# Spending increased time in the bible?



## LeeJUk (Mar 14, 2009)

Well the thing is, is that I have massive amounts of time, and I do love the bible and I love the Lord. Though I find my attention wandering and my discipline to be able to sit and read more than about 5-8 chapters is very bad.

Now of course you may say, 5 chapters is fine, but I actually would love to spend more time in it, I just can't stop myself from wanting to stop 5-8 chapters in.

Any practical advice on how to spend longer times in the bible and keeping engaged in the reading?

If I was able to do it with harry potter when I was 12 I should be able to do it with the Holy, written word of God! 

Thanks


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## Rich Koster (Mar 14, 2009)

What is the setting you read in? Are you comfortable? Is there background distraction?


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## TheocraticMonarchist (Mar 14, 2009)

Two thoughts…

1.)	You have a sin nature doesn’t want you to read the Word of God.

AND

2.)	TV, videogames, and Public School systems improperly train the mind (the ever shortening attention span would be an example). Harry Potter is written for people with an improperly trained mind.

Of course, you know yourself the best, so point 2 may not apply. I agree with Rich Koster though, a distracting environment can be a problem. I would also like to throw in a bad diet. If you eat lots of sugary stuff it’ll mess with you blood sugar level and make it harder for you to concentrate.


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## greenbaggins (Mar 14, 2009)

I absolutely agree with Jonathan on the effect that TV has on attention spans. What I would do is simply disconnect the antenna on your TV. You will be blown away by how little you miss TV. I don't miss it at all. We only use our TV for movies, and even then that's only when we have energy for nothing else. Get rid of the TV. You will find that your attention span will get back to normal. One thing that I have found helpful is to read the Bible with a commentary at hand. That way, when I ask questions about the text, I can have some help. I am engaged then, and not just trying to suck out spiritual devotion.


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## Hamalas (Mar 14, 2009)

Remember, quantity doesn't always equal quality! I would suggest maybe focusing some time on Scripture memorization and systematic, inductive Bible study. That will help you stay focused and also deepen your understanding of Scripture. If you need help finding some good sources I'm sure some people here would have some good ideas. 

Regardless, it is wonderful that you are spending time in God's Word! I will be praying for your continued growth and encouragement in this area.


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## AThornquist (Mar 14, 2009)

TheocraticMonarchist said:


> Harry Potter is written for people with an improperly trained mind.



Man that quote would have been great for that HP thread a little while back.


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## Grymir (Mar 14, 2009)

One thing to do is to alternate reading the Bible with other books. I was a product of the public schools, and the teaching methods used cause exactly what you are describing. Try reading Ayn Rand's "The New Left, The Return of the Primitive". It does a good job of explaining what has happened. It's called the "Anti-Conceptual" mentality. 

Modern reading teaching uses the "look-say" method. It involves seeing the words as units instead of "phonics", which teaches the building blocks of words. The former requires memorizing thousands of words, while the latter around a hundred basic blocks. The practical implications are that your brain requires enormous amounts of processing power to read, making comprehension difficult and especially tiring. So after reading a few pages, your brain is tired.

Just by reading her book has allowed me to read longer with much greater comprehension, because I'm aware of whats going on. And it makes reading exciting again.


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## The Deeps (Mar 14, 2009)

When an issue arises in my heart similar to yours Lee, I will confess that I have no desire to read your word and I am disgusted by my apathy. I will sometimes meditate on the things whatever they are that I desire more than his word and confess to Him that these are all more important to my heart right now. 
I know this may sound simple. But i also know that my heart is open before him already. After this process of horrible confession the lord will generally bring me to the root of the problem (could be one day could be 30) and my conscience is then eased and soothed by a His word again. In order for His word to become the Sword *of the Spirit* God sometimes has to pry it out of my Idolatrous hands so He can do the work needed to examine me.

I have found that my heart is such a liar and it can make the most wicked of things in this world like a god and even the most innocent of things.

I will pray for your thirst for His word if you will pray for mine!


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## christiana (Mar 14, 2009)

Years ago I read the bio of Dawson Trotman who started the Navigators. His motto was 'first word, God's word'. I was struck by the needed discipline to do such a thing and determined I too would start such a plan. I've not veered from it for many years, though it was quite difficult in the beginning years. There were times I would find myself planning a menu as I read scripture and then feel thoroughly disgusted with myself and ask the Lord to narrow my focus and concentration on Him and His word. There were also times while I was still working that I so wanted to just lean over, nod off and catch a few more winks before time to leave for work. I was determined to not be mastered by my 'self' but to offer up this time each day to God and His word. Over the years and especially since retiring it is now no problem at all and the blessings are innumerable! Between 4 and 5 a.m. it is very quiet, no phone rings, no TV is on and no one is stirring. It is a blessed discipline to incorporate into your life that is endless in its benefits and blessings! I highly recommend it to everyone that can possibly adapt it to your schedule.


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## Rangerus (Mar 14, 2009)

On Twitter, I am following a fellow by the name of Nathan Bingham (nwbingham )who added this today:


> Reading: Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System



Professor Challenges Christians To Read 10 Bible Chapters Per Day

Professor Grant Horner teaches at The Master’s University. His specialty is Renaissance and Reformation studies. But he has developed a following for reasons beyond his academic specialty. The reason? He challenges Christians to read 10 Chapters of Holy Scripture daily and provides them with a free plan to do so.

His story and plan can be seen below. Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System


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## forgivenmuch (Mar 14, 2009)

Rangerus said:


> On Twitter, I am following a fellow by the name of Nathan Bingham (nwbingham )who added this today:
> 
> 
> > Reading: Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System
> ...



