Welcome to my website. I am Heidi Kinner and I’ve been a Episcopal Priest for fifteen years. My ministry ‘mission statement’ comes from my favorite hymn, a paraphrase of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), particularly its first line, “Tell out my soul the great of the Lord.” Here it is, sung on the BBC show Songs of Praise from St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast:
With that as my “mission,” it is perhaps no surprise that my great love is teaching Bible Studies, and my particular concern is teaching the Bible in context. By that I mean teaching the historical, geographical, and cultural backgrounds that are behind all the events and stories of the Bible, because without that background it is easy to misunderstand and therefore miss the wonders of the Bible.
I learned the importance of context first-hand. For example, before I understood the context of the books of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) I tended to avoid them as confusing and disturbing books. As I studied the historical and cultural background of the books I began to understand what was happening and I found that they were not confusing but important for understanding the history of God and His people, which led me to see how they were applicable to me in today’s world.
Another example of the importance of context relates to the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” For many years I read this psalm with images of England’s green and rolling hills in mind. That bucolic landscape renders the psalm sweet, but minimizes the importance of a shepherd. Then I visited Israel and realized that the setting of the psalm is arid wilderness, deep canyons, flash floods, and seasonal grass. The only way for sheep to survive in that environment is with a wise and good shepherd…and suddenly the psalm has so much more significance.
The Landscape of the 23rd Psalm
So to provide some of the context of the Bible, this site is a hodge-podge of information: word studies, history, geography, archaeology, some personal musings, Bible study information, etc. All of it is my small effort to tell out the glory of the Lord.
Heidi
P.S. I have struggled with whether or not I should write this blog. I am cognizant of Ecclesiastes 12:12, “…be admonished: of making many books there is no end…” and know that I have nothing new to say. Indeed everything I know I have learned from others, I merely synthesize and share that knowledge. I am also aware that others have said what I will say with far more eloquence. Nonetheless, I have decided to write (however sporadically) because I love sharing this information and because maybe this will help someone connect more deeply with the Word of God.
Some Personal Reflections:
Lions (and tigers and bears), oh my!