This morning, I started on what will be one of my longest personal projects. I am preparing myself to be in for the long hull, to read slowly and sit on words intently, and to write willfully towards my child— and eventually children. This is not a one month project, a two month project, or even a three month project. This will take me years, if not the better part of a decade. But I’m okay with that.

I’m writing notes as I read through the Bible, chapter by chapter and book by book. I’m starting with Romans because it is, in my opinion, one of the best places to start. For those wondering my tools: I’m taking notes in iA Writer (which of course is synced between my devices) and reading from an ESV Journaling Bible. Evenually I want to compile my notes in a searchable app and/or a printed book.

There is no instant pay off with this, dads. You won’t get likes and retweets. This is a long play. Our li’l Lottie is only two weeks old. She won’t read by herself for at least a few years. She likely won’t read with enough comprehension to grasp my writing until she’s 7 or 8, if she’s anything like me. These notes won’t really mean much to her until she’s a tween or teenager. That’s a ways off. This is a long play. I have time to take. I can be patient, think hard, move slowly. That’s weird for 2014. Imagine the world 10 years from now. But this is your journal. Your notes to your daughter or your son. How many lessons can you store in these pages? This is worth the world, in my opinion.

This idea is not my own, though. It comes from John Piper’s Desiring God blog. I would greatly recommend it to all dads. Write in your Bible for your kid to read one day. Let them see your heart for God. When you are gone one day, they will have a reminder of your heart.