Well, after being gone for over a week, we are home again! WooT! Yesterday (Tuesday) was our first day home, but it felt like Monday … probably because it was the first day getting back to a “normal” weekday. All day I kept thinking that it was Monday and that the NEXT day was Tuesday, to the point I almost forgot to write this post because I write my Wednesday posts on Tuesday night … so I thought I had another day. Oops! But, since you’re reading this, obviously I caught it in time!
Next week starts the new Wednesday topic of “is there truth, and how can we know what it is?”, but today, as the last in the current “Seek the things above” series, I wanted to tell you about a conversation that Tim and I had while we were driving together on our road trip to Boston last week. Although we never brought up this passage specifically, this is what it was about:
Our desire for our home – for ourselves and our house to serve the Lord … and goals and habits we need to do better about in that realm. Specifically, family Bible study. Tim has personal study that he does, and I have personal study that I do, and we talk about the Bible with our little daughter – but one thing we don’t do enough of is Bible study together. I mean, we have Bible study together when we congregate with other Christians in worship, but we don’t have set aside time for our own family Bible study at home. And that is something we both want to do better about.
We broke down the ways we want to study together in two basic types: topical (where we pick a certain topic, like prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament, etc.) and textual (where we pick a certain section of the Bible, and study that part in greater detail.) So we decided to pick one topical study to do together and one textual … and we set aside some days for more personal study, and some days to study together.
Here is what we picked – for our topical study we will be studying together here in our home the same topic that is also going to be here on the blog on Wednesdays: How can we know what truth is? It is a topic we’ve both studied before, but never studied together, and I’m sure you’ll hear about our discussions here on Wednesdays. :) And for our textual study we are going to be studying the book of Ephesians together.
I am very much looking forward to this! Currently we have various casual/spontaneous conversations together about Biblical topics and such, just from things that come up, but having a set aside time to study the Bible with each other is something that has been missing and that we want to do much better about.
That is one nice thing about road trips – it gives you lots of time to talk together and figure out things you want to improve and do better about. Aaaaand lots of time to be goofy and play road trip games … but that’s a whole other post! ;)
I’d very much enjoy hearing what you are currently studying – whether individually, or with someone else!
Leave a comment below, I love to hear from you. :)
We also just reinstated our family Bible reading time after a series of busy weeks when we got off track. We just started reading the gospel of Luke together. I like the idea of have a topical and a textual study going. Ours is more of of a reading than a study currently, but an actual study is great!
You are also correct about road trips. They provide a great opportunity for talking, playing, and planning;) Glad you are home safely!
thanks!
It was great to see you last week! :D
My husband and I carry a Bible and a book called “the Story” and also carry a book by Dietrich Bonhoffer and when we travel we try to read from them each time we get in the car. It has enriched our lives and helped us to read together during those mundane trips to the store or anywhere we go. We don’t have children at home, which I know makes it easier for us. But that is a great idea!
What a great idea to keep Bibles in the car! I think I’ll have to start doing that with an extra copy. Thanks!
Family Bible reading is important. We need to get back to that.
I’ve got both a textual & topical study going currently: Ecclesiastes (also teaching this in a Bible class at church) and the Bible teaching on civil government.
Both great ones!
I agree it is important and so hard to do. Especially when the parents would each like to read in their native language- then which one do we choose for “family” times? Still figuring this one out with our young kids :) We like to switch back and forth. Blessings!
Ah, yes, that is an interesting issue. But, as you said, switching back and forth can work! :)
We do separate study and then get together to talk about what we have read and written. I guess this works because we are doing a thru the BIBLE series where we are on the same scriptures every day. Blessings on your new venture!
Yes, that is similar to what we’ll be doing … personal separate study on some days, and then discussing together what we studied individually. Thanks for sharing! :)