Let me say again, my experience reading the entire Bible through in a year has been life transforming, maybe the single most significant personal practice I’ve done in my life.

Also let me reiterate my belief that anyone can read the Bible through in a year. It takes a bit of organization, resilience and grace – grace from God and sometimes grace from yourself but it can be done by anyone.

So let me share a few things I’ve learned over the years that have helped me read the entire Bible and may assist you in your own quest to read the Bible through in 2011.

1. Know the day before when you will create the 15 to 20 minutes space needed to do your reading.
2. One day a week read 2 to 3 days (30 to 45 minutes) to catch up or better yet get ahead.
3. If you’ve had a bad week and get behind to the point you think you can’t catch up,  just start reading on the current day. If you only end up reading 80% of the Bible that is still an incredible achievement and God will still use it to change your life (He’s not keeping score).
4. Break it up into two different readings at different times during the day.
5. Keep a journal of thoughts and reflections you have. Create no pressure on yourself to do this every day – reading your Bible is more important and doesn’t require keeping a journal.
6. Listen to the Bible audibly if that works best for you. There are some great audible versions of the Bible out there.
7. Remember this is not a check list thing it’s a chance to seek and hear all of God’s Word. When you feel like it’s a chore, pray to Christ for His Spirit to give you what you need to keep at it. It’s a great place to be when you can look back and know that it was through God’s grace that you’ve read through His Word.

In my next post I will share with you one additional thing I will be doing in 2011 that I hope will be an aid for you as you read the entire Bible.

Over the years I’ve used 4 unique Bible reading schedules and have found each one helpful in different ways. Below is a description and assessment of these schedules followed by two links where they can be found on-line.

M’Cheyne: Each day read 2 chapters from the Old Testament and 2 chapters from either the New Testament or the Psalms. You read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice. It’s the most challenging schedule because of the amount of reading required. I recommend it for people who have used the other schedules and are ready to step up their reading.

Beginning to End: Start with Genesis 1 and read 3 chapters a day straight through until you reach Revelations 22. This is a straight forward approach that treats the Bible as a regular book. It has helped me understand the flow and placement of all the books of the Bible.

Chronological approach: Read 3 chapters a day taking each book in the order in which the recorded events occurred. For example you read the two Chronicles, Kings and Samuel books side by side. This approach has helped me understand both the historical context and the unique perspectives different authors have of the same event.

Old and New Testament Together: With this schedule you read 2 Old Testament chapters beginning in Genesis and a chapter from the New Testament starting with Matthew. This is my favorite schedule because it allows me to see the connectedness of the two Testaments. This is also the one I will use in 2011.

Two good sources for schedules are:

Back to the Bible – http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Bible-Reading-Guides.html

English Standard Version web site – http://www.esv.org/resources/reading-plans-devotions/ This site has printable schedules.

In my next post I will outline helpful things I’ve learned over the years that have assisted me staying with a reading schedule. Then on Thursday I will offer you an opportunity to join me and others in reading the Bible through in 2011.

Every Christmas break I set goals for myself for the upcoming year. Sometimes they are lofty goals, but most often they are basic goals such as losing some weight, reading a particular book or staying in better contact with friends. I have to admit I don’t always achieve all my goals. Some years have been better than others.

But there is one annual goal that I have set for myself over the past 25 years. It’s also the one goal that I have nearly achieved every year. It’s simply to read the entire Bible through from the beginning to the end. I’ve committed to this goal every year because every time I’ve read through it I’ve been transformed by it. There is no other personal commitment I’ve ever made that has so impacted every facet of my life then this one simple practice – reading the entire Scripture through from front to back.

Now before you’re tempted to congratulate me or think me a super spiritual person please know this – it is an achievable goal for anyone and everyone. I’m not a Bible scholar or a monk, I’m a regular person who has, through the grace of God, been able to make this commitment stick and have benefited from the incredible difference it makes. It requires no more than 15 to 20 minutes a day to achieve. What other daily 20 minute routine (other than some infomercial fitness equipment) can make such a difference in one’s life? So I’m without excuse, I need to do it again in 2011.

Over my next couple of posts I will outline different ways I’ve read the Scriptures through, things I’ve learned and resources I’ve used to help me make this commitment a reality. I’ll also share an additional element I’m adding to my 2011 resolution. My hope and prayer is that these posts will help you with a similar commitment for 2011.

By the way, Merry Christmas!

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding – indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”  Proverbs 2:1-5

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to be “the son..” when we had our second annual former SpringHill board member reunion.  We had a number of former board members and their spouses join us for staff worship (they got to sing, clap and dance with the SpringHill Gospel Choir), attend the weekly “staff meeting” and then have lunch together at our Founder’s House.

