Is there Captain Crunch in the Bible or is it only Wheatena? How can reading the Bible become a thrill, a trek into rip-roaring excitement, riveting entertainment, an odyssey of self-discovery and God-intoxication? Sometimes people find Bible reading flat and uninteresting because it is hard to find a purpose in our reading. We're supposed to read it. It's good for us. It can be as healthy-but-unenjoyable as a bowl of raisin bran.

Does reading the Bible become something we ought to do but don't enjoy? Is it like waking up an hour early so we can drag ourselves to the gym before work? Or is it like going out dancing and for a nice dinner after work with the one we love? What can we do to get some new life in our Bible reading?

Ancient Bible is an educational and motivational online house of study. Through short video messages, online courses, social media postings, and similar means, my goal is to bring people closer to the vital message of scripture. The learning curve for history, culture, language, and the faith of ancient Israel can seem large. I try to make it smaller for people. Once the words on the page start making sense, reading becomes more like dancing than running a boring treadmill, more like Captain Crunch than Raisin Bran.

I am a Messianic Jewish rabbi, so you will see words about Yeshua (Jesus) and the faith issues of the Hebrew Bible will be related in a forward direction to Messiah, the goal of all God revealed beforehand. Ancient Bible is primarily about the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). But I see the story of Israel continued in the story of Yeshua. I won't hesitate to comment on the connections.

The greatest perceived gap in understanding would-be readers of the Bible feel is with the murky pages before Matthew's gospel, the Hebrew Bible. There is no reason for the abysmal lack of knowledge in our modern culture about ancient Israel, the faith of Israelite sages and prophets, the lands of the Near East, and the ways of biblical wisdom and poetry to continue. It's not as hard as playing 3D Chess with Mr. Spock! A few learning tools and a little discipline and a plan to acquire understanding are all that's needed.

Online, self-paced courses are the heart of Ancient Bible. You pay only for one section of a course at a time. You can go as quickly or slowly as you like. At the end of each section of courses (usually 5 lessons or modules) there is a PDF to print out all the notes for future reference. Videos are interspersed with lessons to add further instruction. Extra ideas for research on your own abound in the lessons.

So, at this online house of study (and at the related social media sites where I post encouragement and educational insights on weekdays) my prayer is that you will discover new practices of faith, enjoy new perception in life, and find new peace from the Holy One of Israel.

About Derek Leman: Derek Leman is a rabbi, writer, and speaker specializing in the intersection of Judaism and Christianity. The author of nine books, including Feast, A New Look at the Old Testament, Yeshua in Context, and The World to Come, Derek is also a blogger whose goal is to equip and mentor many people in faith and knowledge. Derek believes that learning scripture, especially in disciple circles and communities of faith, is the needed link to bring about Messiah's kingdom vision to repair the world.