July 1, 2009

Bible conference attendees learn how Scriptures dispel darkness, transform lives

By Julie Filby

More than 700 “hungry” Catholics from 30 states and Canada gathered at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial June 26-27 for the fourth annual National Catholic Bible Conference.

“When you come to a conference like this, you’re hungry,” said speaker and author Jeff Cavins. “You’re seeking something.”

This was evident as conference-goers proceeded from session to session—savoring the lessons, developing camaraderie and keeping their hearts open to God’s specific message for their lives.

This year’s event themed “Scripture in the Life and Mission of the Church” offered more than 25 workshops to help attendees discover how to use God’s word to bridge the gap between faith and everyday life.

Ten of the country’s most gifted biblical teachers presented workshops including Cavins, Tim Gray, Sarah Christmyer, Mary Healy, Deb Holiday, Curtis Martin, Brant Pitre, Thomas Smith, Edward Sri and Peter Williamson.

“The speakers are extremely knowledgeable,” said Carol Anne Clifford, parishioner from Christ the King in Evergreen. “They don’t just speak to your head, but to your heart.”

Following the opening Mass and breakfast, the crowd was greeted by Gray, president of the Augustine Institute, one of the conference sponsors along with Ascension Press and the Denver Catholic Biblical School.

Gray introduced Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley, who filled in for originally slated keynote speaker Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., who was suddenly called to Rome for meetings.

“When Rome calls, you go,” explained Bishop Conley, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The bishop described how over the centuries when God’s people strayed, the reform that was needed came about by the recovery of God’s word. He shared three examples of such recovery and renewal in the stories of King Josiah, Ezra and St. Francis of Assisi.

“God’s word has the power to change hearts and history,” Conley said. “By recalling such periods in salvation history, we can learn important lessons for our own day.”

Bishop Conley concluded saying the recovery of God’s word is precisely what the Church is calling us to do in our time.

“It’s our job to help the Church make the word of God spread vigorously in our culture—a culture that desperately needs light to dispel its present darkness,” he said.

Jim Bachta, who is working toward a master’s degree at the Augustine Institute, and his wife Bonnie came from Colorado Springs to attend the conference. Both felt inspired by the event.

“People are really excited,” Bonnie said. “It’s great meeting so many people who are ‘on fire’ like we are.”

“Everyone is jazzed,” Jim agreed. “Some information is new—and some reinforced. It’s great when it just ‘clicks’.”

Christmyer’s presentation “Reading Revelation in the light of the story” offered suggestions for approaching and studying the book of Revelation, often described as the most difficult yet most fascinating section of the Bible.

Christmyer said the Bible is “nothing less than a love letter from our heavenly Father” and Revelation is one part of that love letter.

“It’s an integral and necessary part of the love story because it gives us the happy ending,” she said, noting that the best love stories include conflict.

She explained that the Bible is not a random collection—none of the books stand alone and they cannot be read in a vacuum.

“If you read the Bible chronologically, like we help you do in ‘The Bible Timeline,’” she said. “You discover that everything points toward one goal—and that goal is Jesus Christ, the messiah. He alone makes sense of everything else.”

“The Bible Timeline” she referred to is part of “The Great Adventure” series, the fastest growing Bible study in the country.

When introducing Cavins for the final keynote session of the conference, Gray acknowledged the 25th anniversary of “The Great Adventure.” He described Cavins as the genius and visionary behind the series.

Following a standing ovation, the crowd settled in for Cavin’s presentation “How does love act?”

Cavins explained that everyone has two lives—their ideal world where life is easy and affirming, and their real world that’s hard and unpredictable.

“How do you deal with it when you wake up in the morning and real life hits you right in the face?” he asked.

He explained that Jesus teaches in the cross how to redeem and transform every area of life.

The cross changes everything,” he repeated several times for emphasis, bringing some attendees to tears. “Real life gives us opportunities to walk as Christ walked—to love as Christ loved.”

According to conference director, Kelly Walquist, the event grows each year as the scope of Catholic Bible studies flourish and the transformative power of Scripture is recognized.

“We are seeing an increased interest in both Catholic Bible studies and ongoing education with the purpose of serving the greater Church,” she said.

Conference on CD

Order a complete set of all talks from the 2009 National Catholic Bible Conference for the discounted price of $199 (26 CDs) through July 31.
www.catholicbibleconference.com
1-800-376-0520