Any slow readers out there? DO you find reading difficult? Maybe even painful?
Some of you read that and went, "Absolutely. I'm right there with you Nate."
Some of you read that and went, "What? How could that be?"
Others of you read that, then put down your book so you could re-read it and then thought, "What is wrong with this sub-human." You people....I hate you!!
But, for the rest of you mortals, I have a thought to share today. :o)
Reading the Bible has always been hard for me. There are people who share their passion and are so passionate they make you feel ashamed because you aren't that passionate. I know that for me this isn't about the value of the Bible or a lack of interest in the contents. It is simply that reading is difficult for me.
Compensation? I've tried audio-books. This works really well for me in many things and, sometimes, the Bible, but often the Bible versions fall flat. They are either gross summaries (which is fine for some but doesn't work for me) or they are so monotone as to be painful. Some of them are really, REALLY bad!
So, what to do? Well, I Googled. I Googled things like, "How to make Bible reading more interesting," "How to read my Bible more," and "I don't like reading my Bible, now what?" It's true. I've been creative and honest in my Google searching for many years and I get a lot of good answers that way.
One thing that came to my attention was a group (individual??) that made a list of all of the books and put an average amount of time next to them. Really? This is how long it should take to read a whole book? There are some that can be read in under 10 minutes? Really?? That's fantastic.
The other thing that came to my attention at the same time is the idea of reading a whole book instead of reading it in little pieces. This gives you the whole picture. Now, when you want to study deep then you can break it down, but, let's be honest! I'm a slow enough reader that I'm not familiar with the whole of any of these books. I know the main themes and many of the stories and passages, but not the book as a whole. Sad? Yes. Disrespectful to a God who sent His Son to die for me before I was alive to sin against Him? Yes. My reality? Yes.
I don't want this to be about me so, suffice it to say, I have found some success in combining these two thoughts and turning them into some regular Scripture reading this week.
So, how do I want to encourage you? First of all, I am a SLOW reader. And yet, my chart said the book of Romans would take 78 minutes and it only took me 50. So, when I say that you can read Philippians or Colossians in only 18 (each) then that is a good estimate, even if you are a slow reader. So, instead of telling yourself you are going to spend 15 or 30 minutes reading and taking notes; just pick up your Bible and read the book of Philippians today! In fact, do that for the next 5 days or a week and THEN read it slower and take notes. There is so much context we miss when we did deep too fast and don't know what is going on around the passage we are looking at.
For those who care: Galatians and Ephesians should be less than 25 minutes as well. Again, totally do-able for a single sitting and you don't even have to rush through it. You can enjoy what you are reading and, even at that pace, still get it done in a reasonable amount of time.
There are 8 books that can be read in 10 minutes or less and another 14 that take 11-20 - again, without having to rush through the process.
The concern with a method like this is that you will be so focused on read, read, read that you won't actually get anything out of it. So, slow it down. The God of the universe saved us and we struggle to devote 1/48 (30 minutes) of a day to reading the truth that He has revealed to us? I'm guilty of that, I just know it is worth overcoming.
If you are a slow reader, take heart! There is hope. The Bible is not something you can never read or always find it painful to read. Give it a shot and see if this isn't an encouragement for you too!
To God be the glory.
Some of you read that and went, "Absolutely. I'm right there with you Nate."
Some of you read that and went, "What? How could that be?"
Others of you read that, then put down your book so you could re-read it and then thought, "What is wrong with this sub-human." You people....I hate you!!
But, for the rest of you mortals, I have a thought to share today. :o)
Reading the Bible has always been hard for me. There are people who share their passion and are so passionate they make you feel ashamed because you aren't that passionate. I know that for me this isn't about the value of the Bible or a lack of interest in the contents. It is simply that reading is difficult for me.
Compensation? I've tried audio-books. This works really well for me in many things and, sometimes, the Bible, but often the Bible versions fall flat. They are either gross summaries (which is fine for some but doesn't work for me) or they are so monotone as to be painful. Some of them are really, REALLY bad!
So, what to do? Well, I Googled. I Googled things like, "How to make Bible reading more interesting," "How to read my Bible more," and "I don't like reading my Bible, now what?" It's true. I've been creative and honest in my Google searching for many years and I get a lot of good answers that way.
One thing that came to my attention was a group (individual??) that made a list of all of the books and put an average amount of time next to them. Really? This is how long it should take to read a whole book? There are some that can be read in under 10 minutes? Really?? That's fantastic.
The other thing that came to my attention at the same time is the idea of reading a whole book instead of reading it in little pieces. This gives you the whole picture. Now, when you want to study deep then you can break it down, but, let's be honest! I'm a slow enough reader that I'm not familiar with the whole of any of these books. I know the main themes and many of the stories and passages, but not the book as a whole. Sad? Yes. Disrespectful to a God who sent His Son to die for me before I was alive to sin against Him? Yes. My reality? Yes.
I don't want this to be about me so, suffice it to say, I have found some success in combining these two thoughts and turning them into some regular Scripture reading this week.
So, how do I want to encourage you? First of all, I am a SLOW reader. And yet, my chart said the book of Romans would take 78 minutes and it only took me 50. So, when I say that you can read Philippians or Colossians in only 18 (each) then that is a good estimate, even if you are a slow reader. So, instead of telling yourself you are going to spend 15 or 30 minutes reading and taking notes; just pick up your Bible and read the book of Philippians today! In fact, do that for the next 5 days or a week and THEN read it slower and take notes. There is so much context we miss when we did deep too fast and don't know what is going on around the passage we are looking at.
For those who care: Galatians and Ephesians should be less than 25 minutes as well. Again, totally do-able for a single sitting and you don't even have to rush through it. You can enjoy what you are reading and, even at that pace, still get it done in a reasonable amount of time.
There are 8 books that can be read in 10 minutes or less and another 14 that take 11-20 - again, without having to rush through the process.
The concern with a method like this is that you will be so focused on read, read, read that you won't actually get anything out of it. So, slow it down. The God of the universe saved us and we struggle to devote 1/48 (30 minutes) of a day to reading the truth that He has revealed to us? I'm guilty of that, I just know it is worth overcoming.
If you are a slow reader, take heart! There is hope. The Bible is not something you can never read or always find it painful to read. Give it a shot and see if this isn't an encouragement for you too!
To God be the glory.
