Where Do I start?

It’s been 11 days y’all.

11!

This is a record! I mean, I don’t want to brag or anything, but this is kind of a big deal.

Okay, if you can’t tell…I’m poking fun at myself. Not in a mean way but in the ridiculousness of it all. You start where you start and this is my starting point.

I have never read the Bible 11 days in a row before. I am like so many others who just find it challenging to do and will find anything else to do instead.

Literally.

Laundry? Needs to get done now.

Chickens? Need to check on them now.

Baseboards that haven’t been wiped down since we moved in? (don’t judge!) Top priority. Need to get on that right NOW.

But that’s changing. Starting 11 days ago.

God asked me to be present this year and part of that means I need to be in the Bible every day. (Not like God gave me a homework assignment, but I hope you know what I mean by “need”.)

But where do I start? I’ve picked up the Bible countless times before and started reading, only to put it down because I didn’t understand it or feel like I was getting anything out of it. “If only I had a divinity degree like my husband, then maybe all of this would make sense.”

Anyone else?

Enter God answering that question for me of where do I start…

A client of mine shared on her Facebook page a reading plan she was following and I decided to check it out.

I was told years ago in early recovery that coincidences are God’s way of staying anonymous, but I’m calling God on it because I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. God wanted me to know about this plan and I’m so glad He got it in front of me.

The plan is called The Bible Recap.

Heard of it?

It starts every January 1st and you read through the Bible in a year OR you can read through the New Testament in 3 months. I always get slogged down in the OT and really want to focus on the person of Jesus, so I decided to do the NT this go around. I’m using the YouVersion Bible app, which makes it incredibly easy. Plus, with the app, you can start any time you want and be able to stay on track even though you’re not on the same day as everyone else. It’s pretty awesome.

What I am loving most about this particular plan, and why I am so excited about it, is because it’s not all heady and theological, ironically the exact things I thought I was missing. This plan focuses on the nature of God. So instead of reading it like a historical piece of work and focusing on the names and date OR looking at it as a lesson book (you know, the “what does God want me to learn and apply to my life today?” approach), I am looking for what God wants me to know about Him. And while all the context and historical pieces are important and she touches on them, the focus really is on what God is showing us about Himself in these particular passages.

Which isn’t that JUST what I was looking for?!?!

So here I am 11 days in looking for “God shots” in scripture and approaching the Bible in a whole new way.

While His nature may not be in black and white, it is written all over the pages…

His compassion.

His mercy.

His love.

His humanity.

His attention to detail.

So if you are like me and looking for a way to get to know God, not just know about Him, I invite you to try out The Bible Recap. There are a ton of plans out there to choose from, but this is the one I am going with for the next 79 days. If this isn’t right for you, ask God to show you where He wants you.

And as an extra challenge to myself…over the next 6 days, I am going to share each day something I’ve learned while doing this. Actually write it down and put it out there. It helps keep me accountable and dig a little deeper. Plus, it will be cool to look back on down the road to see where I was at this point in time, because I just know God is going to do an amazing work and change so much about how I see and relate to Him.

Should be fun or totally cringe. Either way, it’ll get me moving closer to Him and that’s always a good thing.