Friday, April 17, 2009

Fresh Paint and a Fresh Word

After living in our home for ten years, we finally granted our Family Room and Foyer a badly needed coat of fresh paint. I felt a little trepidation as the painters invaded our usually quiet home with a flurry of activity. Armed with a variety of ladders, neatly folded drop-cloths, spools of plastic , and paint buckets filled with our carefully selected colors, the diligent crew of workers began moving furniture and preparing our home for transformation.

Once they settled into their work, I poured a fresh cup of coffee, chased down our one-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Mollie (who was curiously inspecting the painters supplies), and closed myself into the master bedroom to do a little research for a lesson that I was working on. I spent the majority of the day confined to the bedroom, but as the painters were nearly finished, I cautiously stepped out into the foyer.

The rich colors brought new life to our ten-year old walls that had previously sported a drab shade of beige. I was surprised how much a fresh coat of paint and a change of color could transform our surroundings. I enjoy spending time in our “new” Family Room.

Interestingly, I had a similar experience recently when I began utilizing different versions of the Bible for my prayer time. I often read a Proverb and pray passages as I feel convicted or inspired by the content. Although I typically memorize passages and teach from the New International Version, by changing translations during my quiet time, I find that my time in God’s Word is enhanced and my prayers have more depth.

I encourage you to try reading from different versions of the Bible during your prayer time. I’ve collected a number of different translations over the years and always get excited when I am able to add a new Bible to my collection.

Post a comment and tell me your favorite version of Scripture. If I don’t have it, I’ll be sure to place it to my list of Bibles to add to my collection!

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