Dates with My Daddy

I remember the exact moment the image struck me; an image that totally wrecked my view of time spent with Father.

My first semester of college, I spent every Friday afternoon in the Starbucks in the UK student center. I took my Bible along, ordered a venti hot mocha, and curled into the arm chair in the far corner for some time in the word. One October Friday, just before my nineteenth birthday, I sent a quick text to my roommate to let her know I was heading into another "coffee date" with Father, and that I would be unreachable for the next couple of hours. It was in that moment that it hit me: the image of a kind old man nestled into the chair beside me, a steaming cup of coffee clutched in his wrinkled hand, smiling as he waited to listen to the million things running through my head.

A real, actual date, with a real, actual person.

Don't misunderstand my experience. I don't claim that this was some kind of "vision" (nor do I believe God looks like a 95 year old guy), but I'm a very visual learner. This was more of a lesson taught in a way I could really understand. The realization that time spent in the word is meant to be a time of conversation between two people. A time to listen, and a time to share. A time of getting to know one another; the deepening of a relationship, and the strengthening of a love.

Its changed the way I do "quiet times" now. I often return to this image, a reminder that when I open the pages of my well loved (i.e. hanging on by a thread) pink Bible, Father joins me. We enter into conversation. We hang out. In my head, the empty chair across from me is always reserved for him (now you think I'm downright crazy). Time in the scripture was never meant to be a solo chore; if approached this way, there is really no sense in doing it at all.

Father and I had great date tonight. I finally cracked open my copy of Beth Moore's "James" study, and its already challenging the way I study the word. Part of this study involved memorizing James.

That's right. The whole thing.

Crazy as it sounds, I'm giving it a go. I spent this evening at the Starbucks down the road from my apartment copying the first chapter by hand. If you've never tried this exercise, I highly recommend it. Rewriting a passage of scripture forces you to read every single word. I find that it really makes me slow down and chew on what I'm reading, instead of letting my ADD take control and blowing through the passage too fast to meditate on its meaning.


Would you like to join me? We could hold each other accountable! It could be so much fun. You can pick up a copy of Beth Moore's "James: Mercy Triumphs" at your local lifeway store or, order one here.

Another perk of date night? My new favorite fall treat, a salted caramel mocha. I don't even like caramel, but this thing is the bomb dot com.