THE RHYTHM OF SCRIPTURE

(A New Way to Engage with God’s Words)

BRAINSTORM

• Find a translation of the Bible that is readable, understandable, and enjoyable to you and pick a new place to start.

(You can do this by searching your favorite verses online and reading various translations of it. Many people have preferences on translations, and that’s fair. Read about them. No translation is the same. Some are word for word, and some are thought for thought, and many are in the middle. In short, it’s best to read a couple to get a more well-rounded view of Scripture. But a translation that makes no sense to you that you get nothing out of and don’t ever read is not the translation for you.)

Some ideas to start are:

New Living Translation

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (not a translation, but a beautiful paraphrase that can help you see some stories in a new light)

The Voice (A dynamic blend of translation and paraphrase, reading like a cross between The Message and the ESV)



• The coolest people slowly read through John. (Just kidding!)

Starting with the Gospels is a great way to start.

Read a chapter or two a day, and before starting, take a deep breath, quiet your mind, and pray: “God, show me something new about you, and something new about how to live.”

Annie F. Downs has an incredible resource for this in her new podcast Let’s Read the Gospels. Listen here and everywhere you listen to podcasts. (More resources below)



• Read a psalm every morning, reread it, and pray through it.

• Text a friend and ask if they would like to go through a book of the Bible with you and meet once a week to talk about it.

• Listen to the Bible on audiobook while taking walks.

• Try a totally different plan and see how it goes. Try it out for a week or a month. If that method doesn’t seem engaging or doable, try another way—but pick a way. If your life phase or schedule changes, then pause, consider, and evolve the plan.

BRAINSTORM from the community

  • New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp is my go-to morning devotional reading- it's my morning coffee companion. Love the Bible Recap for daily scripture engagement as well. - Marla C.

  • I spend at least 2 hours every Friday morning preparing for my Teen Sunday school class. Preparing for this leads me to dig deeper for my own soul. The YouVersion App and podcast the Bible Recap with TLC feeds my soul on my 45 minute commute to work. - Candy S.

  • I commute up to 3 hours a day and have fallen in love with the Word through podcasts. While driving I’ll either listen to the Bible being read through the Youversion Bible app, or if I want context while reading I’ll listen to the Bible Book Club podcast. Podcasts on my way to or from work have become the most engaging to me, and it’s gotten me excited to read the Bible in depth when I get home. - Catherine F.

  • It has been fruitful for me to start my day with daily devotions from My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers - Gillian F.

  • When I was going to Bible college my great uncle pulled me aside to show me his Bible in it was all these codes in different colored ink all over. I asked what it was (it looked a bit Matrix if I am honest) as I looked at the pages with tears he said those are dates that the scriptures next to it God spoke to me. He said whenever he’d have a scripture touch him he’d highlight it and write the date as a person spiritual diary between him and God. I’ve ever since been doing that. There’s times I feel so empty and alone and then I turn to a scripture and there I see so many times in so many different ways God spoke to me through that set of scripture. I don’t know how many times since those dates have helped when the enemy wanted me to feel alone or isolated or when I was impatient for God to speak to me wondering if He ever was going to the dates remind me He will always speak and always sustain me. - Ashley H.

This page will continue to grow with Brainstorm ideas and Resources. To share some of your own rhythms or suggested resources, submit at the form on the main Personal Trellis page.