Last night my wife and I were home alone for the first time in quite some time. \u00a0We ate in our backyard, which has grown to be a forest over the 15 years we\u2019ve been in Seattle. \u00a0With steaks, mushrooms, green beans, grilled onions, and a bottle of wine, we ate together. \u00a0We spoke of the past weeks; graduations, kids moving home, kids moving out. \u00a0We spoke of the future, of our marriage, of growing older. \u00a0The sun sets through the leaves of vine maples, while birds herald the close of the day with their doxology. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t some sort of spectacular evening, but it was very memorable.<\/p>\n
And then there were the rest of the meals since the last memorable one. \u00a0Some of them were taken alone, some on the run, some as a family but without the leisure of lingering. \u00a0You don\u2019t get sunsets, lingering, and marvelous presence and conversation every single time you eat, or at least I don\u2019t. \u00a0Still, we show up at the table. \u00a0We eat, and though it\u2019s not necessarily memorable, good things happen. \u00a0Nutrients are broken down in the digestive tract and absorbed into our bodies, giving us the strength to do all that we do.<\/p>\n
It could be argued that the memorable meals have more value than the forgettable ones, and at a level that would be true. \u00a0On the other hand, try limiting your eating to only those moments when you have the leisure of cooking fresh ingredients, setting a lovely table, and lingering long beyond the last bite, enjoying layers of conversation as the candles burn low and the wine glass empties. \u00a0If I only ate then, I\u2019d never eat, because I\u2019d be dead by now. \u00a0The common meals are vital because they sustain us and make the profound meals possible.<\/p>\n
All of this is important because, as my friend Nancy points out, we need the same mindset when we approach reading the Bible. \u00a0There will be days when our Bible reading is utterly forgettable, sometimes two or more days in a row. \u00a0That\u2019s no reason to quit though, because the truth is that those days have a sustaining effect of which we might not be aware, just like I can\u2019t tell you right now what I had for lunch yesterday, or for breakfast Monday, but I know it was important. \u00a0II Corinthians 3:16-18 tells us that if we just keep showing up, we\u2019ll be transformed. \u00a0The transformation, on any given day, might not be quantifiable, memorable, or stirring. \u00a0It will though, like Monday\u2019s forgettable breakfast, be valuable.<\/p>\n
I encourage you to find a way to add Bible reading to your diet. \u00a0There are resources here<\/a> (for slackers), and here<\/a>. \u00a0365 Days with E. Stanley Jones<\/a> is also a marvelous tool if you\u2019re looking for something very, very simple. \u00a0Whatever you do though, eat, and be sustained, strengthened, changed by the eating. \u00a0Some days will be memorable. \u00a0Most won\u2019t. \u00a0Eat anyway, and you\u2019ll find strength and direction for the adventures to which you\u2019re called.<\/p>\n What are you habits, frustrations, successes, questions, hesitancies, when it comes to Bible reading?<\/p>\n Cheers\u2026<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last night my wife and I were home alone for the first time in quite some time. \u00a0We ate in our backyard, which has grown to be a forest over the 15 years we\u2019ve been in Seattle. \u00a0With steaks, mushrooms, green beans, grilled onions, and a bottle of wine, we ate together. \u00a0We spoke of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coffee-with-god","category-inhaling","category-rule-of-life"],"yoast_head":"\n