This year, Vancouver will host the Winter Olympics. The emblem of the games is Inukshuk, an Inuit sculpture which the First Nations people used to construct out in the northern wilderness; this simple figure symbolises welcome and also signifies to the traveller that “you are on the right path”.

When I first saw Inukshuk, I was struck by the image and its parallel with Jesus, His loving arms outstretched, ever willing to welcome each one of us and to shine His light on the best path for us to take. The Bible is full of wisdom and advice, helping us to choose the right path in our everyday life. Reading the Bible regularly is something many of us would like to do but sometimes it is hard to understand; or a passage is so familiar that we can’t see anything new in it. That’s where a Bible reading guide can be really helpful – it can help to make the Bible relevant to our lives today, providing welcome signposts on what can be a difficult or confusing journey.

Last January, I surprised a few people, when I announced that I had just celebrated my 36th birthday! Those of you who know me might think that the wrinkles and grey hairs tell a different story... In fact, I was referring to January 1973, when I was “born again” as a Christian, and first started using a Bible reading guide. Through life’s valleys and mountain tops, I have continued to find these guides invaluable and would recommend them to everyone.

Scripture Union produces several different guides to suit everyone of any age and at any stage in their walk with God, and they can make a huge difference to our understanding of His Word. They are written by ordinary people just like us, and they can bring perspective and clarification to our reading. The guides are easy to use, are published four times a year and cost just over £1 a month.

If you would like more information about them, this will be available at St Mary’s throughout January. Also, you can check them out for yourself on the Scripture Union website: http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk.

Alternatively, you can phone one of the clergy (numbers on the back page of “Outlook”) or email me (sue.pegrum AT stmarysgreatdunmow.org.uk) and I can arrange to show them to you.

Sue Pegrum