Bible in 90 Days Update - Day 95

I'm still reading. And I'm still so very thankful for the wonderful support I received from everyone who commented and emailed and prayed for me when I thought I had failed completely.

Yesterday I finished the Old Testament and began reading Matthew. So far it's been awesome to read all those words printed in red. I have found myself teary eyed more than once since beginning the New Testament.

I learned some important things from all those wonderful women who offered their support and wisdom when I was ready to quit the whole thing.

I learned that I do not, in fact have to do  anything on my own. I have always understood my relationship with God as a parent-child relationship. He is my parent; I am His child. But I am also a parent, so I use my own experience to help me understand some of the things God does, some of the situations he lets me experience. And I know that in my role as a parent, I do not get my seven year old a glass of juice every time he wants one. I make him do it on his own. Because he can. Becuase I have given him experiences that have prepared him for a thirsty situation. I taught him to get his own glass of juice without any help from me. By this reasoning, I deduced that there should be some simple things (like reading the Bible, losing weight and doing my job) that I should be expected to do all by myself. Without any help from Him.

But someone who is really smart told me something that is, well... really smart. This is what she said:

Of course there are things your kids are expected to do all by themselves after you've taught them how. That's because your job as a parent is to prepare them for life without you. You won't always be there, so you have to be sure they are able to live when you're gone. But God isn't going anywhere. You're not expected to do things without His help because there will never be a time when He's not there for you. The point of your parenting is to make your kids independent; the point of His parenting is to make you dependent.


I also heard from more than one person that the Adversary will mess with people when we are on the right track. Could there be any righter track than committing to read the whole Bible, every word of the magnificent message God has given us, from cover to cover? Is there any righter track than spending at least a whole hour in His Word every day?

Someone else very wisely pointed out that God did not put the 90 Days expectation on us. We did that. I did that. God doesn't care how many days it takes to me to read His Word. He only cares that I read it. I haven't really failed if I am still reading... even on Day 95. I have much to learn from the words in that Book, and I won't really learn it if I am tearing through it at lightning speed in order to meet some self imposed deadline.

Finally, someone pointed out to me that we have seasons in our lives. We have to examine and evaluate each season to discover what this time is for. My life certainly has clearly defined seasons. Every year, in fact. Because I work full time from August to May, and I am home with my children from June to August. This season (the one in which I work full time and maintain my responsibilities as a wife/mom/homemaker) is a very busy one. Everything in my life right now is busy and fast paced. Maybe my time with God should be slower. Maybe every moment there should be savored.  Next year, during the summer season (the one in which I can slow down & focus completely on my family), I am planning to Read the Bible in 90 Days... in 90 days. When I will have an hour a day. When I've already read through it and savored all the words.When life is not passing me by at breakneck speeds while I limp along & try to keep up.

For now, I'm still reading. And I'm savoring. And I'm thinking I will end up reading the Bible in 90 Days... in around 110 (maybe 120) days. That's okay, isn't it? Because the important thing is that I read it.

Bible in 90 Days update

It's been a while since I posted about how it's going.

It's going... inconsistently.

I'm frustrated because I keep getting behind. Wednesdays are just not a good day to read. My work schedule and my after-work schedule are super busy.

Today I'm about one full day behind. I'm feeling frustrated. And I hope to get caught up and ahead by Tuesday. Maybe if I read some of Wednesday's pages on Tuesday I will be able to eek out Wednesdays pages on time.

HOWEVER...

As for the actual content, I'm loving it. Here are a few reflections:

• The Old Testament is seriously violent. There is a lot of beheading people, chopping them with the sword, piercing people with the sword, etc. If God were to make it into a movie, it would have to be rated R for adult content & violence.

• I simply do not understand how in the name of all that is purple, the people of Israel kept turning their backs on the Lord their God. Seriously! I mean, I know they didn't have the Grace that came from Christ or anything, but they did have prophets. And they had the stories of their own ancestors - all that wonderfullness of God bringing their own people up out of Egypt. They had miracles. But they still kept putting up those darned asherah poles. This boggles my mind & I simply do. not. get. it.
  

• The story of David was a happy & sad & happy one. He messed up by having that one guys killed, but he faced his punishment & moved on, walking in the ways of the Lord. The story of Solomon was happy and then tragically sad. You would have thought that after having spoken directly with the Lord, and receiving all that wisdom straight from God Himself, Solomon would have been able to stay faithful to the Lord.
  

• I cannot pronounce any of the names or places in the Old Testament. I am sure God cringes each time I verbally butcher someone's name. This was especially true in 1 Chronicles.

