Sunday, January 31, 2010

Bible in 90 Days: thoughts on Day 31

I have come to the conclusion that following someone else's Bible reading schedule is not my preferred method of study. Reading the Bible in 90 Days is too rushed, and keeping up with it keeps me from following cross references and checking commentaries...the things that bring me joy and nourishment while studying. I think I will stick with this...Psalms and the Prophets aren't too far ahead, but I won't repeat it next year. It is too easy to just read to check off the little box on the schedule rather than reading to hear God's voice. I had the same feeling when I read through the Bible in a year several times. I miss my usual routine of reading just one chapter and meditating on it perhaps coming across an interesting subject and following it across the Scriptures.

I think this 90 Day plan is a great Bible reading plan for a person who lives in a quiet house and has three hours every day to look up cross references and read commentaries. I can easily read the daily reading in half an hour, but I need more time than that to meditate and seek connections in other parts of Scriptures.

It would also be a good plan for someone who isn't seeking nourishment from the Scriptures but just wants to get a quick overview of the whole Bible--perhaps someone who is studying the Bible as a textbook.

Or maybe I am a fast reader and a slow thinker.

6 comments:

  1. I'm glad you are not going to throw in the towel though I am sorry that you are not getting what you want out of the process.

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  2. Ouch. :) I'm actually really enjoying this and getting quite a bit out of the time that I am spending reading. I guess it just varies from person to person. The biggest thing for me is getting excited about the Bible as a whole, not just certain chunks of it.

    I'm actually hoping to use a different version when I'm done with B90 and spread it out chronologically over 6 months.

    Jolanthe

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  3. Jolanthe I am totally with you. I am getting so much out of this. More than I could have ever imagined.

    ~Amber

    www.simoneysavers.com

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  4. I am sorry this has been so frustrating for you.

    Before I read each day I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and show me what He has in store for me that day's reading. And if it isn't obvious at the end, I ask again. The,n using the SOAP method, I almost always find a perfect message for me to pray about for the rest of the day.
    I love the perspective this pace gives me. It is a huge help in other studies thorughout the year.

    I am glad you plan to stick with it.. and I pray that the Lord will reveal to you through this exercise just what He has for you.

    Hang in there.

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  5. Ruth: I didn't take this 90 day plan on for study. As Jolanthe said, I too wanted to do this to get the big picture. I think of it sort of like using a timeline or century book to study history (I homeschool, as do many--but definitely not all-- of the ladies participating in this challenge, and use a Century book with my kids). Many of us have studied many, many parts or even whole chapters of the Bible, but what that does is give a rather disjointed view of the story. I am LOVING the fact that I can see the way things went, where God worked and how, as well as how certain peoples ended up here or there, or disappeared all together. It's the overview that is pulling it all together for me, and I have learned SO MUCH that I wouldn't quit for anything right now. And I do plan to repeat this again next year. I have 9 whole months to devote to deep study, but for right now I think this big picture is exactly what I need.

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  6. Ruth, I was having a hard time at the beginning as well with how fast we are going. But, I'm finding that I'm getting this whole different view by reading it page by page by page. I've never done it that way before. My plan is to go back and do a more in depth study on the things I've highlighted after the 90 days is over.

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