tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34142458458032531542024-03-13T13:28:48.001-07:00Bashed by the BibleWhat I have been reading in the Bible.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-2074801527191295902011-05-23T04:06:00.000-07:002011-05-23T04:06:58.879-07:00Cycle #23 - Days One Hundred and One to One Hundred and Ten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYZdu2rM281UyEavCq7VTYfQb-6QA2i_rGqNjkFGCOnBmRRrLHL9unutgC3Yizb6kIxUUYcn-61IAFfJmHMx9Fs_AO7xTzuFmc7uxvijfOvpG4CuGEPI1B-edPwbQQu8UifUMXdKN6Hw/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYZdu2rM281UyEavCq7VTYfQb-6QA2i_rGqNjkFGCOnBmRRrLHL9unutgC3Yizb6kIxUUYcn-61IAFfJmHMx9Fs_AO7xTzuFmc7uxvijfOvpG4CuGEPI1B-edPwbQQu8UifUMXdKN6Hw/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So the last ten days past by and with a flurry of reading activity, there was success. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Success to the point where cycle 23 was completed!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So we started the ten days with 169 chapters to go to finish the task, and discovered along the way that due to some dodgy maths somewhere the target was actually 172 chapters.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So what was read in the last ten days.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ezekiel 12-48.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Hebrews</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Daniel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Hosea</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">James</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Joel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Amos</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Obadiah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Jonah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Peter</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">2 Peter</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Micah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Nahum</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Habakkuk</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Zephaniah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">2 John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">3 John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Haggai</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Zechariah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Malachi</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Jude</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Revelation</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">It seems like a lot of books! And in one sense it is, but many of them are quite short, but after one hundred and ten days cycle 23 has been completed and I am one step closer to my goal of reading the Bible at least one time for every year of my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">My age: 44</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Times read: 23</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Goal: One time for one year and trying to reach that by the age of 50 meaning now 27 times in 6.5 years.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">That means we need to do 4 and a bit times per year. That's a hard goal to reach!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Well let's keep going and after a break of a day or two back into cycle 24 and this time I will be reading from the longest book to the shortest book, so I will be taking it away with Psalms.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">And as Psalm one blessed is the man who meditates on the word of God day and night!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-41587083879699881332011-05-11T15:07:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:27:30.641-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Ninety One - One Hundred.<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Someone one said, in a play on the sound of words, I am at a loss to explain the prophets. He was speaking about the prophetic books of the Bible, and sometimes they are difficult to explain, other times they are difficult to stay focused on and I guess motivated to read through.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">So the last ten days have been a little bit difficult but I have now made it through two and a quarter of the three major prophetic books!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">So what did I read in the last ten days.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Jeremiah.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Lamentations.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Titus.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Philemon.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Ezekiel 1-11.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">This was a total of 75 chapters and brings our running total to 1020 out of 1189 and so I have passed the 1000 mark and now have 169 chapters to go!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">The one thing I am reminded of as I read these prophetic books is that we always need to read them, as any part of the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, through the cross. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">That is, to read it correctly, you look at the original context, then you take it through Jesus and the cross, then you apply it to your own situation. So many people read it straight from the Bible to them, and thus you end up with some seriously weird ideas. Jeremiah said this....</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Take it through Jesus, it is much harder work and requires a deeper understanding of context but what you get is a much more valuable and genuine gospel which truly changes lives.