Cycle #23 - Days One Hundred and One to One Hundred and Ten

So the last ten days past by and with a flurry of reading activity, there was success. 

Success to the point where cycle 23 was completed!!

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.

So what was read in the last ten days.

Ezekiel 12-48.
Hebrews
Daniel
Hosea
James
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
I Peter
2 Peter
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
I John
2 John
3 John
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Jude
Revelation

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.

My age: 44
Times read: 23
Goal: One time for one year and trying to reach that by the age of 50 meaning now 27 times in 6.5 years.
That means we need to do 4 and a bit times per year.  That's a hard goal to reach!!

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.

And as Psalm one blessed is the man who meditates on the word of God day and night!

Cycle #23 - Days Ninety One - One Hundred.

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.

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!

So what did I read in the last ten days.

Jeremiah.
Lamentations.
Titus.
Philemon.
Ezekiel 1-11.

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!

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. 

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....

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.

And so one hundred days has come and gone, and now another ten begins.

See you in ten hopefully a lot closer to the goal!

Cycle #23 - Days Eighty One to Ninety

The ten days started at Easter, and with the end of the gospel of John, which was not planned but worked out nicely.

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.

So I have made it through one of the big three prophetic books and I start the next ten days with the second one.

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. 

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.

So let's look at what I actually read:

John 17 - 21.
Ecclesiastes.
Song of Songs.
I Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians.
Isaiah.
1 Timothy.
2 Timothy.

A total of 109 chapters, which according to our running total means 945 out of 1189 and just 244 chapters to go.

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.
Difficult reading but ultimately something which needs to be read.

See you in about ten!

Cycle #23 - Days Seventy One to Eighty

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.

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!

Well what I read was:-

Psalms 111-150.
Philippians.
Colossians.
Proverbs.
John 1-16.

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.
Let's see how we go.  I'm sure before you finish your coffee another ten days will pass by!

Cycle #23 - Days Sixty One to Seventy

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.

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.

So what exactly did I read in the past ten days?

Job 22-42.

Galatians.

Ephesians.

Psalms 1 - 110.

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!

Cycle #23 - Days Fifty One to Sixty

The last ten says were not ten of my better Bible reading days.


In short I struggled a bit.  That happens from time to time with me, I'm not sure about you.


There were other things that I placed too much emphasis on and not enough on the Bible.


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.


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.


Anyway it was not all disaster!


What I read was:-
Acts
Job 1-21.


A total of 49 chapters which brings me to 598 out of 1189 chapters, if all my adding up has been correct!!
This means I have now officially past the half way mark.  Yay!! 


Well time to get back into reading and finishing Job to start.


In the unlikely event you are reading this, how about sharing how your Bible reading is going as well?

Cycle #23 - Days Forty One to Fifty

It is actually now day fifty-three, but this is as of day fifty.


I just have not had the time to write down what I had read.


So the ten days went fast as usual and it was pretty good with reading, pretty sustained.


So what did I read?


2 Chronicles 21-36.
I Corinthians.
2 Corinthians. 
Ezra.
Nehemiah.
Esther.
Luke.


That was a total of 102 chapters, including Luke where the chapters are long!
That is now a total of 549 out of 1189 chapters read, so almost half way there.


A new blog in about eight days!

Cycle #23 - Days Thirty One to Forty

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.


So what happened in the last ten days?


Well I continued on at a steady pace.


I read:


I Kings.
II Kings.
Mark.
I Chronicles.
II Chronicles 1-20.


That was a total of 112 chapters for a total of 447 out of 1189.


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.


Another ten days will be over before we know it, so off to read the Bible, and live according to its words!


All this reading is useless after all, unless I apply it to my life.

Cycle #23 - Days Twenty One to Thirty

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.


Well in the last ten days I have read.
Romans 4-16.
I Samuel
II Samuel.


That was a total of 68 chapters and a grand total of 335 chapters out of 1189.


So I am moving steadily along.


The next ten days will pass before I know it, so it is time to get back to it!

Cycle #23 - Days Eleven to Twenty

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.  


The Bible is the source of our guidance, and the source of our life.

Psalm 119:105 describes it as a light for our path.  It lights up the darkness of life around us.


Anyway so I have been encouraged again to read the Bible and read it often.


Last time I had just finished the Pentateuch, which was 187 chapters  and this time I was able to read:


Matthew
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
Romans 1 - 3

This was a total of 80 chapters and so a running total of 267 chapters out of the 1189 in the Bible.


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.


Read the Bible today!

Cycle #23 - Days One to Ten

So some years ago I had an aim, that aim was to read the Bible one time for every year of my life.
I have made it half way now, finishing 22 times and I am the ripe old age of 44.  


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.  


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.

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. 


So what did I read in the first ten days.  I read the Torah.

Genesis.
Exodus.
Leviticus.
Numbers.
Deuteronomy.


I am not going through the Bible from start to finish this time, in fact next up is the gospel of Matthew.
So this time I am mixing up the old and the new.


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.


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.  


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.


So my encouragement is read the Bible, and study the Bible, do both.  


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.

The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Five!

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.

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.

Success!!!

So here is what I read in those three days:

II Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
 I Thessalonians
II Thessalonians
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
Philemon

Hebrews
James
I Peter
2 Peter
I John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation


So for the stats - 


I read 111 chapters making a total of 1189 chapters and of course 0 to go!
Over the course of the month I read at an average of 38.35 chapters per day.


It was a real challenge, especially when you are working and busy most nights, but it was a great thing to do.


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.

Cycle 23 has commenced, but that can be for another post!

The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Four!

It's getting close to the finish line of the marathon challenge, and it is going to be a close run thing, either way.


Week four started slowly but built up to the point where I can make it, with just three days to go.


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 - 


Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zachariah
Malachi


Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
I Corinthians.


So for the stats - 


So this week I read 228 chapters and that makes a total of 1,078 chapters leaving 111 to go.
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!


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!

The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Three!

No that's not me but they look very serious about reading don't they.

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.


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.


Anyway what happened this last week.  So I started a third of the way through Psalms, and this is where I went.


Psalms 51 - 150.
Proverbs.
Ecclesiastes.
Song of Songs. (Or Song of Solomon for the traditionalists)
Isaiah.
Jeremiah.
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)
Ezekiel.


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.

Statistics time now!


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.


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.


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.


I am now more confident of reaching the goal, but there is still consistent work to be done.


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.

The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week Two!

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.  

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.

Anyway having said that, this is what was read in the second week of the challenge.

I Kings
II Kings
I Chronicles
II Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms: 1 - 50.
 So the the statistics bit - 
A total there of 237 chapters and a little bit below what the challenge dictated I achieve.  
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!

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.

Following that will be the New Testament with the history section and then the epistles.

Well got some serious reading to do to have success in this really outrageous challenge.

Expect another report in about seven days.

In the meantime I will leave you with a nice banner I found - 

The Bible Marathon Challenge: Week One!

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.

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.


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!


So one week in how have things gone.


I am reading straight through from beginning to end, so so far i have read.


Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
I Samuel
2 Samuel


A total of 291 chapters out of the Bible's total which you may know is 1189.


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.


Anyway one week into my challenge and all looks well!