Yesterday I spent the day at a conference on teaching literacy and one exercise was demonstrated to us by a teacher of many years practise who gave us a short paragraph to read which we then were to make comments on. A quick read over and we all had something to add, but it was only when this lady reread the paragraph explaining the punctuation and inferences that I began to see more and more layers in what the author was saying. Suddenly it came alive and I wanted so much to sit down with the rest of the book.

 

Such insight is borne of years of teaching, but it made me think about whenever I sit down to read my bible, and I know I don't need to be a scholar, that I should spend a bit more time with it. If I race through in order to get on with the next thing ten minutes later I have forgotten what I read, however if I take time to read the passage and consider it, then it is more likely to  to speak to me, to stay with me and to teach me something as I go through the day.