• I must admit to being a little surprised by the fact that the Israelites put to death so many children of the people they were driving out. Everytime it says "both young & old," I want to cry. I haven't read this part of the Bible since I became a mom, and it breaks my heart to think about that. I understand that God was really only concerned with His people and everything, but still, that's not a side of God I had ever really ruminated on before. It's uncomfortable.

Overall, I am absolutely loving the changes in my heart that are stemming from spending this much time [almost] daily in the Word.

Are you reading the #B90Days? How are you doing?

#B90Days Session 2 Q&A

Here are the discussion questions for Session 2:

1. What did you have to modify this week in order to do your Bible reading?
I set a couple of rules for myself in order to stay on top of reading and avoid finishing after bedtime. The main rules are to try to get the reading done as early in the day as possible, and that I will not read any other material (except for the few blogs that inspire me) until each day's reading is done. The main things I've done less of this week are:
a) Reading other stuff - I was reading a novel, but I think I've only read a page or two lately.
b) General time wasting - I'm playing fewer games on my iPhone, I'm reading fewer
time-wasting blogs (e.g. failblog.com), I'm spending a lot less time on Facebook. (This all
might be a chicken vs egg thing, though, because I think it may be that spending all this
time submerged in His word has made that other stuff less desireable & fun.)
c) TV Watching (& as a consequence, knitting) - This one I'm less happy about, because TV
watching is really just an accessory to my knitting time. I've hardly knit this week, and I do
miss it. I hope to find a way to keep both the reading & the knitting in my daily routine next
week.

2. This question has to do with when you do your reading. It was multiple choice.
On workdays, I try to use spare moments here & there to get the reading done as early as possible. I don't take up a lot of my work time for this, since my employer is not paying me to read my Bible, but if I have a minute or two before an appointment and it's not enough time to accomplish something work-related, the I'll read a passage or two. So far, I have always still had quite a bit to read in the evening. On weekends (and snow days!), I get the whole thing done during our family's quiet time (after lunch), or after the kids are in bed. This is my preferred way of reading, since I get to spend an entire hour (or more) in His word.

3. Did you complete all of your readings this week? If yes, was it easy to do? If no, what ket you from it?
I did finish all the readings this week! So far I haven't gotten behind. Genesis & the first part of Exodus were super-easy; I love the stories, and I now know them well enough to anticipate what's coming up next. I will admit that the end of Exodus was a challenge, & Leviticus was less than fun. Numbers is next, and I know from experience that it will be a bit of a struggle. I know all the parts of the Bible are important, and I try not to disrespect any of it, but tomorrow I will begin reading the census. Not exactly a page turner, but important for records of lineage & numbers of people. Also important because the book of Numbers ends with fewer people than it began... and for a really good reason.

4. Do you have suggestions for others who may be struggling with their reading?
I'm not sure I do. I just know what works for me. I read aloud to myself when the reading gets tough. It keeps me engaged & awake. (ahem.) Also, I will admit that I counted out M&M's to correspond to the exact number of chapters I had to read in Leviticus today. Each time I started a new chapter, I ate an M&M. That's called benchmarking and it works for me in almost every multi-step task I do. I also really look each day for why the scriptures I'm reading are important, and what He wants us to take from it.

5. Is the God you read about in Genesis & Exodus the God you "know?" Did you ever get m ad at Him while you were reading? If so, when? Is that OK?
I would have to say that, yes, the God I read about is the one I know. While God is not a person (human), He does have a personality. We are made in His image, so if we have a range of emotions, it stands to reason that He does too. I think in the first three books, we've seen a lot of anger, a lot of love, and a bit of feeling flabberghasted (I could almost imagine Him wanting to say, "For the love of purple, Moses, get over yourself & go out & tell the people what I said. I'm with you, so it won't be a big deal. Jeez.") I think we've also seen a lot of His patient side. He tolerated a lot from the Isrealites. (And I know there is more to come!)
I'm just thankful that He doesn't have to get so angry and pour out His wrath anymore. Thanks to the love that Jesus had for us, and the amazing thing he did for us, God doesn't do that whole fire & brimstone thing anymore.

6. Let's face it: Adam & Eve blew it. The entire struggle of humankind derives from the fact that the first couple couldn't keep away from a piece of fruit. Have you ever blown it? What was the value of that experience?
Of course I've blown it. In very big & very little ways... every single day. I try to find the value in each failure by learning something from it so perhaps I can prevent it from being repeated. It seems I still have a lot to learn, because I'm constantly screwing up, though. I mess up at home and at work, and with just about every person I know. The main thing I am trying to learn is not be so hard on myself. I'm a perfectionist by nature, so even small mistakes (e.g. burning a grilled cheese sandwich & wasting the ingredients) are things I will likely be chastising myself for hours later.

