When you grow up in a small town in the South, church is a main staple in life. My little town was so small that the only time we had a traffic jam was when a tractor was taking up both lanes of the street going through town. True story. And it doesn’t excuse you from being late to school either.
I bet you remember being at church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday too if you grew up in a similar kind of small town. Church was the place to be. I wish I could say that our love for God and his Word drew us there. But let’s be truthful… for kids, it was a matter of “mama said” and we knew all our friends would be there too because their mamas said.
Our church was right slap in the middle of town and right in between the one-way that ran north and the other that ran south. No matter where you were headed, you would have to go out of your way not to pass the church. So, on any given Sunday AM, PM, or Wednesday night, the town knew if you were there or not.
You would think after spending that much time at church (not to mention the extra choir practices, youth events, or lock-ins) you’d know the Bible inside and out. For me, sorely, that was not the case. I did know the stories, the names, and even most of the books of the Bible, but they were all siloed. It was like all the bits I knew were stored in their only individual memory boxes.
I understood the most important part and, likely, the only bible verse I’d committed to memory when I left for college, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Now, I’m about to get real open and honest with you…
As for the Trinity, I knew them, but I in no way had a clear understanding of them.
I knew the Old Testament and the New Testament but had no idea how they related to one another. I just knew one was before Jesus and the other was after.
And the meta-narrative? I’d never even heard that word until just a few years ago.
I do want to clarify that I don’t blame my church or all the (extremely patient) moms who volunteered to teach and lead us all those years. I know there were quite a few factors to consider how or why I missed so much.
Maybe, it was because I’m the complete opposite of a history buff. I always stank at putting historical timelines, people, and places in order. It could be (or is likely) that I was a social butterfly who missed those key tie-ins to the lessons because I was busy taking advantage of the opportunity to visit with friends. Or, maybe I was focusing on everything I felt like I was being told I couldn’t or shouldn’t do, rather than learning about all the good that comes from having a better understanding of my faith and a relationship with God.
Whatever the reason, the good news is I survived! Apparently, I had enough Jesus and a strong enough support system of believers to make it through college and beyond. Thank goodness!
It wasn’t until many years later when we moved to our little corner of Louisiana and joined our church that little by little things started clicking. Maybe it was maturity. Or timing. But I started realizing there was a lot more there than I ever realized, and over the years that “Mama said” drive behind me getting myself to church and in the Bible turned into straight-up desire to understand more.
Nearly three years ago, I was talking on the phone with my best friend from college. She told me that she was about to finish reading the whole bible in one year. I was shocked! Two things actually jolted me. One: how was I just hearing about this?! Two: That seems so hard, and I knew her schedule so when on earth did she have the time to dedicate to it?!
That was the moment The Bible Recap entered my life. If you’re not familiar with it, I just pulled this from their website…
“The Bible Recap offers short daily recaps of God’s Word—explaining the challenging parts and connecting the dots to help you develop a deep friendship with God.” (www.thebiblerecap.com)
I looked into it, but honestly, I took a few months to wrap my head around it. It just seemed so big. And since I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of girl, I didn’t want to jump into something I didn’t think I’d finish. It just seemed like a crazy big commitment.
To my surprise, I jumped in on January 1st. I told myself I’d give it a shot and not give myself a hard time if I fell behind.
To my surprise, again… I finished reading (listening actually) through the whole bible on Dec. 31st of that year! What?!
Can I tell you?… ALL. THE. DOTS. They started connecting!! The Bible Recap (TBR) helped connect everything I’d been learning for years in new ways, and I finally, fully understood the meta-narrative at 41 years old!
Now, three years later, I’m in the last half of finishing the whole bible for the 3rd year in a row. What can I say? It’s part of my day. It’s become a habit, and considering I’m quite positive I’ve created more bad habits than good… I’m pretty proud of this one.
I feel like the host of the recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble, and I have become friends that talk daily. She’s funny, so smart, and does a great job of breaking things down for people like me who clearly need it. (I mean, hello??… 41 years old. Seriously though.)
As I’ve looked back at the shift that’s happened over 2024, TBR is absolutely part of it. I did start it in 2023, but the 2nd year was different. I already knew I was up for the (almost) daily practice, so this time around it all just started syncing in more.
I was soft, fertile ground by this point, and everything started sprouting and connecting even more that second year through the Bible. This new foundation of God’s Word in my spirit felt like it was fueling so many other parts of life, and I was loving it!
If you have a feeling that there’s got to be something more, or if you’ve realized that the ways you’ve been doing life just aren’t quite cutting it, you should check it out.
There’s something to understanding the bigger picture of library of stories in the Bible. I’m guessing you‘ll be completely blown away like I was by what all becomes clearer to you through the lens of this new habit.
This is a great starting point if you’d like to see what it’s about. https://www.thebiblerecap.com/start
