Read the Bible in 90 Days With Us
I invite you to join me and a bunch of other members and friends who are committing to read through the entire Bible in 90 days beginning February 22nd. The attachment is a PDF file with a schedule for the readings. Also, follow the comments below for timely posts from me along the way.
WHY ARE WE READING? Because you want to read the complete Bible, cover to cover, for the first time, or again. Because the Bible is God's Word. Because the scripture is effective.
WILL IT BE EASY? No, not for me. It will require about an hour a day for three months. Some of the content is quite challenging to read and to understand. This will not be easy, but it can be very good.
I'll plan on blogging here every day as we read and invite you to respond and see others respond.
I plan on preaching a thirteen-week series which will give the whole sweep of scripture. I'll also be teaching through the entire Bible in the Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon Bible studies.
What do you think?
What If I Can't or Don't Keep Up
I began reading about a month ago and I have had a hard time keeping to the pace of 12 or so pages a day. My guess is many of us will miss a day or get behind. This happens, doesn't it. We'll have a few choices when it does.
We can quit!
We can keep reading on the days we can and take longer than 90 days to completely read through the Bible.
We can set aside some extra time over the next few days to catch up. This choice is probably the best. It has worked for me in the past month. I gain a great sense of accomplishment when I get caught up again.
When we get off schedule, drift away from our plan, we can draw on experiences we have had with other matters, such as training for long distance running, or when we were in school, that time with the diet, rehabbing from an injury, when we had a big project at work.
Get ready for some bumps in the road in your reading.
HERE WE GO
Quite a few folks have already started. But, the official beginning is this Wednesday, February 22nd.
We have over 90 names of people who have let us know they are planning on reading the whole Bible in the next 90 days. Several friends and neighbors are among the members of St. Andrews taking the challenge, heading into this adventure.
We have a DAILY SCHEDULE AND CHECKLIST in the church office available for you. I'll also post one on the website in a PDF format so you can download and print it. The checklist will note the chapters to read and provide a place to put a checkmark when you complete each day's reading or listening. It also has dates for each reading.
Ten Days to Decide
I am aware of over 50 people who will join many of us in reading through the entire Bible in 90 days beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. I hope you will decide to join us.
We chose to begin our reading during Lent, because many take on spiritual disciplines during this preparation for Holy Week and Easter. This discipline will help us get going and stay with it for the first half of the reading. With that momentum, we can complete our reading by the end of May.
I look forward to hearing your personal testimonies of the impact this experience with God's Word will have on your life.
Let me know what you think.
This takes persistence. Really.
This isn't the first time I've read through the Bible. I did it, in detail, taking notes during seminary, for a test. I have done it several other times through the years, including the last time we read the Bible in a year at St. Andrews.
I'm several weeks into the process already (so I can get a head start and prepare for my preaching and teaching during the 90 days) and I am finding it a challenge. But, it is a good challenge. I am learning new things in this speedier route trough. There are some boring passages, it seems. There are some hard to understand things, for sure. To make time for an hour a day is not easy. But, it is helpful and actually quite powerful for me.
Perhaps you might start earlier than February 22nd, just in case some things come up during the actual 90 days and you won't get behind and quit. It takes persistence. And persistence pays off!
What do you think?
There is a large team behind you, with you.
Word this morning at church is this: over 50 members and friends of St. Andrews have decided to read all the way through the Bible in 90 days, beginning February 22nd. To be honest, some have already started.
Imagine the impact of this. Think about the large number of disciples who will have read the Bible for the first time in their life and the others who will be reading all the way through again. What impact might this make in these individual lives. And think about a congregation so well grounded in the Word of God. I wonder what the Holy Spirit might be able to do with this.
Have you decided to take the plunge into scripture?
Leave a comment.
You may NOT LIKE the Bible if you read it
I have been finding some "push back" or "being uncomfortable with" or "not liking" or "I don't approve of that" internal reactions as I am reading (listening) through the Bible this time.
This was the case last time through, too. With me and with many, many other members of St. Andrews.
I guess we have been naive or have been "picking and choosing" or using "selective reading" through the years.
I wonder what we will do with these challenging passages. Some are simply boring. Some are simply hard to understand. And some are offensive.
What do you think?
Listening is getting better and more expansive
As I said earlier, I am listening, rather than reading the Bible for these 90 days (which, by the way, I have already begun, so as to get ahead.)
And I am finding listening a powerful way to "hear" the Word of God. It is a fresh way for me, specially, this much. Because I can think faster than I hear, I am making connections that I had not made before.
I also appreciate the very fast way this 90 day pace takes us into and through the scriptures. The elements stay together and tie across the chapters and books.
What do you think?
Other reasons to Read the Bible
We read from Psalm 119, from II Timothy 3:14-16, and from Matthew 4:1-4 this morning in worship and discovered four reasons to read the Bible: (1) to honor God, (2) for practical, useful information for life, (3) to get to know God's character, and (4) to become more disciplined in our Christian life.
Can you think of other reasons to read the Bible, particularly reasons the Bible gives for reading. If so, add a comment.
Hear it!
I have been listening to the Bible in an audio format recently. The Bible often speaks of hearing. Jesus says "those who have ears, listen." There is something important to scripture, to God's word, in hearing it. I have found an app for my Iphone that reads the Bible to me. There are plenty of MP3 format Bibles available. Several websites will read the Bible, some in a variety of translations. We have some audio format, on cassettes and CD's at the church. Consider using your ears to hear the Bible in 90 days.
I'm interested in your comments
Quite a few people have made comments, pro and con. Others have asked questions.
Help me make this a real blog, with some dialog, discussion among us.
Harland