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">And so one hundred days has come and gone, and now another ten begins.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b4a7d6;">See you in ten hopefully a lot closer to the goal!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-11115700340161956682011-05-02T16:40:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:40:04.836-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Eighty One to Ninety<span style="color: cyan;">The ten days started at Easter, and with the end of the gospel of John, which was not planned but worked out nicely.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I made it through Isaiah and learnt a few things along the way. It is an interesting book isn't it? Full of messianic writings and grounded in historical events, and with amazing chapters like 6,40 and 53.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So I have made it through one of the big three prophetic books and I start the next ten days with the second one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I also read Ecclesiastes which really does bash you with its brutal insights of the reality of life. It should be required reading for anyone about to start college or uni. Think about what life really means before you waste it on hedonistic pursuits, or seeking after career. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">And then there is Song of Songs, which I'm no real closer to understanding, but some of the images presented are extraordinary, Really not buying the analogy that some have of Christ and the church though.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So let's look at what I actually read:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">John 17 - 21.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Ecclesiastes.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Song of Songs.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I Thessalonians.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">2 Thessalonians.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Isaiah.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">1 Timothy.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">2 Timothy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">A total of 109 chapters, which according to our running total means 945 out of 1189 and just 244 chapters to go.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So I begin with the weeping prophet Jeremiah, now there is a man who had total commitment for God. With him and Ezekiel you really have men that said we will not go quietly into the night, we will stand up and for the sake of God we will fight.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Difficult reading but ultimately something which needs to be read.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">See you in about ten!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-22509219602253230532011-04-21T15:23:00.000-07:002011-04-21T15:23:53.136-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Seventy One to Eighty<span style="color: lime;">So the last ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and I was able to read Colossians and once again marvel at the supremacy of Christ.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">I also through no planning was able to read the gospel of John and finished just as it is heading into the passion, which I will read today, Good Friday. The sovereign hand of God!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Well what I read was:-</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Psalms 111-150.</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">Philippians.</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">Colossians.</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">Proverbs.</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">John 1-16.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">A total of 95 chapters, which according to my dodgy maths is 836 out of 1189 chapters. So 353 to go, but a lot of Old Testament prophets in there which I have always struggled with a little bit.</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">Let's see how we go. I'm sure before you finish your coffee another ten days will pass by!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-30503271110204665942011-04-13T01:19:00.000-07:002011-04-13T01:22:16.678-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Sixty One to Seventy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3lEOPGpzlebM1kNZE2Mt_enbhmGRrt1qOo90yvf7X8uFm7GcClp3JQoZ7ZxU2HBK1rm8LLsJE_SFvLjlBJsIKft96laFRt_zQuDk7AiknBsBu4z4qCkx1NllfTctc-B8paeYHVSncnw/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3lEOPGpzlebM1kNZE2Mt_enbhmGRrt1qOo90yvf7X8uFm7GcClp3JQoZ7ZxU2HBK1rm8LLsJE_SFvLjlBJsIKft96laFRt_zQuDk7AiknBsBu4z4qCkx1NllfTctc-B8paeYHVSncnw/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">For quite some time my favourite book of the Bible has been the epistle of Colossians, because it showed me the supremacy of Christ. It is a thouroughly Christological book and is essential reading and understanding for anyone who like myself left the Pentecostal church and in my opinion a need to grasp onto things and hold onto more than Christ. The desperate need for the tangible, needing signs, miracles, people falling over and the like.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">However, I have not got to Colossians yet, but I have got to another of my favourite parts of the Bible, the Psalms. It is a brutally honest depiction of the way a persons worships God, through doubt, anger, grief, fear and through passion.</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">So what exactly did I read in the past ten days?</span></div><br />
