I Did It! Again!

I am one of those people that often starts out with the best of intentions, but sometimes my intentions fall short of my actual results. This is probably why I was so excited when I read the entire Bible, cover to cover, earlier this year. On July 5th, Amy over at Mom's Toolbox hosted the program again. The entire Bible. Cover to Cover. In 90 days. I am absolutely thrilled to say that I did it! Again! Yesterday, on my train ride home, I finished Revelation. Yesterday was Day 81, so not only did I finish the entire Bible again, but I did it a full week faster than I did last time.

The experience was definitely different this time. I found myself making more connections between the Old and New Testaments. There were also books of the Old Testament that posed a challenge for me last time that were much more engaging to me this time around. (Last time, I had trouble getting through Ezekiel. This time, Ezekiel passed by with no problems, but the repetitive nature of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles posed some difficulty...) There are still certain books of the Bible that I would consider my favorites, but I was able to appreciate more of what I read this time. Even those books that I found difficult to finish contained important insights into God and His people.

A few things that made a difference for me during this session:

• I read the Bible in 90 Days New International Version this time around - the translation was much easier to read and the minimal amount of footnotes helped me read without getting too bogged down.
• I also read The Essential Bible Companion: Key Insights for Reading God's Word while I read the Bible. This supplemental text was incredibly helpful - it includes time lines, key themes, important verses, and explanations of important/complex concepts. I tried to read the appropriate sections of the Companion before reading those books in my Bible (which got harder as I reached the New Testament and some books were very short!) - having this background information laid out for me in a two-page spread allowed me to focus more on the overarching themes of each book, rather than getting caught up on specific verses or phrases. The Companion also has a glossary of key people, places, and terms, which was great for quick reference.
  

I'd like to thank Amy for, once again, leading our group on this amazing journey. This undertaking requires her to wear many hats - organizer, motivator, prayer warrior - and she does an amazing job at them all. I can't wait to do this again next year, and I look forward to being even more involved in the project, in whatever way Amy can use my talents!

If you're interested in participating in this program (which I highly recommend), please stop by Mom's Toolbox. The next session will be starting in January, and Amy will post sign-up information as the start date approaches.