I thought we were on a roll...How to ruin Bible Reading Family Time

 I miss my girls so much. Eleven months hasn't done much to ease the ache in my heart. Savannah was home briefly over Thanksgiving and changed the toilet paper...a feat that would have resulted in a parade during her high school years. After she left, I sadly watched the dwindling roll...unraveling like my heart strings. To Brad's disgust and dismay, I verbally chronicled the scroll as it grew smaller and smaller, near tears as it eventually disappeared. I wanted to leave the empty roll as a testament to my grief but Brad was NOT having it.

Desperate for a connection that would span those overwhelming 3,000 miles, I decided to invite the girls to join Brad and I in our daily advent reading of the Book of Luke throughout December. "They didn't want to read the Bible with us when they lived here," Brad pointed out, "What makes you think that they'll do it now?" I thought about it until inspiration hit. "I'll make it a contest! There'll be a sticker chart!""

Sydney graciously accepted my invitation. Savannah, however, suspicious of being manipulated, held back. During the first day's Mystery Question, Savannah had gone phone-silent. On what day are male children circumcised? I asked. From 3,000 miles away, I could FEEL Savannah's angst as she read, with astonishment, her sister's rapid-fire answers as she shot them at us, narrowly missing the target answer with each text. While Savannah may not always be motivated by good works or her love of family, she will consistently be motivated to crush others competitively. The game was on!

Naturally, it didn't go the way I imagined. I envisioned a coast-to-coast reading of God's Word, our souls connected in a spiritual realm that superseded time and distance. Instead, cheating, trash-talk, and all-out-warfare ruled the day.

A beautifully bonding family moment has turned ugly. Who says Suck it, Savannah! while reading the Bible? Apparently one Mystery Question was addressed at a bar. Fortunately, a Cliff Clavin was available as a Christian consultant.

Maybe I should go back to considering on-line chess as a way to stay connected to my daughters. Or postcards. Postcards are sweet. You can't corrupt a postcard. Well...? I thought you couldn't corrupt Family Bible-Reading Time either.