Discussion on thoughts-on-the-word

[Vanessa Washburn]

I have always been terrible at reading the Bible. I have tried all
sorts of lists to read through, but always forget one day and get
discouraged and stop. I develop lofty goals to write about scripture,
and then get overwhelmed when I don't have time.
So, what's working right now? My lovely husband writes a list of 3-4
passages on the mirror with dry erase markers, I have a Bible sitting
in the bathroom, and when I read something I can check it off, and
then Zach knows he can ask me about what I read, or i can ask him
about things too.

[Zach Washburn]

I read mostly on my lunchbreak at work, and go through a book of the
Bible. The first time I read through the Bible (after trying a couple
of times to read through it sequentially and getting bogged down in
Numbers or Judges or Kings), I put the name of each book on a piece of
paper and drew them out of a hat at random until I had read them all.
Now I pick a book based on what I'm curious about or don't remember
anymore.

Whatever your method for choosing which part of Scripture to read, I
would say the following.

1. Don't count the reading of Christian books as devotional time.
There is no substitute for the Word (not even C.S. Lewis)
2. Don't be legalistic about it. If you miss a day (or three), all is
not lost. Just pick it back up and keep reading.
3. Don't read just when you feel like it. The devil hates Bible
reading people, and will do anything to make sure you don't become
one. Likewise, if you read and don't feel uplifted or incredibly close
to God, don't be discouraged. You're still doing His will, simply by
reading what He has to say.
4. Don't rush through Scripture. Stop and think and pray about what
you read. Find someone you trust to ask about things you don't
understand. If this means you get through 5 verses a day, so be it.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn
what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had
not lived.- Henry David Thoreau

Finally, seek to read His Word the way Thoreau sought to live. Drink
it in. Let it's Spirit fill you, and be transformed.

On Sep 18, 7:51 pm, Vanessa Washburn <vanessawashbur...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Phil Honea]

Luckly, I'm a habitual person (it can be a blessing and a curse), so
most mornings I start my day with coffee and some breakfast, and read
the Bible while I eat. For a large chunk of this year, I followed the
Episcopal Church's Common Book of Prayer morning readings. They had a
couple verses for each day that corresponded to the time of year
(lent, easter, advent, etc). Having a calendar makes it easy to pick
up any time of year, or just pick up on today's date even if I missed
a couple days.
But, there is something to say for reading scripture in order
(like any other book), instead of reading verses here and there. So
right now I'm reading a chapter of Luke every morning, because I
hadn't read through the gospels lately.