UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Pastor Bob Green of the Upper Lake Community Church is leading a weekly bible study class in “lectio divina.”

The class is held every Wednesday at 10 a.m. am at Upper Lake Senior Support Services, 9410 Mendenhall Avenue.

If you miss that class you can join him at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the fellowship hall at the Upper Lake Community Church, 604 Clover Valley Road, at the corner of First Street and Clover Valley Road.

"Lectio divina" or "divine reading" is a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. In other words we “listen with the ear of our heart” and is a way to experience Scripture in a more deeply personal way.

There are four parts, or stages, to lectio divina – reading, reflection, response and rest. It is said that it is best to start by quieting your mind and heart and pray for the Spirit’s guidance.

The first part, reading, is where there is a slow and gradual reading of a Scripture passage.

The second part, reflection, is where we think about the text we have read and reflect upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us.

The third part, response, is where we leave our thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. What is God trying to show us through a word or phrase?

The fourth stage, rest, is where we let go not only of our own ideas but also our words and thoughts. We simply rest in the Word of God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice and as we listen, we are gradually transformed from within. Hopefully we will take what we read in the Word of God into our daily lives.

It’s like eating: First we taste, then we chew on it and break it down, then we swallow and the food nourishes us and helps us to be healthy and grow and finally, after eating we are refreshed, restored and can rest.