Observation: Dig In

The first and most important step is Observation. It is simply:

"What does the text say?"

That's it! Take some time and effort and focus on the actual text. Shed distractions and see what you can see in the passage. There is only one rule here: "Stay in the text!" There are some hints and helps we will get to later. The helps, however, will be much more helpful once the only rule is deeply ingrained into your mind. Remain in the text.

But can you see the difficulty? We are drawn to talk about ourselves...we want to jump to Application too soon. We want to bring in outside influences. But we can't - at least not yet. This is not the time to discuss your thoughts or your ideas. (We want to hear them, just not right now.)

Here is an example of an Observation: What phrases or ideas are repeated in the text? When a concept is mentioned more than once in a passage, it is usually important to the meaning of the passage. (That very literary technique is being used on this page.) If you would like more on Observation now, click on the "Go Deeper" button. For now remember the only rule. Stay in the text. Stay in the text. STAY IN THE TEXT!