This past Sunday was a wonderful time of fellowship and mutual support for our "Faithful Village" parenting group. The kids played, the adults talked, everybody had pizza, and near as I can tell, we all had a pretty good time. It was great, in a way, just to "check in" with others facing similar struggles, and know that Laura and I are not alone, and we're not crazy--others are facing challenges too!
As the kids get back into their routine of school, it's also a good time to get back into my own routines. I'm trying to get a few minutes on the elliptical several times a week, get a more consistent bedtime (notice the active word is "try!"), but one thing that I'm happy to say has been a constant over the summer--when it hasn't always been--is time to "check in" with God through daily Bible reading. It helps give me themes to think about, a rhythm to live by, questions to ask, and gets my ears open for what God may have to say to me in this new day.
There are a bunch of really good ways to get into a daily routine, and maybe readers have others to share with me. But here are a couple of good resources to help get on a daily routine of Bible reading.
Moravian Daily Texts. This is the resource I'm using currently. The Moravian Church has been distributing a short list of daily Bible readings every year since 1731!!! I subscribe by email (it comes in at 5 EST each morning), but you can also get a printed book with all the texts for the year in it. It's pretty basic stuff--a psalm, a lesson from the Hebrew Bible, and a lesson from the Gospels. Rather than trying to connect with a theme or a season, these texts basically walk you through the Bible in small chunks, one after another. Not every verse will speak to me every day, but usually between the three, one will grab my attention.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Daily Lectionary. One cool thing about our "new" hymnal (which is getting ready to celebrate its ten-year anniversary!) is that in the back of the book is a three-year lectionary of daily readings for either private devotions or for prayer with others. (If you have the book, it starts on p. 1121). The advantage of looking at these readings is they tie into the texts for worship in Sundays--Monday through Wednesday tie back to the previous Sunday, Thursday through Saturday look forward to the upcoming Sunday. One small disadvantage is it's a trick getting started, because you have to know what lectionary year we are in (right now until November we're in Year "C") and the book refers you to another section for Sunday readings. But it's a great resource if you're looking to connect your "Sunday life" to the rest of the week.
Lutheran Study Bible: Year-Long Bible Reading Plan. What's cool about the LSB is that it provides not one, but three Bible reading plans that you can do in one year. They do not cover all of scripture, but they do give you something to think about every single day. There's a "challenge" track (about 3 chapters per day), a "survey" track (10-20 verses) or a "sampler" track (just a few verses). You can start and end at any time, because it is not connected to the seasons. An important piece of advice I'd give is don't feel the need to ingest "mass quantities" of scripture every day if it makes it harder to stick with and really get something from. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that, in the right frame of mind, you can do a Bible study on just one word!
I guess that gets me to the most important point about "checking in" with God: the best plan for you is not necessarily the one the covers the most ground or manages to say exactly what you need to hear every day: the best plan for you is the one you can actually get in the habit of doing. Research suggests that if you get into doing something every day for 21 days, it can form a lasting habit. Christians have known that for almost 2,000 years--notice the 40 days of Lent, and the roughly 25 days of Advent! Just like with dieting or exercising, lofty goals work for some, but for most of us, it's getting into a routine that we can stick with long-term that will make a difference.
Just a note: another thing that can help us stay on track is accountability with others. If you're thinking about starting a devotional routine, maybe tell a close friend and invite them along for the journey. You don't necessarily have to be doing the same thing, but some way of checking in with each other periodically, and knowing that check-in is coming, may help you stay on the ball. I am part of a discipleship group that has its own Facebook group. We are invited to post on the page some brief thoughts from our daily reading. I plan to start transferring my daily thoughts to a blog post which I'll then share publicly. That way, I can be accountable to you all, and maybe remind you if you have decided to start a routine!
I hope this has been a helpful "check in" about "checking in" with God. Check on!
Pr. Tim
As the kids get back into their routine of school, it's also a good time to get back into my own routines. I'm trying to get a few minutes on the elliptical several times a week, get a more consistent bedtime (notice the active word is "try!"), but one thing that I'm happy to say has been a constant over the summer--when it hasn't always been--is time to "check in" with God through daily Bible reading. It helps give me themes to think about, a rhythm to live by, questions to ask, and gets my ears open for what God may have to say to me in this new day.
There are a bunch of really good ways to get into a daily routine, and maybe readers have others to share with me. But here are a couple of good resources to help get on a daily routine of Bible reading.
Moravian Daily Texts. This is the resource I'm using currently. The Moravian Church has been distributing a short list of daily Bible readings every year since 1731!!! I subscribe by email (it comes in at 5 EST each morning), but you can also get a printed book with all the texts for the year in it. It's pretty basic stuff--a psalm, a lesson from the Hebrew Bible, and a lesson from the Gospels. Rather than trying to connect with a theme or a season, these texts basically walk you through the Bible in small chunks, one after another. Not every verse will speak to me every day, but usually between the three, one will grab my attention.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Daily Lectionary. One cool thing about our "new" hymnal (which is getting ready to celebrate its ten-year anniversary!) is that in the back of the book is a three-year lectionary of daily readings for either private devotions or for prayer with others. (If you have the book, it starts on p. 1121). The advantage of looking at these readings is they tie into the texts for worship in Sundays--Monday through Wednesday tie back to the previous Sunday, Thursday through Saturday look forward to the upcoming Sunday. One small disadvantage is it's a trick getting started, because you have to know what lectionary year we are in (right now until November we're in Year "C") and the book refers you to another section for Sunday readings. But it's a great resource if you're looking to connect your "Sunday life" to the rest of the week.
Lutheran Study Bible: Year-Long Bible Reading Plan. What's cool about the LSB is that it provides not one, but three Bible reading plans that you can do in one year. They do not cover all of scripture, but they do give you something to think about every single day. There's a "challenge" track (about 3 chapters per day), a "survey" track (10-20 verses) or a "sampler" track (just a few verses). You can start and end at any time, because it is not connected to the seasons. An important piece of advice I'd give is don't feel the need to ingest "mass quantities" of scripture every day if it makes it harder to stick with and really get something from. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that, in the right frame of mind, you can do a Bible study on just one word!
I guess that gets me to the most important point about "checking in" with God: the best plan for you is not necessarily the one the covers the most ground or manages to say exactly what you need to hear every day: the best plan for you is the one you can actually get in the habit of doing. Research suggests that if you get into doing something every day for 21 days, it can form a lasting habit. Christians have known that for almost 2,000 years--notice the 40 days of Lent, and the roughly 25 days of Advent! Just like with dieting or exercising, lofty goals work for some, but for most of us, it's getting into a routine that we can stick with long-term that will make a difference.
Just a note: another thing that can help us stay on track is accountability with others. If you're thinking about starting a devotional routine, maybe tell a close friend and invite them along for the journey. You don't necessarily have to be doing the same thing, but some way of checking in with each other periodically, and knowing that check-in is coming, may help you stay on the ball. I am part of a discipleship group that has its own Facebook group. We are invited to post on the page some brief thoughts from our daily reading. I plan to start transferring my daily thoughts to a blog post which I'll then share publicly. That way, I can be accountable to you all, and maybe remind you if you have decided to start a routine!
I hope this has been a helpful "check in" about "checking in" with God. Check on!
Pr. Tim
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