So, I’m reading 2-4 chapters a day. My approach looks like this:
Wake up.
Shower.
Get Dressed.
Brew Coffee. (Keurig and Folder’s Black Silk)
Open computer and web browser to ESVbible.org.
Open Bible and reading plan.
I try to remember to ask the Holy Ghost to teach me… sometimes I forget and ask once I’m stumped on something!
Start reading…
Once I’m reading, I start writing notes in my Bible and expanded notes in Evernote on my computer. (I sort my notes by book (Romans, Acts, Genesis).
If I don’t understand something, I read it over and over… If it never clicks, then I write down my questions in Evernote. Sometimes I underline or circle in red ink… this will remind me down the road that I didn’t understand at one point.
I look for important words like but and therefore and since.
I also try to look up names and place in the original Hebrew or Greek… there is probably something wonderful hidden inside those names. God’s book is extremely well crafted… it has tons of treasures to be found. God makes Shakespeare sound like a 2-year-old.
If something doesn’t make since or strikes me as contrary to the rest of the Bible (and sometimes things can read like they don’t fit) I hit the original language and some commentaries. (This is my private time, not sermon research… just want to fan the flame!)
Usually I walk away with a handful of illumination… seeing things in a brand new way.
I also send questions, comments and discoveries to my mentor… I want to know if it agrees with his spirit.
It might sound like a lot, but it really isn’t… this is SIMPLE stuff.
It can take no more than 30-minutes… but it can also take a long time if you let it.
List of my currently-in-use Bible reading resources:
Uni – JetStream Pens. These are the first good Bible pens I’ve ever used. I have always preferred pen over highlighter, but stopped using them due to the mess.
Sharpie Accent Highlighters. These highlighters don’t smear… they’re great.
ESVbible.org – I use this with this $12 plugin called Greek Tools.
BlueLetterBible.org - I use this to look up all the Strong’s numbers I’m interested in.