<span style="color: orange;">Job 22-42.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Galatians.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Ephesians.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Psalms 1 - 110.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">A total of 143 chapters which is a total of 741 out of 1189 chapters if my artithmetic is correct, and there is no guarentee of that, the end result is that I am getting there, and hopefully in the next ten days I will get to Colossians again!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-57907323555824496152011-04-03T14:28:00.000-07:002011-04-03T14:29:22.425-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Fifty One to Sixty<span style="color: yellow;">The last ten says were not ten of my better Bible reading days.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">In short I struggled a bit. That happens from time to time with me, I'm not sure about you.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">There were other things that I placed too much emphasis on and not enough on the Bible.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">I've looked at how I can address that, and actually have extended it to how I actually plan my whole day, and how I should be centering it around, or at least grounding it in the Bible.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">I recently heard a preacher say he does not know how we can go through the day without reading the Bible in the morning. Without turning the mirror of the Bible onto our lives and have it changed, have our lives reflect what the Bible is saying.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Anyway it was not all disaster!</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">What I read was:-</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Acts</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Job 1-21.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">A total of 49 chapters which brings me to 598 out of 1189 chapters, if all my adding up has been correct!!</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">This means I have now officially past the half way mark. Yay!! </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Well time to get back into reading and finishing Job to start.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">In the unlikely event you are reading this, how about sharing how your Bible reading is going as well?</span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-18190267769895858942011-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:002011-03-24T13:21:02.673-07:00Cycle #23 - Days Forty One to Fifty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7AFHsBrIKM65JEJ1m2bLwsBoM56_qnPR9y6x4xh0sFuTuZtJ4k4hxqrcNBmJcd3Dc5YklJSJ6I5rZMsWAqrdDYMyIpuPzUYe0LoCOv8BP7AlbKBlH68YbxOjPJiotwhaBL7RgzUBluA/s1600/Bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7AFHsBrIKM65JEJ1m2bLwsBoM56_qnPR9y6x4xh0sFuTuZtJ4k4hxqrcNBmJcd3Dc5YklJSJ6I5rZMsWAqrdDYMyIpuPzUYe0LoCOv8BP7AlbKBlH68YbxOjPJiotwhaBL7RgzUBluA/s320/Bible.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">It is actually now day fifty-three, but this is as of day fifty.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I just have not had the time to write down what I had read.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So the ten days went fast as usual and it was pretty good with reading, pretty sustained.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So what did I read?</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">2 Chronicles 21-36.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I Corinthians.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">2 Corinthians.</span><span style="color: cyan;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Ezra.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Nehemiah.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Esther.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Luke.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">That was a total of 102 chapters, including Luke where the chapters are long!</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">That is now a total of 549 out of 1189 chapters read, so almost half way there.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">A new blog in about eight days!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-72977770042337280732011-03-12T12:12:00.000-08:002011-03-12T12:12:31.711-08:00Cycle #23 - Days Thirty One to Forty<span style="color: cyan;">Once again ten days have vanished like mist before the sun. Sometimes recording things we do over a period of time reveals how quickly the passage of time passes as well as what we are recording.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">So what happened in the last ten days?</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Well I continued on at a steady pace.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I read:</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I Kings.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">II Kings.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Mark.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">I Chronicles.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">II Chronicles 1-20.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">That was a total of 112 chapters for a total of 447 out of 1189.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">The funny thing is I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere at points, but if you keep working away, you do eventually reach your goal.</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Another ten days will be over before we know it, so off to read the Bible, and live according to its words!</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">All this reading is useless after all, unless I apply it to my life.