Bible Study-A Slow Simmer

Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Ezekiel 3:10 NLT

The Art of the Slow Simmer:

Quality Over Quantity and Ditching the Divine Checklist

Most of us treat Bible reading like a sprint, trying to get through it so we can check the box and feel like a Good Christian. At Refining Ministry, we prefer the slow-cooker method.

Here’s how we roll:

1. The One-Chapter Challenge-Instead of racing through the whole Bible in a month, we hang out in one chapter for an entire week.

Why? Because speed-reading the Word is like inhaling a five-course meal in thirty seconds—you might get the calories, but you’ll miss the flavor (and probably get spiritual indigestion).
The Goal: Depth, not distance. Give the Word time to settle into your soul.

2. The Holy Spirit’s Highlighter-As you sit with that chapter all week, pay attention. Usually, the Holy Spirit will pull a “neon sign” move and bring one specific verse to light.

The Pivot: When that verse hits you, stop. Don’t rush to the next chapter.
The Conversation: That verse is your open door. It’s God saying, “Hey, let’s talk about this one specifically.” It becomes the anchor for your prayer and your focus.

3. Relationship vs. Ritual-If you’ve been carrying spiritual guilt because you didn’t do the daily devotional, the private reading, the 5:00 AM prayer closet, and the Greek word study—drop the baggage.

The Truth: God doesn’t want to be a task on your To-Do list; He wants to be the person you’re doing life with.
The Shift: We aren’t checking boxes; we’re walking hand-in-hand. It’s a dialogue and all about the relationship.

The Method: SIT • SOAK • SATURATE

*Phase*	*What it Looks Like*
*SIT*	Stop the hustle. Give God your undivided attention for a moment, even if it’s just five minutes of quiet.
*SOAK*	Let that one highlighted verse marinate in your mind. Think about it while you drive, fold laundry, or answer emails.
*SATURATE*	Let that verse change your flavor. When you’re saturated with a Word from God, it starts to leak out into how you treat people and how you see the world.

The Bottom Line: The LORD isn’t looking for a marathon runner; He’s looking for a friend who stays for coffee. One verse, one prayer, one conversation at a time.

March 29, 2026 0

Reframing Prayer: From Monologue to Dialogue

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

Most of us treat prayer like a voicemail we’re leaving for a very busy person: we talk fast, hit the highlights, and hang up, hoping someone actually listens to the recording. We’ve been taught that prayer is something we do—a discipline to master or a box to check off a spiritual to-do list. But when the words run dry, and the checklist guilt sets in, prayer starts to feel less like a lifeline and more like a heavy lift.

What if we stopped trying to find the right words and started listening for them instead? The secret to a vibrant prayer life isn’t discovering a secret technique; it’s shifting the entire framework from a monologue to a dialogue. As we often say in Refining Ministry, it’s about moving past the mechanics and into the intimacy.

“It is not about mastering a technique. It’s about deepening your intimate relationship with God and finding a new level of conversing with Him.”

If you’ve ever felt “wordless,” or if your spiritual life feels more like a textbook study than a living relationship, it’s time to reframe the conversation. It’s time to Sit, Soak, and Saturate.

Here are three invitations to help you stop performing and start conversing.

1. The Invitation to Echo: The Bible is your prayer book. When you find yourself wordless or feeling like your prayers are flat, look to the authors of Scripture as your personal tutors.

How to do it: Don’t just read the words; inhabit them. Add your name.
The Echo: Let David’s raw cries in the Psalms become your cries. Let Paul’s infectious joy in his epistles become your joy.
The Result: Scripture navigates the conversation for you, providing the vocabulary for your heart’s deepest needs.

This may be the perfect avenue when you feel you cannot muster the words. Let God’s Word provide.

2. The Invitation to Converse: We often treat the Bible like a textbook to be studied rather than a conversation to be joined. Let your time in God’s Word open a door to having a conversation with Him.

