I read some interesting advice on healthy eating... fruit juice is fruit with some of the good bits whizzed out.
With the fibre removed in the processing, our bodies don't get the opportunity to glean all the nutrients that would have been available if we had simply munched on an orange. So whilst fruit juice and big pricey cartons of Innocent smoothies are very scrummy, we are missing out on some of the goodness.
So, no, this isn't a new Fusion healthy eating blog... it was just a little nugget of information that got me thinking.
By the side of my bed you will find a towering pile. There are.. here goes... bible notes, scrawled talk notes, a Francine Rivers christian fiction book, the Message bible, books on forgiveness and prayer, not to mention my iPhone with all sorts of bible related, devotional apps. And somewhere, nestled among it is my little bible.
If you are like me, it is often tempting to cut out the reading of the bible and go straight to an app, a book or notes. It's kind of like reaching for a cool glass of OJ instead of going through the motions of peeling and de-pipping!
Bible notes and books are great, but on their own they are someone else's stories, words and revelations. We can sometimes skip the part where we grapple with, digest and muse over the word for ourselves However, when combined with your own reading they can help us delve further into the word, open our eyes and offer us different perspectives.
So - here is my spiritual diet suggestion for this week...
- Reach for the bible first. Spend some time reading it, jotting down anything you are thinking e.g. questions on context, life application, your own relationship to the words
- Use your bible notes for reference, to provide more insight rather than on their own
- Read your Christian books in other down time periods. E.g. on the bus or the tube. Keep it in your bag for moments where you would often choose to tackle that level on Angry Birds!