The Pack Bible Podcast: Intro

Kickoff Your Bible Reading Journey with Radiant Church!

Join Glenn and Deborah as they launch a brand-new podcast designed to guide you through the Radiant Church Pack Bible reading plan!

This introductory episode explores the "why" and "how" of Bible reading, offering practical tips and encouragement to make this year's journey through Exodus, Psalms, and Mark truly transformative.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why we read the Bible: Deborah shares her personal testimony of how daily Bible reading changed her life and deepened her relationship with God.
• Benefits of consistent Bible reading: Learn how engaging with Scripture can help you encounter God in new ways, cultivate honesty in your relationship with Him, and grow in your knowledge of His character.
• Potential pitfalls to avoid: Discover how to prevent Bible reading from becoming a mere checklist item and how to approach those days when you don't feel like you're "getting anything out of it."
• Practical tips for busy lives: Glenn and Deborah offer realistic strategies for finding time in your day for Bible reading, including habit stacking and utilizing audio Bibles.
• Navigating Bible reading plans: Learn how to approach reading plans with a humble heart and what to do if you fall behind. (Hint: It's okay to give yourself grace!)

Plus, a surprise revelation about Deborah's adventurous past! (You won't believe where she spent two summers during college!)

Get ready to be inspired and equipped to embark on a year of meaningful Bible reading with your Radiant Church community!

 
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Bible Reading Plan

*Summaries are generated using AI. Please notify us if you find any errors.

Transcript

 Hey Church, welcome to the currently unnamed pack Bible reading plan tour guide podcast with Glenn Power. Let's jump in.



 All right, it's counting. It's counting. We're on.



 Hey, we are starting a new podcast with Radiant Church and it's going to go with the the Bible reading plan that packs are doing together. So packs are reading through the Bible this year, which is a great idea. They're going to be reading. They're going to start off with Exodus, Psalms, and Mark, I think. And they're going to be reading about one chapter a day of each. And we're going to do this podcast to be a companion to help you out, give you some commentary.



 Yeah, give you some helpful overview information on these chapters, point out some interesting things. You could listen to this in your packs together out loud, or you could listen to it by yourself on your headphones while you do laundry, while you wash the dishes. So we have with us today, Deborah Avanallis. We're going to try to have guests most of the time on these podcasts. My name is Glenn, by the way, I should have said that first. Go on. Deborah Avanallis. Who is Deborah Avanallis? Deborah works here at the church.



 Her husband is Gunner, one of the elders here at this church. Deborah has a master's degree. Oh my gosh.



 Spent a lot of time working on that. She likes it when people know about it. That's not what we said. Yeah. What else? What else is important? You have a family, you have kids. I do. Yeah. I have four kids, four awesome, crazy kids. My oldest just started junior high. So he's in seventh grade. I have two fifth graders and my little baby is in second grade, which is not really a baby, but she likes to pretend cry still. So we have that going for us.



 Man. How about this? Before we get into just, we're going to interview Deborah about the Bible. And this is kind of an introduction podcast. So future podcasts are going to center on the chapters that we're reading that week. And this one's just kind of an intro. We're going to talk about Bible reading in general, just why we read the Bible, what can we expect to get out of it, and even some practical tips on reading the Bible. But before we jump into that,



 Deborah, what's something that most people don't know about you?



 Most people probably don't know that I used to work for a whitewater rafting company.



 It sounds cool, right? But I was not a river guide. I was the nanny or the owner's kids, who I just saw the baby of their family is starting college this year, which helps me realize that I am older. I'm older now, but yeah. So you would watch kids as they went on the rafts. Yeah. So the owner, he would kayak down and take pictures. His wife was a river guide. It was, it's so awesome. If you ever have a chance to go whitewater rafting, King's River Expeditions. I'll do it tomorrow. Yeah. Well, the season is only open on the King's River from a certain time, but I got to live up there in a tent for two summers. What? Yeah. Because I mean, some people have campers. You could live in that, but I mean- This is before you were married? Yeah. This is college, like summertime, college, my college job as a nanny. So we'd like live in a tent and there's no like actual showers and stuff. So you'd like live up there for three to five days, then go back into town to like shower and get your life in order and then go back up. And there's no cell reception up there. So that's when Gun and I started dating. Oh my gosh. That'd be so good now just to get away. Yes. If you have summers to give, you should be a whitewater rafting guide. It is so awesome. And the community you built, it was awesome. I loved it. Man. And when I wasn't working on days off, I could just be an extra paddler. One day they were going down at midnight and I got to jump in. No. Yeah. So we got to like- That sounds really scary actually. I mean, everyone had a whistle and a flashlight, so you could like, if someone fell out, you could find them. I mean, at least you could whistle. Yeah. Well, and it was a full moon. Like it was a pitch black. Another time we went down during the day, like on an air mattress that a customer had left. Oh my gosh. It was a lot of fun. I'm not very adventurous. So that is like the most adventurous thing I've done.



