This is My Bible
2008
June
30
“This is my Bible. I am what it says I am, I have what it says I have, I can do what it says I can do. Today I’ll be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I’ll never be the same, in Jesus name.”
This is the Congregational Confession. It has been made famous in the last few years by one man who reads it before his message, sermon, talk (whatever you want to call it). I won’t say who it is. You may or may not know. That isn’t important. I want to know one thing:
What do you think when you hear or read this?
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Tyler Braun.
i think of ‘tag’ – the name of the new life youth group….for four years…and i think john usually altered it a little, saying something like “i love it more than captain crunch” or something dumb…lol.
It sounds cultic. But really it’s just creedal… a creed for evangelicals of a particular sort that put lots of stock in the Bible and Jesus.
I know who the pastor is.
It is Osteen. And as much as I think his theology is off, I don’t think this is the worst of it. Nevertheless, I feel a Tyler Braun rant coming on…
nope…no rant. i just want to hear from everyone what they think about this. joel reads it before his message. just curious about other opinions instead of mine.
I dig it.
I really love the last part.
One time, our director of Campus Crusade for Christ here at UF said that every time he reads the Bible, he wants to open it thinking, “What I read today can change my life.” I don’t usually take that attitude. I think, “Ok, I’m going to learn about God. God’s going to teach me something cool.” But, “The Bible is going to change my life, today, and every single time I read it…” That’s not usually how I approach it. I would like to, though. I want to believe that the Word of God is radical and powerful every single time I read it, even if I have read the verses before. Something life changing. I believe it in theory, but it’s not usually what I think about when I open up my Bible.
I’ve actually heard that during one of Joel’s telecast.
You asked, ” What do you think when you hear or read this?”
It is a positive affirmation that we are of the highest worth to our Lord. When we read the Bible with the intention of truly wanting to learn/discover God’s wisdom from the scriptures I believe we, indeed, are not the same from that moment on. What we CHOOSE to do with that discovery, truth and wisdom from God is another thing.
This quotation is, of course, Joel Osteens and his father’s. It is not a verse taken from the Bible, and so it is open for discussion.
“my mind is alert, my heart is receptive … ” Sadly, my mind is not always alert when I read the Bible but I do strive to have a heart that is receptive to the teachings of the Bible.
Please tell us readers what YOU think of Joel’s opening statement each week.
Yeah Joel is famous for saying it. But that is only because he is “famous”. He didn’t write it, nor did his dad.
I think this is one of those posts where I won’t share my opinion. I share my opinion probably too often.
Right on the mark!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion … especially you on your own blog ! As I said, this quotation is open for discussion because of the very fact it comes from a person, not God. I didn’t assume Joel or his father wrote it – only that he is the only one I’ve ever heard recite it. I do believe, though, there is some value in Joel Osteen and his ministry.
So ….. now I’m curious … who wrote it ?
I did some google searches and I still don’t know. Sorry Joyce. My opinion….to come (maybe)
To be honest, I’m not sure what to think about this. The more I read it, the less I enjoy it. Which makes me think I would get really tired of it if I heard it before EVERY sermon/talk/whatever…
My only thing about it is that just like CJ said….the more you say it, it becomes more like a habit.
What is the point of having a blog if you don’t share your opinion? : )
conversation
hmmm…. hard to seperate what i think of the quote versus what i think of the machine.
Conversation? Is that your opinion?
… and what good is conversation without an opinion to sharpen against?
all of you can throw your opinions around to sharpen against. this is not a battle for me to fight.
It actually reminds me of some of the readings and prayers from the Book of Common Worship. I use a lectionary to do my quiet times and the opening prayers sort of bring me back to center so to speak – they REMIND me of what is important, whose I am, and what God is longing to do in my life.
When I take the time to stop and read these words just at face value, they do the same thing. It reminds me that I belong to God, He loves me, and that I need to be open to His Word – and that He is desiring to do a WORK IN ME TODAY. Just like any creed or prayer (including the Lord’s Prayer or The Doxology which we repeated over and over when I was a child) I’m sure it could become meaningless if allowed.
I kind of like it…not sure I’d want to say it out loud with everyone each week, but the actual words touch my heart.
I think it has the same upsides and downfalls as any creed can have. It is a great reminder for the times when you can take it as such. It can also be an empty promise when you don’t believe it when you say it, and that is a step down the road of hypocrisy as far as I’m concerned. For instance, growing up in church, having to say the apostle’s creed, I now don’t regularly because it represents me following the church more than God, living life like a zombie. I don’t have anything particularly against the words, but it takes me to a God ignoring place that I don’t want to go.
I really like joel n his speeches n i think this quote is really powerful…i have what it says i have…the bible has everything…it’s perfect cause it was written by the holy spirit…so if all these things i really have…that’s just makes me happy…
But that also true it’s starting to become a habit…i don’t think it’s necessary to read it every week…
We said this in every service at Lakewood Church, penned by the late John Osteen.
With Pastor Joel Osteen this has continued at every service.
That statement “This is my Bible…” means everything to me -
So you worship the statement and your Bible?