Three days to go

Just three days before we start, and possibly the full enormity of what we are undertaking is slowly sinking in, and second thoughts are taking hold. Is it really possible? Can I find the time? Will I take anything in when going at such a breakneck speed?

All these are legitimate questions. But I would answer like this:

1. It is possible - I have done it once. There is also this from the sleeve of the Bible which I used the first time - "Here's the secret: Forget about reading the whole Bible in three months. That's right - forget about so formidable a challenge. Instead think in these terms: - 12 short pages a day; about 45 minutes of your time - less time than many people spend commuting to and from work. Suddenly it's not so hard, is it?"
2. Finding the time is the most daunting part. My wife is talking about getting up an hour earlier to do so. But it is worth it - think of the extra time with God (90 x 3/4 hours = 67.5 hours over 3 months); the value of the spiritual discipline; the fellowship in doing this together with all the others at St Paul's ; the message it sends out to the heavenly powers, that here is someone serious about proclaiming the lordship of Christ in the heavenly realms.
3. It is true that you cannot expect to take in everything that you read to the same degree as if you study just one small passage a day. However, what you do get is a clearer picture of the majesty of God's plan for his people through the ages, a better understanding of how patient and gracious God is with his people, even when they are disobedient, and a greater depth in understanding the character of God as revealed through his whole word. Do not let the best be the enemy of the good - you will be amazed at how much you do retain, and the more you read, the more you want to read, and the more you see each time that you read in God's word.

Be encouraged - God has left us his whole revelation for our benefit. Let us revel in that, praise Him for His divine purpose and the fact that He wants to meet us as we read the Bible, and He longs to transform us into the family likeness - the likeness of his Son. It may seem like a sacrifice, a daily offering, but we have a God who deserves all we can possibly give, and even more amazingly, a God who is pleased to accept what we offer in that spirit.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

The Bible in 90 Days - is it possible?

Do you believe God wants to speak to us today, and that He has given us His Word as a means for us to get to know Him and His purpose in life? Do you wish that the life in all its fullness described in the Bible reflects the reality of your life as a Christian? Have you often thought how nice it would be to read through the Bible in a year, but have never been able to finish it? Do you want to deepen your relationship as a special and precious adopted child of our heavenly Father and grow in fullness of His love, so that we bring him honour and glory as part of his family? If any of these questions strike a chord with you, let me invite you to join me and some others from St Paul's Tervuren on an exciting, in-depth, all-in, adrenaline-charged, life-enriching, mentally stimulating, emotionally-engaging, spiritually challenging journey through the Bible from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 in just 3 months!

How the idea came about
To paraphrase a popular saying, "good ideas have many fathers". In my case, our men's homegroup encouraged us all to set targets for the year, and last year I set my goal as reading the Bible in a year. I achieved this, finished at 11.15 in the evening on New Year's Eve. For 2007, I needed a new goal, and when travelling in Canada for work last November, I had bought a Bible in a bookshop which had a reading plan to cover the whole Bible in 90 days. The plan argued that to do so, you would only need to read 12 pages a day, which would take roughly 40 minutes. So my first target for 2007 was to read through the Bible in 90 days.

This I managed to do, although to do this I had consciously to set aside 40 minutes at the start of each day. The benefits of doing this were immense, as it brought home to me in such a clear way the continuity and inter-connectedness of God’s plan from the creation through the life of Jesus and into the perfect world to come, a place with no sorrow or pain or tears. I also found that the more I read the Bible, the more I wanted to read it and the more I felt God speaking to me as I did so. You can ask my wife, Miriam, if you want more detail on the effect it had on me.

Then in September, Chris Edwards arrived to be the new chaplain of St Paul’s Tervuren. Anyone coming into contact with Chris will quickly become aware of his passion for the word of God and his wish for it to become the foundation, inspiration and motivation for our lives. I therefore threw down the gauntlet for him to join me in reading through the Bible in 90 days. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (NLT). If more than one of us are in this together, we can encourage each other to see it through to the end.

What we are proposing
As of 1 November 2007, Chris, I and anyone else who would like to join with us will start off on the journey to read the entire journey in 90 days. The entire reading plan is available on the website of St Paul’s Tervuren here.
This blog will be available as an open discussion group for you to post observations, comments or questions arising from what you have read that day. The more questions, comments and people involved, the better as far as I am concerned.

It is achievable – there are 88 readings, with 2 days off allowed, and we shall move at a cracking pace (the whole of Leviticus in 2 and a bit days, Ezekiel in 5 days). It is a commitment of time, but much more it is a commitment to seek God seriously in his word and to seek his message in his revelation from the Alpha to the Omega.

It is going to be fantastic. Come and join us, and bring along your friends.

Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word (Ps 119:36-37 NLT)