the Bible invites us into . . . and not just as readers, but as participants. 

The Bible lays out God’s plan for this world. Through sin, the world has become a mess, but God invites us to join him in the world’s redemption and reclamation. 

In the world of the Bible, God calls us – you and me – to be his ambassadors of reconciliation. Instead of being strangers and aliens from the promises of God, we are citizens with the saints. And not only citizens with the saints, but God has called us – and made it possible for us – to be his saints, that is, to belong to him in a special way that sets us apart from all of creation. And best of all, God makes us his children. And even better than that, God is with us.

And when you read, believe and then LIVE all this, your life is transformed. And when your life is transformed, those around you take notice. When you, “as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Colossians 3:12), and when you conform your life to all the other qualities listed in that passage that we’re memorizing (qualities like forgiveness, love, peace and gratitude), you will live the best life possible and others will see and others will ask and others will find out for themselves. 

Reading the Bible and memorizing the Bible is a way of rewiring our minds. It trains us to see the world and to see ourselves as God sees. As I often pray, it teaches us to love as God loves and live as Christ lived. 

We have a unique opportunity at Christ Church. We’re a small congregation that can focus on a few things and do them well. We can love God, and we can love others. We can memorize scripture together. We can study together. We can fellowship. We can KNOW one another.

So, enter into the life of our congregation as you enter into the world of the Bible. Renew your mind through Scripture. Build unshakable faith in difficult times. Calm anxiety and fear through God’s promises. Stay in the Word! 

Blessings,
Pastor Terry