Seems like, for as long as I can remember, I've always had a nagging frustration over not being more involved with the reading and study of the Bible. It's not that I didn't have a working knowledge of it, but it's as if it only came in short passages gleaned from sermons, books, or what-not. And that inevitably leads to a lot being taken out of text.

So, that led to my decision to read a book (from the Bible) at a time. Not at any specific pace, and not in any specific order. I started with Nehemiah. Then Ezra. I just finished Amos. Now I've decided to hop over to the New Testament and read Acts. My reasoning for picking Acts is mainly because I've caught myself saying "The early church did this, the early church did that" recently, without really having a comfortable relationship with Acts of the Apostles to adequately cite or quote it.

Acts has come at an excellent time for me. Perhaps there isn't a better book for a guy who is struggling with direction and decisions, than a book that illustrates a bunch of guys figuring out what to do after Christ ascends to heaven and leaves them to fend for themselves (relatively speaking). Talk about decisions to be made!

It starts out almost as a comedy--once Christ disappears into the clouds, it says they remain there staring "intently up into the sky", when two men in white robes appear standing next to them. Makes me wonder how long Peter and John stood there staring at the sky without noticing these two angels right next to them! Kinda' like that scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" when Indiana is fighting the Nazi general on a runaway tank that goes flying off a cliff, bursting into flames. For a few moments, Indiana's father falls to the ground staring at the wreckage from the top of cliff, in tears over his lost son. Then, out of nowhere, Indiana shows up behind him exhausted from a fight and the subsequent climb after jumping off the tank just before it was too late. The scene is both relieving and hilarious.

If not funny, then the scene from Acts had to be a relief for the disciples. Mere moments after Christ was gone from their presence, and he sends them angels to comfort and convict them. The comfort that they must have felt after knowing that it all wasn't some big accident, immediately inspired them to get to work. They didn't waste any time getting back to Jerusalem to pick someone to replace Judas. From that point, you won't find nary a moment wasted for the apostles.

This opening in Acts serves as a good example for me, as I often find myself gritting my teeth and staring into the sky for answers. May my doings be about the business of actually getting around to doing something!