The Cycle: God speaks through the Scripture. Breathe in His truth and exhale your prayer based on the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
Turn the Verse into a Response:
- Does it touch a wound? Turn it into a petition for healing.
- Does it show God’s glory? Turn it into an act of worship.
- Does it call for action? Ask for the strength to bring it to fruition.

Remember, the subject matter does not have to be only about you. Think about your friends, family, acquaintances, and the world itself. The realm is broad. Let the Bible direct your thoughts and prayer topics.

3. The Invitation to Focus: Let the Word define the topic. Scripture acts as a diagnostic tool, bringing to the surface what needs to be discussed with the Father. It prevents “squirrely” or distracted prayers by giving you a clear anchor.

When the Word reveals…	Turn your prayer toward…
Heavy Weights	Health, finances, or relationship struggles.
Recurring Sin	Confession and the power to “shake it.”
God’s Promises	Bold requests and spiritual battles.
His Character	Thankfulness and intentional adoration.

One of the primary habits we carry out through Refining Ministry is studying one chapter a week. Then, as we study the chapter in-depth throughout the week, the Holy Spirit usually brings one verse to light. It is this verse that directs our focus and opens the door to a conversation with God. We let this verse deepen our spiritual walk and become a part of our daily lives before rushing to the next chapter.

Christians often feel guilty for not doing all things every day: reading the daily devotional, having private Bible reading, spending time in prayer, etc. God doesn’t expect us to check all the boxes every day. He doesn’t want to be a checklist-He wants to be in a relationship with you. Walking hand in hand, doing life together.

SIT-SOAK-SATURATE your life one verse and one prayer at a time.

March 27, 2026 0

The “staring contest” with your Bible ends today. 📖☕️

Photo by Karolina Grabowska http://www.kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 ESV

You know the feeling. You’ve carved out the time. You’ve got your favorite pen ready. You open to a random Psalm or maybe that one book in the Old Testament you haven’t touched in years…

And then you just stare.

Five minutes pass. You read a few verses, but your mind is already drifting to your grocery list or that email you forgot to send. You feel a twinge of guilt, sigh, and close the Book—feeling more disconnected than when you started.

Here’s the truth: You don’t have a “lack of faith” problem. You have a “lack of framework” problem.

I have been there. Just me, my Bible, and a blank notebook…I felt lost. I desired the “deep stuff.” I wanted so badly to hear God’s voice. But instead, I found myself reading the same paragraph three times because I couldn’t seem to get anything out of it.

Interacting with God’s Word is a skill that isn’t readily taught. Why? I have asked myself the same question. I have invested in many books, studies, articles, blogs, etc., trying to find the perfect method. What I have discovered is you don’t really need more words to read–you need tools to help you interact with God’s Word.

The Lord wants us to move past the ink on the page and into a personalized approach that connects with Him. It can be as simple as determining what and how you highlight text that gets you beyond the print. You see, much like a carpenter who needs the right equipment for the project, you need a Bible study framework that gives you confidence for a lifetime to carry out the purpose God has assigned you, and enhances your interaction with His Voice-the Bible.

I wrote Beyond Scripture Typography for this exact reason.

I wanted to create something that wasn’t just a “read-along,” but a “how-to.” It’s a 10-week guide designed to take the guesswork out of your daily walk. It covers:

Bible study tips that actually give your reading a purpose.
A personalized approach (because your walk with God shouldn’t look exactly like mine).
Hands-on experience so you aren’t just watching me study—you’re doing it yourself.

BONUS: You don’t have to do this alone. There is a small group aspect-the main areas are separated into a10-week approach with thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, making group discussion easy. There are even blog postings for every chapter in the book on this blog platform.

Are there 2-3 women in your life who want more depth in their personal Bible study? Invite them to join you.

Here is a blog posting over Chapter 2 you can view and share with others: https://refiningjourney.video.blog/2024/02/05/book-study-beyond-scriptural-typography-chapter-two/

You don’t need a seminary degree to have a deep, vibrant, and exciting relationship with the Word. You just need personalized tools to go beyond the typography. I can’t wait to hear how your “staring contests” turn into “encounters.”

BOOK LINK

February 7, 2026 0