A New Year, Rooted in the Word

“Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord,

and meditates on it day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water.” — Psalm 1:2–3

My mom was a reader. She loved the smell of a library book, the feel of a well-worn paperback, and the joy of getting lost in a good story. But her favorite thing to read was God’s Word. She didn’t read the Bible because she had to. She read because she loved the Author.

A Legacy of Reading the Word

When my mom started this Read the Bible in a Year plan, she was already a lifelong student of Scripture. She had read through the Bible many times before, using all kinds of plans over the years. That’s why it meant so much to me that she chose this one.

The reading plan was something I had written originally for homeschoolers—designed to help families move through most of Scripture in a way that felt coherent, connected, and approachable. It wasn’t just about covering ground, but about helping readers see how God’s story unfolds; how history, poetry, prophecy, and gospel speak to one another across time.

When my mom read through it, she told me how much she enjoyed the chronological flow, the way the Psalms echoed the narratives around them, and how the added resources—background notes, book introductions, and timelines—deepened her understanding even after years of faithful reading.

What humbled me most was realizing that even for someone who knew Scripture so well, this plan helped her see familiar passages with fresh eyes.

It became part of her daily rhythm. She’d get her cup of hot tea, open her Bible and notebook, and pray the same simple prayer she always did: “Lord, show me something new about Your heart today.” That prayer, more than any plan or structure, was what rooted her in the Word.

Her Journals Tell the Story

As I was preparing for this year’s reading plan, I opened her old notebooks—pages filled with notes, cross-references, and prayers scribbled in the margins.

You can see her love for Scripture in every line. Sometimes she’d write a single verse that stood out. Other times, she’d fill a page reflecting on how God’s faithfulness in Genesis still speaks to her story now.

What I love most is how she always circled back to relationship—the God who walked with Adam, who called Abraham, who wept over Jerusalem, was the same God who met her every morning in her cozy chair in her bedroom. She wasn’t just reading for information. She was reading for communion.

Rooted in the Word Together

That’s the heart behind our Rooted Minds Bible Reading Plan this year.

We’re not just reading to get through the Bible — we’re reading to grow roots.

Inside the Rooted Minds Community, we’ve added expanded resources to make this journey rich and relational:

• Printable reading plan — a beautiful, trackable calendar to guide your year.
• Weekly discussion spaces — where you can share insights, favorite verses, or questions as you read.
• Video resources—curated playlists of other voices sharing helpful perspectives on scripture.

Whether you’re reading alone with your coffee in the morning or as a family around the table, you’ll be surrounded by others who are on the same journey—learning to see God’s holiness as His love in action, making wrong things right.

The Invitation

If you’ve never read through the Bible before, this is a gentle place to start.

If you’ve read it a dozen times, come again — there’s always more to discover.

You can download the plan I created here:

👉 Read the Bible in a Year Plan

For those who want to walk through this reading plan with added support,
the Rooted Minds Community offers a shared, course-like space to do just that.

Inside the community, Scripture is not treated as a checklist, but as a lived journey.
Members have access to:

• The Bible reading plan organized with homeschoolers and families in mind
• Historical and literary context to help passages make sense within God’s larger story
• Discussion spaces to reflect, ask questions, and read alongside others
• And access to a growing library of Rooted Minds courses and seasonal studies designed to help families in their discipleship journies.

It’s a place for slow reading, thoughtful learning, and shared formation—a community built around the belief that God still meets us through His Word, day after day.

Her Legacy, Our Invitation

My mom’s journals remind me that the Word isn’t just something we study—it’s Someone we meet.

Every page is an invitation to walk with Him, to be formed by His voice, and to carry His story forward.

So this year, as we begin again, I’m opening my Bible with the same prayer she used to pray: “Lord, show me something new about Your heart today.”

Here’s to a new year, rooted in the Word—growing deeper, stronger, and more in love with the God who still speaks.

Join us inside Rooted Minds

Together, let’s let His Word take root in us.