The Word of God, the Bible, has been a vital part of my life. We had family devotions, I went to Sunday school and memorized verses. In confirmation, we studied the Bible and catechism. In worship texts from the Old Testament, epistles, and gospels were read every Sunday. These continue to draw me into the Word.

I was in high school when I began to read the Bible through in a year. As I would read, I would mark verses that had special meaning for me. Some chapters were so full of gems of truth that I chose several.

The Torah, the first five books of the Bible are the work of Moses. He recorded the beginning of the universe. He traced the human family to the point when the Lord chose one family, Abraham’s. There is the record of the escape from Egypt, the establishment of the covenant at Mount Sinai and the years of life in the wilderness. I find gems in these books that stretch my faith by explaining what it means to obey the Lord in all things.