My Bible study buddy, Eliana

My daughter and I are going to read through the Bible together over the next two years, along with others at North County Christ the King. Eliana is 9 years old, and an avid reader and fact collector.  I think most people will get the daily reading done in 15 minutes or so… our sessions are going to take a bit longer, because we have to stop and discuss things, of course!
She stopped reading in Genesis to explain that Dodo birds, though now extinct, were created in the beginning (“and did you know they digested their food with rocks in their stomachs?”), and then again in Luke, because we had to compare how Elizabeth and Mary must have felt about being pregnant. And then, just because she loves the story of Jesus’ birth, we had to read an extra chapter.

I’ve been telling people that reading the Bible with others is the best plan, but it’s even better when you’re reading it with a chatty, intelligent and curious little girl!

If you want to join us, you can sign up at ncctk.com, and download the two-year reading plan we are using. Yesterday we read Genesis 1 and 2, and Luke 1:1-10 (and a little bit more!).  Today we’ll continue together… although she just confided to me that she “cheated” and read ahead last night.  

For about 10 years now I’ve been trying to either listen through the Bible (check out dailyaudiobible.com) or read it, using various plans (check out this excellent list from Ligonier.org, or these resources at Blue Letter Bible or Logos, now known as Faithlife).  Some years I make it all the way through; other years I abandon a reading plan and focus intently on a few books of the Bible or a group Bible study.  But the point is that I keep reading something, every day if possible.

You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to get something from reading the Bible.  The act of becoming familiar with what it says will reward you and grow you in the long run, even if you struggle to make sense of it by yourself.  Just start where you are, read something (read a lot if you can, a little if that’s all you can do), and ask questions about things you don’t understand.  Put a question mark in pencil, in the margin, next to things you want to ask someone about later.  Just keep reading.

Email us if you need a reading buddy, and you want to join us!