 I'm not even like outdoorsy. I'm like outsidey. Like I like to be outside. Yeah. You like to sit outside with a drink and- Yeah. But so that was like the most outdoorsy thing I've ever done. That's amazing. Yeah. That sounds awesome. Not everyone knows that, I guess. Nope. Okay. Let's get into this. Let's talk about the Bible.



 Deborah. So one of the reasons I wanted Deborah on this week, besides the fact she's actually helping out with packs, what is your title? Are you like the pack executive in charge? No. Danny and I would be considered the pack directors, like he's directing the men and I'm directing the women. And then from there we have our pack coordinators. So they're pack leaders who are helping, love, and care for some other pack leaders as well as their own packs. And then we have our pack leaders who are leading our packs and then we have our pack members. That's great. In the whole scheme of things, I guess I would be called the pack director for the female. Oh, that's great. I actually didn't even know that when I wanted you on as a guest. I wanted you on because you love the Bible. I do. And you are very skilled at teaching the Bible and talking about the Bible and imparting your passion for the Bible. Thank you. So it's kind of a bonus that you just happen to be the pack director.



 That's perfect. Because these are meant to help the packs. Okay. How did this start for you? Why does Deborah Avanallis even love the Bible? How did that journey start? Or was it gradual that happened over time? Well, I was raised in a home with two parents who read their Bible every morning. So I thought that's what every single Christian did growing. I thought that's what every single Christian did, is you read your Bible every morning. And so I didn't do that growing up. I was like, "Oof, that sounds like a lot of work and not very fun." So I didn't do that. But in my sophomore year of college, I, that first year had like lived pretty much doing what I wanted, when I wanted. And by the grace of God, I realized real quick, like, "Oh, I thought this was going to be fun and my life was going to be amazing." And turns out, I don't have the peace I thought I'd have. I don't have the joy that I had. I don't, like, it turns out when you are living life for yourself and not for God, like it is not as satisfying as you think it's going to be. And so anyway, my sophomore year, I decided like, I want the Jesus my parents have. And I found a Bible study on campus. And I like wanted to read the Bible regularly because I saw that in my parents and I saw a lot, like their lives, like they had joy and they had peace and they had purpose. So I'm like, "Give me that. I want that." So I thought that's like, if I read my Bible, I'll get it. But I also- And this is in high school? This is college, my sophomore year of college. And so I realized like, I want that, but I also don't know how to do that. And so my Bible study leader at the time, she was very much about like, we should all be Bible literate. And so I was like, teach me how to do it. And she's like, well, if you just do it, the first thing you do when you wake up, like before you even go to the restroom, before you get water, like do it first. And I was like, well, it's a little extreme, but I'll try it, I guess. And she was like, if you do that for 28 days straight, it will change your life. And I was like, that sounds dramatic. Is that kind of the habit mentality, the 28 day thing? I think so. Yeah. But anyway, she was like, I just challenge you to try it. Like do it for 28 days and tell me your life wasn't changed. And I was like, challenge accepted. Let's go.



