Bible study differences

Being the person I am, it makes sense that I am a part of 4 or more distinct groups that study the Bible during a week. The fun part for me is that each of the groups does this differently. I just got off-line with my parents and brothers. We meet every two weeks to discuss the Bible as we read it together all the way through for the next year and three months. We are responsible for coming to the meeting with the material read, like a college class, and then we do an open discussion. There is no theme verse or particular direction set ahead of time.

Another group I meet with examines the text for clues to the essential pieces for worshiping God. Still another focuses on where God is leading us in our individual and group lives. Some have set leaders, some do not. Each is valid and productive. Such variety is helpful to me in deeper discernment of the meaning of the text.

I am grateful to all the people who take the time to prepare and meet with me. Interpretation in a vacuum is a dangerous thing. One person's opinion outside a communal examination can lead to some pretty interesting (and wild) conclusions. I believe, as many do, that scripture is meant for the community and is most accurately interpreted in community with others. There is plenty of benefit to the individual reader, too, but we ought to be guided by a larger understanding than just our own.

Do you read the Bible? Have you ever studied it with a group? I do both and recommend both, not because I am anything special, but because I believe it helps us all to see possibilities that we would otherwise miss in life.