Meet my Bible from college.
“Nice to meet you,” it says.
I got this Bible when I attended Intervarsity’s missions conference in 1996.. It was compact, so when I left the next year for Argentina, I took this Bible with me. It was the first Bible I read all the way through. And it was the Bible that I have put the most underlining, marginalia, and time into.
It has been sitting on my shelf for years, unopened. I wrote a bit about it at Cara Strickland’s site.
While I used this Bible, my faith was at its most unhealthy. Later, I’d look back on that time as feeling like I kept stepping into smaller and smaller boxes, until I almost had no room to breathe.
And the smallest box of all was how I was supposed to relate to the Bible.
Read it every day. Enjoy every word. Look forward to studying it. Interpret it the same way as everyone around me. Never question anything in it.
The older I get, the less I’m able to open this Bible. It makes my throat tight.
But.
Those years were also full of transformative times in God’s Word. Like the moment I looked up a Psalm when I was homesick, my first day in Buenos Aires, and found comfort there. The wonder I felt in getting to know Scripture in its breathtaking expanse for the first time. The notes I took in Spanish while listening to a sermon at my church. The mementoes I tucked in: jacaranda flowers, napkins, Bible study outlines. This book was a companion.
It is woven into who I am. Both good and bad, it’s a touchstone for a tremendously important period of my life.
It’s not a Bible I can give to Goodwill, and I don’t want to throw it away.
But I can’t read it as-is. So I’m going to remake it.
Completely.
This year, I’m going to cut holes in it. Paste things in. Paint over pages. Use tape and hole punches and glitter and magic markers. I might even burn a page or two.
I want to feel at home in this Bible again. In all Bibles. I don’t want to be afraid of putting my feet up on the sofa or of reading scripture “the wrong way.” I want to have encounters with God in His Word in freedom and joy and creativity.
And most of all, I want new ways of being in the Word that don’t involve concordances, fill-in-the-blank questions, or the right answers.
A few times a month for the foreseeable future, I’m going to share here how I’m deconstructing my Bible.
You can follow along.
I’ve made an ebook of 52 projects/provocations/suggestions to help you transform an old Bible too. They are open-ended, and most would only take minimal time or skill. But if you want to spend more time, get crafty, and break out the gold paint, go for it.
You can purchase the ebook here. It’s hand-drawn, and fun, and honestly, when I think about it, I kinda want to cry. Guys, I’ve been longing for stuff like this to do with God forever. I’ve been longing to not feel afraid forever. What if faith meant creativity and silliness and honesty and boldness and truly saying, “Behold: be not afraid?”
Let’s find out. Pick up your copy, and follow along. I dare you.
Three questions to ask before you do something scary
I still love love love this project. I gave the Bibie that would have been really good for this to goodwill last year (because ugh, couldn’t look at it anymore), and now I have regrets!
Ooof, sorry! I should have sent some telepathy your way.
(But there’s always a thrift store Bible, you know, if you want to join us 🙂
I’m excited about this project but can’t get the Paypal link to work. It keeps taking me to my own Paypal account & not to the ebook check out. Not sure if it’s my computer issue or the link but I’ll keep trying. Thanks! 🙂
I’m having the same problem.
Ack! So sorry. I accidentally deleted some hidden code. It’s back online!
And thank you guys for letting me know!
Yay…it worked for me that time & look forward to ordering your book next time I place an Amazon order! 🙂 Glad Kathy E. told us about both. Sounds very timely on my journey.
Hi Heather,
My purchase went through PayPal. Will I get a download link to my email account?
Thanks.
Yes! It’s on it’s way. Forgive the slowness–I haven’t automated the process, but I might need to 🙂 They’re going like hotcakes 😉
This is such a great idea! Do you know A Humument? (It’s this kind of project, only not with the Bible.)
No! I’ll have to check it out 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion, Rachel!
I can’t seem to find a way to get this into my PayPal cart.
Patricia, I’ll email you directly, but if anyone does have problems, you can send the payment for $2.99 directly to my email (heather dot caliri at gmail dot com). I’ll get the notification about the same way as I do for the link, and will get the link for the download for your as promptly as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Love this!! I’m scared!! But excited!!!!
Imani! I’m both those things too. Also scared about inviting everyone to do this with me, and wondering if I’m deluded to think it might help people! But getting responses like this help me feel courage. So let’s do this thing together!