I got a new Bible for Christmas.
Well. Actually, I bought my sister the wrong Bible (who needs large print? She does!!) and so she gave my gift back to me.
Anyway, it is changing my life.
Prior to this Bible, my time in the Word had been spotty since college. Bursts of Bible Studies and daily readings countered by months of nothingness. Worship, yes. Prayer, always. Consistent time in the Word, eh. And I had been praying for months that God would make me a true blue, can’t live without it, woman who loves His Word.
Well for years, my sister had been raving about the One Year Bible. And like a little sister, I rolled my eyes and stayed off the bandwagon. I’m bratty that way. Back in Maui, I had tried SOAPing and the one year plan but never made it past Leviticus. I just always seemed to get stuck. And/or struggled with all the flipping and the tracking and the what-nots. Lame, yes. Honest, yes.
So I thought, what’s so great about the One Year Bible?
Well, over the past ten years I have seen my sister transform into a mighty woman of God. Not her life. Not her circumstances. But she at her core is being transformed. And it is both beautiful and very appealing. And she will tell you, hands down, it is because of her time with the Lord.
So I thought, maybe this accidental Christmas gift was God’s answer to my prayers.
And it has been.
Such an answer to prayer.
Why?
- Everyday I read from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm and Proverb. It’s dated so I know what to read and how much to read. That in of itself takes SO MUCH PRESSURE off me. Weird, I know. But I struggle with things like that. And if I miss a day-I just go to today’s date. It’ll be ok.
- Instead of sticking with tried and true passages, I’m reading things I had forgotten or never seen before. And it is challenging the crap out of me and making me dig deeper into what I believe/think/understand about God. And His heart for His people. And me. Reading this way gives space for the Lord to speak in the most random of passages.
- Because there are margins built in, I can journal as I go. And this isn’t my fancy church bible where I am careful about what I write. Because this puppy is dated it’s worthless in church. So it’s kind of my diary. Raw. Honest. Filled with questions and WTH??? when I don’t understand.
- It made me buy a commentary. I have never really had that desire before. I would use Blue Letter Bible if I wanted to dig a little deeper on something. But reading the whole counsel of God’s word like this…I wanted a companion guide for the journey. Because there is some messed up stuff that goes down in the Old Testament. Especially to women. It breaks my heart. And makes me want answers. Some friends I trust (thank you Sarah and Jeff) recommended this one and it has been so helpful. And kept me from chucking the whole Bible out the window. Because there have been a few points where I thought this whole thing is crazytown. And because I know it’s not, I wanted to understand the big picture.
Please do not judge me too harshly. I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling. I love Jesus. I know the Word. I am just falling in love with it/Him in a new way. And when you fall in love with someone, you have to make peace with what seems like the good, the bad and the ugly. And that is what it feels like I am doing.
ANYWAY.
I wish I were Oprah and could give a bible and commentary to EVERYBODY who needs a little more Truth and a Fresh Word in their lives. But alas, I am not.
But I can give away a few. Because they are THAT good. All you have to do is drop me an “Oh Hey” in the comments section and I will pick three lucky winners on Sunday:) And in the meantime, I’d love to know what is helping you fall more in love with Jesus at the moment.
Love, Love, Love
The Girl Who Lives in My Head.
P.S. I in no way make money off these links because
A) I’m not cool like that
B) I just love telling the people I love about the things I love
C) I want to make it easy for you to find them.