</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-80333655648056192212011-03-02T12:41:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:41:20.560-08:00Cycle #23 - Days Twenty One to Thirty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifInwu4R_IqC3Ttwi_1NkxSyhFf2G8KDiO_fXNBJuyYbn-Xr_s1ntdLZhUTDLTlOwiHDeV22221tQs-qJJE-hH7HV-BTQEC321WeQRrVbzTlB-dKc45kKr6jta8WPgNnSV7ag91y0ka-8/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifInwu4R_IqC3Ttwi_1NkxSyhFf2G8KDiO_fXNBJuyYbn-Xr_s1ntdLZhUTDLTlOwiHDeV22221tQs-qJJE-hH7HV-BTQEC321WeQRrVbzTlB-dKc45kKr6jta8WPgNnSV7ag91y0ka-8/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: yellow;">The saying time flies is quite accurate don't you think? The last ten days has flown by in almost a blink of the eye.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Well in the last ten days I have read.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Romans 4-16.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">I Samuel</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">II Samuel.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">That was a total of 68 chapters and a grand total of 335 chapters out of 1189.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">So I am moving steadily along.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"></span><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">The next ten days will pass before I know it, so it is time to get back to it!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-76098944332120027692011-02-20T12:19:00.000-08:002011-02-20T12:19:52.247-08:00Cycle #23 - Days Eleven to Twenty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pOFU9lb35HYKXDSR0Daclk6EosEqpksFidj6x76i62s8LbndmgOlj-wgHsz3JMAiIre9E6fO0JX1zJnpq_s7yIvFkVqPD3qemT5HrdPvPRWOp2sO5uQ-4Q3qnBRmmZG3tcVFa_Ir_HQ/s1600/Bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pOFU9lb35HYKXDSR0Daclk6EosEqpksFidj6x76i62s8LbndmgOlj-wgHsz3JMAiIre9E6fO0JX1zJnpq_s7yIvFkVqPD3qemT5HrdPvPRWOp2sO5uQ-4Q3qnBRmmZG3tcVFa_Ir_HQ/s320/Bible.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">It just so happened that on the night of day twenty, I was in church and heard a talk on 1 John 2:18-28. One of the main points of this talk was to stick with the original message of the gospel, and flowing from that was the application to read the Bible, and read it each day. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">The Bible is the source of our guidance, and the source of our life.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc8CGl5DwYoYOQJnbvgE6zdP8iu9fOh3RsWOa95O6SJN8o-K5t8k8roKKHUqFe11nPF7v6Eq3sB7jvtyZAXt6MThFUmr1iHn32WTXmw6mmlVHNRMxQ2yN44uDKqxgfoaOHU3T7xKxUyU/s1600/119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc8CGl5DwYoYOQJnbvgE6zdP8iu9fOh3RsWOa95O6SJN8o-K5t8k8roKKHUqFe11nPF7v6Eq3sB7jvtyZAXt6MThFUmr1iHn32WTXmw6mmlVHNRMxQ2yN44uDKqxgfoaOHU3T7xKxUyU/s320/119.jpg" width="320" /><span style="color: #674ea7;"></span></a></div><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Psalm 119:105 describes it as a light for our path. It lights up the darkness of life around us.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Anyway so I have been encouraged again to read the Bible and read it often.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Last time I had just finished the Pentateuch, which was 187 chapters and this time I was able to read:</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Matthew</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Joshua</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Judges</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Ruth</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Romans 1 - 3</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg16d1pZY4ZitDhSfCRaYFCPJ5jLva56F175K1OzputY19s_HaHLnK03JXJKTP0AU745yRpVvGQKImAC7B1aR_iXqfm2BTFST3ZqkrI-jDTcFp_EU-q5mL_VvNa8TcJLMG0JvSY1x3iQw/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg16d1pZY4ZitDhSfCRaYFCPJ5jLva56F175K1OzputY19s_HaHLnK03JXJKTP0AU745yRpVvGQKImAC7B1aR_iXqfm2BTFST3ZqkrI-jDTcFp_EU-q5mL_VvNa8TcJLMG0JvSY1x3iQw/s1600/Bible+2.jpg" /><span style="color: #674ea7;"></span></a></div><span style="color: #674ea7;">This was a total of 80 chapters and so a running total of 267 chapters out of the 1189 in the Bible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Reading the Bible is not just an activity to slip into your schedule for something to do, it is a life giving, encouraging activity which teaches, convicts, disciplines and moves us to a deeper walk in Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Read the Bible today!</span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTCS8rg4nkOD8F6M4NQ0qsG5n_dMFTKsJJugu5OKudUXBczDC2IIZvArn9ntJFEot5fnvYLC4DJycq5VChQ1T_ocgpTHdG2xjVMkOT94oMaLQcXmFi5DypBEajQQbdmo7GYXJ_ebnWZA/s1600/Read.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTCS8rg4nkOD8F6M4NQ0qsG5n_dMFTKsJJugu5OKudUXBczDC2IIZvArn9ntJFEot5fnvYLC4DJycq5VChQ1T_ocgpTHdG2xjVMkOT94oMaLQcXmFi5DypBEajQQbdmo7GYXJ_ebnWZA/s320/Read.gif" width="246" /></a></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-59094376914778735042011-02-10T14:45:00.000-08:002011-02-10T14:45:23.586-08:00Cycle #23 - Days One to Ten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GqQymlgZvSUTPykRbG_dTeYvGvw4qHaYwwdDzZ516wzEJHZhjyjQWNriAeIqciI3uSUZMbfI-zBBmIFRzbQwLWYLrrfxSCWo7VhViSZGm0QA_VMeVKnrEAPYSdN2lsz-r1xzFIpKA6M/s1600/Bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GqQymlgZvSUTPykRbG_dTeYvGvw4qHaYwwdDzZ516wzEJHZhjyjQWNriAeIqciI3uSUZMbfI-zBBmIFRzbQwLWYLrrfxSCWo7VhViSZGm0QA_VMeVKnrEAPYSdN2lsz-r1xzFIpKA6M/s320/Bible.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">So some years ago I had an aim, that aim was to read the Bible one time for every year of my life.