They say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over again expecting different results.  I know some of us feel this way about spending time in God's Word. There might be a desire to make a habit of Bible reading and prayer but just don't get around to it or you do it for a while (maybe because you feel like you should) but it just doesn't stick.  It can seem like you're trying the same things over again and not seeing any different results. Perhaps it's time to try something different.

This year at Trinity we are wanting to focus on growing as committed followers of Jesus based on the model of Jesus’ original disciples.  In the Gospels, we are told that the disciples were with Jesus— they heard him teaching, they saw him heal, they ate with him. The more time the disciples spent with Jesus the more they got to know him, which changed their lives and ministry.  The best way for us to spend time with Jesus is by being in his Word which we believe shows us the person of Jesus and helps to shape us into the people Jesus calls us to be.

Many of you have a consistent Bible reading and prayer time that works for you… that is fantastic! Keep it up! Others of us struggle to maintain consistency in the Word or just don’t take the time at all.  Here are two things that I have tried recently in my devotional life just as a way of changing things up a bit to keep God’s Word fresh in my life.

1. Dwell app: This app is a audio Bible that is packed full of features. There are preset Bible reading plans, some as short as a week and others span a full year.  Other options include listening to entire books at a time or listening to readings about a particular topic. Currently, I’m doing the Job 7 day reading plan. What I appreciate about an audio Bible is that I can soak in God’s Word as it is read over me. This is fantastic if you are running, working around the house, or sitting in a tractor!
   The app is free to try for a week but does cost $40/year after that.  There are lots of other audio Bible apps available (many are free). Try different ones out and see what works for you.
   Download the Dwell app: iPhone
   Download the Dwell app: Android
   
   
2. Reader’s Bible: I bought a copy of this version of Scripture a few months ago.  The text is the same as any other Bible but it does not contain chapter or verse numbers and the text is laid out in one column similar to any other book.  At first, I thought it was a little gimmicky but I quickly realized how much I paid attention to my progress by measuring verses instead of actually immersing myself in the story.
   This Bible helped me to read God’s Word as a story, whole sections at a time as opposed to just a few verses at a time, which really is how the Word is intended to be read.  
   Buy a copy of ESV Reader's Bible: On Amazon or wherever you buy books!
   
   

I am not suggesting that you buy these things (there are lots of free options available-or just pickup a Bible and start reading!); I merely want you to consider different ways that God’s Word can come alive for you.  Transformation takes place in our lives as we spend time with Jesus in his Word.

Try something different today!

Before coming to Leader, I never really had an appreciation for rain.  Sure, I lived in a region that regularly receives rain, I mean a ridiculous amount of rain.  We're talking somewhere around 170 days of the year where there is measurable precipitation to the tune of 60" (yes, 5 feet!).  When you are inundated by rain, you have a tendency to take it for granted and even complain about it.  But in a place like this where everything revolves around and is dependent on moisture we eagerly await and even long for the life giving rain.  

During this most recent rainfall, I could see people's expressions change.  Even though it was dark and gloomy outside, people were rejoicing in the water falling from heaven.  That got me thinking about our relationship with God.  In many places throughout Scripture, the Lord is referred to as life-giving water, most dramatically in John 7 where He invites, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."  Jesus is repeating the Father's invitation from Isaiah 55:1, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters."

In North America, we are surrounded by a plethora of options with which to encounter God.  There are too many Bible translations to count, churches on every street corner to meet every possible person (for better and worse), and 'spiritual gurus' permeating the media.  We are inundated with access to God.  And yet, it seems that we take God for granted more and more everyday.  

God invites us to come.  To come to Him and drink.  To come to him and receive the Spirit which is the streams that flow out from us.  The invitation is there, we are inundated by it.  Let's not take it for granted; instead, let's celebrate each time the Spirit fills us as we are drawn back to the life-giving relationship with Jesus our Lord.