What did Jesus say about the Bible?

[This is the second in a series of What did Jesus say about... studies. The worship bulletin is here.]
Many (most?) Christians are uncomfortable with the Bible. They think they can't understand it. They may be offended by parts of it. They don't know their way around it. They are hesitant to be identified with some "Bible-thumpers". We may--even subconsciously--avoid the Bible.
Your view of Scripture has a profound effect on your view of theology and God and life. And all of us view Scripture with a bias. There is more than one way to look at the Bible and at theology. The views that are held by many protestants--particularly evangelicals--are only 100 years old.
But what did Jesus say about the Bible?

Matthew 5.17-18 Jesus' aim was not to tear down the Old Testament, but to use it as a foundation to build upon.

Matthew 5.21-48 Mark 10.2-8 Jesus refused a strict literal interpretation of the Law, and sought to reveal the spirit or intent behind the Scripture.

Matthew 4.1-11 Jesus took seriously the demands of Scripture on his life and way of living

CONCLUSIONS

The Scriptures cannot be dismissed as something "for another time".

We must read the Scriptures prayerfully and seek to see and understand the heart and mind of God behind the words.

The best place to find guiding principles for my life is in the Scriptures.
Psalm 119.11, 103-105

An enjoyable morning

I rode my bike this morning to the monthly South District (of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church) youth directors' meeting. We meet at Beyond Bread on Campbell. So that's about an 11 mile ride for me. I have new steel-belted tires that Mindy installed for me yesterday (thanks!).
So the ride was enjoyable, and I took a different route than I usually do. Normally I go Broadway to Tucson Blvd to Glenn to Campbell. Today I took Broadway to Wilmot to Pima to Forgeus to Edison to Tucson Blvd to Campbell. Can you visualize that?
Our youth directors meeting is my favorite morning all month. We gather over good food and good conversation. I enjoy catching up with my friends and talking about what is going on around the district.

Family Photos

I've posted a few family photos on my facebook profile. Scroll down to "photos". Yeah, I know, big surprise. I know my photobucket contains tons of photos. This is an attempt to make some photos more accessible.