 And she was like, and it doesn't have to be a lot, like just pick a book of the Bible and read some of it. Cause some of being with Jesus is better than none of being with Jesus in the word. That was like her mentality in that. And my gosh, it literally changed my life. Like I started reading the Bible every morning. I can't even tell you where I started. I know it was a New Testament book, but like in that 28 days, like I felt the presence of God in a way I hadn't felt before. I felt like he was answering questions I didn't even know to ask or like, just he was correcting me. He was encouraging me. He was like convicting me, but not in a like, I feel like my freshman year, I like knew I was doing wrong things, but I like didn't know how to fix them all the time. And I felt like now he'd like bring something up, some pride in my heart, the way I talked back to someone, you know, like, and I was being convicted quickly. And then he was showing me like a better way to go just by reading his word. And so it changed my life. It like helps me see like, I want that. And so, and again, I guess, I don't know, 28 days makes a habit. I don't know. Is that what they say? But it was enough that like, I found a satisfaction in seeking God and hearing him and being with him in that time that like, I wanted more. Like the 28 days was done. And I was like, Oh, heck no, I'm, I'm going not to check off anything on the box or in like a to do list, but like, I want what I want that satisfaction. I want that peace. I want that like, I don't know, that joy that I'm having from meeting with God regularly and consistently. And so, yeah, that's how it started. So I love that. That was a lot of years ago, but since then, like that started to have it. And I don't do it like as soon as I wake up anymore. Like I did that for like those first 28 days. And then I was like, let's be more realistic here for me. Yeah. You know, so it's changed over time for me. But when I read and how I read it, that's so cool that your, your parents modeled that. That's, that's not, that's not everyone's story. But that's, that's quite a gift. It's such a gift. And I think now as an adult, as a parent, I see even more like my mom has ADD, like reading and staying on task for her to read is not easy for her, but she has continued to make that happen. And then my dad has dyslexia. Like reading is literally one of his least favorite things to do. But because of like the way he meets with Jesus and reading the word, like it is worth the challenge to him. It's worth the inconvenience, like so that I've seen my parents not just do it, but like work through challenging things to do it has just made it so, I don't know, valuable to me. Yeah. Man, as you're talking, I'm, I'm, I'm hoping that that happens for the first time for some people in our church, even as we read the Bible impacts that, because there's, there's a lot of Christians, a lot of us that been going to church for a while and either we've fallen out of the habit of Bible reading, or it's just never been a real steady habit. And I think that's a really cool story of what's the potential, you know, once we start putting the time in, what could happen?



 Maybe let's, let's develop that a little bit more. So you've given a picture of what we can expect from reading the Bible, but what else? I mean, if somebody starts reading the Bible for the first time, what are some, what are some things that they can expect to get from it? You know, some benefits that they can expect to get? And then also, I'm just thinking of this right now, what are some things to maybe watch out for like pitfalls of Bible reading? So either one benefits, pitfalls. Well, I would say the benefits are you're going to encounter God in ways that maybe you haven't before. Like as you read a Psalm and you hear like the author pouring out their heart, you'll realize like, Oh, I can be honest with God. Like, I think sometimes we're afraid to like, like, be honest with ourselves and with God. Cause I don't know, we think he can't handle it or we think he'll, I don't know, push him away. But like, as we read a Psalm, we're like, Oh, actually God's people talk like this all the time. They lament, they cry out, they struggle, they sin. And then they say the truth of who God is. So I think one of the benefits is like, we learn to relate to God in a more honest way. And I think, I don't know, I know for me, like one of the pitfalls maybe is sometimes I've just made it a to-do list. And then it becomes like this cold,



