Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
If you conduct your ministry primarily in Spanish, or you know someone who does, you may want to know that a number of our blog posts have been translated into Spanish. We keep that list updated as more translated posts are published. You can always find a link to that page at the bottom of our resources page.
I’m especially grateful to Kevin Halloran, who recently translated the post 10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality, from my series on Proverbs 1-9, for his blog Anchored in Christ.
Don’t forget we’ve got a Bible reading challenge underway. There’s still time to finish reading the entire Bible within 90 days, and you could enter to win a free CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection or a one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.
Reading must be completed by March 31. See this post for the complete rules. We’ve got twelve entries so far! Once you’ve completed your reading, you may enter the drawing with this form.
Entries that do not meet the guidelines (for example, reading period longer than 90 days, reading period is outside the allowable dates, or form is submitted before the reading has been completed) will not be counted in the drawing.
We’re giving away a copy of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection and a one-volume reader’s Bible. The CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection provides the perfect opportunity to read the Bible in its original and simplified form, uninterrupted by verse and chapter references. Constructed with select cloth cover materials and printed on high-quality book paper, this unique Bible reading experience invites the reader to encounter God’s Word as a grand narrative and have a fresh experience with the Bible.
To win one of these prizes, you simply have to demonstrate you’d know what to do with it.
If you’ve been with us for the last few years, you’ve probably been expecting this post. Here I come, like the sun rising, going down, and once again hastening to its place to rise again. Like the wind blowing round and round, north, then south, and back again. Like streams running to the sea, and yet the sea is still not full. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Viruses and turmoil are no match for our inevitability.
If you’re new to the blog, you’ll be delighted to know we do a reading challenge here annually. And we try to get the best prizes we can think of to reward your toil at which you toil under the sun.
In our former days, most excellent Theophilus, we issued a 90-day Bible-reading challenge that had to begin on January 1 and end by March 31. But many folks have told us they would like to be able to get started over the holidays. While many are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, or chasing a spirit of stupor, we hear that you—the readers of this blog, the champions of the covenant, the heroes who shine like stars in the midst of a present evil age—would prefer to redeem the time when you already find yourself away from your usual responsibilities.
And who are we to stand in your way? You think about all his commandments; you will not be ashamed. You are continually overcome with longing for his judgments. Though your life is down in the dust, you seek life according to God’s word. Therefore this year’s Bible reading challenge may commence immediately. In fact, perhaps it already commenced for you, and you’re just now realizing it.
Here are the rules:
We will occasionally post links to the submission form on the blog between now and March 31. But you might also want to bookmark this page for easy access when you’re ready to submit your entry.
If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. I won’t bother to update the dates, as I don’t know which day you plan to start. But the checkboxes can provide signals to make sure you’re on track to finish on time.
Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan.
We are grateful for the generosity of Lifeway Christian Resources in providing the grand prize for this year’s giveaway. You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.
Right before quarantine-induced cabin fever set in, I began a series of posts with interpretive book overviews. I made it only through Genesis and Exodus before life’s curve ball made me alter my swing for a season. Now I’m just about ready to get back to it.
With that said, I would like to draw your attention to the contents page, where I list all the books of the Bible for which I plan to write these interpretive overviews. Two of them already have pretty little hyperlinks, which will lead you to those first two posts I wrote back in March (which amounts to eons in virus-years).
The keen observers among you will notice that not all 66 books are included on the list. And those who have been trained in asking interpretive questions are wondering: Why are not all 66 books on the list? Have no fear; I will now tell you. The reason is because I must keep close reign on the magnitude of my ignorance I prefer not to write on topics where I have little to say that would be useful. And I have not yet spent enough time in the unlisted books to believe I have anything to say for which I could be accused of being useful.
This is, perhaps, where you come in. I would be pleased—nay, delighted—to publish guest posts from the many competent, yet ordinary, Bible students out there who are actually acquainted with the books absent from my list. For the purposes of this invitation, I don’t care how many degrees you have; I do care how well you’ve grasped the argument of one or more books of the Bible.
Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
Thank you for your help with this series, and I can’t wait to work together on this project with more of you!
Now that I’ve reached the end of book 2 (Psalm 72), which is almost halfway through the Psalms, I plan to take a break from the daily devotions. The videos worked nicely with my schedule while stuck at home, but with things opening up bit by bit, I find myself unable to keep the pace.
If our region experiences another wave of shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, I will likely pick back up with the daily devotions and try to finish the Psalms.
But for now, you can expect a return to my previous routine of a Check it Out post on Wednesdays and a reflective post on Fridays. Lord willing, Ryan will continue posting every other Monday.
We just completed our 2020 Bible reading challenge. Congratulations to all who participated, even if you didn’t make it all the way through, I trust this season of voluminous Bible reading was beneficial to you.
Congratulations to our grand prize winner, Barbara J., and our second prize winner, Kevin C. And congratulations to all 38 who completed the challenge and submitted entries to the drawing. Here are some of the things people had to say about the experience:
It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be.
When doing a year-long read-through, I was only reading a few chapters a day and tended to forget what I read the previous day. Reading big chunks like this made it much easier to see themes, repeated terms, and to connect books to books. I found more of an emotional connection as well, which surprised me. Lamentations moved me more because I had so recently read of Jeremiah’s ministry. Reading Isaiah and the other Old Testament prophets this way was a powerful experience.
