If you’ve read our previous post about overcoming some obstacles to get down to San Francisco, you’ll know that it hasn’t exactly been easy so far.

So when Lindsie and I sat down to read our Bibles the other night, I asked her where she wanted to start and she quickly replied “Let’s start at James. It’s one of my favorites.” Needless to say, I understood why within the first couple of verses.

Here’s just the very start of James, according to the New Living Translation:

¹This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

²Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

⁵If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Talk about an incredible start. And what’s awesome is that the whole first chapter is full of stuff that powerful. It’s just amazing how frequently the Bible speaks to our situations and the challenges we’re facing if we just take the time to read God’s Word and think about it.

I think my mom is working on memorizing the entire book of James as part of a Bible study. That seems like a pretty good idea to me, so I think I might try to do the same. (Thanks for the idea, Mom.) And thanks to God for the encouragement He shows through His Word.

-Mike