Walking Where Jesus Walked

Have you ever copied passages from the Bible before? If you are new to it, I think you’ll be surprised with how impactful it will be! On the surface, it sounds deceptively easy to simply copy something that has already been written (see Julie’s comment below!) However, when we stop to truly consider that every word of Scripture is inspired, or “God-breathed”, and that it is all beneficial to teach us, correct us, train us, and equip us (2 Timothy 3:16-17), we will understand that writing the Word is neither simple nor superficial.

“It has helped me to really see what the scriptures actually say and notice things I’ve never noticed before. I have to be honest that I doubted this method of study when I first started because it seemed so simple, but this is the first time in my life that I have really consistently studied and not just read. It’s been a real blessing for me!” Julie Gibb

If you need some serious heart and soul help, writing scripture will help you. If you’re struggling with life’s challenges (and who isn’t?) then writing scripture will help you. If you’re worried about how God really feels about you, writing His word will help you. If you have young (or older) children, writing scripture will help you. If you’re feeling as though you’ve been more influenced by the world lately instead of by the Word, writing scripture will help you. If you feel distant from God, writing scripture will help you. No matter your age, your occupation, or your “level of busy”, writing scripture will help you. If you don’t think you’re smart enough, you’re just wrong about that. If you feel inept or think you lack the skill to do it…you should think again!

“In 2020, my son passed away unexpectedly. I was struggling to interact with God, I just didn’t know how to do it in the face of what happened. That was the first year, I think, you started sharing scripture writing. I tried it, but didn’t finish. The next year, I was a bit stronger and started again. My cup overflowed with what I learned, about God, Jesus, the church…. I was able to pray again. Fast forward to last year, I was able to share what I had been doing with my sisters at our congregation, and we formed a group that meets once a month to discuss our writing. It has changed us in ways we never expected. We are better prepared to give an answer, teach a class, and study deeply any question we have.” Ashley Roberts

            If we will get into it on a regular basis, God’s word will revive us. It will teach us, delight us, comfort us, light our paths, and sustain us. It will be our hiding place and our shield. God’s word is wonderful, convicting, enlightening, empowering, and it brings salvation. With the Word on your fingertips and in your heart, your marriages (and any relationship) will be better. You’ll be better equipped to handle what the world throws at you. Psalm 119 is full of encouragement to put God’s word in our hearts, and writing those words by hand is a beautiful way to do that. The act of writing slows us down and gives us time to meditate on each word. You will see things you’ve never noticed before in passages you’ve read countless times. It’s something you can do if you have only five or ten minutes to quickly jot down, or if you have an entire afternoon to dive deep.

“It has helped me to stay grounded in the word while caring for my elderly alzheimer’s mother that causes me to miss most in person worship (I do go as often as possible and worship online but its not the same as weekly attendance). Focusing on a more deep study on a small group of scriptures and reading others comments encourages me. I never fail to learn something even from scriptures I’ve read a hundred times. Im not rushing to complete but taking time to truly soaking in the words. If I need to stop to help my mom, I can and then resume. Several local friends do this, too! Been doing this from the first and enjoy it more and more each year!” Skye Brown

            This year, I’ve created a companion PDF for kids. If you are a mom or grandmother or children’s caregiver (or really, anyone who has children nearby), you can have them write along with you. Their page will contain a smaller, more manageable section of the same scriptures you’ll be writing, with larger margins and some blank space for drawing. It’s very simple but I think it will be fun to do this with your kids and will hopefully create an opportunity to talk about what you’re both learning, while you do it together. It will be easy to simply print out each day from the PDF, or a week at a time, or however you choose to do it. You could purchase a three-ring binder and a hole-punch, and keep their work together that way – then at the end of the year, imagine their sense of pride and accomplishment, along with their growth!

“I had been looking for some (consistent Bible study) and this definitely met my needs. I love that it is a textual study rather than topical.” Onecia Gibson

            If you are on Facebook, consider joining our group, called “Write On My Heart Every Word”. Each morning, the daily writing is posted, and anyone is welcome to share what they’ve studied. It is always encouraging to see how many others are engaged and interested in what the scriptures say.

