Hi Friends,

We have less than 24 hours left in 2024. I wish I could say I got in the best shape of my life, read more than ever or exceeded some writing goal. But I did finish my Bible reading plan, and there’s great satisfaction in sticking with it the whole year! I have gotten behind and given up every other time I have tried it, sadly. What was the difference? Two things: (1) I used this 5-day plan so if you do get behind you have the weekend to catch up; and (2) Almost everyday I listened to the reading while reading along. This was huge for me. I feel like my absorption with seeing AND hearing went way up. The Bible says much about how we need to “hear” and “keep.” And obviously most of the early church members did a lot more hearing than reading. We are blessed to so easily do both! I used this free Bible app which has the audio of various translations. I pulled that up and used my physical Bible to follow along. For me, this was a game changer.

I was also amazed by how much stories and struggles from Scripture parallel today. At least a couple of times a week I would come across a verse or snippet that felt so much like what’s going on in my life or in the world at large. The plan’s organization meant you were reading one of the Gospels every couple of months, a couple of Psalms every week, and both the New and Old Testament daily. Oftentimes the readings all address a similar theme. I was in awe of how this particular structure reinforced the unified message of the Bible: He created us, He redeems us, He is with us. We are called to trust Him, love Him, surrender to Him and live joyful lives full of gratitude.

In sum, I could not love that Bible plan more. But, I am changing things up not because of the plan but because of me. Unless I had something early, like 6:30 am Bible study on Fridays, I mostly read the Bible within an hour or so of waking up. I’d often exercise first, but crank out the readings before getting ready for the day. The key word there is “crank.” Sometimes, especially in the midst of some of the harder Old Testament books, I felt like I was checking a box and sometimes walked away with a sort of bewildered feeling. I want my mornings to be more contemplative. I don’t want to feel like I’m banging it out. My plan this year is to use Paul David Tripp’s Everyday Gospel. It has a reading plan but then also a devotional. He’s fantastic. So I am excited about that. I’m going to do this later in the day, maybe even consistently right before bed.

My new goal for 2025 is to start my mornings with a snippet of Scripture and my prayer journal, meditating and praying instead of rushing through a larger portion of Scripture. This practice is sometimes called Lectio Divina and here is an explanation from Tom Tarrants of the C.S. Lewis Institute.

Psalm 119:15 says “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” This is my goal for 2025. I’d love it if you’d join me. Either way, I hope you have a lovely time today reflecting on this past year and looking forward to knowing and serving God better in 2025. I hope we can spur each other on!

Blessings,

Kristie

January Meditations

• January 1st -4th 1 John 3:1-3
• January 5th – 11th John 17:20-26
• January 12th-18th Ephesians 1:3-10
• January 19th-25th 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• January 26th-February 1st Colossians 1:15-20