I’ve Always Hated Journals..Till Now
The Strategy Behind the Stranger Theology Journal
If you walked into my office, you would see a stack of journals I’ve either bought or received as gifts over the years. You would open them and notice that almost all of them get started and none of them are ever finished.
It could be a “me” thing or it could be a “journal” thing. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s both. You may be like me. The thought of a journal excites you. You get started, but then fall off. The same is true for a Read the Bible in a Year plan. The idea of it is exciting. The possibility of learning and growing in the Word is a true value. But then you get into it, and like around 94% of the people who say they will read the entire Bible in a year—you bounce.
You’re not alone. I’m right there with you.
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself doing my very best to get into a Read the Bible in a Year plan and have it stick. I finally realized that I’ve got things in so many different places I wasn’t able to finish and stay consistent. So I thought, “What if we created a resource where the Bible reading plan and journal were combined?” Now, there are plenty of those out there. So while that solved part of the problem, it didn’t solve the problem of why so many people fail at their reading plan. That’s when I called my friends from Blurry Creatures (Luke and Nate) and asked them if they had ever heard of a Bible reading plan that focused on the strange and cosmic parts of the Bible. They hadn’t, and so we put our brains together to create the:
Stranger Theology Bible in a Year: Journal
Truly one of its kind. Combining the cosmic context of the Bible with the Blurry Creatures podcast, with 12 nerdy theology essays (one for each month of the year), and a way to track your devotional notes every day without missing the supernatural parts of the Bible.
As my doctoral advisor, the late great Michael Heiser, said:
If it’s weird, it matters.
The Strategy Behind The Journal:
We worked hard to create a minimalistic, functional journal that is laid out with intentionality.
Theology Essays - At the beginning of each month, I wrote a theology essay that will unpack a cosmic reality of the Bible. It is the framing and foundation of the Scriptures that the ancient people presumed but that we have sadly lost over time. You start each month reading an essay to get yourself into the cosmic reality of the Bible.
Daily Reading - Each day there is an assigned reading. You can check off the days you read and experience the success and satisfaction of accomplishing your daily goal!
Pro Tip - If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just pick up where you left off. We only read Monday–Friday, so if you want, you can use weekends to catch up!
Daily Reflections - There is a simplicity to the daily reflection. The same three questions every day. These questions are structured to help spur your imagination and encourage honesty with the Bible.
Prayer List - Prayer is a crucial part of spiritual formation. Put your daily prayers down and commit them to the Lord.
Answered Prayers - At strategic spots along the way, there will be a section for you to fill out answered prayers. Look back at the prayers you have written down and note when and how they were answered!
End-of-Month Index of Supernatural Activity - We intentionally put the index of supernatural activity at the end of the month. We don’t want to rob you of discovering the cosmic elements of the Bible. At the same time, we realize that it takes time to step out of old paradigms that have demythologized the Bible. So, take a look at the events and flip back to your daily reading to see if you caught the spiritual and cosmic activity that was taking place! This is a good checks-and-balances system. We want your eyes to be opened, and we are just walking along with you! I have a suspicion that as you keep going each month, you will notice you have caught more than you may have missed!
Progress Bar - See how far you’re progressing (Presuming you start Jan 1st).
Dig Deeper - Connect directly to applicable Blurry Creatures podcasts that are more theological in nature for a deeper dive into the blurry-verse. Also, we have QR codes to connect to the Cosmic Mountain premium podcast through Stranger Theology (Included for Stranger Theology Paid Subscribers)!
What are you waiting for? Grab a copy for yourself, and maybe a few more for your family to do this together!
I have friends that want to get together and have a review/discussion group using the journal, reading plan and all the supplemental things you are putting out. Would you suggest a weekly, bi-weekly or end of month get together?