When I was in college I was able to do research and write content part-time for the Taylor University center for Scripture Engagement. Taylor University has a relationship with Bible Gateway, and that was when I discovered my passion for the Word of God. Paired with my gift for writing, this part time job helped to give me direction for the calling God had on my life to write biblical content and make God's Word relatable and accessible.
When I became serious about my faith, I knew I needed to read my Bible in order to grow. However, it’s easier said than done. The statistics show people are reading the Bible less and less, why?
Personally, I believe people aren’t meeting God. I went from a kid who was trying to force myself to read the Bible from the first page to the last page, not knowing or understanding or making sense of any of it, to someone who cannot go one day without the Word of God.
For me, what changed was simple: I started to get to know God in His Word. It’s the best place to get to know Him, it’s a great place to ask questions, to wrestle, to wonder, to encounter. When you start to encounter God in His Word, it will keep you coming back again and again, because it feeds your soul.
Here are some tools I recommend to get started:
The Abide Bible
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As one of the contributing writers for this project, I could not believe in it more. This is NOT a study Bible. This Bible is designed to help people engage with scripture. The pages are filled with practices and tools to help you practice engaging with God’s Word in some new ways and some familiar ways. Even though I wrote some of the content, I still find this Bible extremely helpful. The practices are based on ancient ways to engage with scripture, and will bring a fresh perspective into your time with God’s Word.
Journals + Pens
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When getting into God’s Word, I think it’s extremely important to journal. What are you thinking, what are you feeling? What questions come to mind? Do you feel you need to respond in prayer? Write it down. Writing it down is a powerful practice because you are taking those ideas floating around and creating them into something tangible, and you are also then able to look back on your thoughts and ideas later on.
Atmosphere
Sometimes it’s easier to approach the Word of God if you create an atmosphere that feels appropriate. Personally, my mornings with God consist of lots of warm coffee, cozy blankets, candles, and worship music.
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I love this playlist because it sets the mood and tone for my time with the Lord but doesn’t have lyrics to distract me from hearing what God wants to speak to me directly.