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">I have made it half way now, finishing 22 times and I am the ripe old age of 44. </span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Getting that far though has meant that I had to plan, and so I have planned, and now I actually put in my diary my daily readings. </span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Then this year I decided to add the Bible Marathon challenge, so now I am a month behind my schedule. Now I could easily re-write my schedule, or try and catch up, slowly but surely. A friend of mine used to say when watching a team playing sport that were behind, they just need to grind away. Now this is not sport, and ultimately it does not matter if I don't meet my schedule, what matters is that the word of God impacts my life deeply and that I apply it and change, growing in his grace and mercy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Anyway another way of being sure I am continuing reading the Bible is blogging what I have read, and so I am going to continue the updates and my plan is to do this every ten days. </span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">So what did I read in the first ten days. I read the Torah.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUA2evLM4Nf-VMJZnsDf-q6yRWRW3GXt-f9kyO5qI1gSuree2fWS_PpOLfKMGDmH3RaT-LDe_i8XCS82h5AY0Jv9QtYCGDyGRad_Oz_vJHWPcJTiRDizFT4PGQ2cUZ6xdVb0KDinKzA8A/s1600/Grace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUA2evLM4Nf-VMJZnsDf-q6yRWRW3GXt-f9kyO5qI1gSuree2fWS_PpOLfKMGDmH3RaT-LDe_i8XCS82h5AY0Jv9QtYCGDyGRad_Oz_vJHWPcJTiRDizFT4PGQ2cUZ6xdVb0KDinKzA8A/s320/Grace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Genesis.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Exodus.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Leviticus.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Numbers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Deuteronomy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">I am not going through the Bible from start to finish this time, in fact next up is the gospel of Matthew.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">So this time I am mixing up the old and the new.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Some people say, and with some accuracy, that you can't get a lot out of just reading the Bible in chunks, for want of a better word, but there are other ways to add to daily Bible reading.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">The church I attend works through books of the Bible, preaching a passage on the Sunday, and we study the same passage the Wednesday before in our Bible Study groups. Even the kids in kids church look at the same passage. The church in unity studying the Bible together. Currently we are working through the epistles of John. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdVB7kg2GR1jvi4DH440BCNEgfoMyEA7xKmOZTFf_0UOJvp5XcRecDtaxTt5yRxF4AqYQeAQ8vWCuyekh5CN_mmWFBzu3kKn5QO_q-xugMQZPGxxDRNvlmRn3XDEPDIMYv8gZF8R-TK0/s1600/Tribal.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdVB7kg2GR1jvi4DH440BCNEgfoMyEA7xKmOZTFf_0UOJvp5XcRecDtaxTt5yRxF4AqYQeAQ8vWCuyekh5CN_mmWFBzu3kKn5QO_q-xugMQZPGxxDRNvlmRn3XDEPDIMYv8gZF8R-TK0/s1600/Tribal.gif" /></a><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Also I have another blog called The Tribal Bible in which I am paraphrasing the Bible, and currently working through Genesis. This makes you stop, go slowly and think about the words and concepts even more.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">So my encouragement is read the Bible, and study the Bible, do both. </span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">I'd love to hear if anyone else is on the same pilgrimage, to read the Bible one year for every year of their life.</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-57314254040573428752011-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:002011-02-04T14:36:56.645-08:00The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Five!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx9IAb5HtkgmMUnleFB_QplPvxHmBi6nXrqMfO_0FNkPapVF6n6FA7hbh9cHKDRLs3BibdNoOCe06LB04ulUMouFNmngwMUSdl2SMDv7ijW8yYaRz8UaNTdOyDx3LYroLnzElfrYAOiY/s1600/Bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx9IAb5HtkgmMUnleFB_QplPvxHmBi6nXrqMfO_0FNkPapVF6n6FA7hbh9cHKDRLs3BibdNoOCe06LB04ulUMouFNmngwMUSdl2SMDv7ijW8yYaRz8UaNTdOyDx3LYroLnzElfrYAOiY/s320/Bible.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Yep, so without any tension building here - it was a success!. This was not actually all of week five, rather just shy of half a week, being three days.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">But the end result of it all is at about 8:00 am on January 31 Revelation 22 was read to finish the Bible in 31 days.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U-MCmKMJ8m_3D-KOcbepFerVLYsL42vkYShyqX5ulpTr_frK5EnQcI_rbQu87znJdTX7m3ZQWZ-wMSScn5lE7FJ343eS_xnxaQVIY8ZIOhPAAukdZSq10ZX0IHRmgYGBcBEaoFD9-oc/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U-MCmKMJ8m_3D-KOcbepFerVLYsL42vkYShyqX5ulpTr_frK5EnQcI_rbQu87znJdTX7m3ZQWZ-wMSScn5lE7FJ343eS_xnxaQVIY8ZIOhPAAukdZSq10ZX0IHRmgYGBcBEaoFD9-oc/s200/3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: magenta;">Success!