 unaffectionate thing. And then it's not fun to do anymore. And it's like, Oh, I'm not getting anything out of this. So I think another pitfall is one, making it some sort of like religious habit, but your heart isn't in it. So that's a pitfall. But another thing I think another pitfall would be like, Oh, well, I didn't get anything out of it today. So like, it's not working. But the truth of it is like, the Bible isn't here to serve us. The Bible is a story about God and about his rule in reign. And so there's going to be some days where like, I'm not understanding in Leviticus why, like on these sacrifices, like it's not changing my life today. But what it is doing, it's helping me know who God is. He's a God who is holy. He's a God who is set apart. He's a God who has called his people to be set apart. So there are some days that like, I'm not going to get something that's going to like change my life. And I think a pitfall might be that like we're expecting that to happen every single day. And really what it is as we read the Bible daily, it's an opportunity to know God, know who he is, know what his character is, know his faithfulness to his people, know the truth of like who he is, his justice, his mercy. Like as we read and we like learn more about him, it gives us like a trust in him. You know, like you can't trust someone that you don't know. And be reading the Bible, like you get to know God better. Even if it doesn't feel like you got a little nugget for today. Like it's, it's literally an investment. I think Jen Wilkin calls it like an investment into the bank, you know, and there's going to be times when like you read something and it doesn't pop out to you. But like maybe next month or next year and five years when you're going through something different, you can go back on that investment and like take it out. You know, like, so helpful. And so I think, I think it's important as we read the Bible to remember like this isn't about me and what it's doing for me actually all the time. Like this is the story about God, his rule, his reign, who he is and how we relate to him and how we know him better. Yeah. And I think that can transform us. Gosh, that is so helpful. And I feel like you saying that you're equipping us to stick this out for the long haul, you know, because it's the tension of even my question, you know, I'm asking for, I'm almost asking what, you know, what are the immediate benefits and we expect to get benefits from the Bible. You've experienced it. I've experienced so many benefits and a lot of times it is immediate. A lot of times it is that day, but not always. Yeah. And I think that's going to be really relevant when we get to the second half of Exodus and we read about the measurements of the tabernacle for 20 chapters in a row. Can I share a quick story on how sometimes it can be like immediate and right away? Yeah. So I read my Bible in the morning and I, now that my kids are older, I can set my alarm early enough to like wake up before them. So anyway, um, oh look, August 16th, I have my notes here. I was reading in John 14. Um, I read, I pick a book at a time and then I read a chapter a day. So I don't, I'm not doing anything crazy here. It is like 10 to 15 minutes maybe. And that's like, including my coffee brewing and my journaling because I journal my prayer. Because if not, I get real distracted and then all of a sudden I'm thinking about other things, you know? That's a good tip too. Anyway, journal out my prayer. Um, and then I read. And so I was in John 14 that day and the verses that stood out to me were verse one where it says, let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me. And then later in that verse, um, 26, I'm that chapter 26 through 28, I think, um, it says the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I've said to you. Peace. I leave with you. My peace. I give you not as the world gives you, do I give to you, let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. So that was, I think Friday of last week I read that and I was like, wow, God, thank you. Like, thank you for the reminder that like, I don't have to be afraid. I wasn't afraid of anything in that moment, but that's what stood out to me that day. Don't be afraid. Don't let your hearts be troubled. And literally 43 minutes later, I get a call from the school district that there was a threat of gun violence at my son's new junior high school. And I was like, Oh, I heard about that actually. Yeah. And I was like, Oh, God said, don't be afraid. God already, like he went before me, he prepared my heart to hear this news already today. He was like, don't worry about like what the world has. Like my peace, I give to you. And I really did feel like this supernatural piece, like is it scary sending your little seventh grader to a school that hasn't had a threat? Yes. But also I was like, all right. Like, I mean, also they'd already made an arrest, so that was helpful. But, but I just felt so, I felt the kindness of God to go before me. Like he speaks to me through his word, but also like, how am I going to hear it if I'm not like going to it? Yeah. Yeah. That's rad. Actually, let's, let's stay with that. So, you know, go, you're saying going, we have to, we have to do it to receive some of these benefits, you know? Yeah. So I'm thinking about the person who is believing us as we're talking and they're saying, yeah, that sounds awesome. I'm sure there are benefits short-term and long-term, but I'm so, I'm so busy. My mornings are hectic. My nights are hectic, you know, just what would you say to the person who is really struggling to find time to read the Bible or just to be disciplined? Like, hey, I tried one day, I tried two days, really just couldn't make myself do it. I started scrolling and then I forgot about it. Yeah. I have a few things to say and they're, I'm saying them to myself as well. So one is you do have the time, you've just chosen to spend it somewhere else.



