Bible Study
Scripture Union's vision is for every Christian to be engaging enthusiastically with the Bible and growing in their faith. To this end, and with the next generation very much in mind, Scripture Union launched a major new ministry resource on New Year's Day: WordLive - a website offering access to a wide range of creative approaches to God's Word.
It's free of charge, intuitive and simple to use - and it works like this . . .
Every time users log on to WordLive, they'll be prompted to pray and explore the Bible in a variety of ways. They can:
- Hear the Bible passage read.
- Listen to a WordLive podcast or download it to an MP3 player.
- Watch a video clip.
- Listen to a worship song.
- Dig deeper into further Bible study.
- Search on a theme or Bible passage.
- Dip into creative prayer suggestions . . . and explore a host of other activities.
Users can sign up to receive a daily WordLive email, or access WordLive through a mobile phone. WordLive is updated every day with new notes, images, videos and audio, and it also boasts an extensive searchable archive of material. However you choose to use it, WordLive will bring God's Word to you, whatever your need, whenever you want, wherever you go.
SU want to offer WordLive to as many people as possible, so it will be available free, although SU is inviting donations towards its upkeep and continual development.
SU believe WordLive is an innovative ministry, a creative way to get all God's people into his Word, and a fresh opportunity for mission. It engages with today's mobile generations, who live a lot of their lives online. It's ideal for regular personal use and can also be used for groups.
This link wordlive.scriptureunion.org.uk/wordlive leads you to a short presentation about WordLive, which will give you a brief introduction to the resource. Better still please do try WordLive for yourself www.wordlive.org.uk
A word in your ear… Methodist Church launches audio Bible study
A Word in Time, the online Bible study for daily life has been hugely successful, but now the team have decided to make the studies even more accessible. An audio file of each day’s Bible study, and a bigger file with all of the studies for each week can easily be downloaded onto a computer or mp3 player, so that users can listen at a time convenient to them.
Alison Pollard, Web Writer and Researcher and the new voice of A Word in Time says; ‘People find it increasingly difficult to make time to read and reflect on the Bible in today’s busy world. A Word in Time made it easier by giving people access to a Bible study on the internet. Now we’ve taken it to the next level and you can catch up with your daily Bible study at a time most convenient to you - whether you’re cooking dinner, doing your weekly shop or on the daily commute to work.’
A Word in Time features a daily Bible reading, background and an explanation of the text, reflections and questions to ponder from that week’s contributor. It follows the readings in the Methodist Prayer Handbook bringing the 40,000 readers of the handbook together with online disciples in their search for daily spirituality.
Each audio file is available in two formats - a high quality version for those using broadband internet connections and a lower-quality file for those using a dial-up connection. The audio files for past Bible studies are available online in the Word in Time archives.
The audio Bible studies are also ideal for sharing with those who otherwise might not have access to daily Bible notes, perhaps because of a disability or simply not having access to the internet.
A Word in Time is voiced by Alison Pollard and Stephen Lambert.
A Word in Time - the online bible study for daily life
As daily life gets more and more hectic, many find it difficult to make time for the spiritual side of life. Now they can simply log on to www.methodist.org.uk/bible from wherever they happen to be and access A Word in Time, the Methodist Church’s online daily Bible study.
A Word in Time features a daily Bible reading, background on the text, reflections and questions to ponder from that week’s contributor. It follows the readings in the Methodist Prayer Handbook, All things in Christ, bringing the 40,000 readers of the handbook together with online disciples in their search for daily spirituality. Sundays will be extra special, with a blog attached to the commentary, enabling users to post their own comments and thoughts on the featured passage.
Alison Pollard, Web Writer, says; “The Bible is a central part of our faith, but with our hectic 21st century lifestyles, it’s often easy to neglect this essential part of our Christianity. With this exciting new online feature, we are trying to encourage the reader to apply the Bible to their own life and the social and political context in which they live.”
Each week, a different writer will offer their thoughts and reflections on a different passage of the Bible, with fifty-two contributors in total, from a wide range of social and academic backgrounds.