The Bible in a Year

Have you ever read through the entire Bible?

Have you ever done it in a year?

I have read the whole Bible, but never in one stretch, and I want to do that. I want to do that in 2010. I marveled the other day at how I could read novel after novel and not be able to set it down. But, when it comes to my daily Bible reading, I constantly fall short. I think that 10 verses is enough meat for the day. It's usually not.

Why is that? Do you struggle, too? There are so many Bible reading plans available out there. They take sections of the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as Psalms or Proverbs, and you read a little bit each day. Over the span of a year, you cover the entire Bible. There's Bible Gateway, and My Daily Bread. These devotional plans can be downloaded, emailed, listened to and watched on YouTube. The amount of Bible access we have is astounding. Why don't we (why don't I?) use it?

I want to read the Bible as a story - cover to cover. Not in one sitting, obviously, but in one year. If I can read 2000 pages of other books in a single week, then surely I should be able to read my Bible, which is only 2035 pages long, in a year. And that is with 2 versions, so divide that by 2 and you get 1017.5 pages... that is like only three and a half days worth of reading.

However, we are now in the middle of August and I am still in Exodus. The good news is this - 2010 is NOT over yet! And the even better news is that I could read my Bible anywhere I want in this entire country and nobody would ever bother me. I can even go into a regular bookstore, and even some grocery stores, and find a Bible on the shelf to buy.

I once bought a Bible at Superstore for $10. The girl at the till said she'd never seen a Bible go through her till before, and she had to call someone for a price on it! I gave that Bible away.

The Bible I am reading out of right now is a parallel Bible which includes the NIV and Message versions. It was a gift from my husband for my 29th Birthday. That was 5 years ago, and it is not as beat up as it should be in that amount of time. Bibles should wear out from overuse. Bibles should be replaced because you are giving them away to people that don't have one of their own. When someone says, "That's my Bible." They should be really talking about a BIBLE, and not the latest Ikea catalogue or a car magazine.

The B-I-B-L-E... now, THAT'S the book for me. Can you (can I?!) say that with full meaning? It's one of the ways God speaks to us. His word is living and active.

Read it. Live it. Believe it.

BSF

I am gearing up for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) this Fall. I am excited that my daughter will get to come along with me and be part of the kids' program. My boys went 2 years ago, and they learned so much.

I learned so much, too. It is a Bible study program like non other that I have ever been a part of. There is a 4 step process to the study, so you really get to the heart of a passage of scripture.

It's been two years since I've really studied my Bible that way, and I am long overdue for dissecting and digesting the Word like that.

This year's study is on the book of Isaiah, and it is a new addition to the BSF studies. In the past, there were 7 years of studies and then you repeat again. Isaiah will be the 8th study added to the rotation.

If you are not in a Bible Study this Fall, please check out the BSF link, and find a Bible Study group near you. You'll be so glad you did. There are groups for men, women and kids.

Courageous

From the creators of Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Flywheel, comes a new movie, Courageous. Join the Facebook group for updates, and plan to go see Courageous in theatres. Get the message out there that we want good quality movies in our theatres.

Open Up My Heart

Years ago, I heard this song, Open Up My Heart, for the first time. Some of my Norwegian relatives gave me 2 cassette tracks of the Oslo Gospel Choir. All their music is moving and beautiful. But this song... this song was amazing.

Quickly, I learned all the words and the inflections and crescendos. I shared it with a group I was singing with at the time called "Sister Act." We had the head pieces as costumes, and everything! We sang this song, along with a whole repertoire of other songs. We sang in church, and at parties, etc, it was so much fun! I really miss singing in groups and choirs, but unfortunately, we don't have a choir at our church right now.

I am thinking of getting a vocal group together for this song. Turn up your speakers and sing along!!!

OPEN UP MY HEART

Did you like Fireproof?

The brothers are producing again!

COURAGEOUS... check it out!

Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22

A new blog to follow!

My friend Bev just posted on Facebook about this blog she has been following. I just poked around there for awhile and found myself laughing at a lot of it...

Check it out - the blog is called "What Christians Like" and I wouldn't be surprised if you found something that struck a chord! I sure did!!