Ten Minute Mystic: Reading Scripture Widely

I follow two daily reading plans.  One allows me to read Scripture deeply (see previous post in this series).  The other allows me to read Scripture widely.  I’ve found that I need a time daily to dive deeply into a short text and meditate upon it and apply it to my life.  But I’ve found that I also need time daily to get up to 30,000 feet and keep the big Story of Scripture in mind.  I need to be reminded daily of the major flow of the narrative of the Bible.  That Big Story is what often keeps me centered and reminds me that there’s so much more going on than what I see right now at this moment.

My primary practice for reading Scripture widely actually doesn’t involve reading.  It involves listening.  I keep an audio version of The Daily Bible in my car.  For about ten minutes each work day, as I commute to the office, I listen to the day’s reading.  This particular version presents an Old Testament reading, New Testament reading, Psalm and Proverb. 

By listening for about ten minutes each day, I’m caught back up in the dynamic drama of God’s story.  I get off the runway and back into the clouds.  It helps keep things in the proper perspective throughout the day.

Ten minutes may not make you a mystic.  But it can do a lot more good than you might imagine.

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