See yesterday’s post for a little background on my Bible-reading in 2010.

Now, where did I leave off? Oh yes, I had chosen my plan, gathered my resources and began reading through the Bible…

How I made it all the way through

Doing my readings in January was a breeze. February, too. Even March. But somewhere around April, I stumbled a bit. I allowed busyness and stress to be excuses for “missing” a reading here and there.

At one point (I think in June), I actually found myself 21 days behind in my Bible reading! I hadn’t missed three weeks straight, but missing a day here and a day there, and a couple days now and then…had led me to this slacker state.

But this time, instead of just giving up, I hung in there, caught up, and even finished a couple days early. Why? Here are a few reasons:

• I had some accountability. I didn’t blog about my goal, and I didn’t tell a whole lot of people. But I did let my husband know, and I told my good friend Jennifer. Jennifer would occasionally ask me how my reading was going; knowing that she might be checking in on me helped me stay (or get back) on track. Chad was a great encourager. He gently prompted me to hang in there when I was behind, and was quick to cheer when I caught up.
• I was flexible with my reading. The perfectionist in me would have loved if I had read from my ESV Study Bible, in our library, next to the bay window, every morning at 8:00 a.m. But real life doesn’t always make that possible. So to keep up with my reading, I read everywhere — in the doctor’s office, sitting in the car line at Starbucks, in bed, at the kitchen counter, and — yes — by the window in our library. Using my iPod touch helped tremendously — no excuses for not reading just because I didn’t have my Bible with me.
• The plan I used ended with 2 Chronicles! I mentioned in yesterday’s post that during previous Bible-reading attempts, I often got bogged down in 2 Chronicles. You might say I had a bit of a mental block against that book. But unbeknownst to me, the plan I chose actually finished the year with 2 Chronicles and Malachi, so I had no mental excuses to give up in May or June.
• This is probably the biggest reason of all: When I found myself behind in my reading, I told myself that finishing late was better than not finishing at all. Even if it took me until sometime in 2011, the benefits of reading God’s word were real. It would be better to just keep reading, and finish after my intended goal, than to quit because I was “failing.” So I just kept reading. And that, in the end, was key.

What I learned

I know that in the grand scheme of things, reading my Bible in a year is not some “great accomplishment.” As I was plodding my way through, I watched people on Twitter and Facebook and in the blog-world reading their Bibles in 90 days. (90 Days!!) I know that many people read through their Bibles each and every year. But for me — with my past history of starting and failing and starting and failing — reading all of God’s word in one year was a good thing.

I was reminded repeatedly that in Christian circles, we tend to take verses out of context. Time and time again, I would come across a familiar verse and say, “Oh yeah, I remember — that’s where that verse comes from.” And it would sometimes have very little to do with how we tend to interpret and apply those familiar snippets. It’s important to make sure we read Scripture from a broader perspective so we can better see how it all fits together.

I discovered jewels in every nook and cranny of the Bible. Even my once-dreaded 2 Chronicles now has multiple bookmarks and notes as I once again witnessed how God has worked in and through history.

I learned that with a plan, some accountability, an attitude to “just keep reading,” and — above all — God’s grace, this is something that I can do, no matter how many times I tried and failed in the past.

What comes next

Will I be reading through the Bible in 2011? No. Instead, I’ve decided to spend some more concentrated time on specific books of the Bible, starting with Philippians and Colossians.

But I do think one of these years, I’ll tackle the Bible in its entirety once again. God taught me so much in 2010, about His sovereignty, His grace, and His relentless love — I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on that!

Some Resources

Interested in reading through the Bible? Here are some resources to get you started:

YouVersion.com — Online Bible-reading tools and plans. Also check out their apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, etc. to help you stay on track.

BibleGateway.com — Offers daily reminder emails that link to your readings for each day.

Bible in 90 Days — If you’re feeling ambitious.

The One Year Chronological Bible — All your readings are mapped out for you. No need for a checklist or separate plan.

Not Too Late to Read Through the Bible — plans and encouragement from Desiring God.

Part of me never thought I would say this, but I read through the entire Bible in 2010. For the first time ever. December 29th found me finishing up the final chapters in Malachi and reflecting on this unspoken goal I’d had for last year.

Why I Did It

I’ve been making random attempts at reading through the entire Bible since I was in college. I certainly haven’t tried every year, but there have been multiple times over the past twenty years when I began reading in January…only to give up a few weeks or months later. And though I could get through the earliest books and the ceremonial law, I found myself bogged down somewhere around 2 Chronicles, time after time.

While I don’t think that you need to read through the whole Bible in one year to be a “good Christian,” there are a few reasons it was important to me:

• I wanted to make sure I read all of God’s word. Through Bible studies, personal devotions, and sermons, I’ve read and encountered much of the Bible. But I wanted to know that I’ve read it all. Every last word.
• I wanted to make God’s word a priority in 2010. It’s easy to get caught up in encouraging devotional books or stimulating studies, but sometimes I tend to think more about the authors of those books than the Author of Scripture. In 2010, I wanted to focus primarily on God and on what He has said.
• I had no excuses. Toward the end of 2009, I read on a blog somewhere (and I can’t even remember where) that it only takes about 12-15 minutes of reading per day to read through the Bible, and I saw a little challenge issued — something along the lines of “any Christian worth their salt should be able to commit to that.” I knew I already devoted more than 15 minutes a day to reading other books, so why wouldn’t/shouldn’t I do the same for the Bible?

My decision was made: I would, once again, try to read through the Bible in 2010. But still, I had tried before and failed. What would make this time different?

Before I started, I needed a plan.

Finding a Reading Plan and Process

In the past, I’d tried just reading straight through from Genesis to Revelation; I’d tried using a Chronological Bible; and I’d tried random Bible-reading plans that I found in books and magazines. I knew that “the right plan” wasn’t the answer, but I also knew that having a plan would give my goal some needed structure.

I think it was on Twitter where I first heard about YouVersion.com, an online Bible-reading resource that provides multiple Bible translations, study tools, and a wide variety of Bible-reading plans. In addition, there was a free app I could download for my iPod touch, so I could check my plan or actually do my daily Bible reading anywhere and any time. This approach — incorporating my computer and my iPod touch — appealed to the geek in me.

After checking out all the plans, I chose the M’Cheyne One-Year Plan. Here’s how YouVersion describes it:

This plan is based on the M’Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings for use in both family and personal devotions. Each day has two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.

I liked the fact that there was reading variety — reading from four different places in the Bible each day. And I also decided that though the plan worked its way through the New Testament twice, I would only go through it once. Therefore, I’d be reading from the OT and NT for the first half of the year, and then just finish the OT during the second half of the year.

I was all set. I had a plan. I had my resources. I got started.

But starting is the easy part, right?. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about why I didn’t quit this time, and what I learned along the way.

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In the meantime, I’d love to know — Did you read through the Bible in 2010 or do you plan to in 2011? Or perhaps you read through it every year? What have your experiences been when it comes to reading through the entire Bible?