Baking Bread

Every year, usually around December, folks start talking about beginning a Bible reading plan as their New Year's Resolution. I don't make resolutions but I do try and read my Bible regularly and I believe everyone should read the Bible through at least once. 

I've read it straight through once when I was young because I thought I should. This was before plans became a fad but if you consider the years I've been reading my Bible in total, I've probably read it through a few times in random order just not in one year. I'm not sold on the idea that reading it through in a year has any real merit. 

I honestly can't say I read my Bible daily because some days I can't read a pill bottle with any clarity. Due to health issues, I often suffer from a brain fog that limits my ability to focus for more than a few minutes on any task. Bible reading is disappointing in that respect. On those days, when I read anything I can't remember what I've read by the time I put the book down. 

Several years ago I bought a One Year Chronological Bible to help me read it in a year. Because... everyone thinks you should. I love that Bible. Not only was it set up in daily readings, they were in chronological order. I discovered immediately that the order made things so much clearer and gave me a much better reading experience. Even better, it was a really easy to read translation. 

As with most plans, they often go awry. I did read it but I also got behind. Because that is what we do. Life happens and things get behind. I tried to catch up but let's face it, once you're behind on the reading plan, there is no catching up. You have to keep the pace or you're lost. 

About nine years ago I bought a Chronological Study Bible. I have several Bibles but that one has become my favorite to read. It is a treasure house. There are notes on history, geography, archaeology, social activity, religious behavior of the period, timelines, and photos that supplement the scriptures. It is chock full of so much information there is no way I could read that version in one year. I'm halfway through it and if that sounds bad to you, I have to tell you my goal in reading this Bible has not been to cram it into one year but to learn things I never knew about the Bible. 

No, I don't read that one every day either. But I try. It is is the heaviest Bible I own and I have a rough time holding it but it is one of the most enjoyable reads because it puts things in order and provides details about things I never knew. 

Of course, the challenge is still there. I don't know it happens to you, but when folks start talking about reading the Bible in one year, I feel guilty. For about the first six weeks of the year, I feel as if I'm lacking in some fundamental way where my faith is concerned. Everyone is making this big production of reading it in a year and I'm sitting over here hoping no one ask me about how it is going. Because.. it isn't. 

Plethora of Plans

If you Google Bible reading plans, you will get every imaginable plan out there. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds. Everyone has a sure fire fix. And they all work for a while. I do know people who read their Bible in a year, every single year but the numbers tell me the percentage is minuscule. I've been in places where they gave certificates, too, and believe me there are not a lot of winners. It is a difficult task, made more difficult by some of the material. Let's face it, we all hate Numbers and Deuteronomy. Do I really need to know who begat who begat who? 

I ran across a blog post yesterday that discussed a plan I've heard about. I actually know someone who tried it. I don't know if they still use it but they did try it and recommended it to me. It is called Horner's Bible Reading Plan. I was already using another plan and this one didn't appeal to me at that time. It just seemed so counter-intuitive. It still does. 

But... I printed it off yesterday and started using it today and found that, although it is a bit odd, I think it might actually be easier than any other plan I've tried.

If you follow the link you get a PDF of the plan but you can Google it also and come up with numerous sites that discuss it. Some love it, some like it but tweaked it to suit them, and some really think it isn't a good plan to use to study the Bible.  

Inherent Flaws of Plans

Finding a plan you like takes time but any 1-year plan has inherent problems. Here is my take on those.  

1. Keep in mind that plans are goal orientated (a finish line). They are designed for one purpose only: to read the whole Bible within 12 months. I don't care what anyone says, it is not a Bible study plan. 

2. You will be reading fast, cursory, and not for content. Readings are supposed to take less than half an hour. Some days you will not be able to read and will fall behind. You will have to devote more time to catch up. For every day missed, you are 30 minutes behind. If you miss a week, you're looking at hours.

3. The failure rate is high and predictable. Those who quit will do so at about the 3-6 month mark. I know because I've tried plans several times. 

4. For those who reach the finish line, you will not be as well versed in scripture as the person who is plodding along, taking the time to study, cross reference, and digest what they read and who takes several years to finish the whole book. You'll just be able to say you read it in 1 year. And that's ok but don't gloat over those who prefer quality over quantity.

4. Reading in this fashion will not necessarily make you understand it any better. Understanding only comes with real study. Study takes more than half an hour of reading. 

It Takes Time

When I was 18, I told a woman in my church I didn't like reading the Bible because I didn't understand a lot of it. She said, "Don't try to understand it. Don't worry about that. Just read it. When you need a scripture, it will come to you and so will the understanding." I can remember that day, in her kitchen as clearly as a picture. And I took her word for it because this was a woman with great spiritual power and insight. 

So, while you won't become a Bible scholar reading the Bible in 1 year, you will develop a habit of reading the Word. And you will pick up bits and pieces that make sense, that you remember from Sunday School, from your Mama pointing her finger at you and quoting it to scare you straight, or quoted in other material you've read. 

In the 40 years since she told me that, her advice has never, ever failed. Not because I followed plans, but because I just kept reading, regardless of my comprehension. Time brought wisdom and understanding.

Positives of Honer's Plan

All plans will get you to the end if you follow them. However, after looking over the Horner plan I realized that it is only 250 days long. 

The Bible is divided into ten lists, and you read one chapter from each list each day, or 10 chapters a day. They are not in order because you skip between Old & New Testament and between books. Some lists are shorter than others. Acts requires 30 days to complete. So, when you finish a shorter list, you are to start over on that list and continue with the ones you haven't finished. 

Of the 10, the longest list is 250 days. Remember you are reading the lists concurrently. So, in 250 days you will have read the whole Bible and some books you will have read more than once if you follow his plan. If you're just in this to "finish the whole Bible" in a 12 month period, this is far more effective than the standard plans because it is 115 days shorter. You will get the same benefit as the other plans. 

What I do find most exciting about this is that you don't have to start over after you finish a list. You could just stop after one list is finished and continue with the remaining ones until you finish them all. This will still get you through the whole Bible in 250 days. 

You can also reduce the number of chapters your read. Reading only 5 a day. This will, of course, increase the time to more than a year. Or you could, when finishing a list, double up on the remaining lists. This would get you finished in nearly half the time, or about 6 months. This is of particular advantage if you get behind at some point. You can easily catch up by not restarting finished lists and by reading more chapters from longer lists. 

I think it is safe to say that the biggest advantage of Horner's plan over all the others is the flexibility it offers and the ability to complete the Bible in far less time. And if you like doing it every year, you'll be well ahead of those who start fresh on January 1. 

So, I'm going to try Horner's plan and see what happens. I don't know if I'll adhere to his method strictly or manipulate it a bit to avoid falling behind. But the ability to do that is why I find this very enticing. I'll have to set a reminder to follow up with you to see how it is working... if it is working.