Writing the Word--My Devotional Experiment

My friend Anna asked women to join her in a one-month Scripture writing schedule. I did, for the month of July. Here are some of my thoughts and conclusions about copying the Bible as a devotional exercise.

Cons

Can there be any cons about Scripture study of any kind? Not really! My biggest problem was actually doing it. I constantly found myself behind and catching up later. It was hard to carve out extra time every single day to sit and write with a pen in my hand.

Pros

• It’s the nature of the Bible itself, the only living book in the world. For the word of God is quick (Old English for “alive”), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
• By writing the passages, I had to slow down. This is good for meditation (thinking about the Word of God).
• When I wrote the sentences out, I was struck with repetitions. A lot of the passages—all were in Psalms—are written in a poetic mode, and repetition is one of the stylistic ways that God makes a point. I ended up circling and boxing different repeated themes.
• As a result of my marking my writing, I was able to make mental lists. This helped me ingest the Word. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103).
• It also helped me carry the Word with me through the day—the whole point of personal devotions. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97). But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psalm 1:2).

Personal Conclusions

1. I felt like the passages on the schedule I used—usually only three or four verses—were very short for one day’s meditation and disciplining one’s self to sitting down and writing.
2. I would have liked for the passages not to have been jumbled up. For example, I noticed I copied part of Psalm 23 one day and another part of it about a week later. It would have made more sense to do verses 1-3 on the first day and 4-6 on the second, to get the whole passage in context. There were other passages that were similarly broken up. One of the ways we understand the Bible is from its context.
3. Writing out Scripture is an excellent way to actually see and retain what you read. I would love to see it used in an in-depth Bible study. The passage to be studied could be written out, and then the study can guide people through circling, highlighting, etc. the verses, so they can easily see the themes of the whole passage. I know a few Bible study methods use something similar, but the people don’t write the passage out themselves at the beginning.
4. One of the drawbacks of writing the Bible is that many people only use computers and phones today. Others might not write at all. (Several of my friends don’t write, since they didn’t have the opportunity to go to school.) So, there are a few limitations to this method.

Was it a blessing to write Scripture? Absolutely! Would I do it again? Yes! Would I maybe change things up? Again, yes!

If you want to get more out of your devotions, try it. Take familiar passages, like Psalm 1, 19, 23, and 100 to begin with. See for yourself how much you retain and how you begin to see themes and repeated words. You’ll begin to meditate on God’s Word throughout the day.

Try it today!

(A big thank you to Anna. You are an example to me.)

Fiction Review: Always Watching

Always Watching, by Lynette Eason is the first of four novels in her Elite Guardians series. It kept me up at night, flipping pages to find out what happened next. I love it when a book so captivates me!

The story begins with Wade’s stalker showing up at a dinner. She’s jealous of the woman he has with him, and the reader learns she’s capable of killing.

The book quickly shifts to here and now. Madelyn McKay has been assigned to tail Wade. She’s part of a team of bodyguards, headed up by Quinn. She knows her stuff, and she’s ready. Except that the stalker is one step ahead of them. Madelyn gets a dart in her and her throat cut. She’s barely alive when the emergency crew gets to her.

Soon, Wade walks out of his work into a darkened parking lot. He senses a presence. He, too, is poisoned with a dart . . . and taken to the hospital.

Wade is the father of a precocious twelve-year-old, Amy. When he recovers enough to go home to his spacious estate, he finds out that his father had hired the bodyguards. Amy suffers from anxiety attacks, and Wade will protect her at all costs. He isn’t happy with the bodyguard detail and wants to live his life as normally as possible, even if it puts him in danger.

Until they almost get Amy.

Always Watching is full of action, to put it lightly. Though I guessed the identity of stalker, I didn’t figure out her accomplice until just before it was revealed. There’s a little bit of realistic romance, and a lot of action. No graphic violence, no kissing (except light pecks on the cheek and forehead), and no bad language. This book is strongly Christian from the very beginning.

Besides a compelling plot—who doesn’t want to catch a stalker?—I enjoyed getting a thorough education about what bodyguards do, how they secure an area, and how they advise their clients. Even though Wade doesn’t always take their advice, he becomes more aware of why they do what they do—and that the consequences are literally as important as life and death.

Most of this novel is about Olivia, one of the bodyguards in the group, and her interaction with Wade and his family. It’s fascinating how the author develops the characters. I think you’ll want to read this one!

Five stars.