Mom Seriously: Reading the Bible Through in 2011?

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If you're thinking about reading the Bible through in 2011, my friend John Notgrass has done an incredible job of mapping out a reading plan that will take you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament three times.

On his blog, John writes: "I arranged the Old Testament basically in chronological order. I arranged the first two readings of the New Testament to coincide in some places with the Old Testament readings. The final two months of the year focus on the New Testament, with Paul’s letters interspersed throughout Acts, arranged geographically or personally rather than chronologically. The Psalms are sprinkled throughout the year to go along with Old Testament events or with passages in the New Testament where they are quoted."

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John and his wife Audra are expecting a baby boy just any day now, and John's already been reading God's Word aloud to him. Talk about a head start in life! I love it! John says the average daily reading in his plan is between four and five chapters. That's really do-able, and definitely worth the 20 minutes it would take you (average time--add another ten minutes if you're reading aloud to your kids. And if your kids are little ones, you may want to begin by dividing that into morning and evening chunks, so that sitting still is easier!) Check out the plan HERE.

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 26:3, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! There's no better way to keep our minds on Christ, our thoughts fixed on Him and His desires for us, than by engaging in a steady diet of His Word. And when it comes to resolutions, that's a diet I can live with! :)