This is my third year in this reading challenge. I can’t wait until next year’s challenge. [Perhaps the fourth year will be the year of the prize for you! – PJK] I have commented in the past years that I find reading the narratives rather easy but got lost in Isaiah’s poetry. This year was different. Isaiah actually started flowing much easier for me. I also noticed that reading the Gospels (all four in nine days!) I started noticing the differences more readily. I already knew that each Gospel author shapes similar scenes for their own purpose but this year I noticed that Matthew in recording the scene with the Sadducees about the resurrection didn’t record Jesus reminding them of Moses standing at the burning bush like Mark and Luke. I think that reading the whole Bible in 90 days allows me to see the depth of its riches in ways that small bites do not.
I cried big ugly tears the day I finished, God has changed me into a Bible reader and I never thought I could be.
I didn’t think I would be able to do it … I have to admit that because this is BY FAR the quickest I have read through the Bible, I did not retain as much, but I plan on doing a 90-day plan at least once a year moving forward. It also gives me confidence that I can read the Bible aloud to my family and it not take a lifetime!
Loved it, as always. It’s a great habit on multiple levels (set the tone for the year, jump start general reading for the year, reminds of the framework of the Bible for sermon prep and general study, etc.) I will probably do this at the beginning of each year forever.
This has consistently been one of the most useful things for my faith at the beginning of each year.
It was great to see the witness of Scripture to God’s long suffering character and desire for obedience. I have been wrestling with my understanding of Spiritual gifts, and to read all the epistles quickly gave me a great sense of the emphasis of God’s will on obedience and love.
Now, of course, not everyone is bursting at the seams with enthusiasm. This is not for everyone. I appreciate the honesty I received from those who gave it a try but decided it wasn’t for them:
It was a bit too much reading at one time and I would have to constantly refocus because my mind would start to wander. But not being in any one book for very long kept things interesting.
I didn’t like it mainly because I like to stop and meditate on what I just read/listened to from scripture.
May this season of front-loaded saturation in God’s Word set a good tone for the rest of your year. Lord willing, we’ll be back to do it again in 2021.
If you have read the entire Bible within a 90-day period since November 2019, today is your last chance to enter the drawing for a new reader’s Bible. Winners will be selected tomorrow.
Thanks to the 24 who have entered so far!
Here is a friendly reminder that we’re in the midst of our annual Bible reading challenge. (See the link for rules.) You have until March 31 to read the entire Bible.
If you complete the challenge, just let me know by completing the form below, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for an ESV Reader’s Bible, Six Volume Set, With Chapter and Verse Numbers or a one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.
Just make sure you complete the form after you finish. Entries are time stamped, and those with a finish date after the date of submission will be deleted.
So I’ve begun my 10th annual whole-Bible read through. I began on January 1, and I’m going at a brisk pace. Last year, I completed the Bible in 27 days, so I’m aiming for 26 days this time.
I’m reading the Old Testament in the Hebrew order of books, alternating between a physical Bible and an audio Bible. When using a physical book, I’m reading Robert Alter’s translation. When doing audio, I’m using NIV Live. When I reach the New Testament, I’ll use the NIV Sola Scriptura reading order (reading Luke with Paul’s letters, then Matthew with Hebrews and James, then Mark with 1-2 Peter and Jude, then John with 1-3 John and Revelation).
One benefit of reading this much Bible is getting the big picture of the whole story in a brief period of time. So in the first eight days, I covered Genesis through 2 Kings (minus Ruth, which is part of the “Writings,” the third part of the Hebrew canon). In just about a week, I went from creation to covenant, and through kingship to exile. What a ride! While the post-exilic narratives will come later in the “Writings,” I’ve been able to make my way through almost the complete story of Israel.
The promises and curses of Deuteronomy were still fresh by the time I saw the people kicked out of the land for their idolatry. The blessing on Abraham still rings in my mind, even as the nation has now forfeited it. The time of the judges was a blur and blemish; David’s rise and fall were incredibly engaging; the Law was tough going, but the main ideas—love for God and for neighbor—remained clear.
I’m having a great time. I love setting everything else aside for these few weeks, and dedicating most of my spare moments to this immersion in God’s glorious word.
Now I’ve entered the “latter prophets” (the books we typically consider as “prophets”), and I’ll have about a week of dark polemic. But what I appreciate about the Hebrew order of books is that the prophets won’t be the last section of the Old Testament. After this, I’ll hit the “Writings,” which will be more hopeful and encouraging: the wisdom of Psalms, Proverbs, Job Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs; along with the character studies of Ruth, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles.
Finally, I’ll move into the last week or so basking in the sunrise of the New Testament, in the four tracks I mentioned above.
In a typically gloomy time of year in my part of the world, I’m having quite a trip in the story of God’s kingdom grace. It’s not too late for you. Would you like to give it a try?
The Christmas holidays are about to overtake us like a thief in the night. They always sneak up quicker than I expect. Perhaps this will be a good time for you to consider taking up the 90-day Bible reading challenge. It will do for your soul what a detox diet might do for your body.
Try it and see if you don’t have the time of your life.
