I admire most people that I’ve met throughout my life. Obviously, I’m closest to family members, so I’d look to them for advice. In my various jobs, I’d often ask my colleagues for their advice or opinions about work or even decisions outside of work.
Regarding my Christian faith, I look to the Bible, but I think it’s also good to get the perspective of various Bible teachers in addition to ordinary folk like myself. I’ve probably listed the ones who have had a big influence on me on my Audio Resources page. In recent years, I’m often more open to listen to perspectives that differ widely from my own. The Unbelievable podcast has been a big influence on me over the last 18 years or so. Even the people on the Christian side of the debate might have different theological outlooks to what I have, but I enjoy anyone who makes me think. I don’t like to keep listening to people who mirror my own opinion on everything.
NT Wright is a good example of someone who’s much more progressive in his theology than I am, so I don’t always agree with him. Yet, I do admire him, and I’ve learned much from him.
Ultimately, the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible and if we approach it in the right way, He will help us to understand and apply it. We don’t understand it perfectly. If the Holy Spirit imparted a perfect understanding to everyone, we wouldn’t disagree about issues. But perhaps it’s like a schoolteacher. When I trained to be a teacher, we were told that it was important to allow students to investigate and learn for themselves rather than pour knowledge into them as you’d pour water into a glass. We wouldn’t want to be totally left to ourselves, but a good teacher will know how to work in such a way that students learn in the right way. And maybe that’s how the Holy Spirit works. He helps us, but He doesn’t do all the work for us. So, I believe that the Bible is precisely God’s word, but our understanding of it can be fuzzy. But the more were read and meditate on it, and the more that we are willing to learn from others, the clearer our understanding will be.
Here are a couple of songs about God’s word:
Hibernia Gospel 