“The biggest impact it has had on me is to affirm that every single detail in the Bible is important. Every word. There are no fillers. We can learn something from even seemingly simple sentences. Also a big impact has been the question across the top of the page which asks us to reflect on what the passage teaches us about God. This has helped me discipline my mind to reflect on God and to see His qualities and glory on every single page of the scriptures.” Lisa Morgan

            I’m looking forward to writing through the gospel of John. Why John? We wrote through the gospel of Luke a couple of years ago. We learned about the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. What benefit will there be in writing through another gospel? (Really now, I know there is no one who is doubting the value of this!) While much of Matthew, Mark and Luke is very similar, John’s account is different. John does not tell the story of Jesus’ birth like the other three…but in the very first verse, John plainly and powerfully shows us that Jesus was there “In the beginning”, and that He was “with God,” and that He “was God.” Did you know that there are no parables found in John? John is the only gospel writer who records Jesus turning water into wine, as well as the healing of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Five chapters in John (13-17) show Jesus’ heart, love, and words to the disciples before His death. I can’t help being deeply touched by these words and how they are relevant to me, today. There is so much throughout the book that shows the humanity of those who surrounded Jesus: real people with real feelings and struggles, doubts and sin. The “realness” of these people, and the love that Jesus had for them is both validating and convicting to me. Writing through John will build our faith. If you have friends who are struggling in their faith, John will help build it. If you have friends who don’t know Jesus at all, why don’t you introduce Him to them through scripture writing?

“It has brought a joy to Bible study that I honestly didn’t have before. It helps what I study “stick”. It gives me direction and focus and takes away the “overwhelming” aspect of Bible study. I don’t know that I have explained it well- but bottom line, it is life changing.” Kristy Woodall

“Prior to this group I hadn’t opened a Bible in well over 15 years, likely closer to 20, and I had never considered studying scripture on my own. I’m not overwhelmed and can work at my own pace, all while knowing there is a huge group of Christian ladies I can turn to if needed for guidance. I now make learning and growing closer to God a daily priority, as a result my relationship with God has grown beyond measure.” Ashley Rudolph

After we write through the gospel of John, we will jump into Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. We will see many self-inflicted problems faced by the early church (that many of us still self-inflict) and Paul’s desire to help them overcome. It can be a bit shocking to see what some members of the body of Christ had been involved in (and yes, those things are still happening today)… “but” – they were washed, sanctified and justified in Jesus, like we can be today. And, despite their quarrels, foolishness, and lack of growth, Paul still calls them his brethren – 25 times! Writing through, absorbing, and thinking about these issues and how Paul dealt with them will no doubt be a learning and growing experience for us today.

“I’ve been writing since year 1. Writing is how I would study for tests and has allowed me to absorb so much more than reading ever has. It has given me the confidence to teach a ladies class. And has opened my eyes to how everything connects.” Cindy Sidwell

Then we will finish the year writing the book of Ecclesiastes, and Solomon will show us that there is nothing new under the sun. It has always been interesting to me that a man to whom God gave wisdom was still tripped up by sin and temptation. What can we learn from this man who seemingly had everything that the world could ever want?

On January 1, we will begin with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And on December 31, we will end with “This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.” Writing God’s word every day will have a profound impact on you, if you put your heart into it. Please join me in writing more of God’s word on my heart, and share it with others that you love and care about. I can’t think of a better way to spend a year!

Here are the details and downloads:

If you want to order a book…here are details:

I’d like for you to know that I am not making any money from the sale of these books. I’m not selling scripture writing. It’s very important to me for the downloads to remain free — it is simply the word of God, and I hope that anyone who would like to do it has the ability to do it without having to spend money. You can use your own notebooks, a planner, notebook paper, printer paper – whatever you have on hand.

But if you do want a printed and spiral bound book, your best option is through Jim and Debbie Meinsen and their company, TCI Graphics. They are providing this service at a VERY low cost…so low that I think they are barely covering their costs! They will print on high quality paper and spiral bind it in either one volume ($20) or two (January-June and July-December, $21), or they’ll print it on paper with holes punched for a three-ring binder ($18). Below is a direct link to the order form.

https://www.tcigraphics.com/order-carla-moore-2024

Happy writing, friends! Please share this with others so that they can also have a glimpse into the heart of God. I look forward to seeing what we all learn about the Lord!