'Reading the Bible' has become something that consenting adults do behind closed doors, or even worse, only when they are on their own! So it might well seem to a 'fly on the wall'. lyfe seeks to change all that and also make Bible reading both more fun and impactful at the same time. So what is lyfe?
lyfe stands for Life Your Faith Encounters. The idea is very simple but also profound. We want to take the Bible into public places like Starbucks, Costa's or Revive, but the work's canteen, your Leisure Centre, the coffee bar at the 'Parents' and Toddlers' group would be just as good, as would the local Pub, the Rugby Club or the WI. To be even sharper, we would like you to take the Bible into these public places and use it in an open and cringe free way. We don't mind how you take it, perhaps you would print a page from our web site, or you would have it on your laptop or Blackberry, you might even have the whole book! What does matter is that people can be seen reading the Bible and talking about it with as much enthusiasm as they might discuss the cricket, the recent football match or the latest fashion accessories or TV reality show. We think that if this could happen other people would not look at us with disapproving stares but would be intrigued and maybe, even fascinated. Even more importantly, perhaps, we could discover a new level of encounter with god through scripture. So how can we help this to happen?Well, first it's important to understand that lyfe is not only about location. What we are even more concerned about is getting the Bible off the page and into our lives. Although reading it in a public place would certainly underline the fact that lyfe belongs in the real world, we certainly don't intend that lyfe becomes a replacement for Bible study or good teaching from your church.
What we have in mind is a group of three or four people meeting together and doing three main things:
Read, reflect respond
The core activity of a lyfe group is to read the Bible passage together, to reflect on it and then to respond to what God may be saying. Historically, this is a tried and tested approach to the Bible and means that we can read the Bible with our hearts as well as our minds.
Read
We bring with us what we know of the Bible and life
We relax and read the passage slowly, watching for key words
We re-read, 'listening with the heart' until drawn to something
Reflect
Our entire being - mind, emotions and will, reflects on what's being said
We share and ask questions
We search together for what God may be saying to each of us
Respond
We pray or 'rest' with what we've heard
We talk about how to respond
We agree 'practical action'.
