Reading Plans

I hope you have all been able to find new reading plans or other methods for staying on top of your bible reading.  The YouVersion bible app for the iPhone and iPad has been very useful for me because it has a large selection of reading plans that you can choose from and it will track your progress on each plan you start.  If you haven't used this app yet, you should check it out.  It will certainly help you stay on top of your bible reading!

Old habits

Well, it's certainly been a while!  Whoever said old habits die hard was wrong - either that, or this daily bible reading habit was not an old one.  I must admit, I've been struggling to keep up with the regime we created back in September.  Granted, I have been quite busy lately, but that's not much of an excuse.
Here's the latest news flash - since the bible reading plan was so successful, at least in keeping us on top of reading the bible, I've decided to do another plan of sorts so that we can still try and stay accountable in studying the bible.
The next plan is to study Philippians.  That involves more than just reading the text.  We're going to look more heavily into the history of Philippi, read some commentaries on this book, and find out what others have said about Paul's letter to this church.  We won't be reading large chunks of it at a time, like with the previous reading plan, so there likely won't be a daily post.  That's not to say you shouldn't check back here daily for more news!  As you read along in Philippians, feel free to leave your own comments on this book, and how Paul's words to them may be affecting you.

The end

Well faithful readers, it's over.
If you followed along, you will have finished reading the entire bible in 9 months as of yesterday.  It has been quite a journey!  I've learned a lot, and I hope you have too.  Although one thing I learned is that it's difficult to get into the meat of the bible when you're trying to race through it at lightning speed to get it done in 9 months.  It was a great experience, but I think a slower pace would be the best way to go.
I hope you'll stick with this blog even now that the reading plan is over, because I still intend to keep on reading my bible, as you should as well.  I've certainly gotten into the habit of regular bible reading!
Stay tuned for more conversations on topics relating to the bible and Christian theology and history.  I'm sure there's a lot more to uncover than what we have discovered over the past nine months.

The reading plan

The new revised version of the reading plan is now up.  Check it out here.  It no longer skips from Dec. 14 to the 25th, so that means we end on June 22 instead of the 30th! (Unless I find other mistakes, but it should be good to go.)  Enjoy!

The Lord speaks

I don't have much to say on today's readings.  However, it was interesting to read today's chapter of Job (ch. 38).  This is the chapter where God speaks to Job. "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"  Those are hefty words.  Thankfully, we can come before God and make known our requests and complaints through Jesus, and we can have the confidence that God hears us and will respond, provided we come in a humble and contrite spirit.
In this chapter, since Job so proudly argued that he had done no wrong, God had to come and set the record straight.  It's really impressive to read God's account of creation.  Here is a short selection from Job 38:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!  Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"

*I must also admit that I have found an error in my reading plan.  Apparently, December 15-20 and the 24th do not exist, as they were not in the plan.  So, the numbering of the plan will be off by a few days as of tomorrow because I am still going to do the readings listed, they will just be off by a few days.  At some point, I will get around to fixing the electronic copy.

Reading the bible

Key verse

Lamentations 5:19 - You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 

_________

 I must admit, after reading some books about the bible, I have found that this current approach to reading the bible (four different snippets a day) is really not that effective for actually gaining anything from the bible study.  In order to get a true sense of the text, it's better to read larger chunks or entire books at a time, rather than select verses here and there.  For getting through the entire bible in 9 months, this is certainly a good way to do it, because you won't get 'bored' with a book, as you're reading four different ones at a time.

However, I will continue with this reading plan and once I am done, I will likely go back through book by book at a slower pace and have more time to study specific passages.

9 Month Bible Reading Plan

The reading plan that I will be following is now published.  See the 9 Month Bible Reading Plan tab at the top of the page.  This way, you can all follow along with me as we discover the bible together!

The real reason for this blog.

As we know, I wanted to write.  What to write about?  It's a burdensome question, and one that I didn't have an answer for for the longest time.  About a week ago or so, it came to me!  I was hoping to lead a small group this year at the church I go to, but decided I would really be too busy if I took that on, along with all the other responsibilities I have.  I have some great ideas about what I would have done, and I didn't want to give them up.  One idea was leading a group that was focused on reading through the entire Christian bible (I am a Christian) in nine months (the basic duration of the ministry year at our church).  Instead of leading an entire group of people who would be doing this, I thought I would give my reading plan a trial run on my own.  Thus, for the next nine months, starting September 19, 2010, I will be reading through the entire bible and blogging about this experience.  I figured I should start the blog up a few days early to familiarize myself with the process.

One of my friends mentioned the other day that the question he always asks before becoming involved in anything long term is "How will this look in February?"  For example, he said, if his girls wanted to get a dog, he wondered "How would that work in February, when it is freezing out and the ground is covered in snow and I have to go out and walk the dog?"

I find myself asking that very question about this endeavour: "How will this work out in February, when I'm swamped with school work, trying to maintain full time hours, volunteering at my church, skiing every weekend, and running a household?"  I must admit that the outlook doesn't look too bright at that time, but I believe that any time spent reading God's word is time well invested.  I hope you'll follow me on this journey through the bible and perhaps offer some insights of your own.  I'll post the reading plan in a few days.