Book Tour Talk at TCF (Norman Trinity Church)

Book Title: Popular Bible Verses for Every Week of the Year

Simon Yuan

Good morning, everyone.

It is a great joy and honor to be back at TCF. Before I introduce my book, I’d like to share why Norman and TCF hold such a special place in my heart.

Outside of the city where we live, Norman is probably the place my family has visited most often in America. The reason is simple—TCF.

Nearly thirty years ago, I was introduced to a group of believers in Dallas. Many of them had graduated academically from the University of Oklahoma and spiritually from TCF. Through God’s gracious and sovereign plan, I became connected with this fellowship long before I became a Christian.

In fact, our first trips to Norman were while I was still an atheist. We attended retreats here simply because friends invited us. On one of those early trips, my wife was expecting our second daughter, Phoebe. Today Phoebe has been married for two years. Looking back, I can truly say that time flies.

More than twenty years ago, after a long season of searching and prayers from many people including Jim and Jeri, Bill and Pam, and finally a near-fatal car accident, God graciously brought me to faith in Jesus Christ. After my conversion, I returned to TCF several times to share my testimony. For many years, Our family also joined the Labor Day retreats at the Solomon Center here. Those weekends gave us wonderful fellowship, but even more importantly, they grounded us in God’s Word through faithful Bible teachers such as Jim and Bill, who have since gone home to be with the Lord.

As I reflect on those years, I realize that TCF has been part of my spiritual journey from beginning to today.

I first came here to hear the gospel.

I came back to share my testimony.

I came here to grow in my faith.

And today, I have the privilege of returning to introduce my first book—a book about God’s Word, about Jesus Christ, and about my own journey of learning to treasure Scripture.

So why did I write this book?

After I became a Christian, I wanted to know Bible better. I listened to many sermons and read many Christian books. God used faithful pastors and teachers to help me grow, and I remain deeply thankful for them.

But over time, I realized something about my own spiritual life.

I was spending far more time reading books about the Bible than reading the Bible itself.

Sermons, podcasts, commentaries, and Bible study guides are great helpful, but they should never replace our own personal time in Scripture to receive not just Bible knowledge but also the spiritual foods.

That realization changed me.

I began making a deliberate commitment to spend more time reading God’s Word directly. I followed a Bible reading plan, read through the entire Bible, and started slowing down to study individual verses more carefully.

My pastor encouraged us to study Scripture verse by verse, and my life group did the same. Those experiences taught me not simply to know about the Bible, but to engage personally with the biblical text.

Gradually, I developed a simple practice that became part of my daily walk with God:

Study. Memorize. Meditate.

Studied each verse in its context.

Memorized it so God’s Word would remain in heart.

Then meditated on it, asking how God wanted His truth to shape life.

That simple practice eventually became the foundation of this book.

Popular Bible Verses for Every Week of the Year contains fifty-two well-known Bible verses—one for each week of the year.

Each chapter follows the same three-step pattern.

First, Study. We look at the verse in its biblical context so we understand what God is saying. Study it carefully and slowly. Study the verses, the verses above and below, and the chapter, and the book and the integration with the entire Bible. It's like zoom in to find the verses and zoom out to the chapter, book and the Bible.

Second, Memorize. We hide God’s Word in our hearts so it can guide us wherever we are. Memorize it faithfully.

Third, Meditate. We prayerfully reflect on how God’s truth transforms our thinking, our decisions, and our daily lives. Meditate on it prayerfully.

I call this the SMM approach—Study, Memorize, and Meditate.

My hope is not simply that readers will finish another Christian book.

My hope is that they will open their Bibles more often.

This book is not meant to replace sermons, commentaries, or Bible studies. Instead, it is meant to encourage believers to return again and again to Scripture itself—the living and active Word of God.

The Bible is more than information.

It is God’s revelation.

Studying, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture is not simply gaining knowledge about the Bible. It is receiving the spiritual nourishment of God's Word—not merely filling our minds with information, but allowing His truth to transform our hearts and empower our lives. Just as our bodies need food every day, our souls need God’s Word every day.

Knowledge fills the mind.

But God’s Word, received with faith and obedience, transforms the heart and strengthens our walk with Christ.

That is my prayer for every reader.

If this book helps someone love the Bible more deeply, spend more time in God’s Word, and know Jesus Christ more personally, then every hour spent writing it has been worthwhile.

Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you today. Thank you for the impact TCF has had on my life and my family over the past three decades.

May God continue to bless this fellowship, and may His Word remain a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Thank you.