Tuesday Tidbits
Hey there, wanderers! I often assume that’s the only way people pause long enough to rest and read because that’s so often the case with myself! But whether you wandered here by providence, or whether you wandered in here by seeking out helpful information, I’m still glad you’ve actually arrived! Hopefully, you’ll find something useful before continuing on your journey!
You’ll notice the strangely alliterated titles have resurfaced…if you’re new here, just roam around a bit, and you’ll see what I mean! Sorry, not sorry. While the plan is to offer encouragement and updates a couple times a week, I will at least be touching base on Tuesdays, when at all possible! Hence the official title for weekly posts! Hold me to it!! Ok, maybe don’t actually bring down the hammer, but feel free to ask me about it if you hear radio silence! How’s that for asking for accountability, Chris Carr?
I’ve shared on my social media accounts today about some new things I’ve implemented since the beginning of the year to help me in staying committed to Bible reading. I know, without a doubt, that this is nothing ground-breaking or monumental, but I also know it’s been a struggle for me over the course of my lifetime for various reasons. One specific area that I struggled with was that I desired to read through the entire Bible in a year (or even simply with no timeframe, in my free-spirited moments!) but often found myself uncommitted, discouraged, overwhelmed…and then finally, giving up.
That desire-meets-frustration happened to collide with the search for the next book we’d be tackling for our Community Group Bible Study. As I was compiling a list for the women to ponder, I was struck by that profound desire to simply read through the Word. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve benefited so greatly over the years from the organized Bible studies in which I’ve participated and others I’ve had the privilege of leading. But I also wanted to just get more into the Word in a committed fashion. Another wrench in that decision-making process was that I was also in a weekly book study that was gutting me, on a good day…so my capacity was limited.
SO…as we sat around and discussed what the group would do together, we became convinced that reading the Bible itself was worth our focused time and energy. We began using Trillia Newbell’s 52 Weeks in the Word that was just released last year. It’s visually-appealing and very simple. Basically, it encourages reading 3-4 chapters a day and then journaling about 3 things:
1~What do I learn about God and His character?
2~Where is Jesus and the Gospel in these chapters?
3~How can I apply these chapters to my life?
In addition, I’ve journaled things that I’ve missed completely or simply forgotten over the years. For example, when reading through 2 Samuel, I added, “Lord, guard my heart against any blindspots and moments when I try to justify my sin and/or try to hide it.”
Some more thoughts…when I was getting lost in all of the locations and timeframes, I found a Then & Now Bible Map on Amazon…SO helpful for clarity to put the visual to the words. When I felt myself anxious over having to miss my reading time, I found an audio Bible that I could listen to while making long treks up to Iowa City…or even just driving back and forth to school and errands! When I wanted some extra insight into the weeds of Leviticus, I found that there was a 52 Weeks Podcast with special guests each week that tackled the reading at hand! Simply put, there are so many resources that can encourage and challenge us to do the hard things, stay the course, and become more grounded in the Truth.
I do hope that you find some joy and encouragement in that today. No crazy chaotic stories from Eva today…just some tiny tidbits that may give flight to some good and godly dreams.
But for real…those Israelite kings were legit whack.