There and Back Again...

So I've decided to brush the cobwebs and dust away, and reopen this old blog Amusing Musings, basically because I don't like the MySpace blog very much.

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So my friend Scott put out a challenge to read roughly one book a week, and I'm going to accept that challenge. I'm also going to give a counter-challenge.

Recently (and completely unrelated to the above challenge) I decided to begin an Intensive Bible Reading plan. I emphasized Intensive because once I started doing it, I realized that it really wasn't that intensive - 20 to 30 min. per day of reading. I kind of developed it myself based on my own queerness and distaste for most Bible reading plans. Most plans employ either a front-to-back method, which is sensible, but you end up spending the first 3/4 of the year in the OT. There are also chronological plans, which are actually very cool, but with the same problem. There are plans out there that call for a few OT verses, a few NT verses, and a few verses in the Psalms or Proverbs or something. This seems better, but usually ends up being sort of disjointed and it becomes difficult to follow because you are reading from 3 or 4 places every day.

My plan groups sections of the Bible together so that you follow a particular theme through to it's conclusion (the Pentateuch, the Gospels and Acts, Paul's letters, etc.). It bounces back and forth between Old and New Testament sections, so that every few weeks you will be reading bits from both. It also recommends reading bigger chunks of scripture than most reading plans (like 8-10 chapters at a time, instead of 2 or 3 chapters at a time). This idea was prompted by the realization that we would almost never read any other book at the rate of 2-3 pages a day, generally. Many people sit down with a novel and will read 100 pages or more in a night! So why do we feel the need to read so little of God's Word every day?!?!

So here it is. In this plan you will get through the Bible in a little over 5 months. You could read the Bible twice through in a year, and have about a month's break in between (maybe study up on some of the more difficult passages??).

Rule: Read 8-10 chapters per day

Reading Breakdown:

• Pentateuch: approx. 3 weeks
• Gospels and Acts: approx. 2 weeks
• Early History - Promised Land thru David (Joshua - 2 Samuel): approx. 2 weeks
• Middle History - Solomon thru the Exile (1Kings - 2Chronicles): approx. 2 weeks
• Late History - Return from Exile (Ezra - Esther): 3 days (a book per day)
• Paul's Books (Romans - Philemon): approx. 10 days
• Hebrew Poetry (Job -Song of Solomon): approx. 4 weeks
• Major Prophets (Isaiah - Ezekiel): approx. 3 weeks
• Minor Prophets (Hosea thru Malachi): approx. 1 week
• Apocalyptic Books (Daniel & Revelation): approx. 1 week

I like simple, and I think this plan is simpler than most. There isn't a "daily reading schedule." Read 8-10 chapters until you're through the section, then move on to the next. If you only read 4 one day, no sweat. If you get really into it and end up reading 15 chapters, awesome!
The other unexpected benefit from this has been that I feel more focused. I realized that 2 or 3 chapters is about what it takes for me to get into "reading mode." I have trouble focusing at first (as usual), but after 2 or 3 chapters I'm clear and focused. It's great!

Any takers?!