If you’ve been around this blog long, you know that I have a deep passion for the Word of God. It is rich and full and deep and God will change our lives forever when we commit to spending time in it – His Word does not return void! (Isaiah 55:10-11)
Sadly, over the years of talking with other believers and leading Bible studies in the church, I have often been amazed at the rampant Biblical illiteracy even within the church. We tend to approach the Bible in a piecemeal fashion, nibbling on bits and pieces here and there rather than feasting on the whole counsel of God! Because of that, people often have misconceptions about Scripture, misinterpret it because they do not understand the context, and are missing out on seeing the amazing picture God has laid out in His Word.
It’s all there for a reason.
So, I was thrilled to hear about The Bible in 90 Days program – an effort to encourage people to take the challenge of reading the Bible from cover to cover in only 3 months.
Zondervan has published a special edition of the NIV thinline just for this program. It is a hardback large-print Bible that includes the NIV text, headings which indicate the beginning/ending of each day of reading, and a check list in the back flyleaf to chart your progress through the readings. [Bible in 90 Days recommends you purchase this edition, as it is specifically laid out to help you complete this challenge. If you would like to read with your own Bible, you can download a free reading guide here.]
You can read the Bible in it’s entirety in 12 pages a day. Anyone can read 12 pages a day!
In addition to the Bible itself, Bible in 90 Days also has a great reference book called The Essential Bible Companion which gives a brief two-page reference for each book of the Bible. It is full color and includes photographs, timelines, maps, key terms, themes to look for, and all kinds of other information to make this journey through Scripture less overwhelming.
Currently there are 48 bloggers who are participating in a challenge to start reading on January 1st in order to finish by Easter! I was hoping to participate in this fully myself, but my plate is a bit full here at the beginning of 2010 with other Bible study prep I am committed to doing.
…but I cannot wait to do this as a women’s Bible study. And I’d love our small group to do it together, as well. And guess what? There’s a DVD pack and participant guides with small group questions!
I’m excited about this, if you can’t tell!! :)
Want to do this? I know it’s intimidating… but you can do it! 12 pages a day!! If you’d like to take this great challenge and start in January, head over to Mom’s Toolbox and sign up if you’d like to join the excitement! You can also sign up here to receive a free daily email with encouragement and things to look for that day throughout the challenge.
If you can’t start on January 1st (like me), or if you aren’t able to finish in 90 days… please do it anyway! It’s ok if it takes you 120 days, or if you start in March, or if you wait to do it with a group in June. But I definitely want to encourage you to consider taking on the challenge in the near future – this should be on our “resolution” list for 2010! :)
If you cannot afford to purchase the official Bible but genuinely are interested in taking the Bible in 90 Days challenge, Ted Cooper (founder) is offering to provide a Bible free to anyone who cannot afford to purchase a Bible themselves. Simply contact them here! Scholarship Bibles are limited – if you can afford the $15 Bible, please reserve this supply for those who are in genuine need.
God’s Word is amazing! Let’s get reading!
I was provided with a copy of these books for the purpose of reviewing them and participating in the 90 day challenge. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. I am an amazon affiliate and would receive a small percentage of any sales resulting from the links above.
Wow – we have covered a lot of ground on the blog this year – 385 posts worth of ground! [Wow... that is a lot of me talking... thanks for hanging in there with me!!] :) Many of you have joined us only recently, so I wanted to give you a heads up about some posts that I didn’t want you to miss!!
