The opening line of any good story is meant to capture the imagination and point in a specific direction.

It casts light upon the path that lies ahead, inviting, even compelling the reader to enter into the unfolding narrative. Often, the full significance of these lines is not grasped or understood until the conclusion of the story, with hindsight unveiling the true weight of those first few words.

Many examples come to mind. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (A Tale of Two Cities). “Call me Ishmael” (Moby Dick). “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen” (1984). “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Pride and Prejudice). Others could be added to this list, yet there is one opening line that at first glance seems curiously technical and, frankly, forgettable:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1, ESV).

Was St. Matthew unaware of the importance of an opening line? Did he not realize his missed opportunity? When telling the greatest story ever to be told, why would he, with painstaking detail, recounting 42 generations of Israel’s history, with such memorable lines as “And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon” (Matt 1:4, KJV)?

Could it be that the genealogical verses we are all tempted to skip over in fact contain the secret to the entire book?

Let us not sell Matthew short. In truth, he is a masterful storyteller, who is fully aware of that which we all too quickly forget, namely, that the story he tells is fulfilled in the coming of Christ, but this is not where the story begins. As Christopher Wright says in his book, Know Jesus Through the Old Testament, “We will only understand Jesus properly if we see him in the light of this story, which he completes and brings to its climax.” If we separate Jesus from the history of God’s people, his mission becomes unintelligible and the story is stripped of its true power.

As we are reminded each year at Christmas, in the words of O Little Town of Bethlehem, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Behind each of these seemingly inaccessible genealogical accounts, remarkable stories of hope and fear are found. Hope that God will keep his promises to restore his people and heal the world (Isa 38:7). Fear that God has forgotten these promises and abandoned his people to their own sin and suffering (Ps 13).

In Christ, the promise of God is fulfilled and our deepest fears are destroyed. As we study and memorize passages from the Old Testament, the full story of Christ is slowly but surely revealed. And so, from the opening line, Matthew tells the story precisely how it must be told, for as he does, he invites each of us to recenter our own stories on Christ, and find our place in the great story of God.

If you grew up in or around the church, memorizing passages of Scripture was likely a central part of your Sunday School experience.

A small army of faithful volunteers sang, brought puppets to life, and drew from a bottomless well of choreographed hand motions, all with the hopes of sending you home with a small portion of Scripture, not only written on the coloring sheet in your lap, but sealed within your head, and by the grace of God, upon your heart.

For many of us, this was both the beginning and end of our experience with Scripture memorization. Though we may still value the idea of memorization, it is likely towards the bottom of the “when I get around to it” list of spiritual disciplines. What place, if any, does Scripture memorization have in the day-to-day rhythms of our lives?

This summer, join Dwell and rediscover, or experience for the first time, the joy of memorizing Scripture (hand motions optional).

In fact, when we memorize portions of the Bible, we step into one of the most ancient forms of biblical engagement.

For most of human history, including the majority of the Christian faith, private book ownership (not to mention an app on a phone!), was an entirely foreign concept. When early Christians sat down for their daily “quiet time,” did they brew their coffee, grab a journal, and choose from one of a dozen Bibles on their shelf? Not exactly. In fact, the only way to orient their lives to the life of Christ was to worship and hear Scripture read in community. Maybe Sunday School was on to something after all!

In the early Church, Christians heard and memorized Scripture as they worshiped, moving from a gathered experience into personal reflection within the stillness of the heart. If one’s daily life was to be shaped by and oriented to the word of God, it was first encountered in worship, and then internalized and carried within one’s very being. And though we today have countless Scripture resources at our fingertips, the invitation before us is an ancient one: we must learn, like Mary, to treasure in our hearts God’s word spoken to us (Luke 2:19). And so, whether it is public reading or personal engagement, we receive the Scriptures with a heart of worship and wonder.

In this way, memorization is a close relative of meditation. We learn the words of Scripture, not as a badge of honor or sign of intellectual ability, but to invite the Lord to transform our daily deeds as we dwell upon his word. It is, as the psalmist reminds us, a journey of learning to “treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you” (Ps 119:11 NSRV).

We are blessed to have Russell Binns as the Dwell voice behind the New Living Translation. Russell is originally from London, England, and now makes his home in the southwest of the country, living near Bristol. As he wrapped up the NLT recording project, we sat down with Russell and asked him a series of “rapid fire” questions as a fun and simple way to get to know him better, and to invite him to share his love for Scripture with the Dwell community. Enjoy!

Dwell: How do you best prepare to record the Bible? Is there something you do before you begin recording to get into a certain mindset?

Russell: I say a short prayer to ask that I may do the reading to the best of my ability.

What drew you to join the Dwell project?

I had worked with the Dwell team previously on an audiobook called Humility, and was asked whether I’d be interested in reading the NLT. I regard it as a great privilege to do it.

What is the biggest challenge of reading the entire Bible?

It’s a marathon, so I find it best to take it steadily in small chunks, trying not to become intimidated by the length and setting short-term goals.

Was there anything about recording the Bible that surprised you?

How vivid stories and characters become when you go back to the source and read within the entire context.

What is your favorite story or character in the Bible?

I find St. Paul a truly extraordinary man.

Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture?

If I can choose a chapter, it would be 1 Corinthians 13.

What is one thing you’ve learned since you started recording the Scriptures?

A sense of perspective, which is important in these difficult times.

Has being involved with this project changed your outlook on the Bible?

I was always much more familiar with the New Testament than the Old, but I see now to what extent the Old Testament was crucial to Jesus and the Apostles.

