12/26/2021
so i know it may sound like a crazy undertaking, but i am currently in the middle of attempting to read the entire Bible in just 30 days. does my brain hurt? some times! do i feel like all i do is sit around and read? oh yeah.
but the real reasoning behind this reading plan is not to hang on every single word and pour over every page, but to take in the bigger picture. to read, to skim even, and soak up His word. my prayer throughout this has been that i stay disciplined and my ears, eyes, and heart are open to what the Lord wants to tell me.
it has been really cool to start this journey during Advent, reading about the beginning of creation and finding little pieces of foreshadowing throughout the pentateuch and history books that point towards Jesus. learning about how intentional the Lord is in who He chooses, the words He uses to describe things, and just His precision and detail in all of His commandments. (super encouraging, bc if He is so particular about that, then what does that say about you, when you were created in His image??)
speaking of the pentateuch (the first five books of the bible), they can be categorized as the hardest books to get through. a lot of the time when people try to read the entire bible straight through, this first section is what can trip them up and discourage the momentum of reading. yet with this plan, you finish reading the whole thing in 6 days. are these days hard? oh yeah. but since it is so fast and this section tends to be repetitive, it really feels like an introduction, a framework and backstory that helps set the mindset for the rest of the journey.
a common way to approach the psalms is by reading one a day. but with this plan, you read all 150 of them over two days. when you split them up, they can be such refreshing little poems. but when all together, i think they tend to make the reader (or at least me) feel overwhelmed.
overwhelmed by the love, the forgiveness, the providence, power, and grace that the Lord gives us when we do not deserve it. the psalms are just love letters and prayers and cries and praises to Him, in response or reflection to the trials and events they have gone through. He asks for one thing, obedience, and the psalms repeatedly remind the reader of how the Lord responds.
1/4/2022
the last couple of days have been absolutely wild. i went to Passion conference in Atlanta and i knew i wasn't gonna have the amount of time i usually have to dedicate to reading. so i tried my best to read ahead (which of course hurt my brain all the more). but the coolest moment was that on my flight back from Atlanta, i finished the Old Testament. on one single flight, i read from Amos to Malachi and man is that some grim stuff!
but it is also so hopeful to show that the Lord follows through on what He says He will do. the reading was inspiring, but it also spurred conversation with the people around me on the plane to discuss the Word and the conference and that was a beautiful experience.
1/9/2022
three days left (including today)
golly gee i cannot believe that i am already halfway through Romans, and by the end of the day i will be through Ephesians. these last couple of days have been spent in one of my favorite portions of the bible, the minor prophets. but what is even more exciting is looking ahead to reading the letters (which is my other favorite portion). i have already started to
think about what i will read next when this plan is over, looking back on books i want to dive deeper into, which books i would benefit from right now. but don't get it twisted, i am still focused on finishing what is at hand right now, and that is finishing this plan strong (and on time).
1/11/2022
and just like that, it's over. the whole bible in 30 days.
the whole rest of the new testament after the gospels is basically a how to guide. how to love, how to serve, how to live in community, and how to spread the Good News.
my main takeaway from the whole thing?
the fact that the Bible is a story of redemption, not one of people after God, but of God after His people
now my brain is full, my heart is hopeful, my pen has run dry (literally, all six colors are done for), and i am still ready to start diving in again tomorrow.
Comments