The Big Idea

Most of us, as followers of Jesus, want to be more familiar with God's voice. We long to have a stronger sense of connection to God and what He wants for our lives. We know the Bible is an opportunity to grow in this, but a lot of us struggle with spending time in scripture with any regularity.

Let's face it. There are parts of the Bible that are easy to read and immediately meaningful. But there are other parts that take a little bit of investment to make it through. Becoming familiar with the whole text, which is a vital part of growing in our ability to recognize God's voice when He speaks to us, gets side-tracked when we come to these harder sections.

One of the best ways to grow in your ability to do something hard, is to do it with other people. You see this principle at work when you see two people jogging together, or spotting each other at the gym. They serve to motivate each other and hold each other accountable. They push each other forward. Together they reap the benefits of their hard work.

That's the purpose of this online Bible reading community. Each year we commit to a certain reading plan, and then those who join in can encourage each other, share their reflections, and get to know each other. We have found that this kind of encouragement makes the whole thing much more beneficial and enjoyable. So, we invite you to join with us.  

How It Will Work

Currently we have two different reading schedules.

• Read the whole Bible in a year.  Reading the entire Bible through in one year, seven days a week, reading a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Psalms and Proverbs, and
• Read the New Testament in One Year.  Reading 1 chapter of the New Testament each weekday. We are planning to alternate which one will have the guided group going through it.

If you want to do this on your own, you can choose either plan. If you want to do it with the guided group, then we will be doing the whole Bible reading for 2009.

In either case, follow the link above and you'll see a reading schedule with links to every day of the year. On the page for that day you will see the readings for the day, coaching comments from our group leader, and a place for you to leave your own comments. Use these comments as a place to "check in" and let people know you've read. This provides helpful accountability. But you can also use these comments to ask questions, share your own reflections on the text, or talk about whatever seems appropriate to the group process. The more people check in, the more we'll be able to get to know each other and encouragte one another in this endeavor. The more comments and reflections posted, the more we'll interact with God's word.