"As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another". If you can find a men's group, a good one, it really sheds some light and aids in the journey.

As for a bible, try the Application Study Bible (NIV as others have stated). It explains the verses in more normal language.

There are a lot of bible translations that people will recommend. I’m a NASB person myself.

If you need a larger print bible, get one. If money is tight given the pay cut, I’m happy to buy you one. My email is in my profile.

I'm a Baptist, raised that way. Church and it's activities are a big part of my earliest memories.

Relax and don't over think it. Getting to know God is a personal thing and something that will come in time. When that time comes, and it will, then you will make the choice to be baptized.

You have the wrong bible. A few years back I purchased what is called a "Living Bible" off Amazon. One of the best religious investments I have ever made. It takes the scriptures and explains in simple terms what they mean and how it affects your life. Mine is leather, in large print and it's big!

Good luck to you on your journey.

I’d recommend you get the app “Bible”.

It’s a wonderful app. Tons of different translations. You can compare the same verse in many different translations.

Funny thing is, I’m in my living room just a few miles from the folks who put it out. Something like 350 Million downloads. Life Church in OK.

It’s free too.

Here’s of the best resources I know. Link
It has a concordance feature and to enhance your retention, you can follow along while listening to the passages on audio.

We recently bought a dvd of the gospel of Matthew. They did a great job on that movie. Only the actual words from the book of Matthew were used and nothing else. That’s how accurate and precise they were. Link

For me as a Christian, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior in 1970 when I was 18yrs old. Almost 50yrs ago and what a journey of discovery it's been. My spiritual life has changed and morphed into what I am today, in the good times as well as the difficult, it has remained a common thread, sometimes just a shred of faith. Even times that I abandon my faith for other pursuits, but I've always come back to my belief in Christ. I choose to believe in something so much greater. It's a personal relationship, I do not preach it, but if asked I can share my experiences, it's been an amazing journey.

Beancooker, I have and use the "Youversion Buble" app on my tablet. The app is ad free. It zllows you to select the version of the bible you wish, NIV, KJV, etc. You can select the font, the language, etc.. You can highlight selections. It is free. It allows audio text if you wish, although I've never used that feature. Plus, if the preacher gets boring, you can open SigForum to stay current.

You are on a life-long journey. Mine started later in life.
A few things;
1. You only find what you are looking for by offering yourself up to be found.
2. Start with your own conception of God or a higher being, and go from there. Use what you know to be true.
3. My pastor gave me a book that is titled, "Understanding the Bible in 30 days." Or somesuch title. It is good for getting the basic flow of events, timeline, region of the world where it took place, etc. down pat. I highly suggest it.
4. Pray to whatever you think is out there, every day. Find the gratitude.

Someone once said, "A Atheist who treats his fellow man kindly and strives to do all good things because he simply knows it's the right thing to do is far ahead of the Catholic who does these things because he fears retribution from a vengeful God in the end"

I grew up Catholic and attended Parochial schools. I went to church 7 days a week for 8 years. The fear of burning in Hell and the wrath of a vengeful God if I didn't "believe" or act a certain way was impressed upon me early and long.

At some point I realized that I just needed to trust my instincts on what was right and what was wrong and take whatever happens or doesn't happen in the end for what it is. There are two ways I go to church now, weddings and funerals. At my age the latter is far more frequent.

I realized my early years were spent being indoctrinated as to what to believe and think despite the good intentions of my parents and the church. I now believe that my own happiness lies in just living a good life and treating others the way you know to be right. That God wants me to be happy and my happiness is more important to him than his own. He is not vengeful and that he is there as a example of how he wants us to live and leads us so as not to disappoint him. But we all do as no one is perfect and he always forgives. There is no fear.

My experience is that spirituality and faithfulness ebbs and flows by virtue of being human. This used to discourage me and that discouragement lead me away from God out of shame. What I came to understand is that there is an overall progress toward God and faithfulness that is more important than the daily struggle to be refined in character and deed through learning and practicing the gospel. It took most of my life, but I learned that if I superimpose selflessness over every choice, I'll easily know what Christ would have done and would want me to do. I don't always choose it. It takes practice and investment to achieve the overall goal. It is good to read that you are on your journey.

Some very good responses here. I agree that the NIV is a LOT more easy to read than other versions. There are some omissions/changes that are largely pedantic in the NIV, but I like it best.

