Author’s Note

Recently I talked my friend Traci into giving sushi a second chance. She had tried it once before but had experienced unpleasant results. She wasn’t too keen on another culinary adventure. But after I assured her there are some types of sushi that don’t include raw fish, eels, octopuses, or other hapless sea creatures, she relented. We went to a small Japanese restaurant near my house, and I ordered several kinds of “sissy sushi”—my favorite of which is shrimp fried in tempura batter, then rolled in rice with fresh avocado slices. It’s probably more fattening than an entire box of Krispy Kremes, but it sure is delicious! And it was fun to watch Traci’s expression change from squeamish reluctance to surprised delight with one bite!

I often meet people whose experience with Bible studies is just as unpleasant as Traci’s first date with sushi. I’ve heard stories about Bible teachers so dreary they seemed to be auditioning for a skit about funeral directors. One woman told me she stopped attending the study at her church because she and her friends just couldn’t stop giggling at the “sea of bobbing heads” around them—the result of so many people falling asleep! Others talk about the drudgery of spending too much time in Leviticus or how they were made to feel like spiritual pygmies when they asked questions about something they didn’t understand in the lesson. Although some of the worst-case scenarios are humorous, it’s not at all funny when people who are seeking a more intimate relationship with God end up thinking the Bible is boring, inexplicable, or irrelevant.

God’s Word is anything but boring. This “book” is an exciting literary masterpiece! It’s full of dramatic plots, engaging narrative, and beautiful poetry. It’s also a book of stunning revelation, divine comfort, and tangible hope. It can be mysterious and difficult to decipher, but it’s never dull. Those who have walked away from Bible studies with the impression that reading God’s Word is tedious or futile have been misguided, usually by ineffectual leaders, monotonous teachers, or outdated methodologies.

The following chapters are an attempt to help people explore the Bible in a new way. This is an “outside the box” kind of Bible study. It isn’t a verse-by-verse curriculum or an exhaustive commentary. My style is more like those wonderfully singable Sound of Music lyrics: These are a few of my favorite things!

In this book, we’ll look at some of my favorite sections of Hebrews, which is actually a riveting New Testament sermon. We’ll read funny stories and consider relevant illustrations to help clarify the murky points. We’ll wrestle with some of those confusing passages that aren’t so easy to tie up with a doctrinal ribbon. And throughout each chapter we’ll ponder questions about how these ancient, supernatural words still affect us today.

I also hope you make use of the DVD that came with this book. It probably won’t win an Oscar, but we think it’s more interesting than most reality television, and it will help you to apply the lessons of Hebrews to your life today. You’ll meet a small group of my friends as we gather in my living room to discuss key questions from each chapter. I think you’ll find that the interaction is often poignant, sometimes humorous, and always authentic—just like my friends. I hope you’ll watch it with your own group of friends, or by yourself, and consider how you would respond to the points made and the issues raised in our conversations.

And while this book is technically a Bible study, it doesn’t have to be a stereotypical Bible study. I’ll be thrilled if you use it in Sunday school, small groups, and women’s ministry settings. But I also hope you will invite friends, neighbors, and even your mother-in-law to discuss it in your book club after you finish Oprah’s latest selection! I hope people who wouldn’t darken the door of a church or participate in a conventional Bible study will read it in Starbucks or watch the DVD in their own living room. And I hope by taking the risk to read a “Christian” book, they’ll get a clearer picture of who God is and realize that He’s much bigger and more merciful than the punitive caricature He’s often described as.

Ultimately, I hope you find this modest tome to be a pleasant surprise and a breath of fresh air.

Lisa

Introduction

A few years ago I went through a mini midlife crisis and became the proud owner of a black motorcycle. My insurance premiums shot up, along with a lot of church members’ eyebrows. I think most women—especially Christian women—have an innate suspicion of Harley Davidsons. My hypothesis isn’t based on scientific data, but on lots of personal experience.

There’s just something about my bike and black leather jacket that causes minivan-driving moms to frown in disapproval. It’s interesting to watch their reaction at intersections. Judging from their expressions, you would think I was sitting there naked, chugging a bottle of whiskey, with a big tattoo declaring “Reprobates Rule”! But contrary to their assumptions about my morality, I’m often riding to a Bible study. A few times I’ve even had the delight of roaring up behind one of those highway critics in the church parking lot.

To be fair, I have met a few motorcycle fans in Christian circles. One pastor even asked if I would ride in on his Harley Road King when he introduced me at his church’s women’s retreat. He thought the women in his congregation needed to loosen up a little, and he assumed my entrance on a big blue bike with black fringe streaming from the handlebars would begin the process! Since he was the pastor, and it was his idea, I agreed to the stunt. While I sat there idling in the church foyer—wondering if my career as a retreat speaker was over—he leaned toward me and said, “Just ride it straight down the middle aisle, then turn right, and park by the altar.” His request ranks right up there as one of the most unusual things I’ve ever been asked to do by a minister!

But for the most part, I’ve experienced more grief than grace in regards to my two-wheeled proclivity, because motorcycles aren’t considered an appropriate mode of transportation for female Bible teachers. Several cropped-pants-wearing Pharisees have made that point crystal clear! They think I should wear linen, not leather, and bake casseroles instead of burning rubber.

The New Testament book of Hebrews (“Hebrew” is a common term for “Jew” or “Jewish”) was written to a group of Jewish believers who were kind of like me on a motorcycle—they just didn’t fit in.

Who would’ve thought Harleys and Hebrews had anything in common?