"dipping in"

Donna, I can see where you are coming from with saying that you sometimes need inspiration. There are many times in my life where I am in desperate need in a drink from God's word myself. However, I think sometimes it is wise to turn to a section in the Bible that may deal specifically with the issue at hand. For example, if I am in need for God's protection, I may turn to the Psalms, where David pours out his heart, seeking the Lord's hand or I may turn to a narrative where God provided protection for one of his children. I find that a good topical Bible can help with this (I use Nave's) or a good Study Bible. Many times this brings more nourishment to my life than just opening the Bible and letting gravity guide the pages (although it seems that God does use this method sometimes :) .

God working in you

Today, in class, Dr. Foster talked about "dipping in" the Bible for inspiration and I truly believe that anyone can do this. When I am upset or just need inspiring I do that very thing. You just open up the Bible and start reading. Somehow just where I happen to open and start reading is exactly what I needed to read (maybe not what I wanted to read, but . . . ). As fast as you can derive inspiration from the text you can also find conviction. God speaks to us individually through the text according to our individual circumstances (which is what Dr. Foster also said in a round about way).