Back in February I went to a Pastor’s Wives conference at Sandy Cove, which I have mentioned before in previous posts. I decided to check out a break out session on reading through your Bible (“Divide and Conquer…the Bible” by Judy Reamer), even though the session was going to be a DVD showing and not a live person. It was a motivational and instructional talk on reading through your Bible. It was a two part session and the first one was all motivation for reading through your entire Bible. Many of the things she said reminded me of my CIU days in the Bible teaching program (LOVE THAT PROGRAM/MAJOR!!) It is so true that seeing the Bible in its entirety, the totality of its’ story and message brings the Bible to life! But I had to go to the second session to get to the recommendations and ideas that were to help me to read through the Bible even several times a year!!
So here is what I learned and have been putting into practice recently:
1. Purchase a large print double column Bible in soft cover. (I must say Brian mocked me for buying another Bible!)
2. Take the cover off, leaving the binding in tact. Then divide the Bible (with a sharp knife) into four sections!
3. Make new covers for your Bible pieces using file folders and Elmers glue. (I got cool colored folders from WalMart-a different one for each part of the Bible)
4. You need a bookmark ( I made matching bookmarks from the leftover folder pieces)
5. Now set a plan to read 15 pages a day. With the suggested Bible from the DVD you will read through the Bible 3 times a year if you read 15 pages a day.
6. This is your reading time not your study time! Just read, don’t study, just read. You will come back!
The reason for dividing the Bible into four parts is psychological! If I handed you a Bible, big or small, and asked you to read through it, you would feel the weight of all the pages and all the tiny print! But if I hand you a book that is similar to the novels you see today and said “can you read this in the next month or so” You would probably think “yeah I can do that!” And so dividing your Bible into parts makes it more attainable.
Large print, double column and bookmarks help you keep your pace of reading quickly! Use the bookmark as a guide your eyes as you read down the page and keep it moving at a steady pace.
Just read, don’t study helps you move through it. I loved the way I was challenged to have this as a reading time and pursue another time as my digging in study time. Often when we decide to read through the Bible we get burdened with the thought that we must think deeply and meditated the entire way through. And we should be thinking deeply and meditating but if our goal is to read the Bible in its totality then it will benefit us to have a separate study time from our reading time.
So how is it going for me? Well I started in May in the New Testament and I am almost all the way through it. So I have almost read one of the four parts in a month. I have been enjoying seeing the big picture and reading through books such as Romans in a day or two. I think my goal maybe to read through the Bible once this year (before May 2009) and move from times of 15 page just reads to study times. Currently, that is what fits with my available “free” time 
Want to give it a try with me?
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