Our Favorite Bible Reading Plan (and why)

This is a guest post by the one and only... Hugh!

Looking back at the year 2017, one of the most memorable parts was reading through the Bible. I used the Read Scripture reading plan, which is affiliated with the Bible Project. One of the most helpful parts of this plan was that it includes overview videos for each book of the Bible that help guide ones reading. I also like how the plan organizes the Old Testament books in their original Hebrew arrangement (e.g., 1-2 Chronicles comes last). The plan divides the Bible into 16 “chapters”:

1. Creation and Fall (Genesis 1-11),
2.  Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12-50),
3. The Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 1-18),
4. The Covenant at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-Leviticus 27),
5. The Wilderness (Numbers and Deuteronomy),
6.  The Promised Lane (Joshua and Judges),
7.  Rise and Fall of Israel’s Kingdom (Ruth – 2 Kings),
8. The Prophets Before the Exile (Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah),
9. The Wisdom of Israel (Job, Psalms 1-2, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
10. The Prophets of the Exile (Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel),
11.  Return from Exile (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther),
12.  Prophets After the Exile (Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi),
13.  The Story So Far (1-2 Chronicles),
14.  Jesus and the Kingdom (Matthew, Mark, John, Luke, Acts),
15.  The People of the Kingdom (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude), and
16.  The Revelation (Revelation)

Having the books organized into these named “chapters” helps me remember that the books of the Bible form one “unified story that leads to Jesus” (Bible Project mission statement).

In addition to each day’s reading, the plan has you also pray through a Psalm or part of a Psalm; I really enjoyed reading a Psalm and praying the words back to God.

I plan to do this plan again in 2018 and I would recommend it to you. To get started with this plan you will need the following:

1.     Access to the plan (Read Scripture app or via a PDF of the plan)

2.     Bible (physical or electronic)

3.     Access to videos (the Bible Project website: OT and NT, Youtube: OT and NT, Vimeo)

During the video, the narrator illustrates a pictorial guide to the book being covered.  Here is an example of the finished product for the book of Genesis.

The plan takes about 15-20 minutes each day for Bible reading and each summary video is about 8-10 minutes. Most books have one summary video, but a few of the longer books such as Genesis or Romans have two. (Towards the end of 2017 I started reading out loud rather than silently, and I found that this practice helps me slow down, focus, and read more meditatively.)

Since it can be hard to stick with a reading plan once life gets back to full speed after the holiday break, here are some tips. First, I recommend doing the plan with someone. Leanna and I both did the plan in 2017 and towards the end both of us benefitted from each other’s encouragement to stick with it. Second, if you get behind you can catch up by listening to the Bible while you drive, do housework, etc. There are a number of ways to listen to the Bible for free, including the Bible.is app.

Here is another example of the Bible Project's helpful pictorial guide, this one for the books of 1 John - 3 John.

Finally, here are some extra tips to make the most out of your reading. First, the Bible is a complex book that can be challenging to read! To help guide you as you read, I recommend using a reading aid such as a study bible (e.g., the ESV Study Bible) or How to Read the Bible Book by Book. These resources will point out what you should be looking for as you read. In addition, before you read each book, it is a good idea to read a short description of the book as can be found in a good study bible or a Bible dictionary (e.g., the New Bible Dictionary). This will help you get “the lay of the land” before you start reading, understanding things such as literary genre, relationship to other books, etc.

May the Lord bless your bible reading in 2018!

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Fall 2017

Here is a little bit of what we've been up to this Fall.  It has been a full and busy season including a few bouts of sickness and quite a few batches of cookies.  

 Enoch has been loosing his teeth, left and right.  He now has 4 gaps.  :)

Karis has been overseeing the kitchen work.  She loves to help stir, throw away the trash, and watch the food rise in the oven.  

 We are still potty training... Obviously my girls have learned the importance of the potty, since they added one to baby Jesus' nativity scene.

 We've gone on a few walks.  Now that the days are shorter, we do most of our walking around lunchtime, and I miss our evening walks!

 Alaythia has begun doing a little "school" alongside Enoch now sometimes, and she really enjoys it!  

 We've tried pig-tails (Alaythia much prefers for her hair to hang down in her face though.  haha)

 Zoe has done a few braids now that her hair is getting longer.  

 Enoch has begun learning how to sew (this is his sewing kit that Granny sent him).  I'll post more pictures soon, but he is doing a great job both hand sewing and machine sewing simple things.

 We put up our nativity calendar and began reading the story of Jesus' birth.

We took quite a few library trips too.  Enoch has his own library card now that he's 6, so we can check out double the books!

 We've had a few fires in the ole fire pit while Hugh grills.

