As part of the editing process of the July 23 issue of TAB, I trimmed the article we ran on page 4 by Susan Lafferty to fit the space.
Her story about how her dad picked Psalm 119 for her to read to him on the day she was super busy made me laugh — and then a few days later on July 23 a similar thing happened to me.
Several weeks prior during a TAB Talks interview with literary agent Bruce Barbour and his wife and author Karen Moore Barbour (who has been sharing her “Got 10 Minutes?” devotions with TAB recently), Bruce inspired me to try something.
He mentioned how Billy Graham would read the proverb that matched the day of the week plus five psalms, which meant he would read through both books each month.
To know which psalms to read, take the day’s numerical date (1, 2, 3, etc.) and multiply it by five to know which psalm is the first of your five to read.
Guess which psalms land in the reading for day 23 of the month?
Yep, 115, 116, 117, 118 and 119. Of course, the longest psalm would show up on the day I was running behind, just like in Susan’s story.
But even more than it being a funny tie-in to what that week’s issue of TAB showcased, I was intrigued by how two different aspects of what I had experienced with TAB played out so close together.
This type of thing actually happens to me all the time. Various topics we’ve covered connect randomly, sometimes on the same week, sometimes a little later, but God uses the content of the paper in so many ways in my everyday life.
The Sunday School lesson commentaries always have several nuggets of wisdom that stand out to me.
Theology 101 keeps me learning and growing in God’s word.
Feature articles give me ideas and opportunities to pray. Some also spark personal memories.
For instance, Brenda Gantt’s biscuits story reminded me of my Granny McCaig and how she spent one summer when I was 12 or 13 teaching me to make her homemade biscuits. Sure wish I had practiced more.
Media Reviews gives us suggestions for the next movie or TV series to watch — or book to read.
The Your Voice spread helps me understand a variety of points of view and expand my own thinking.
News stories help me stay informed with the basic facts so I can comprehend what’s happening without getting distracted with too much emotion or spin.
Page 2 provides a community bulletin board for the publication with various updates.
And page 3 is my weekly chat with you. I always think of you when I’m writing and imagine we are in the same room together, sharing a cup of coffee (or my go-to, hot tea). I hope you feel the same.
When you flip to this page and see my photo, imagine I’m waving hello and sending a hug. That’s how I think about it.
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