Yes, you.

Lean in here a little closer. I have a question for you.

It's a personal question. One that might make you have to think real hard to find an answer.

Here goes ...

Do you know where your Bible is?

Not the family Bible with the obituary notices and wedding napkins and rose buds pressed deep within the Psalms or Proverbs. That one is probably sitting safely on a shelf or coffee table. It probably gets a good dusting every once in a while, just in case the preacher stops by for a visit.

No, I'm not talking about the display Bible. I'm asking about the Bible you when you are about to make an important decision and need some guidance; the one you use when your teenage daughter is having problems with friends and you need to inject Godly wisdom into an emotional situation. I'm talking about the Bible you use for personal study that leads to personal spiritual growth; the one that helps get you through even the toughest of days and the longest of nights.

That's the one. The Bible with pages all dog-eared from years of use; the one that has been used so much that the gold script on the cover is gone. I'm talking about the Bible that first brought you the good news, and continues to do so anytime you open the pages. I'm talking about the Bible that you reached for when your child was burning up with fever in the middle of a wintry night, or loading up the car to move half-way across the country to live in a strange place far from home.

Yeah. I'm talking about that book that sometimes seems closer than a friend; that comforts you in times of sorrow or sickness, and help you put your feelings into words when you feel like praising the Creator. That's the one; the black leather bound book filled with scriptures translated in many ways from the Hebrew and Greek.

Your answer may be that you have so many Bibles that they are scattered around all over the house and that any one of them is within reach at any given time. That's great! On the other hand, you may be reading this and starting to wonder just where you left that little New Testament you used to carry in your breast pocket.

Bibles are, after all, personal things.

So let me ask again: Do you know where your Bible is?

I certainly hope so.

The Shepherd's Heart appears on Thursday.