 Zoe has learned how to pick up her food with her fingers and eat independently.

 We've done some park playing on sunny days. 

 And some dirt box digging.  In this one, Enoch dug a hole, filled it with water, and built a bridge.  The girls got thoroughly messy in the process, but it was fun.  

Just about the time it turned cool in MS, we took a week-long trip to Houston, TX.  The kids and I enjoyed the big city life and the beach at Galveston while Hugh went to work meetings.  It was a fun trip, and our kids are always asking to go back!  (They must have forgotten how long the drive was!)

 Enoch, Karis, Alaythia, me, and Zoe in the carrier (that's her head peeking over my shoulder)

Lastly, we did the pumpkin patch (two times).  We love going out to and enjoying a fun morning there, and this year we took 2 sets of grandparents there and bought a handful of pumpkins (one of which made a delicious pie).  

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Enoch turns 6

We have a growing little boy on our hands... and he is officially 6 years old now!  I'm not even sure how to do a complete update post for Enoch,  but I'll at least give it a go.

First, for a few facts.  Enoch has lost 3 teeth, he wears a size 6 clothes and a size 12 or 13 in shoes.  He has daily chores, mainly in the morning, of unloading the dishwasher, feeding/watering the dog, and emptying the compost bucket.  He often also vacuums, helps fold/put away laundry, and mops the tile floors. Enoch and I do homeschool 4-5 days per week, usually while the girls nap, which ends up being good quality time for us.  Right now we cover Reading, Math, Handwriting, and Critical Thinking in school.  This Fall we technically consider him being in first grade (though we've been doing homeschool for quite awhile now), and that has opened up a few new opportunities for him.  First of all, he is playing flag football with a group of other 5-7 year old boys once a week.  Secondly, he began participating in the big boys' Sunday school class at our church (6-12 year olds), also once per week. And lastly, he has been engaged with a group called Trail Life, which focuses on building character and doing outdoor activities like camping (similar to Boy Scouts).   All of these additions have gone smoothly, and we've enjoyed seeing Enoch easing into new roles and relationships.



Now, for some random yet important things that I want to remember... Every morning the first thing Enoch does is climb in my lap and snuggle in the rocking chair.  He loves being read aloud to, and especially if you will rub his back or his arm while doing so (I think his strong love language is definitely physical touch).  When he has free time, Little Man enjoys building Legos (we have a block room pretty much devoted to them), creating in the school room with paper, glue, markers, scissors, rope, sticks, pipe cleaners, etc, playing outside, riding his bike, reading books, playing guitar, or helping me/Hugh with a project.

The three big kids get along pretty well when they're engaged with some task or fun activity, especially if it's outside.  Here are some specific details about relationships:  Karis is kind of like Enoch's little buddy.  They used to sit beside each other in the car, which bonded them quite a bit, I think.  He loves helping her care for her babies and laughing at her stories and dancing with her.  When she cries at night or throws a fit, he's usually the first one to come and try to cheer her up or figure out what's wrong.  Enoch loves riding bikes with Alaythia, having concerts with her, and reading alongside her.  They are both very similar (voices, reactions, strong-headed-ness, etc.), which means that they are either best friends or worst enemies.  :)  Enoch is still quite enamored with baby Zoe (6 mos old now).  He loves to make her laugh... all the time.  He is always willing to hold her, and he begs to help change her diaper and get her ready for bed.

Here are a few photos and videos to show what life with our Little Man is like these days.

Birthday morning snuggles

 

Birthday morning baking 

 Birthday cake decorating

And blowing out the candles (warning, it's a little loud at the beginning!):

Here's a poem Enoch memorized in school about being six.  It is titled "Now We Are Six" by A.A. Milne, and you can find the words here.  (He memorized it while writing in out for his handwriting practice.)

 

 Birthday lego set (he picked out this street sweeper/excavator combo, but here the machine hasn't been put together yet.)

 Reading with Alaythia while Daddy works on something in the car

Duck mask (he has also been into a creative/crafting spell lately where he makes masks, flags, pictures, and lots of other things) 

Our homeschool group has a Fall sports program that he participated in this year.  This is half of the little boys group, practicing flag football.  Enoch is the little boy in the green shirt on the far right. 

 Playing guitar

Enoch still loves to sing and play music, especially when he has an audience!

 We just got some kid knives, and he just loves cutting up our fruits and veggies that we eat for snack and lunch, which is a double win because it really does help me!

 Craft time with Alaythia at CFA.  We don't do this often because it is often crowded and crazy, but they both really enjoyed making crowns.

 Cutting and reading during school.  (We use All About Reading, and it has worked very well for us so far!)

