Bible Reading + Focus

Knowing your learning style(s), and ways to help yourself learn, is SO important. I cannot stress this enough. It took until college for me to learn some aspects of how I learn best. And I find I’m continuing to learn new strategies to help improve my ability to learn all the time! For example…

I am a slow reader. Like, REALLY slow. My brain insists I read every.single.word. The idea of “scanning” a book makes my skin crawl. Many times, over just as many years, I have tried to read the bible all the way through. But my slow reading, and distractible brain, usually had me throwing in the towel by the end of January. Last year I tried to set up accountability partners and use an awesome reading app. But again, for a variety of reasons including my slow reading, it didn’t last long.

However, this year has the potential for a very different outcome!

A lovely lady from our church, who I just “friended” on social media recently, shared about an app. This one caught my attention immediately… it was a “read through the bible in a year” as usual. But this one is an AUDIO bible.

I am 100% an auditory learner. Anything I need to learn/memorize needs to be auditorily inputted into my noggin. In college, grad school and now with all the trainings and speaking engagements I do – it’s all auditory based. You’ll always see me with headphones in the week(s) leading up to the presentation, as I listen to the material over and over again. So an audio bible through the year? YES!

I also love it because it means Pip is hearing it too! Some days I’ll play it while I make breakfast or while we eat lunch. If it is a really busy day, we listen in the car as we drive between social engagements and appointments. I read a lot, but mostly on devices. Which means Pip doesn’t see me holding a physical book… for all he knows, I am back on social media again. (insert mom guilt here) So listening together to an audio book is really great for the both of us. And really, what better book could we be listening to?!

The narrator is dynamic, there is background music… overall it is REALLY well put together. Which my brain truly appreciates. I can’t recommend it enough. However, I realized I needed something to do with my hands when listening in the early morning or late in the evening all by myself. I fidget – I do not sit still very well AT ALL. So sitting and just listening wasn’t working. I found myself mentally “checking out” – which isn’t what I wanted when reading the bible! So, I was talking to a friend over the weekend about what to do. I love the new “grown-up coloring books” and have a very nice one, with beautiful pencils gifted by the hubby. I’ll often color in the evenings after Pip is in bed. But carrying those with me at all times wasn’t really realistic. But, as the saying goes, there must be an “app for that!”

Sure enough, I found some great apps for adults to “color”! I gave one a try today and it worked wonderfully! I filled in a nice simple mandala while truly listening to readings in Genesis, Proverbs and more. This specific app is Colorfy, but there are many available!

So overall my message is this – there are some great apps to help you obtain some new goals this year. For me, it’s reading my bible more with even more focus. And these are what work for me right now. Saying a prayer I last longer than January for a change. And if not? Then I will give myself an extra helping of forgiveness and grace… then try again!

-Tara