 And so I know a lot of our day is like accounted for by someone else, you know, by work, by our kids, by whatever, but there are pockets of time in our day that we had full control over. And again, I'm saying this to myself. You're never going to have time to read the Bible. Like no one does actually, but if you choose to make it a priority, you will make the time to do it. And so I think for me, one of the things, like it was easier for me to like have this habit of reading every morning before I had kids, you know, like I had a lot more control of my day and my time. And I really found it a struggle once I had kids. And I realized one day I was nursing and I'm scrolling Facebook and I felt like God said, like, I would love to speak to you, but you have to come to hear me. And I was like, like, you want to be with me, but I'm not trying to be with you. And I realized like at that point, my son was nursing about just 10 minutes in the morning, you know? And I realized like, I could have easily read a whole chapter of my Bible in this 10 minutes, you know? Yeah. And so you find these little windows that are actually perfect for reading a little bit instead of maybe scrolling or. Yeah. I mean, I now I drive a ton. My four kids have a bajillion things. I feel like I am in my car half the day. And I don't love to like start and stop things a lot, but I have an audio Bible that like, I can just turn it on. And I can listen to almost a whole chapter from like one school to the other school, you know? Cause they're really not that long usually. Sometimes they're longer. They're especially long when I'm in a hurry. I can tell you that. But anyway, I think there's different ways you can do it. One, you can just evaluate like, where am I spending my time? How many shows am I watching? How many podcasts am I consuming? How many times have I sat down and just zoned out? You know? Yeah. So there are times that we can be doing. And I understand like, for someone who hasn't been doing it as long as I have, it might feel like really overwhelming or like, it's hard to start something that you're afraid you're going to fail at. But I would say like, start with one verse, like just practice, like just read one verse. Yeah. Don't put pressure on yourself to get it all done all at one time. And I know like, now that this reading plan we're doing, it has about three chapters. Like that's way more than I've ever counted into my life. Ooh, minus the one year I did the Bible in a year, which was a lot. And God bless the people who do that. I did it that one year and I was like, yeah, I'm never doing that again. But I mean, unless Jesus tells me to, I'll totally do it if he tells me to. But this one, like three chapters a day, like I'm going to have to reevaluate my time. Sure. Like I can still do one in the morning, like I do. Also some habit stacking is awesome. Like add it to something you're already doing that you already enjoy. For me, that's my warm cup of coffee in the morning. You know, like, I love to make my coffee, grab my journal, grab my Bible, sit down and read. And it's like a pleasurable experience because when I have that coffee that I love and then I have Jesus and it's so good. But anyway, like you call that habit stacking? Yeah. Like doing something you're already doing and then add another habit to it. Like join one in, sitting outside in nature, drinking coffee, driving. Yeah. What's something you're already doing regularly? Yeah. Can you add your Bible to that? Whether you're, it's a physical Bible that you're opening or your Bible app, although then try not to get distracted on another app or listening, like an audio version of the Bible. There's so many, there's one, it's kind of expensive, but it's called dwell, the dwell app. Okay. And it like plays music for you in the background and it like has all kinds of different plans. They now have a, a kids version of like the Jesus storybook Bible. One of my daughters thinks she's getting screen time, but I'm really just giving her the audio Bible of Jesus storybook Bible. Yeah. Yeah. She's reading the Bible and doesn't even know it. Anyway. So there's different ways you can do it. And like for me too, on this, I'm like, well, I guess instead of watching another show at night, I could read easily two chapters before I go to bed, you know, like just have to, you're going to sacrifice something. What do you, what are you going to do? You know, cause it really is, it is a sacrifice. Like it's not easy, but if you do it, I think you'll realize like this was worth it. This was worth my investment, worth any sacrifice that I have to give. Yeah, for sure.



 Um, we're, we're coming to the end here of this podcast. Um, I wanted to talk about just Bible reading plans specifically. Yeah. Uh, I know sometimes we can have a love hate relationship with Bible reading plans. We can get super excited about them, especially at the new year, you know, in January, we get our new Bible reading plan. We're going to read the Bible in a year or whatever it is. And by February or sooner we're, we've totally fallen off the wagon.



 So we're going to try to do that as a church though. We're going to, we're going to try to do a Bible reading plan. So I would, I would think that one of the benefits of a Bible reading plan is it keeps you accountable and it gives you direction. You know, I mean, that's, that's one thing that can be a miss is if we wake up to read the Bible in the morning, we don't know what to read. We can waste a lot of time trying to figure it out. It's already planned out. We have a Bible reading plan, but what, what do we need to be wary of in a Bible reading plan? And what do we do? Here's a big question. What do we do if we fall behind? Yeah. Well, I would say,