Because their board tenures spanned a number of decades,  I asked them to share their SpringHill history with the group. We were blessed to not only hear their histories but also to hear many great SpringHill’s  stories.

And, most importantly for me, I heard bits of wisdom and proverbs that each one has gleaned over the years, especially from their involvement with SpringHill.

Here is  a sample of these proverbs and encouraging quotes that I took note of:

“Never let SpringHill lose its focus.”

“Always leave room for God to work.”

“Keep the first things first.”

“I am thankful that SpringHill continues to keep Christ first and foremost at its center.”

“This place will be something special.” stated by Janet Doctor our first camp cook in 1969

“Keep the main thing the main thing.”

“When Enoch Olson (our first Director) prayed for something you’d better get out-of-the-way.”

“Let’s go for 100%.”

“We put forth what we can do and then let God do the rest.”

“Thank you for keeping SpringHill focused on sharing Jesus Christ.”

“His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.”  Nahum 1:3

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17  I’m living this  proverb this week.  I just finished spending 24 hours with my good friend Mario Zandstra.

We met together in Annapolis, Maryland, the home of our nation’s Naval Academy. An appropriate place to meet because, in many ways,  it symbolizes our friendship and work together.

As we walked around the Naval Academy and through its Chapel we saw this book. The 2010 graduating class all signed it “dedicating their commissions to the Glory of God.”  I think Mario has signed the same kind of book for his “commission.” This is why his “iron sharpens my iron” and why I love being him.

Mario is a committed husband and great father of 7 children.  I know these things because Denise and I have spent time with he and his wife and Monday night Mario and I had dinner with one of his sons, Will.  I believe that a man’s spouse and children are a reflection of who he is as a husband and father.

So being with him is to have his “commission” as a husband and father sharpen mine.

He is the CEO of Pine Cove Camps in Tyler, TX.  http://www.pinecove.com/.  Pine Cove is a camp ministry much like SpringHill.  Mario has provide leadership that has led to an expanded reach, increase in effectiveness and improvement in the quality of their work.

So being with him is to have his “commission” as a leader sharpen mine.

Mario is a man who passionately wants to grow in his relationship with Christ and to live out that relationship for the “Glory of God.”

So being with him is to have his “commission” as a follower of Christ sharpen mine.

I’m thankful for my friendship with Mario.  He has helped me become more faithful in my “commission.” My prayer is that I would do the same for him.

By the way does anyone know why we kept seeing this photo all around campus?

Denise and I just spent two days on Calvin College’s campus participating in our son MD’s college orientation.  We stayed in one of the dorms. We were in sessions with other parents learning about Calvin, how to be a good parent to a college student and spending some time with MD.

It was a great two days.  Calvin did an excellent job of providing an engaging, informative, professional and fun orientation session for the parents and the incoming students.

But the best part for me was something a bit more profound than being happy with the dorm food.  I realized that this was the final confirmation, a final fleece, of the prayers  Denise, MD and I had about the right place for MD to go to school.

Not that “we” had lingering doubts.  I know MD and Denise did not but, honestly, I had a few.  You see Calvin did not start out as either MD’s or our first choice when the school selection process started.  We visited some incredible schools over a 18 month period and at the end no school was the stand out number one choice for MD.

So with the decision time approaching and no clear direction MD, Denise and I took two weeks where we individually prayed two times a day to seek God’s direction. Then at the end of two weeks we agreed to come together to share with each other what school God has put on our hearts.  The clear answer for all of us was Calvin.

Now you would think that such clear direction would have taken care of any lingering doubts I had but it didn’t.  I knew it was the right decision but… so I needed one more fleece.  God graciously provide it.   Orientation reaffirmed in an incredible way what I already knew – Calvin is the place for MD.

English poet John Ruskin once said “When love and skill come together expect a masterpiece.”  I experienced a masterpiece tonight by my daughter, Christina, and the members of her dance company, Company Dance Traverse.  Over the years of watching my daughter dance it has been amazing to see her grow and develop into an incredible ballerina. 

Christina, absolutely loves to dance.  On our way home from the recital somehow Christina and I ended talking about what life will be like in the new heaven and new earth.  I asked her what she thinks she will be doing in our eternal home and she said ” I hope I can dance all the time.”  When you equate something with our eternal home you must really love it. 

Now add to her love for ballet, the incredible hours over years and years that Christina has put into her dance and the result was seen tonight.  It was a masterpiece.  Without the practice there would be no skill and with no love Christina would never had practiced all those hours.  It really does take both love and skill if you want to produce a masterpiece.  Christina understands this because she lives it.