New challenge for the new year

I realize we haven’t even made it through Christmas yet, but I stumbled on something I am excited to do starting in January and I wanted to share it.

Mom’s Toolbox is hosting a Read the Bible in 90 Days Challenge starting Jan 3rd.

I’m going to tell you a secret…I’ve never finished reading the Bible straight through – even  in a year. Even though I have probably read the entire Bible in pieces, I have never managed a consecutive streak.  I always trickle off somewhere around, ahem, May or summer. 

So what makes me think I can do it in 90 days?

• Tunnel vision. By the first week of April, I will be done – before Easter, the flurry of May activities and the summer slow down. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Great for my short attention span.
• Focus. For 90 days, I will lay aside all other novels, magazines, self-help books, etc. (The hard one is going to be Ann Voskamp’s new one that comes out in Jan!) I will focus on hearing from God strictly through His word. I will turn down the chatter from outside sources.
• Accountability. Through the Mom’s Toolbox site, I’ll have weekly accountability. I’ll be assigned a mentor who has been through the challenge. There’s even a Twitter feed for encouragement, if I want to utilize that.
• Preparation. Because I’ve signed up already, I am using the month of December as a time to pray for perseverance and prepare my heart to receive His word. I don’t want this to be about reading the whole Bible as something to check off on my list. I want it to be about reading the Word from beginning to end as a means of seeing the whole arc of scripture and God’s plan and hearing from Him.

Mom’s Toolbox is hosting this, but the actual ministry, Bible in 90 Days, was founded by an agnostic. Yes, you read that right. Here is what Amy from Mom’s Toolbox said about him:

Several years ago Ted Cooper, who is now a friend of mine, was happily Agnostic. But then his kids started asking questions. And he started to wonder. And he wanted to just put the whole thing to rest. So he decided to find the quickest, easiest way to find the answers to his questions and decided to read the whole Bible, cover to cover. He found an NIV thinline (fewest footnotes), counted the pages and divided by about 3 months. And off he read. And half-way through the Old Testament he became a Christian.

I’m sure you can imagine that this experience was life-changing for him in more ways than one. He quit his job and made it his mission to help others also read the Bible in 90 days.

You can read more about this ministry on their website.  There are many resources here including:

• A Bible formatted for the challenge in large, easy-to-read print, minimal footnotes, thin for portability.
• Links to listen to the Bible as you read. Great for those auditory learners. They are broken down by each week, then by chapter.
• Church small group materials. What a great topic for small groups. Even if your church doesn’t have small groups, you can still get a group of friends, co-op moms, or other couples together on your own.
• Participant’s guide with book overviews, room to journal and thought provoking questions.
• Forums
• Testimonials

I am excited about this venture and plan to blog through my experience on my personal blog. I will be having a baby right about the time this challenge starts, so posts may be short & sweet, but I’m also hoping that the down time I’ll have nursing and recuperating will be time I can spend devouring the Word.

What about you?  Have you read the Bible through?  Would you like to join this challenge? Be sure to comment if you decide to sign up on Mom’s Toolbox or to start a group of your own or through your church. I would love to touch base during the 90 days.