Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Quiet Time: Using the Everyday Matters Bible for Women

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my new blog! I would like to dedicate my first post to my new Everyday Matters Bible for Women by Hedrickson Bibles. I purchased this Bible at Barnes and Noble a few months ago because of the reviews I read on its amazing devotional material. I bought it with the intentions of using it for my morning bible study, but I was overwhelmed by everything it had to offer!



This particular bible is in the NLT translation and highlights 24 spiritual disciplines in its supplemental content. From acceptance to worship, many different facets of our spiritual walks are discussed in articles throughout the bible. 

I was overwhelmed initially because I had idea where to begin! I wanted to grow spiritually, but I was having trouble picking a topic and really getting everything out of it that I could.

I decided to develop a system to help me get everything I could out of my morning study time with this bible. I began by cutting out strips of paper with each of the spiritual disciplines written on them. These slips were folded and put into a container, and each week, I draw a new discipline out. Let's say that this week I picked outreach! Each morning of this week I will read 2 or 3 of the articles and matching scripture associated with the topic of outreach. I will journal about the articles and write down how I can apply what I have read to my day. Doing this in the morning is refreshing as it reminds me of His greatness and helps me to reflect on what I have learned throughout the day. At the end of each week, I summarize the key points and write down quotes and verses that are related to the topic but weren't referenced in the articles. This has been a very helpful way to use this Bible! I have found myself less distracted and have been to get so much more out of my morning study time because I am more focused and have a specific topic/goal in mind.

In terms of organization and a system for morning study using this Bible, I have color coded each of the spiritual disciplines to help find them easier. I used highlighters and post it flags to mark the related scripture and where the discipline can be found from the outside of my Bible. 



I was inspired by the Virtue Training Bible to create a color coded reference page for the front of my Bible. Each discipline has a specific color tab and a certain location on the outside of the bible where its tabs can be found. I typed it up in MS Word, but even just a list in the front of your Bible or in your journal will do.



I hope this is helpful for this interested in refreshing their quiet time with The Lord. I have grown so much by using this Bible to enhance my understanding of the scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

3 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this. How clever and creative to use post it flags. Just this morning, I was toiling with marking the edge of my pages with a colored pencil or marker. Let me tell you, it's time consuming trying to make it neat. That way, when you bend the pages, all of the colors show when you looking for a topic. But to cut down on all of that time coloring, I will use the post it flags.

    I love your spin on the Child Training Bible. I have that one and the Virtue Training Bible. I think I might implement that as well for a secondary bible.

    The spiritual discipline box is awesome as well...will be using that too! You have some really great ideas for quiet time. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  2. I noticed that you used the clear, arrow post it flags and not the ones recommended with the Child Training Bible. Do you remember what brand you used that offered so many different colors? Thanks!

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