Bible Challenge

Dear Friends,

I am issuing a challenge. I would venture to guess that not many people have read the Bible through. It is daunting – with 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses, most people give up before they begin. Many, having been raised on the King James Version, think that they cannot understand the language and so don’t even try. Some people just claim that they do not have time. So let me challenge you – and do it in such a way to encourage you along the way, so that we will all be successful.

Starting in this newsletter, I will publish a reading schedule for the month of January; thereafter, each month I will publish a schedule for that month. I am using a different order than what you will find when you open your Bible: this puts the Bible in a Chronological Order. I will also encourage you to find a translation of the Bible that you prefer. So each month I will highlight at least one translation and compare it with the translation we use on Sunday morning (the New Revised Standard Version.) If you do your readings on the computer, you will have no trouble finding these translations. If you need to find a hard copy of the translation you prefer, ask me. We may have a copy in our library. If not, we will find one for you.

Here are some tips to help you to begin:

Tips on Reading the Bible Daily

  1. Start reading the Bible today — there is no better time, and there’s no reason to wait.
  2. Set aside a specific time each day. Set your schedule and then stick to it. Mornings are great, but feel free to use any time that works consistently for you.
  3. Read the Bible for the sake of learning, not simply to accomplish your next reading. Say a short prayer to God before you begin, asking the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding, then be refreshed by the words you read!
 
Through the year, if you have any questions, write them down and put them in a box that I will put in the
Narthex. I will answer them in the next Newsletter. So let’s do this together. I am counting on you.

Rev. Cope 

January’s Reading List:
 
 
February’s Reading LIst
 
March’s Reading List