“For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 32:47 ESV
This blog post will be about reading the Bible, train trips and cookies.
A few years ago, I read the Bible for the first time. I mean the entire Bible. Ever since I was a little girl, I had made attempts, but this was the very first time in my life that I read the entire Bible through. According to my YouVersion Bible app, I completed that whole-year reading plan on December 31, 2022. Profound is the best way to describe the impact that reading the Word of God has had on my life. You can read more about that here. Long time blog readers will know that I rely heavily on the Bible app and between my cell phone screen and the narrated version, I completed the Bible. I enjoyed that, so I did it again. I have become accustomed to this and crave reading through the Bible in a relatively short span of time.…or listening, because I’ve still never actually read the Bible through on paper!
This past year, I have been more and more convicted to turn away from the screen and return to pen, paper and bound print. Conversations I have had, especially those with my fellow blogger and co-host of Trustworthy Podcast, Mary Beth, have encouraged me to seek more face-to-face interaction with people and the written Word. Even as I write this blog, I’m using my handy talk-to-text on my phone, and we will all be reading it on some type of device. I don’t know, dear readers, if I’m going to be able to get away from my digital world!
Traveling by train this past summer, I kept a handsome leather “traveler’s notebook” to record my journey and experiences. The feel of that leather book in my hands and the beautiful pages beckoned my mind to wander into the thoughts my pen wrote with joy. Out of this experience and the desire to return to the written word, I had decided that I wanted to do my Bible reading using a physical Bible. My well-loved personal-sized KJV Bible that was given to me in 4th grade by my grandmother no longer retains all of its pages, so I asked for and received a personal Bible for Christmas. I envision a romantic picture of myself on the train; holding my beautifully bound Bible, savoring God’s words as more of my beloved America floats by outside my window. (I have two trips scheduled for myself this year and while I don’t know how much reading I will get done on the train; I will definitely be boarding with the Word of God in hand!)
And yet, New Year’s Day came and went, and I still hadn’t started my paper Bible reading, so I began listening to the Bible again. I made great progress while hiking on those first cold blustery days of 2026, but I feel like I’m cheating myself of my dream.
Insurmountable, overwhelming… Those words and my lack of follow through in the past come to mind as I ponder the thought of reading it. Community is everything when it comes to accountability, and I was so pleased that our entire church is being challenged to read through the Bible this year. I am grateful to have had church friends reach out to include me in accountability groups.
One time when my son was little, we faced a situation that seemed overwhelming; we didn’t quite know how to approach it. I shared with him the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” He enjoyed using that phrase and much to his delight, I purchased a cookie cutter to make him elephant sugar cookies. Once I’d added blue royal icing, I said “Here you go, eat your elephant!” We still refer to large problems as elephants!
I encourage you, dear reader, to give it a try. No matter which way you decide to approach this challenge…listening, reading, solo, in a group…it is true that these words are spirit and life.
And remember, if you feel overwhelmed by reading the entire Bible in one year, or even at all, just remember, you can do it… one bite at a time!
“And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV
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ABOUT THE BLOGGER:
Sarah Flowers lives in idyllic Chadds Ford, where she is steeped in beauty and connection to the land and its history. She loves coffee and flowers and getting to know Jesus. A lifelong learner, she seeks to follow God’s plan to bring hope to His children. Sarah is a self-declared serial optimist and melodiphile; there’s always a path to the sunny side and a soundtrack for the journey! She is a mom and wife and a grateful alumna of Northwood University. Her former iterations include automotive professional and shoe diva. Sarah is one of the co-hosts of the podcast Trustworthy and is “most likely to ride bikes in the woods!