I have been reading a book called The Way of a Pilgrim recently. It’s a really interesting story about a mans quest to pray without ceasing… I have a lot to write about in regards to the book itself, but one of the characters got me thinking about something somewhat unrelated, reading the Bible.
In the book one of the characters the protagonist runs into tells him he is in the habit of reading one of the gospels every day. That means every month he reads each gospel through at least 7 times, and almost 100 times a year. It got me thinking about how people read the Bible. My wife has a list of readings she tries to go through every day, other friends of mine do morning and evening prayer which takes them through the psalms and songs through out the bible with a few brief readings a day. I love the Bible but I’ve noticed a real lack of Biblical literacy in many Christians. So I have a question for you.
Have you read the whole Bible… Every Book, Every Chapter, Every Verse?
(in your respective community I know we have different cannons, but have you read your own)
If you haven’t you should...
The Bible is the most influential book of all time. It’s words have inspired many of the greatest works of literature, art, music, and countless lives including my own. I always struggled with the bible as a child. I tried reading it a few times but I was bored stiff… If that’s where you are I sympathizes. I didn’t really start to get into it until I was in high school. I’ll never forget the first time I caught a glimpse of the beauty of it. I read though the whole new testament in a week, and then read it again.
I thought it might be a good idea to post some links and sites that will help you read the bible in it’s entirety. It really is something everyone should do even if they don’t have faith.
Top Ten Tools to Read it!
1) Get a reading plan – There are probably 100 reading plans try this one. I recommend reading a chunk from the old testament then a chunk from the new then try something from psalms, proverbs, or the prophets. If you do that every day you’ll be done in no time. You can even get one E-mailed to you – This one is really easy. Go to http://www.bibleplan.org/and sign up for one of their many options. If you read just three chapters a day you can make it through the bible in a year (you have to read 5 on Sundays)
2) Read in community – Get a plan get some friends do it together! Check out http://www.biblein90days.com/ for a community plan that will get you through the whole Bible in 3 months.
3) Get a check list – Want to make sure you did it all CLICK HERE to get a checklist of all the chapters in the Bible!
4) If it’s your first try don’t read from cover to cover. I don’t know very many folks that have made it past Deuteronomy this way.
5)Diversify your reading… read a few chapters on one section and a few of another….
6) Get involved with tradition and liturgy. Look into your church see if they offer a daily reading list. One of the best resources is the Catholic daily readings found at http://www.usccb.org/nab/ this page even has audio recordings you can read along with which helps me!
7) Know the context before you start a new book research it. Learn the genre and style of writing being implemented. Get to know the author, and the history surrounding the work. Do your homework!
8) Find a translation you connect with. There are ones that are really easy to read, others that are more poetic, still more that really get into the shades of meaning! go to the book store and read a few versions before you settle on one.
9) Take Notes – Write about what you read…. Highlight passages that you like… Write in the margins… blog. Getting through the bible is a lot easier if it’s an interactive experiance!
10)Invite God into the process. I know many of you don’t even believe in a God, but I can personally testify that this step really makes the whole thing much more powerful. Even if you don’t believe me give it a try.
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