Transcript Podcast Introduction Hello! and welcome to Season 12, episode 2 of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. This is episode 2, but it’s really the first official full episode of this year’s reading through the Bible. The first episode was a sort of introduction to the show, highlighting some of the new things we’ll be doing this year. I’m so glad you’re here today! If you’ve been around awhile, welcome back. How was your summer? If this is your first time here, WOW, I am glad you found us. I hope you like what you hear, and that you’ll be with me for the entire journey through God’s word this year. I always invite your comments, and I’ll share some comments from the Lifespring family on the show. By the way, if you’re new, that’s what I call the “listeners” to the show…FAMILY. I don’t want you to just listen to the show, I want you to participate, as a family does. YOU are very much a part of the show. And I DO rely on your contributions in many ways. We’ll talk more about that as we go along. Today, we are going to read from the book of psalms, chapters 1 and 2. And because the psalms are written as poetry, and in my opinion no translation matches the King James when it comes to poetic language, I’ll be reading the KJV. I will use about 13 different translations of the Bible over the course of the year. As always, after today’s Bible reading, I’ll share some thoughts on what we’ve read. Today, we will also begin the “this day in church history” segment, and I’ll begin the new “Prayer Requests” segment.  Thoughts On Psalms 1-2 As you might know, most of the Psalms were written by David. He’s the guy that, as a young shepherd boy, killed Goliath. And he is also who God chose to be the second King of Israel, after King Saul. And even though he had a major moral downfall with Bathsheba, David is called “a man after God’s own heart” twice in the Bible, which truly shows that God is a forgiving God. As the year goes on, we will see many, many times where God demonstrates a tremendous capacity for forgiveness.  The first chapter of Psalms is really a great place to start reading the Bible. I read from the King James because it sounds so beautiful, but let’s break it down a little in the New Living Translation: “1Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to start this season’s reading. It sort of establishes the scene, don’t you think? As we get into the Word of God together, beloved, as it becomes part of our daily lives, we *will* learn to find joy (or delight) in it. We will be instructed by it, we will be challenged by it, we will see ourselves in it, and we will learn more about who God is. Really, the Bible is a love letter to us. You see, Christianity is more than just a religion. It is a relationship with the One who created all that is. And how is a relationship built? By spending time together. We’ll be spending time with God by reading His Word.  As an extra bonus, you and I will be spending time together. On the show, I’ll be sharing what’s happening in my life, and I hope you will do the same, by way of email comments, reviews (I’ll talk about that in a moment), and prayer requests. Quickly, chapter two shows the futility of the world system thinking that they can ignore or scoff at God. It gives a warning to those who do that, and it gives a promise of jo