I'm not meaning to veer the subject, but when you go to church try hard not to let the people attending said church dissuade you from going back. What I mean by that is that you'll hear church is full of hypocrites, fakes, and users, and that Christians are some of the worst people. It's largely true, but then that's where sinners should be. Unfortunately most people suck, whether they're Christian or not, so they're looking for redemption, and that's where you go. Looking for a church without broken people is like looking for an auto repair place without broken cars, and not going back because "they obviously can't fix crap, the place is full of nothing but broken cars..." Silly way to phrase it, but you get the gist.

Best wishes in your walk, and (like most here I'm sure) if I can ever help, feel free to touch base.

If you like sausages and church, it’s better not knowing how they’re made.

I’ll second the youversion app.

Feel free to pressure test and challenge the Bible. It can take it; many people have and they’re the better for it.

I think every one posting here has been in your shoes. Can’t really help much in a post, email me with the address in my profile and I’ll give you my number. It’s much easier to help out in a conversation than to try and explain here.

Repeat after me: God loves me, and there is nothing I can do about it! Think about that. There is nothing that you can do to make God stop loving you. Also remember that religion (regardless of denomination) is created by man, and is often messed up by man. The worship of God is a spiritual experience not a religious experience. The Bible says that God is a spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. I am not saying that you should not go to church, I go every Sunday. Just remember that God does not belong to any denomination.
My email is in my profile, feel free to use it to contact me with questions if you think I might be of help. I have attended church most of my life (70 years old) and have conducted a Bible study group for many years. I also have served a a lay speaker (given the sermon) many times over the years. And no, I do not have all the answers, not be a long shot, but I've been at this long enough that I understand the questions. That's a start, right? I would be happy to email with you or talk to you on the phone if it would be of help.
Best of luck to you,
Rod

From my experience, to join a Baptist church, you need to be a believer(Christian).

Ask questions. Search for truth. Enjoy the journey. Repeat.

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Probably the most-referred to book for “seekers” and new Christians is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Strobel apparently was quite skeptical, went around talking with theological experts about how plausible things like the crucifixion and resurrection were.
A lot of people have found it very helpful.

Strobel's stuff is quite the stuff! He was an atheist investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Upon his wife's conversion to Christianity he undertook research to investigate the Biblical claims about Christ. Based on his findings, he became a Christian too, and has since been the recipient of numerous awards.

His "Case For A Creator" is also an awesome work (I have these on DVD). In it, he presents compelling cases for Intelligent Design.

Just to add a little light hearted jab to all my fellow Christians.

Always remember.

Catholics don’t recognize Lutherans
Lutherans don’t recognize Baptist’s
Baptist’s don’t ....... recognize each other in the liquor store.

I kid, I kid.

I was 50 years old before I was baptized. I grew up in a church home and was dragged to church every Sunday. I was baptized as an infant, which always confused me but thats another whole discussion. The entire church thing never "sunk in" but i knew all of the stories. At 50, and being away form any organized religion for at lest 30 years, my wife and I started going to a non-denominational Bible church. I felt as though I was missing something in my life. I spent time with the Pastor there asking many questions. I felt guilty about wanting to be baptized because I didn't feel "worthy". One of the most important statements he made to me was "there is not a single perfect human on this planet now and there has only been ONE in the history of the world. Being baptized is like joining the Army. Nobody is a good soldier before they join, but you have to join to be part of it." Baptism is just the start of a very long journey. The day I was baptized, i came out of the water a changed man. I felt "cleansed" and even though I will never be perfect, I now realize that God gives us the opportunity to "join the army", we just have to take it. He will always love us, but he also gave Christians a specific path to him.

I pray for your journey to lead you to Him. Remember, the path is hard because the closer you get to him the more the enemy will fight to distract you. It is worth it no matter the difficulty.

Sjtill is on the money. I’ve seen Les Strobel speak at our church before, he’s a great guy. I also find it easier to believe than not, even when you rely on science.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Probably the most-referred to book for “seekers” and new Christians is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Strobel apparently was quite skeptical, went around talking with theological experts about how plausible things like the crucifixion and resurrection were.
A lot of people have found it very helpful.

We’ve happily attended a Baptist Church but were not members; the big hang-up for many people is the belief in the inerrancy of the Bible.

I wish you all the best.