Brian Mackey

“The Spirit of God, being divine, oversees this inspiration process such that the words and expression of Scripture are both naturally and authentically the words of the different writers and just what God wants to say. We listen through the words of people to the voice of God. And because it is the word of God, we must listen to these human words with profound care.”
― James C. Wilhoit, Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life

“Soon after the New Testament was completed, Christians
were reading their Bibles for joy and transformation, as a way of simply being present with God. This practice of the devotional reading of Scripture was especially popular among those who retreated to the deserts for prayer and renewal. By the fourth century, much of the Christian church accepted the practice of the devotional reading of Scripture. Lectio divina-as this practice was named-immersed people in the reading of Scripture, and yet the point was to do the reading in the context of prayer and meditation. The point was to employ the Scriptures as a doorway into transforming intimacy.”
― James C. Wilhoit, Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life

“We describe people who reveal something of themselves to us as "open." Open captures an important dimension of what we call revelation. The term revelation is derived from the Latin word revelatio, and it means "uncovering." Something that was hidden has been opened or uncovered for us to see. We are unable to know God directly through our observations-unless he makes the first move, and he has done just that.”
― James C. Wilhoit, Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life

“In this digital age, the claims made about the power of a mere book seem almost preposterous. Yet Christians are asked to believe that God, working through Scripture, can do mighty works. Consider the biblical call to grow in love. How can we do this? A common answer is that we become more adept at loving by loving-by doing acts of love-and there is real wisdom in that response. Yet we know that merely trying to love does not lead to love. Love is a cultivated disposition that
flourishes when our minds are trained to honor loving thoughts and our bodies are trained toward loving acts. Lectio divina can help us grow in love by experiencing God's true and healing love as we meditate on his Word and by learning to pay attention to the roots of love-our thoughts.”
― James C. Wilhoit, Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life