If you are thinking about reading through the Bible next year, but don’t want to wait to get into a good Bible reading plan, here is an idea…read through the New Testament in 90 days.
Category Archives: Bible Reading
Repetitive Bible Reading (RBR) for February ’22
After reading the book of 1st John thirty times in the month of January, I am aiming to read the books of 2nd John, 3rd John, and Jude thirty times in the month of February. That means I will need to read these books once a day for all 28 days, and then double up a couple of those days.
Would you consider joining me?
If you are on Facebook, you are invited to join our RBR group. Request membership at this link HERE.
Also, I’ve mapped out my RBR plan for the following three months as well…
March – Matthew 5-7
April – John 12-14
May – John 15-17
Finally, I have designed a simple bookmark to help mark progress. You may download it below.
A New Year’s Challenge… Repetitive Bible Reading (RBR)
Back in college I heard about a powerful way of reading the Bible that was as challenging as rewarding. Take a book, or portion of a book of the Bible and read it every day for a month. So, as a late teen I did it with the books of James, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 John before flaming out. At that point in my life I lacked the maturity and self-discipline to continue the practice, even though it was clearly a worthwhile endeavor.
Fast forward to a couple of months ago when I was challenged by the example of a friend to pick up the practice again. So in November I read the book of Philippians 30 times. It was powerful! On about the 22nd day the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly and specifically in a way that was amazing. One simple phrase from chapter 1 leapt off the page and took deep root in my heart, providing much comfort and hope. I head read that particular phrase probably hundreds of times, but through the repetitive reading, the Lord really pressed it home for me in the deepest part of my being. It’s hard to put into words.
In December I read the book of James 30 times. Again, it has been powerful. This time it hasn’t been a particular verse or phrase, but it has been the Lord taking a particular topic and causing me to dig deeper into how to start making lifestyle changes to bring my life in alignment with what God is saying about that area of life. Again, it’s something that I have “known” in my mind for decades. But it’s an area where I have been disobedient to the Lord, and fooling myself into thinking I was not disobedient. It’s something that I’ve ignored and made excuses (very spiritual sounding ones) about for years. But the repetitive reading… I haven’t been able to escape the Spirit pressing me on the issue. So changes are in the works for me in that particular area.
And now I plan to read the book of 1st John 30 times in January.
I’ve never heard an official name for this practice so I have started calling it Repetitive Bible Reading (RBR). Not very creative, but I think it communicates the practice well.
If you are interested in trying Repetitive Bible Reading, here are some helpful tips:
(1) Pray before you begin each time. Ask the Lord to have at least one thing “jump off the page” to you as something you can apply immediately to your life.
(2) Keep a record of your progress. Because you will be doing it every day for a month, it’s easy to forget if you did that day or not, so by keeping a record, you can avoid that confusion. Also, as you progress through the month it serves as a motivator for you to complete the month.
(3) If possible, use a real Bible rather than your phone or electronic device, preferably the BIble you use most. By using the same Bible, your brain will kind of memorize where each verse is on the page. Which will be helpful in the future when you are looking for a verse from that book of the Bible.
(4) If you get a little behind, don’t give up. Do 2 per day until you are caught up. It is worth it!
For those who would like to join me in reading 1st John repititively (30x) in January, here is a pdf checklist to mark your 30x to read it Simply download and print and then cut into three separate bookmarks… one for yourself and two for others who might want to join you. Accountability is greater when you have some friends do it also!
Challenge to read the whole bible
Join Adam Wainwright in Reading through the Bible in 2020
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (aka “Waino”) is inviting people to join him in reading through the Bible in 2020. He is using a chronological Bible reading plan and the plan begins tomorrow, January 12th.
To join Wainwright on this journey through God’s Word, sign up HERE. If our family wasn’t already 12 days into the Tabletalk plan, we would be joining Waino as well.
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*For some tips on reading through the Bible, click HERE.
Eight Tips for Reading the Bible in 2020 (PLUS… A Secret Extra Tip for Success!)
Several years ago I established the habit of reading through the Bible in a year. It is one of the greatest habits I’ve ever acquired. In 2018, my 16-year-old son and I read through the Bible together. In 2019, the other four family members joined in and we all read through the whole Bible together.
Have you read the whole Bible?
Why not commit to read the Bible in 2020?
In this post, I’d like to share some tips on reading the Bible more in 2020, especially for those of you who are interested in reading the whole Bible in a year’s time.
First, choose a plan. There are several plans out there which are good. We really like the Tabletalk magazine plan. It is calendar-based and takes you through an Old Testament reading and a New Testament reading, six days a week. This allows you a day for catch up, which is very helpful because even the most disciplined of us will have a few days each year where we just cannot make it work.
For those who are reading this after January 1st and need something with a slightly later start in the new year, join Major League Baseball pitcher Adam Wainwright in reading through the Bible chronologically in 2020, starting on January 12th. You can join him on his Bible reading journey HERE.
Second, pick a time and a place to do your daily Bible reading. For our family it is right after breakfast (time) in our living room (place). For a friend of mine it is at lunchtime (time) at his office desk (place). Few people succeed if they just “wing it” each day. Determine where and when you will do your Bible reading each day. As far as time required, you will need to set aside a twenty minute time block, although most days it will only take you about fifteen minutes.
Third, track your reading. One of the reasons why we like the Tabletalk reading plan is because you can print out a handy half-sheet list of all the readings with little check boxes beside each day (see photos below), applying the wisdom of what some are now calling the Jerry Seinfeld method of success, also known as “Don’t Break the Chain!” The bottom line is that the more consecutive days you check off, the more it motivates you to stay with it. Each morning when our family would complete the assigned reading, it felt great to check off the appropriate box.
Fourth, pray before and after you read. Start with a simple prayer like this, from the Psalmist… Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. (Psalm 119.18)
After your readings are complete, pray about what you just read.
Continue reading Eight Tips for Reading the Bible in 2020 (PLUS… A Secret Extra Tip for Success!)
Challenge: READ through the WHOLE BIBLE in 2019…
I’m passionate about helping YOU read through God’s Word in 2019. I promise you that if you will take on this challenge… and persevere… YOU WON’T REGRET IT! I guarantee it!
Here’s a list of recent videos I’ve made on the subject:
> If you haven’t read through the Bible why not?…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO6Kh6HCycs&t=69s
> It only takes 15 minutes a day!…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUlAFjp9Fdw
> Tips for reading through the Bible in a year…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IDAQeVJpjY&t=3s
> Pastor Brett’s preferred plan for reading through the Bible in one year…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7lwGLv-iMc&t=4s
My Preferred Plan for Reading through the Bible…
Tips for Reading through the Whole Bible in a Year…
How to Change Your Life in 15 Minutes…
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