Reflections by Rev. Dan Bogre

Dear Friends and Family of RRUMC,

“The Bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim.”

This profound quote comes from St. Augustine of Hippo, who was born all the way back in 354 AD. As I look ahead to the month of September, I get incredibly excited because I know so many of our Bible studies are ramping up again for the new “church year.” While quite a few of our groups continued meeting through the summer, September brings a clear, vibrant relaunch of many other small groups and classes. I love St. Augustine's imagery because it reminds us that the Bible is never over anyone’s head, nor is it ever too simple for the most educated mind.

I have been blessed to serve in full-time Christian ministry for 31 years now, and I can tell you from experience that every single congregation I have served grew substantially when its people were actively reading their Bibles. It was within these small groups that people truly learned what a church family could and should look like—lifting each other up, sharing life, and growing together on the journey.

I have also witnessed across all my appointments that the spark for new ministries almost always starts in a regular Bible study. When folks gather around the Word, Holy Spirit inspiration happens. Over the years, I have seen a bike ministry, a prison ministry, a meal ministry, and so many others come to life this way. Time and again, people have come into my office to share a ministry idea that God placed directly on their hearts in the midst of studying Scripture with others.

I recently heard a rumor that the Bible would be the number one best-selling book every single week on the New York Times Best Seller list, and that is the exact reason they choose not to list it. I asked my office AI resource, Copilot, if that was actually true. Here is what it shared: “Yes, this is fundamentally true. The Bible is widely recognized as the best-selling book of the year, every single year, and if it were tracked alongside normal trade books, it would permanently dominate the top of the charts.”

There is a powerful reason for that unmatched endurance. The Bible is alive. It has breath, movement, and life to it—and it seeks to bring that same life and breath to you.

Please consider joining a Bible study again this year or perhaps stepping into one for the very first time. I guarantee you will not regret it. As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

Go to our website, check the weekly bulletin, and read the latest edition of the Circuit Rider to see all the incredible Bible study options available to you this fall.

Peace and blessings,
Rev. Dan