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So here is what I read in those three days:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">II Corinthians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Galatians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ephesians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Philippians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Colossians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"> I Thessalonians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">II Thessalonians</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Timothy</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">II Timothy</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Titus</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Philemon</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07BM2Q-O9dOpmMbQJXDvJjda8YZwlLrr9dodg3imU1gNayuox1d8cnM6qCVETQcZsCR56koXhm3PaFw8nvSDUxwACkKrG3_tGXhmqQaupBJC7z9FHX_EeVMgb4RHqeJKCP81Ydk_Hlfc/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07BM2Q-O9dOpmMbQJXDvJjda8YZwlLrr9dodg3imU1gNayuox1d8cnM6qCVETQcZsCR56koXhm3PaFw8nvSDUxwACkKrG3_tGXhmqQaupBJC7z9FHX_EeVMgb4RHqeJKCP81Ydk_Hlfc/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: magenta;">Hebrews</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">James</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Peter</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">2 Peter</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">2 John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">3 John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Jude</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Revelation</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So for the stats - </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I read 111 chapters making a total of 1189 chapters and of course 0 to go!</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Over the course of the month I read at an average of 38.35 chapters per day.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">It was a real challenge, especially when you are working and busy most nights, but it was a great thing to do.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">That is the end of cycle 22 - and I have now read the Bible at an average of once every two years in my life, half way to my goal of making it once every year.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-hwUjUZHBtsBYsdXmY3dUc1SwIBOaDaGMYWq6VvpYCb1Jj85PiCutV7oZAjLKHP4sCfg-6QXdoY0lhKiTgz2as5F-5rzyCkHYMzujwJSoEptEDNyrWmDw24Duz7be6jAsOTgTWvHxuw/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-hwUjUZHBtsBYsdXmY3dUc1SwIBOaDaGMYWq6VvpYCb1Jj85PiCutV7oZAjLKHP4sCfg-6QXdoY0lhKiTgz2as5F-5rzyCkHYMzujwJSoEptEDNyrWmDw24Duz7be6jAsOTgTWvHxuw/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Cycle 23 has commenced, but that can be for another post!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-53486757830228004412011-01-28T13:30:00.000-08:002011-01-28T13:30:45.085-08:00The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Four!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPj13zuSHyH3sScF_Eq5BJPuX1LSsn6oVYTN5uvnHAyfmPz9rKuJf2_vcYfHFSH17v3-gxYDsn8oT2cgIKMU8czPb8KpmuxfERCeZfnrBt6qcbdq30P-qO_Y6bgI3voM-Kkfaf7Z7UnNE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPj13zuSHyH3sScF_Eq5BJPuX1LSsn6oVYTN5uvnHAyfmPz9rKuJf2_vcYfHFSH17v3-gxYDsn8oT2cgIKMU8czPb8KpmuxfERCeZfnrBt6qcbdq30P-qO_Y6bgI3voM-Kkfaf7Z7UnNE/s320/1.jpg" width="301" /></a><span style="color: magenta;">It's getting close to the finish line of the marathon challenge, and it is going to be a close run thing, either way.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Week four started slowly but built up to the point where I can make it, with just three days to go.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">This week I finished the Old Testament and moved into the new going through the New Testament gospel and history section, so what I read this week was - </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Daniel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Hosea</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Joel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Amos</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Obadiah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Jonah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Micah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Nahum</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Habakkuk</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Zephaniah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Haggai</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Zachariah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Malachi</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Matthew</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Mark</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Luke</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">John</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Acts</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Romans</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Corinthians.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So for the stats - </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So this week I read 228 chapters and that makes a total of 1,078 chapters leaving 111 to go.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I have been reading at an average of 38.50 chapters per day and have a very similar target over the next three days to make it!</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I am now in the epistle, so without any delay I have to get back to make it, it has come down to the wire!</span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UvXCaaaZtDPbnIhTPzAuw4ZiQBb1Tx9D1YcuyKR7n1PnHCTJQaIoCRJhs02m_CozwDfP7C7r4wPPoUXB78fPlQeAlERzADfyB915PDl9prBHvhezi2fTYj_y-VhQk-mq59uMWe9OFdc/s1600/0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UvXCaaaZtDPbnIhTPzAuw4ZiQBb1Tx9D1YcuyKR7n1PnHCTJQaIoCRJhs02m_CozwDfP7C7r4wPPoUXB78fPlQeAlERzADfyB915PDl9prBHvhezi2fTYj_y-VhQk-mq59uMWe9OFdc/s320/0.png" width="320" /></a></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-13470566711624030032011-01-21T12:36:00.000-08:002011-01-21T12:36:55.699-08:00The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Three!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLxHMtJfDyeLmLL5kIelO-QZ6vYDDgT6lhsxg8DKWnVJ2eUNQRj7TvL1g5ZJto1CmccVV6LgFblS0us7ZJWibNi2ie8GDvRjWLMkK4ktBCE7zH0NxDt3a6MenyIngrWCLL7wu6dkUmU8/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLxHMtJfDyeLmLL5kIelO-QZ6vYDDgT6lhsxg8DKWnVJ2eUNQRj7TvL1g5ZJto1CmccVV6LgFblS0us7ZJWibNi2ie8GDvRjWLMkK4ktBCE7zH0NxDt3a6MenyIngrWCLL7wu6dkUmU8/s400/0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">No that's not me but they look very serious about reading don't they.