7. The last question asks the group to work together to fill in the blanks of the Ten Commandments. My 7 year old & I did a whole unit on these over the summer, so they are fresh in my mind!
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any idols.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not commit murder.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, spouse or other possessions.

I might have mixed up # 6 & 7. But they're all in there!
I do have a few random reflections, but I'll save those for another post.
Please leave a comment, & thanks for stopping by!

Session 1 Q&A

I wanted to post a little something from the first session in the Bible in 90 Days Participant Guide.
The guide contains questions to be discussed with your group at your weekly meeting. Of course, I don't have a weekly meeting of my group because my group is scattered across the four corners of the Earth. The Monday night Tweetups will involve some of the questions, I believe, but not all. And as long as I'm pondering these questions in my own heart, I might as well share those ponderings with you.

I think Session 1 was supposed to be done before the reading began because its ponderings have little to do with this challenge and more to do with background, previous attempts, etc. I will be posting all other discussions from the book on Fridays.

So, here goes:
1. Have you ever tried to read the entire Bible before? Why or why not?
Yes. I have tried to read it. I suppose I tried before because of the same reason lots of people do: I was looking for answers. I felt that I needed something that I wasn't getting from my life. My pitiful and worldly attempts at fulfillment left me empty.

2. If you have ever tried to read the Bible in its entirety, what challenges did you face in fulfilling your desire? Where did you start? How far did you get?
I think the biggest challenge was that I tend to lack stick-to-it-iveness for commitments that last more than a few days. Life got in the way. I got busy. I got stuck in certain sections.
I always started at Genesis 1:1. Despite the fact that many people have told me over the years that you can't read it from beginning to end - you need some sort of guide or manual - I have always felt that I wanted to read it from cover to cover. If God had meant for me to read the book of Luke first, he would have started the whole thing off with that part.
The first two times, I got as far as the last part of Exodus. Of course, I was reading a King James version and that didn't help. Then I once got as far as the end of Deuteronomy. This last time, I made it through about half of the book of Ezekiel. (But that took me about 9 years, so I'm not sure it actually counts as one reading!)

3. What have you found to be difficult and what have you found to be rewarding in your attempts to read the Bible regularly?
The most difficult part for me is not feeling guilty about the "Me Time" it requires. Although my family will benefit, I am largely doing this for me. To be honest, I stink at doing anything for myself that I think might take me away from doing something for someone else. Last night my husband was kind enough to do the dishes while I read. Although I'm sure he didn't mind, I did feel terribly guilty about that.
The most rewarding part is how my entire focus has shifted. Spending this much time in His word every single day has already forced my mind and my heart into a new shape. Whether I'm singing with students at work, playing with my own kids, or doing housework... no matter what I'm doing, part of my mind is always focused on Him. And that, my friends, is an awesome feeling.

4. If you have successfully read the entire Bible before...
No need to go on. We've already established that I have tried & not succeeded before.

5. If you have started to read the Bible but have never completed your reading goal, what really kept you from finishing what you started?
In a word (and by "a word" I mean "3words"): lack of discipline.

6. What most excites you about the prospect of reading the Bible in 90days?
I'd have to say that the thing that most excites me is the idea that I will have actually read the whole thing. And the fact that it's going so quickly helps to make everything more relevant to everything else. I'm flipping back less often because what I read in Genesis is still very fresh in my mind... because I just read it 4 days ago!

7. Why do you believe it is important to read the entire Bible? What do you expect to discover in terms of practical living, spiritual growth, knowledge of history, or other areas?
Okay, what do I not expect to learn about practical living? When you think about it, the Bible is the owner's manual for life. It is the ultimate operating and trouble shooting manual.
Want to know how to be a good wife? There's a scripture for that. Have a broken heart? There's a scripture for that. Want to know how to be a good worker? There's a scripture for that. Need to know how to raise your children? There's a scripture for that, too.
You know how they say that kids don't come with owner's manuals? Well, that's a bunch of hooey. You just pick up your Bible and crack it open, because every truly important thing you need to know about turning out good, upstanding adults is right in there. Everything you ever needed to know about this thing called life is in the Bible. God wouldn't give you such a precious gift & then say, "Okay. You're on your own. Go figure it out." He gave us an owners manual. We just have to read the instructions, and we'll get tons & tons of enjoyment and fulfillment out of it!