Recently, I was issued a challenge to devote myself to 15 minutes of prayer and 15 minutes of Bible study/reading each day. Those numbers were the minimum; more are “allowed,” but we call it the 15/15 challenge.

To encourage myself to spend regular time in the Word, I decided to try an exercise I heard about from my friend Sandi, who years ago was encouraged to write out–in longhand–the entire book of Deuteronomy. It took her “a month of Sundays” to complete, but she remembers it positively.

The very act of writing Scripture does two things, besides cramping your hand: it helps you catch each word and phrase instead of glossing over some as is common in silent reading. This leads to insight into phrases that have become so familiar that we often miss details. Writing out Scripture also slows down the reader, increasing general comprehension of the passage and allowing the writer’s mind to mull over the entire passage for a greater length of time.

When I decided to mimic this habit for the summer, I emphatically declined to copy Sandi’s exercise in Deuteronomy. I wanted to succeed at this–or at least give myself a chance to succeed! So I am choosing various passages and chapters from around the Bible. I started with Psalm 1, then went to David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles. I will also tackle the “love chapter” in 1 Corinthians 13, John 1:1-18, and Romans 6:1-14. I may end up copying parts of Ruth since I’ll be leading a study of that book in June/July.

I’d appreciate any other suggestions. Do you have any favorite passages that have encouraged or challenged you? It could be a whole chapter, part of one, long or short…I don’t have to finish it in one day. Send me your ideas!