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So as I said last week, this week I was going to face the prophecy section of the Bible, arguably the most confusing area. This is also an area where many people have got to in their Bible reading journeys and given up. They can make it past Leviticus, navigate through the long chronologies of I Chronicles, even get through the strange long dialogues of Job, but then the prophets do them in.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">There are two main sections in the prophecy section, the major and the minor prophets. The designation is not about how important (or not important) they were but how long the book was they wrote.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Anyway what happened this last week. So I started a third of the way through Psalms, and this is where I went.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Psalms 51 - 150.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Proverbs.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ecclesiastes.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Song of Songs. (Or Song of Solomon for the traditionalists)</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Isaiah.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Jeremiah.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Lamentations. (In case you wondered although this book is only 5 chapters long it is in the major prophets section because it is really an addendum to Jeremiah, the same author, and basically it is tied in with the other book)</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ezekiel.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So I have effectively made my way through the major prophets. There is Daniel, who is called a major prophet, although in length his book is quite small.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiQhqCmctdjX43MvCPzvjeSBpU3hppk5fFM1gO50u9tqxjLY3QBX4iIZqALX6p41bHN8LXJejWAqbJWhVHklm-O7tkAxEfxbuwy_hEet_oEhrltwNKV56YaYDLrmbe9F23cGfDPLTmQI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiQhqCmctdjX43MvCPzvjeSBpU3hppk5fFM1gO50u9tqxjLY3QBX4iIZqALX6p41bHN8LXJejWAqbJWhVHklm-O7tkAxEfxbuwy_hEet_oEhrltwNKV56YaYDLrmbe9F23cGfDPLTmQI/s320/1.jpg" width="301" /><span style="color: magenta;"></span></a></div><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Statistics time now!</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">At the beginning of the week I had 528 chapters read out of 1189, and believed to be on track for a 31 day achievement.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">This week I read 322 chapters making a total of 850 out of 1189 chapters. Which was a really top effort this week. How much is going to stick in my head is another matter, but apart from spending months studying them in detail they are quite difficult.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">That means at the moment I am reading at 40.76 chapters per day and now have 339 chapters to go in the last eleven days. 79 in the Old Testament and the 260 in the New Testament. All going well I should be in the New Testament in the next couple of days.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I am now more confident of reaching the goal, but there is still consistent work to be done.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Anyway I'm off to continue my challenge, I thought I would leave you with this plan. I found someone else who read the Bible in a month and had a much more organised plan than I did of reading it straight through from cover to cover. Anyway I put the plan here for your personal edification.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8U-ABiIYgEZw9wLMKwl8efRR-JiiFPWFM3fbM5kG7y3TTMQv9cz51Yk307NyqdqGtt1_lwyA9Rva6_E2IhpcCBgE2FjQ_B9E-fm91ZID3UkPOtlhUim18mME1CEjBwKOkaOT8I7Cvyk/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8U-ABiIYgEZw9wLMKwl8efRR-JiiFPWFM3fbM5kG7y3TTMQv9cz51Yk307NyqdqGtt1_lwyA9Rva6_E2IhpcCBgE2FjQ_B9E-fm91ZID3UkPOtlhUim18mME1CEjBwKOkaOT8I7Cvyk/s640/0.jpg" width="530" /></a></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-51792541191670287842011-01-15T12:04:00.000-08:002011-01-15T12:04:47.803-08:00The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Two!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JR5GgM-G5cULik8Xuv-xUXMpUS2hFOw72hQkMeZYkE3UqxpEGKTYy4qJLPBfM4suWKTNvCQGojcX14by31WpjTOh6uTBeJFhtJNEdBn47pjKWkKzm_U25kKBeYpZO8Q36-C-L62Omq4/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JR5GgM-G5cULik8Xuv-xUXMpUS2hFOw72hQkMeZYkE3UqxpEGKTYy4qJLPBfM4suWKTNvCQGojcX14by31WpjTOh6uTBeJFhtJNEdBn47pjKWkKzm_U25kKBeYpZO8Q36-C-L62Omq4/s320/0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwg7OS7xqI5YmZ2FgPzlzzabtITQM6QquEWudmJVHhP8biWVVuSFofR5E9SqZTFCBgUroyU_5OREvJExXKvb1BwOCBRtom_Rgd-1602g5tNEBL-D-EGyCzMXjHUcLg54-46Auipb6bVg/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwg7OS7xqI5YmZ2FgPzlzzabtITQM6QquEWudmJVHhP8biWVVuSFofR5E9SqZTFCBgUroyU_5OREvJExXKvb1BwOCBRtom_Rgd-1602g5tNEBL-D-EGyCzMXjHUcLg54-46Auipb6bVg/s200/8.jpg" width="191" /><span style="color: magenta;"></span></a><span style="color: magenta;">Well one thing with this challenge is you have to be consistent. If you slacked off at all you would get behind the eight ball really really quickly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So with this nature of having to keep up with the reading being this intense I think about a month would be the most you could reasonably expect to keep it up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Anyway having said that, this is what was read in the second week of the challenge.