Last night the youth began reading The Bible in 90 Days. Other small groups and Sunday School classes at Acton have started in the last week. It was very encouraging to see how excited they were about reading the bible in a set period of time. I know some won't believe me but when we gave them time at the end of worship to get started reading, they were quiet and attentive and started reading.
I have often found that when committing to something that sometimes the hardest part is getting started. Whether is learning to play guitar, reading all the Harry Potter books, or getting back in the swing of working out after a long layoff.
When starting to read the Bible in 90 Days it might seem daunting to some. Thoughts come up like: what if I get behind, that's a lot of reading, or maybe I can do this later. When I read through the Bible in 90 Days over the last three months, I found that I did get behind a little bit occasionally. So this time around I have decided that I will have a better routine by setting a time each day to read. That way I am not reading so often at night when I am tired and just want to go to bed. I feel like reading earlier in the day and being that it is the second time around, I will gain some insight that I may not have picked up on the first time around.
So as you begin reading (or continue reading if you are a few days in) I hope that you are able to get into a routine from the very beginning. Whatever that routine is, I hope that you simply pick a routine that works for you. I know it will be a great experience for everyone involved. Take heart in the fact that you have already done the hardest part: you started..
grace&peace
Kevin
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The Bible in 90 Days
Today, or later this week for some, we start our all church study The Bible in 90 Days. The concept is pretty simple-you read the bible cover to cover in 90 days. There is a reading plan and everything.
I wanted to plan ahead and get the topics together for our Wednesday night worship and our Sunday night small groups so I began 90 Days before our all church study kicked off. I started to think about what I could compare the dedication it took and to me it felt a lot like Lent. Each year for the past 15 years or so I have given up something for Lent. The first few years I thought it was enough to simply give up something (usually cokes or coffee or fast food.) It wasn't until the last ten years or so that I began to think that it wasn't only about what I gave up, but what I put in its place. It's great to simply give up fast food, but it was more meaningful to donate the money I would have spent on fast food to the church or give it to someone in need.
So back to The Bible in 90 Days. Obviously reading the entire Bible in such a short period of time takes some commitment. In order to fill that commitment I had to give up something from my daily life to free up some 30 or so minutes a day to read. I started reading two days after our daughter Courtney was born which made it even more challenging. Really the main thing that I gave up was video games. That's really about it, I think. Instead of playing the new Lego Batman video game or Madden, or Star Wars, I simply put them away and read the bible.
Not playing those video games wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I made a commitment and was determined to stick to it. Sometimes I would stay up late on Mission Trip or Vacation, or wake up early on Choir Tour to read. I stayed up late at home a few times to read as well. Once I made it a priority it became routine and somewhat easy. It's kind of like taking a shower every day, it just became part of my daily routine. There will always be a reason not to read, my hope is that we all view reading scripture as such a blessing that we are able to put those excuses away and Just Do It!!!
I plan on starting from the beginning again this week and reading along with the church and our youth group. I'm sure I will pick up new things that I didn't catch the first time through. I took quite a bit of notes the first time around and this time I plan on enjoying it by leading our youth in the discussion and reading for "fun."
So for anyone who thinks it can't be done, I assure you it can. Somehow I was able to accomplish it with a newborn, a very active four year old, and a busy youth summer. And what an awesome feeling of accomplishment I have knowing that I was able to read the entire Bible in 90 Days. I'll leave you with a scripture from day 84 of the reading.
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Grace&Peace
Kevin
I wanted to plan ahead and get the topics together for our Wednesday night worship and our Sunday night small groups so I began 90 Days before our all church study kicked off. I started to think about what I could compare the dedication it took and to me it felt a lot like Lent. Each year for the past 15 years or so I have given up something for Lent. The first few years I thought it was enough to simply give up something (usually cokes or coffee or fast food.) It wasn't until the last ten years or so that I began to think that it wasn't only about what I gave up, but what I put in its place. It's great to simply give up fast food, but it was more meaningful to donate the money I would have spent on fast food to the church or give it to someone in need.
So back to The Bible in 90 Days. Obviously reading the entire Bible in such a short period of time takes some commitment. In order to fill that commitment I had to give up something from my daily life to free up some 30 or so minutes a day to read. I started reading two days after our daughter Courtney was born which made it even more challenging. Really the main thing that I gave up was video games. That's really about it, I think. Instead of playing the new Lego Batman video game or Madden, or Star Wars, I simply put them away and read the bible.
Not playing those video games wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I made a commitment and was determined to stick to it. Sometimes I would stay up late on Mission Trip or Vacation, or wake up early on Choir Tour to read. I stayed up late at home a few times to read as well. Once I made it a priority it became routine and somewhat easy. It's kind of like taking a shower every day, it just became part of my daily routine. There will always be a reason not to read, my hope is that we all view reading scripture as such a blessing that we are able to put those excuses away and Just Do It!!!
I plan on starting from the beginning again this week and reading along with the church and our youth group. I'm sure I will pick up new things that I didn't catch the first time through. I took quite a bit of notes the first time around and this time I plan on enjoying it by leading our youth in the discussion and reading for "fun."
So for anyone who thinks it can't be done, I assure you it can. Somehow I was able to accomplish it with a newborn, a very active four year old, and a busy youth summer. And what an awesome feeling of accomplishment I have knowing that I was able to read the entire Bible in 90 Days. I'll leave you with a scripture from day 84 of the reading.
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Grace&Peace
Kevin
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