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Original Post:
Yay! This is going to be so fun! So far, 9 people have told me they're in! Wanna' meet them? Of course you do!
Welcome Cilla from "Looking Up".
And Kate Fausett.
And Anne.
And Jenifer.
Ellyn from "Profoundly Seth and Co."
Sarah, my grocery store friend, from "Kingdom Twindom + 1."
And Linda Wilson.
And a couple of Mary Kay friends of mine, Christine Rashott and Kristen.
If I've missed anyone, please let me know!
I know there are a few others of you out there who are thinking about it, so please let me know if you're in! If there are any men out there who want in, we'd be stoked to have a guy's voice as we talk through scripture!
So many of you have expressed a desire to start doing something like this - or maybe you started and something kept you from following through. I'm so pumped on getting to be a part of something that God has evidently been working in all of our hearts for some time... What a confirmation! Each of you, by taking part, are also helping God to work in each other's hearts, simply by being the beginning of a movement to get people into God's word. Thank you for following His leading and for encouraging me too!
Ok, here is Step 3 for how to get involved in Mi Querida Biblia. If you missed step 1 and 2, just click here.
Step 3
Put the necessary things into place to begin a new habit. Starting a new habit like this isn't easy. It's like starting an exercise routine or a new diet or school. It takes some adjustment and it takes some practical changes that will make that habit easier. The key is to figure out how to make it easy and automatic to fit in the reading of God's Word each day. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Here are some things that have come to my mind:
Get up a half an hour early. I know. It's the obvious one and the one we all hate. I mean, I love me some extra sleep! But to be very honest, when I make the effort to get up and put God first, not only does it set my priorities right, but it also establishes a peace and calm that permeates my entire day. It helps me get my mind right before I have to deal with my husband and son and the phone and life's obligations. Not that I mind dealing with those things - it's just that when I seek God's face first, I become a minister in those peoples' lives. When I don't, I feel very much like I'm just barely hanging on with the rest of 'em. And while I am just barely hanging on like the rest of them, it's about my mindset as I approach people throughout the day. Seeking God first helps me be a better servant.
I want to emphasize though, that putting God first doesn't necessarily mean doing that first in the day. My pastor once said that it means to give Him your best time of day. For some, that's a lunch break. For others it's right before bed. For me, it's first thing in the morning. Pick the time of day when you are most alert and give that time to Him.
But back to my wake-up-early strategy... In order to actually get up early I have to do silly things like...
- place my alarm clock on the other side of the room.
- lay out a comfy pair of pj pants and a sweatshirt with my slippers so I can jump right into them and cozy into a chair with my Bible.
- set a pot of coffee on a timer the night before so the smell wakes me up and gets me going.
- use a clock/CD player as a second alarm so that after I drag myself across the room to turn off the beeping, I am welcomed with gentle praise music to start to get my mind right.
(2) For the days that I don't manage to get up early - and let's just be honest, there will be those days - I need a back-up plan. Remember, this is the back up plan. Not the every-day plan. ;)
Think about when you have pockets of time in your day that you usually fill up with nonsense, that you could be reading scripture. While nursing the baby, while sitting in your car waiting for the kids to get out of school, or while waiting in line at the bank or post office. These are times that I can fill with a phone call or media or boredom. Or I can quiet myself and ask Jesus to invade my thoughts and speak to me through His Word in that moment.
The great thing about YouVersion is that you can download it to your Blackberry/iphone/etc. and have scripture right there on your phone at any time of the day. As you read each chapter and click to the next one, YouVersion checks it off for you and syncs to your internet account. It's GREAT! So when you sit down to read, whether in the quiet of the morning or in the evening before bed, you can read straight from your phone, or straight from your computer, or you can pull out your Bible and check it off on your phone or computer when you're done reading. And this can change every day, depending on your needs.
Another idea occurred to me for those people who are better listeners than readers. I found this website where you can listen to the daily reading. You could do this while getting dressed, while driving to work (if you have it on CD), from your ipod... the possibilities are endless.
Remember, though, that I want us to be careful not to just read for the purpose of a check-off. No matter what method you choose of incorporating this into your life, it is important to have times where you still your mind and heart and focus wholly on Jesus.
Lastly, I encourage you to join me in starting to read this week. I'm going to start with Romans and read two chapters a day, as a practice for the launch on Sunday. This way, I have three days to start my habit before we launch our reading together through the Bible in a year.
I hope that helped! What ideas will you use to start this new habit? Do you have any ideas that I've not mentioned? Share!
And come back soon... next I'll share how we will discuss our scripture reading through our blogs, on Twitter and Facebook, and in the comments section of my blog.
