Do you ever get a hankering for a snack? I do. Sometimes I’ll dig through the pantry, and if I don’t find what I’m looking for, I might hop in the car and go for a ride.

Like the other night for instance. I was on the hunt for a chocolate bar with nuts in it. It was 1 am by the time I grabbed my keys and drove to 7-11. Let me just say, it was well worth the drive!

The thing about cravings is that regardless of what you have in the house nothing seems to satisfy you as much as that one thing that you crave. Everything else pales in comparison.

In much the same way, I’ll get a craving for the word. I always love reading the Bible, but this week I’ve had a serious craving. I can’t get enough of it. Regardless of how much I read, I want more.

But here’s the thing, my eyes aren’t so good these days. I remember how my mom used to get me to thread all of her needles because I could see the hole so clearly. I also remember that even after I started wearing my glasses, I could still read my Bible and study the notes in the margins. It’s amazing how you take things like that for granted, isn’t it?

Well, about two years ago, things got blurry. Now I need a magnifying glass to read small print. Yeah, I know I could get some reading glasses–in fact I do have a pair somewhere around here, but they give me a headache. These days I prefer studying online where I can zoom in on the text and sit back in my bed at night on my laptop.

We’ve come a long way from the days when we lugged around a huge concordance. Does anyone remember Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance? It was a massive hard-cover book containing every word in the Bible and it’s original translation. We loved that book. My parents had a copy of it, in fact my mom probably still has it.

I don’t have a copy of that book for you today, but I do have a few links to my favorite online Bible study tools:

1. Audio Bible – I like this one because I can listen to the word while I’m reading it. This helps to hold my concentration. I tend to get distracted when I’m reading, but having the audio going at the same time helps tremendously!
2. Blue Letter Bible – When I want to dig into a verse and study a little deeper, I go to this website, type the verse in the search bar, and look up the Greek or Hebrew translations.
3. Matthew Henry’s Commentary – This commentary has been around forever. I’ve always loved it and I’m thrilled it’s online.
4. Quick Reference Dictionary – If I come across a word, a place, or a person that’s not familiar to me, I can look it up in the Bible dictionary. It gives me a little background and a few cross references.
5. Video Sermons – In addition to studying the Bible on my own, I love to be able to watch video sermons.Michael recently got me interested in watching Southland church. It’s not a well known church. In fact it’s located in a small town not too far from here, but the sermons are awesome. I’m really enjoying them!Another favorite of mine is John Piper from Desiring God. I could sit and listen to him all day.What I’ll often do when I’m watching a sermon is I’ll take notes on some of the Bible references they share. Then I’ll jump to that book of the Bible for personal study.I think it’s important for a Christian to be reading the Bible on their own, in addition to watching or listening to sermons. God has put these people in place to teach and to lead us, but He will also speak to us personally through His word.

   Of course there are many, many other video sermons online, but these are the ones I’ve been watching lately.

6. Free Bible study eBooks. Here are three eBooks I have written. They are available free for download. Please do not reproduce these for sale or distribution. You do have permission however to  print and distribute copies to your personal Bible study groups.
   Philippians
   Ruth
   Esther
7. Read the Bible in a Year – A day-by-day schedule for those who want to read the Bible in a year.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife

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