• Literally •
[1½ MIN READ]
Way back in high school I decided to initiate the discipline of Bible reading in 1 year. It was good! Less than 10 minutes a day. I did it 2 more times through college. ‘Okay, that’s enough,’ I thought. ENOUGH?! Feels kind of insane, really, to say it was enough times. As a young adult, I did it a few more times. Then I started realizing that it was insane Not to read it even more. So I started the annual practice.
Last October 1, 45-odd people (literally?) from my church in Philly (Chinese Christian Church and Center) started doing it together. I launched the collective effort with this address: Inaugurating This New Discipline. We’ve been doing it using an app called YouVersion and the Bible Project plan.
After 24 years, it feels like you ought to start picking up things to say. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So I do, using the app. For John 19-21 this morning, Calvin said something for the 300th-ish (flows off the tongue) time: ‘The disciples fell back into the pattern that they knew: fishing. We do that; fall back into patterns that are not overtly sinful but are definitely not missionally productive. They redeem themselves later.
While it preceded this event, narratively, Thomas did his own version when he doubted. Oh, but his response: “My Lord and my God!” That verse the Holy Spirit has been impressing upon me in recent months. I couldn’t name to you the details of any one instance, but I have known it within my own spirit: Jesus, my Lord and my God.’
So is it insane to read the Bible 25 times? Is it insane to always have something to say? Better devoting time to that and having something to say about it than anything else
FINE PRINT ¶CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-posted: (1) YouVersion Application (Access by group invitation), (2) Facebook 2024’08’11’U, and (3) Faith @ iCandybyWangC.
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