 be wary of just making it another thing to do because you feel you have to do it. Like, I think we have to start our Bible reading with like a humble heart that says that's honest with God, like Lord, I really want to hear you. Yeah. God, I want to know you better today. And sometimes be honest. Like I really don't feel like doing this right now, but I want to do it. Like, would you give me a hunger and a thirst to want this? You know, like, I think it's worth starting with that. Mostly. That's such a good prayer. Just Lord, I don't even know if I want to help me to want to. Yeah. Oh my gosh. I think he answers that prayer. One of the girls in my pack taught me this years ago. She's like, sometimes I pray things and I'm like, Jesus, you know, I only mean this out of one. Can you please get me to mean this out of 10? And I was like, oh my gosh. Yeah. It's like, I want to read your word. And sometimes I'm like, I'm just saying that this is kind of just lip service. Like I just, I barely want this, but can you like, will you grow this in me, please Lord? Like, and so I think that's something that we should start with. And then if you, if you miss, if you fall off, if you gave up, but you're willing to go again, go again, like don't, don't let one failure knock you out. Like don't let one drop be like, well, I guess I can't do it. Like, no, you totally can jump right back in. I would recommend jumping right back in onto the plan. So what's today, the third day of this week, jump back in there. I would say just jump back into what everyone else is doing, because especially if you're in a pack, you're going over the same chapters together. I would say go back there. If you're really ambitious and you're like, I kind of missed part of the story. Now I want to go find that out, then go back and read that too. But I think if this is your first time trying it, don't, don't feel like you have to like make it all up to get back in. Just jump right back in on the day we're at and let's go again. And as I always say to myself, that everyone else, like a little bit is better than nothing. Yeah, that's so good. If you, like, if you are feeling completely overwhelmed, then choose one, the Old Testament, the New Testament, or the Psalm. Like don't,



 if failure is like keeping you or fear failure is keeping you from trying it, then just bring down the expectation. Totally. Like I'm, I'm not going to condemn you. God's not going to condemn you. You're not loved less. Yeah. You're not less spiritual. Like no one is earning the love and affection of God through reading their Bible. Yes. What you are gaining is a knowledge and an intimacy with him. Yeah. Come on. That's my, that's my thought on that. I think I'm going to take that and just put that at the beginning of the podcast, that little statement right there. That was really good. Really good. Um, so if you fall off on the reading plan, there's freedom to just start back on the day with what everyone else is reading. I think that could be really freeing for some people to hear that. And for some people, just depending on your capacity, three chapters a day, which is what our reading plan is, it's three chapters a day, five days a week. Yeah. So there are a couple of days to, to make up if you want to. But what I also hear you saying is that if you feel like your capacity is just a one chapter a day, then there's freedom to do that as well. Yeah. So you could pick the Psalm for that day, or you could pick a mark, you know, I'm going to really be consistent with Mark each day. And then the other ones are just bonus, you know, if I have time for Psalms and Exodus, then great. Yeah. And I think what people will find too, even if they commit to a piece of it, as we read the word, like our hunger for it grows. Yes. And I think you'll notice like, well, I only committed to this and this part is a bonus, but then you're like, I want that. Like I want to hear God there. I want to know him better there. Yeah. I would not be surprised if people's lives are changing left and right. And they're like, I had no idea that reading my Bible would bring me so much joy. Yeah. So I'm really excited about that. That's so good. And as we get started with our Bible reading plan, so it's going to start, I believe a week and a half from now, we're going to start together as a church. I think it's just right at the beginning of September. We want to hear from you guys, just testimonies on what's happening for you as you read the Bible. So you can reach out to anyone on staff. If you don't know how to do that, I mean, you can even email me. I'm just glen at radiant and viselea.com. You could email Deborah if you want. She is the PAC director. So yeah, we're super excited to start this together. And speaking of benefits, I mean, there's so many other benefits to reading the Bible together as a community, as opposed to just reading it by yourself. We're into that too, reading the Bible by yourself. But I think we're all going to find that when we read it together, talk about it together, listen to podcasts, do all the things that it's really going to just exponentially increase what we're getting out of it. So we're pumped. Thanks, Deborah, for sharing your wisdom. My pleasure. Yeah. Thanks for leading the PACS too and putting your time into that. We will see you guys next week for a podcast on the first chapters that we're reading together. See ya.