Every biblical passage was written within a particular setting, to particular people, for a particular purpose. Understanding that context matters.

Before asking what a passage means for life today, I want to understand what the biblical writer was communicating and what the original hearers would have understood. Historical setting, literary context, repeated words and ideas, and the surrounding passages all help illuminate the text.

This does not make Bible study less personal. It gives application a stronger foundation. Rather than beginning with "What does this mean to me?" the process begins with "What is the text saying?" From there, believers can consider what that truth reveals about God and how it shapes faithful living.

One of the most important parts of my approach is tracing the connections within the Bible itself.

The New Testament did not appear in isolation. Its writers repeatedly quoted, echoed, and drew upon the Old Testament. Paul's teaching about faith, grace, righteousness, covenant, God's people, and Christian living is rooted in the Scriptures he already knew. Hebrews cannot be fully appreciated without understanding sacrifice, priesthood, covenant, and worship in the Old Testament. The Gospels likewise draw constantly upon Israel's story, promises, imagery, and expectations.

Recognizing those connections can transform the way a passage is understood.

This is the foundation of my Seeing the Old Testament in the Epistles Bible study series. Each study keeps the New Testament book at the center while helping readers explore Old Testament passages that illuminate its language, themes, and theology.

The goal is not simply to accumulate cross-references. It is to see the Bible as a connected story and to recognize the consistency of God's character and purposes throughout Scripture.

I rarely want to tell readers everything they are supposed to see before they have had an opportunity to look.

My studies use guided questions to help readers observe the biblical text, make connections, compare passages, and think carefully about what they are reading. A question might ask readers to notice how a New Testament writer's language about covenant echoes a specific Old Testament promise, and to consider what that repetition reveals about God's consistency.

This approach grows partly from my background in education and curriculum and instruction. Learning becomes more meaningful when people actively engage with what they are discovering rather than simply receiving someone else's conclusions. That does not mean every interpretation is equally valid — questions are grounded in the text and designed to guide readers toward sound biblical understanding. But there is value in allowing the moment of recognition to belong to the reader.

Serious Bible study does not have to be intimidating.

Scholars and pastors provide an invaluable service to the church, but ordinary believers can also learn to read Scripture carefully, recognize biblical patterns, understand context, and ask good questions of the text.

My goal is to make that kind of depth accessible — providing enough background to illuminate the passage without overwhelming the reader, introducing Old Testament connections readers can explore directly in Scripture, and asking questions that encourage thought rather than simply testing whether someone found the expected answer. The result should not feel like a seminary textbook, nor should it reduce Scripture to a few inspirational observations. There is a rich space between those two extremes.

Methodology is not the point — Scripture reveals God. Across different genres, centuries, authors, covenants, and circumstances, believers encounter the same faithful God: holy and merciful, just and compassionate, sovereign and near. That is why I continually return to questions of God's character: What does this passage reveal about Him? How does it fit with what Scripture has already shown? Bible study becomes transformative when truth moves beyond information and reshapes how we believers understand God, themselves, and the lives they are called to live.

I am an author, Bible teacher, speaker, trained Christian counselor, and educator with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Through InspiritEncourage and its imprint Flaming Dove Press, I create Bible studies for individuals and groups who want to engage Scripture thoughtfully and grow in their relationship with Christ.

My published work includes studies of the Gospels, New Testament epistles, biblical characters, the character of God, forgiveness, and other areas of Christian discipleship. Across those studies, the purpose remains consistent: to make biblical depth accessible, encourage thoughtful engagement with Scripture, and help readers know the God Scripture reveals.