Friday, October 28, 2016

November Scripture Writing Plan 2016

Happy, happy, happy almost November!

Once again- thank you from the bottom of my heart
 to those that have emailed me this month to
tell me how much you like these little scripture writing plans!

I try to respond to each email but please know if I don't that I
seriously LOVE hearing stories of how families,
and Sunday School groups, and churches, and friends,
and even prison groups
are working through the plans together.
GOD is so cool how He uses our simple works for HIS good and glory!

Here's the plan for November which is just an updated version
 of last year's since it focuses on Thanksgiving and being thankful.

If you already did the November plan last year,
you might want to.....

  • Do a month you skipped earlier this year. You can find all the plan linked on top right corner of my blog. 
  • Do the November one again, using a different version. If you used NIV, try using the Message. 
  • Do the bonus Kindness plan from last month. You can find it HERE.  




Quick NOTE: When doing the monthly plans (especially the topical ones)
I may occasionally repeat verses- since they are appropriate for more than one topic.
Please know that I work to keep repeats to a minimum
(I actually keep a big old spreadsheet to keep from having too many repeats) 
but occasionally it will happen!

You can find a copy to print out for yourself of the above plan in the folder HERE.

For those that have asked, there is also a blank form 
to write your verses on that can be found HERE

Thanks to a sweet reader named Carolyn, 
you can also find the Spanish version of both HERE.



Another reader asked for a version that was more manly (for her husband) 
so you can also find that version HERE



And I've also added the Spanish plain versions as well!


FAQ's about the plans can be found HERE.


Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Scripture Writing Plans FAQ

I get emails often about my scripture writing plans (which I love!)
and many times the person writing asks questions.
I thought I'd post those answers here in case anyone else had those 
same questions and so that I can reference it in my replies to those sweet writers!


What is the benefit to writing down Scripture?

​I wrote my first scripture writing plan (and all the ones since) for several reasons. For one, it helps me memorize scripture which I so desperately want to do. In Sept 2013 I had brain surgery. ​In the days before and directly after my surgery ​I was so thankful for the scriptures I had memorized because they are what I repeated over and over and over again t​o myself during those scary pre-surgery​ and post-surgery ​pain-filled days. ​For a while after surgery I couldn't read or do anything on a computer or ipad {because it really hurt my head} and so those scriptures I had memorized ​comforted me. Since then I've really worked on memorizing more scripture (because you never know when the ability to open and read your Bible could be taken away)​ and I've found that writing them down really helps me to memorize them. Secondly, I love writing the verses down because it really helps me to think about and specifically focus on a set of scriptures. It's a great time to listen to God's voice and truly only takes a few minutes a day. ​ He never fails to show me exactly what He has for me to learn when I'm writing scriptures and I love finding new bits of truth from a verse I may have read hundreds of times before! ​A sweet reader shared this quote with me and it sums up perfectly how I feel about writing scripture:
“To me, the Word of God is like music. You can listen to the same piece several times and get the melody of it. But to hear the whole sound of it, every instrument, each line, you have to listen several times and pay a lot of attention...the word of God is so beautiful, the more time you spend in it, the more you appreciate it.”
​I did some research and found the quote is from ​​Marek Kaminski​ and is in the book A Year in the Psalms by Brenton Cox. (and Marek's story is pretty neat too!)


How do you develop the plan of which verses are for each day?
​Since I started doing the plans just for myself- and then shared them with others- my approach is different depending on the month. Some months I have a specific theme (Feb. is love, November is Thanksgiving, December is Christmas) that the verses follow. Other months the verses might come from a Bible study I'm doing​ or a loosely based theme (like January is about beginnings and new starts). Other months are just filled with verses God put on my heart to use. I really like the theme months so I've alternated a few months between general and topical plans. I'm also working on adding more topical plans soon!

Why are some verses repeated? 
I simply use the verses that God brings me to. Believe it or not I actually keep a spreadsheet of the verses that I use each month so that I do not repeat too many, too often. But because I've started doing months that are topical- there are definitely some repeats since some verses are perfect for more than one topic. Just know if you see a repeat that it's because they were PERFECT for the topic and that I felt led to use. Please feel free if you see verses that are repeated to substitute with any other verses.

How does scripture writing work? 
There is no right or wrong way to write scripture. You simply copy the verses down in whatever version you prefer. I typically write mine in a notebook in two versions (NIV and the Message) since those are the two that I love. There is just something about writing the verses down that helps us to see them in a new way. I often speak the verses outloud as I write them. 

If you have any other questions please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them!