 At the refuge with the girls.

 Enoch has a few Where is Waldo books in the car, and he loves reading them while we drive.

 More school stuff... Here he was showing me how to make 10 with addition using his blocks (1+8+1=10 or 5+5=10, etc.).  We use Math-U-See, and we both love it!!

 Dressing up in his Fall clothes.

 Loving on Zoe after her bath (he loves baby Zoe so much!)

Another one of his creations.  I love seeing glimpses of his theology being formed: "God is good." 

Shopping with Alaythia

And, if you're still here, then you're in for one last treat.  This is Enoch's favorite poem (so far), and he loves to quote it!  It is called "Wind on the Hill" by A.A. Milne.  (He also memorized this one by writing it out during school.)

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Zoe Faith at 4 months

Little Zoe is doing well and continues to grow!  At her four month check up, she was 11 pounds, 5 ounces and 23.5 inches long.  She loves to be around people, and she especially enjoys it when Enoch plays with her.  At this point, she tracks toys well with her eyes and can grab them when they are within reach.  Zoe is quick to smile at people when she's engaged, and she laughs when tickled.  The big girls like to hold her in their laps and give her toys.  She's very adept at rolling both ways now, though she does still fuss sometimes if she feels like she can't get off her belly.  The only other time she usually fusses is when she is over-tired or lonely.  Also, Zoe's favorite two places to be are either: in my lap/on my hip, or in the floor with Enoch playing with her.  She just loves to laugh and squeal when he pays attention to her, and he honestly does a very good job of being gentle and fun when he engages her (which is so, so sweet for my mama heart to witness).

Eating & Sleeping:  We haven't started her on solids yet, and she is still nursing around 10 times per day (with 3 of those at night).  Her naps have settled down into a shortish morning one (45 min - 1.5 hours) and a long afternoon one that corresponds with the big girls nap (~ 2-3 hours, but sometimes she needs to nurse in the middle).  We put her to bed around 7:30 or 8:00 at night and she typically wakes up around 6:30 or 7:00 am (with a few night time nursing sessions in between).  When we put Zoe to bed, she typically nurses and then gets laid down either asleep or very groggy with a paci.  As you can see in the photo below, we also transitioned out of a swaddle blanket a few weeks ago, and now Zoe sleeps in a little sleep sack.

Hair & Skin Care:  Zoe loves taking baths, especially kicking in the water!  We are continuing to use coconut oil in her hair once per day after misting it with water and de-tangling it with a pick.  As long as I'm gentle and slow, she doesn't mind this process, and I just love seeing how her locks keep getting curlier (I always wanted a kiddo with curly hair!).  I also use the coconut oil on her skin anytime it looks dry.

Other Daily Life:  Zoe is regularly in some type of wrap.  The picture below was of her first time in the Ergo carrier, which I think she liked (she certainly took a good cat nap in there while I made lunch, anyway).  This is the only way I can make it to the grocery store or out to run errands, but she gets fussy/squirmy if I have to bend down and do something for a few minutes. (I also still use the ring sling with her quite a bit.)

Sometime during this fourth month Zoe learned how to insert her paci.  Now she technically can't always find it, but if she can get her hands on it, then she usually either chews on it or sucks it like normal.  Additionally, just this past week, Zoe definitely found her voice.  She has been babbling quietly for awhile now, but all of a sudden she has started talking louder, yelling some, and even shrieking (in excitement) sometimes.  This has been a harder transition for me than you might expect (given that we always have a loud/active house) because my mind is having to re-adjust to her new noises and discern which are happy noises (most of them) and which are "help me" cries.  It probably sounds crazy, but I really have had to take some time to get used to these new louder talks by reminding myself that she's not hurt or sad... she's just more excited these days.

Cloth diapers:  Now that we are well out of baby-bootcamp, I've also started using cloth diapers on Zoe.  I use a combination of prefolds with a snappi & cover as well as pocket diapers.  I usually use a disposable liner to catch solids, but since Zoe only poopies once every 5-7 days, I don't need them too often.  Cloth diapering does take a bit more work, but this has honestly been the easiest transition into cloth for me because the big girls are still going through a lot of underwear with their potty training. (I've been doing a load of cloth/underwear every other day.)  

Here are some more Zoe smiles:

her 4 month photos with her little lamb

(attempting to eat the blanket, ha!)

Baby girl loves her bumbo (it's a different brand technically) because she gets to be right in the action during meal times.

And a classic pic of Karis checking in on her (both big girls love to keep tabs on Zoe and tell me anytime she cries, goes to sleep, loses a toy, etc.).   :)

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