This looks very interesting. I think I might try it out. The only thing that I am hesitant about concerning it, is that it discourages studying the text. I do believe there is great benefit in simply reading the Scriptures at a steady pace, as it gives you great familiarity with the overall context of the books. However, I am one who has to read slowly and re-read passages to get a good understanding. Typically, if I read something quickly I will forget what I have read. That said, maybe I could incorporate this with another study plan. Thanks for the link btw!


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## GTMOPC (Mar 14, 2009)

I have always found the inductive study method the most valuable. I tried to process whole books for a while before learning a few study methods and always came away tired, bored, and without any real success at learning from the text. Instead I try to focus on small units not more than a chapter. I have gleaned volumes of information this way. Do beware by not studying passages synthetically i.e. in the big picture can lead to erroneous conclusions. Try to be sure the section you are studying is in context with what precedes and follows it. Short of that I think you can maximize your time, eye strain, and success by focusing on a smaller unit and mining it for all it's worth!


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## Theognome (Mar 14, 2009)

You may want to 'start off' with historical books like Acts, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and Chronicles, and the like. They read more like 'road stories', being primarily linear and easy to 'get into the story'. I'm not suggesting this to cheapen the content by any means- but rather as perhaps a way to build a habit of prolonged reading.

Theognome


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## Nebrexan (Mar 14, 2009)

I was going to suggest something similar to what Travis alluded to, and that is to consider going for more depth and less breadth, reading fewer chapters but spending more time in each (looking up cross-references, characters, places, etc.).


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## LeeJUk (Mar 15, 2009)

thanks all 

Yeah I don't have many distractions in the room, no tv coz I don't watch it. 

I have a computer, i suppose that could be part of the problem but I often use that computer to type observations I get out of a text.

I dont eat badly either, e.g. foods high in suger.

I guess its more to do with what Gyrmir is speaking about. During high school my attention span was literally zilch. I couldn't study at all past 1 page.

So I don't really get it Gyrmir, is there ways to increase your attention span and stop it getting so worn out after a few pages like you said? apart from removal of distractions/good diet.


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## Ex Nihilo (Mar 15, 2009)

christiana said:


> Years ago I read the bio of Dawson Trotman who started the Navigators. His motto was 'first word, God's word'. I was struck by the needed discipline to do such a thing and determined I too would start such a plan. I've not veered from it for many years, though it was quite difficult in the beginning years. There were times I would find myself planning a menu as I read scripture and then feel thoroughly disgusted with myself and ask the Lord to narrow my focus and concentration on Him and His word. There were also times while I was still working that I so wanted to just lean over, nod off and catch a few more winks before time to leave for work. I was determined to not be mastered by my 'self' but to offer up this time each day to God and His word. Over the years and especially since retiring it is now no problem at all and the blessings are innumerable! *Between 4 and 5 a.m. it is very quiet, no phone rings*, no TV is on and no one is stirring. It is a blessed discipline to incorporate into your life that is endless in its benefits and blessings! I highly recommend it to everyone that can possibly adapt it to your schedule.



Thank you so much for sharing this. I am having a lot of trouble getting up early, and I needed this advice.


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## LeeJUk (Mar 15, 2009)

Thank you so much for sharing this. I am having a lot of trouble getting up early, and I needed this advice. - ex nihilo

The secret to getting up early is not going to bed early, you just set your alarm to get you up at 9am or so everyday and go to sleep the night before whenever your tired enough.

Sure you may miss a few hours of sleep and be tired the first week or so but you'll adapt to 9am start pretty quickly


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## LeeJUk (Mar 15, 2009)

Well after some reading on the net about attention spans I discovered that they'res basically 2 (may be more though) but 2 kinda groups of people:

People that can concentrate for hours no problem, hyper attentive or something there called

and normal people , and basically adults concentrate on something from about 15-30 minutes without getting bored and then start to lose it. So I read 6 chapters, took 10-15min break, read 6 chapters took 10-15 minute break.

Got through the book of Romans just now. I've already done a personal study on every chapter before now though, so I didn't go too in-depth. I also had MH commentary next to me but didn't read it a whole lot.

So I guess breaking up my reading is really the route for me from now on.

Thanks a lot guys


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## Ex Nihilo (Mar 15, 2009)

LeeJUk said:


> Thank you so much for sharing this. I am having a lot of trouble getting up early, and I needed this advice. - ex nihilo
> 
> The secret to getting up early is not going to bed early, you just set your alarm to get you up at 9am or so everyday and go to sleep the night before whenever your tired enough.
> 
> Sure you may miss a few hours of sleep and be tired the first week or so but you'll adapt to 9am start pretty quickly



This works if you're not a caffeine addict with a necessarily irregular sleep schedule due to extracurricular commitments.

However, I think I might be overestimating how _necessarily_ irregular my schedule is.


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## py3ak (Mar 15, 2009)

Evie, it might work to reward yourself with food. If you eat within minutes of getting up (something healthy, obviously) it might train you to associate getting up early with eating, and that might make you enjoy it.


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## AThornquist (Mar 15, 2009)

py3ak said:


> Evie, it might work to reward yourself with food. If you eat within minutes of getting up (something healthy, obviously) it might train you to associate getting up early with eating, and that might make you enjoy it.



...I have been running first thing in the morning...no wonder I hate getting up!


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## Ex Nihilo (Mar 15, 2009)

py3ak said:


> Evie, it might work to reward yourself with food. If you eat within minutes of getting up (something healthy, obviously) it might train you to associate getting up early with eating, and that might make you enjoy it.



I think this might help! Thanks for the suggestion.


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