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMGCAmBBZA2gcRw0LIlXydfeY-a5_R0GTSxOSXMVOyKuLj2kG7iZ8uDlLMbUV77vvfNQqcuzhnV7C-E_RPODopwQcf2FLbLPbzAE_1Q7oggdJoZvGzi0RVGOZIQtNlkQ8V51CP5pzcsM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMGCAmBBZA2gcRw0LIlXydfeY-a5_R0GTSxOSXMVOyKuLj2kG7iZ8uDlLMbUV77vvfNQqcuzhnV7C-E_RPODopwQcf2FLbLPbzAE_1Q7oggdJoZvGzi0RVGOZIQtNlkQ8V51CP5pzcsM/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /><span style="color: magenta;"></span></a></div><span style="color: magenta;">I Kings</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">II Kings</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Chronicles</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">II Chronicles</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ezra</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Nehemiah</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Esther</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Job</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Psalms: 1 - 50.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"> So the the statistics bit - </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">A total there of 237 chapters and a little bit below what the challenge dictated I achieve. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">The total read now is 528 chapters out of 1189. That is an average of 37.71 per day which is below the 38.35 required to be on schedule. To get back on track by the end of week three I need to be up to 806 chapters which is 278 chapters to read in the next seven days, or basically 40 per day. So I better get cracking!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">In terms of where I am up to in the Bible I have finished the history section and am in the poetry/wisdom section, next comes arguably the hardest section the prophecy area, with major and minor prophets.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Following that will be the New Testament with the history section and then the epistles.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Well got some serious reading to do to have success in this really outrageous challenge.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Expect another report in about seven days.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">In the meantime I will leave you with a nice banner I found - </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILDy4dL888185ya4CKAoQaCo_J2Om30VFegZxNzBur0pmHl68-_ZspGm1bx8o38QYopqAPjKTSgDWH3nXeETOt2XcOKNqh3Rhja6ouhEx6FK9ZNn-YxR-_W03qJ8QY-dnSJWepASGR5g/s1600/0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILDy4dL888185ya4CKAoQaCo_J2Om30VFegZxNzBur0pmHl68-_ZspGm1bx8o38QYopqAPjKTSgDWH3nXeETOt2XcOKNqh3Rhja6ouhEx6FK9ZNn-YxR-_W03qJ8QY-dnSJWepASGR5g/s640/0.png" width="640" /></a></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414245845803253154.post-78477187382525463842011-01-07T00:42:00.000-08:002011-01-15T12:05:31.856-08:00The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week One!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjap1eO11aUQSDr2_PijDZCPlgwIktQ086HzVtn7f1zdU6AZZUiWTyEBa-uHe3OMV-kFdXZl1fyOEJ-LUJmmdCEA_kXZsmwArODZo3XVPrbA0O4cLx8wFXY1vg_D286AKN_6vXuE_xLZkQ/s1600/Bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjap1eO11aUQSDr2_PijDZCPlgwIktQ086HzVtn7f1zdU6AZZUiWTyEBa-uHe3OMV-kFdXZl1fyOEJ-LUJmmdCEA_kXZsmwArODZo3XVPrbA0O4cLx8wFXY1vg_D286AKN_6vXuE_xLZkQ/s320/Bible.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div align="justify"><span style="color: magenta;">So I decided that I would start the year with a flood - a flood of Bible reading. I have an ambition to read the Bible from Genesis chapter one to Revelation chapter twenty-two, and everything in between in the month of January.</span></div><span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">It sounds like a big task and it is - but hey it is a good task! I have had experience in reading the Bible this is my twenty second circuit through the Bible. I also have done the Bible in a month twice before. One time I made it in thirty three days and the other twenty nine, so I do have precedence.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Why did I decide to do it? I wanted to 'flood' myself with the Bible from the beginning of the year to saturate myself in it and try to meditate on it. After this month I think I will sow down a bit!</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So one week in how have things gone.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I am reading straight through from beginning to end, so so far i have read.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Genesis</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Exodus</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Leviticus</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Numbers</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Deuteronomy</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Joshua</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Judges</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Ruth</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">I Samuel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">2 Samuel</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">A total of 291 chapters out of the Bible's total which you may know is 1189.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">So this was a very good start and it has been amazing doing it. I would not say I have had any major wow moments and I have obviously not gone into any detail, that is for study of the Bible. I approach the Bible in two ways reading and studying. Reading gives me an overview and makes me think some, but studying makes me look into details at a small section. I believe I need both.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Anyway one week into my challenge and all looks well!</span>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06368779190265742521noreply@blogger.com0