Is there anything about this translation that has been special to you?

Archaic language, such as in the King James version, has its own special beauty, but the contemporary language of the NLT can strip away the centuries and bring one closer to the humanity of the characters in the Bible.

Is there something that you hope people will experience or gain from listening to your voice & NLT translation?

I hope that my work might bring people a little closer to the Word of God.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our listeners?

Many millions around the world have suffered grief and loss in this terrible global pandemic, the worst in a century. I hope the Word of God can bring them hope and comfort, and that we will remember the Lord’s teachings and make a post-pandemic world a better, kinder place.

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Hear Russell read the NLT, available now on Dwell!

The work of translating the Bible is a serious undertaking and multi-layered effort.

Few of us fully appreciate the level of linguistic and textual scholarship required to put an English version of the Bible into our laps, or into the palm of our hands. At every turn, teams of translators are required to make decisions that bring us ever-closer to the ancient world of Scripture. There are countless poetic devices, cultural idioms, and points of reference that would have been immediately known to the original audience, yet are missed entirely by the contemporary reader.

In this way, the creation of any modern translation of the Bible is never as simple as swapping out a Hebrew or Greek word for an English equivalent. Even the most literal translations, commonly known as “formal-equivalence” versions of the Bible, still engage in the work of cultural translation.

In light of this, it is rare that a single translation can perfectly capture all of the nuance, beauty, and power of the original text. Each has its own strengths, and we encourage you to listen to several translations, as the fuller meaning of a passage is better grasped when we hear it in English from several perspectives.

This is one of the primary reasons Dwell deeply values adding new translations to the app, and today we are thrilled to add another: the New Living Translation.

The NLT is one of the most beloved and well-known English translations available today, holding together a commitment to rigorous biblical scholarship and the value of modern, everyday English. It is one of the only contemporary translations that combines a word-for-word and thought-for-thought method of translation, resulting in an accurate and impactful reading experience. That said, for us at Dwell, there is one feature of the NLT that we love most of all: it was written to be read aloud.

The NLT is the only contemporary Bible in English that keeps the listening experience at the heart of the translation process.

In addition to carefully putting pen to paper, the team of translators took time to read the new translations aloud to one another, revising and editing based on how natural the words sounded to the present-day ear, and whether or not they moved the heart to wonder and worship. As the introduction to the NLT says, it “is not only easy to understand but also has an emotive quality that will make an impact on listeners.”

In this way, the NLT embraces the biblical mandate to “focus on reading the Scriptures to the church” (1 Tim 4:13), and encourages us to join with Christians throughout the ages and not only read the Bible, but listen together as the family of God.

This initial launch of the NLT on Dwell includes the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.

As human beings, our ability to engage the world through our senses is a mystery and a miracle.

All five—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—truly are a gift from God that allow us to experience the world he has created. They also play a part in helping us come to know and encounter our Creator and Lord. As such, we should strive to direct the whole of our being towards God and our abiding life with him.

Here’s sort of an odd question: When was the last time you thought about using multiple senses to encounter the Lord in his word? Another question, perhaps not so odd: What if you could train your senses to work together towards the goal of transformation?

Dwell was founded on the conviction that Christians must revive the ancient practice of listening to the word of God. Hearing God’s word read was quite literally the only way Christians learned and received the Scriptures for centuries. Yet as the printing press brought book ownership to the masses, the pendulum swung the other way, and personal reading replaced listening. But isn’t it often the case that wisdom comes from a “both/and” rather than “either/or” approach?

As we launch Read Along, Dwell is proud to embrace multisensory engagement with Scripture.

In addition to listening “on the go,” your time in Scripture can now be reinforced and enhanced as you read along with Dwell. In fact, studies have shown that recall is significantly greater when listening and reading are combined, as opposed to simply relying on one over the other. In short, a multisensory approach leads to quicker and deeper learning.

While Dwell will always champion the listening experience, with the release of Read Along, we celebrate the gift of reading, and the power that comes from combining the two!

As you use Read Along, in a small yet significant way, you take an intentional step towards the integrated and full life our Lord invites us to discover!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

On this joyful and glorious day, we join with Christians around the world in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. This is the holiest of holy days. Everything in creation builds to it, and all life and meaning flows from it. The journey of Holy Week begins in humility, models perfect self-giving love, and here today reveals that death is trampled down by death, destroying and taking captive every enemy of God.

Easter is the fulfillment of the cross. It definitively shows that death does not have the last word, that Christ is not left in the tomb but is ruling and reigning today! 

When Christ arose on that first Easter morning, the world was forever changed.

We face a temptation to rush past this glorious truth. Easter may be a day of prayer, reflection, and celebration, yet how quickly does this vision give way to sun dresses and suits, chocolate bunnies, egg hunts, and meals with family and friends? Before we know it, Monday morning has arrived, and with it Easter is all but forgotten, quickly fading into the recesses of our mind and lived experience.

Having put in the Lenten work of preparation, do not miss the glory of the Easter season! 

Now that we have deepened within us our desire for the Lord and the joy of walking in his ways, let us keep the feast (1 Cor 5:8). Remember, Easter is not a single day but is a fifty-day season of feasting and celebrating! Find creative ways over the coming weeks to show forth the joy of Easter in your life with God and your relationships with others.

Prayer of the Day

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer for Easter Day

As we enter into the fifty-day feast of Easter, celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death with these daily readings, inviting the Lord to speak to you through them. Glory is our destination, and hope is the path that leads us there!