Book Club : Can We Talk? by Priscilla Shirer

I just finished one of the BEST Bible study books I have done in a LONG, LONG time.  This study is a great guide on how to read your Bible and actually get something out of it.  It’s simple and it’s not at all stifling or stuffing a bunch of rules at you; it’s really refreshing.  This would be a great Bible Study book to do over the summer with your friends.  It’s called Can We Talk? soul-stirring conversations with God by Priscilla Shirer. There is a video to go with it.  We enjoyed that as well.  Her Bible Study method is full of grace and it’s great for busy women.  She shows you how to have 15 meaningful minutes with God.  I am going to share a bit from her book, but I can’t do it justice.  It’s worth getting!  It doesn’t matter if you have never cracked a Bible or if you have been studying it for years.  It’s a refreshing perspective having conversations with God.

Priscilla talks about “The 5 Ps of Hearing God through Scripture.”

1. Position yourself to hear from God.

Habakkuk 2:1 – Engage in solitude and silence.  Look for just a few minutes of peaceful stillness.  I know how hard that is to find and to choose, but treat yourself, you deserve it!  While you are there expect God to speak – Psalm 27:14.   Having a intimate conversation with God is a privilege of being His child.  I usually pray before I read the Bible and ask Him to speak to me, teach me and let me hear His voice, and that His Spirit would help me to learn and understand.

2. Pore over the passage and Paraphrase the major points.

James 1:25- Look deliberately and intentionally into the Scriptures. Priscilla explains “When you read the Bible expecting God to speak, you cannot just skim the passage.  You are not in a race to finish your lesson. Meander in each verse.  If the passage allows, put yourself in the Scripture and see yourself in the story.  If one verse seems to resonate with you, don’t worry about finishing the rest, just stay in the passage and let the Spirit speak to you…. If a certain word or phrase pops out at you, don’t ignore it.  Stop and consider why.  Ask yourself what is the context of this passage?  Who are the participants?  What are they doing and saying?  Where are they going? Why is this happening?  How is this occurring?”

3. Pull out the spiritual principles.

What is God teaching? What is He revealing about Himself?

4.  Pose the question.

Form a personally directed question from each of the spiritual principles you listed in the step above.  Ask yourself, “Does my life coincide with the message of this verse?  Is anything in my life contradiction this passage? What do I need to do to bring my life in line?  How does this apply to my life right now?” As you ask yourself questions along these lines, permit the Holy Spirit to speak to you.  Take time to listen.

5. Plan obedience and Pin down a date.

James 1:22-Plan to obey
Don’t be one who hears and then does nothing with what she has heard.  Record the steps that you can take immediately to begin responding to what God has said to you in the verses you looked at that day.

This is a brief summary of what Priscilla Shirer teaches.  She goes more in-depth and then she gives you excellent examples.  As she leads you through this seven week study, with just 15 minutes of work a day she helps you practice this method of having conversations with God through Scripture.  After my Bible Study did this study we were able to use this format to keep reading and studying various books of the Bible together.  It was a break through book for us.  Thanks Priscilla for helping teaching our little Bible Study how to have more intimate conversations with God through scripture and teaching us how to do it together!  This study book Can We Talk? by Priscilla Shirer has been a great tool for us this year!

Priscilla Shirer, Can We Talk?, (Nashville, TN; Life Way Press 2008, 2009) 5,6.