What's She Reading? - Courtney

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Last week I started a series called "What's She Reading?" were I ask women from different seasons what they are reading for their quiet time and how God is meeting them through it. The following is from my sister Courtney!

"My current Bible reading is one year plan: every day is a few chapters from the Old Testament, a chapter in the New Testament, and a couple of psalms on Sundays. In order to slow down and help me remember what I'm actually reading, I've been using a color coding system of highlighting verses in my Bible. Somehow the act of having kids has given me the attention span of a goldfish, so it would not be uncommon for me to read a couple of chapters, close my Bible, and have no idea of what I just read. But now, I'm looking for certain themes and ideas, and simply by underlining and categorizing them, it helps me so much retain what I've just read!

Here's the system that I've been using:

• Green - The nature and character of God, as well as God's promises

• Blue - My response, commands I need to follow

• Purple - The nature of man

• Pink - Salvation, Redemption, Restoration

• Yellow - The over-arching theme of the book

I am also reading through Mark Dever's book The Message of the New Testament, which has short summaries/commentaries on each book of the New Testament. It has been so helpful to gain a deeper understanding of the themes of each book before jumping in! It also allows me to know how to read with the purpose of the book or letter in mind.

Pretty much the only way I'm guaranteed to get my devotions done is if I wake up at 5am and grab a cup of coffee and my bible, and read in bed. I usually have about 45 minutes before my son wakes up. Otherwise it's during nap time (if I don't fall asleep myself!).

Much like how a mom can tell if her child is tired or getting sick, my husband knows the signs that I need some time to myself; so periodically he will take care of the kid so I can sit by myself in a coffee shop and get some time to read and pray."

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