In the beginning, God

Time to reveal another item on my 30 in my 30s list. It sounds like everyone's typical New Year's resolution- I'm going to read through the entire Bible! As cheesy as it sounds, it's an important thing I want to accomplish. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've set out on this task. I usually start in Genesis, Psalms, and Matthew, and try to read a chapter at a time in each, basically giving myself three different "starting points" so I can get through faster. I usually fizzle out somewhere around Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, and Acts. It isn't that I never open my Bible and read it; it's just that I can't say I've ever read the whole thing cover to cover without stopping and starting over a bunch of times.

So, I've decided that I want to read through the Bible at least twice during my 30s. For the first round, I've decided to just read it straight through, from beginning to end, in Eugene Peterson's version The Message. I'm trying to approach it like I would a novel, just soaking it in and letting it make me think, just enjoying it for what it is. The next time, I plan to read it through it in a study Bible and dig a little deeper, maybe getting some commentaries as well.

The Bible has been a part of my life for the past 30 years, but I'm trying to look at it through new eyes. It's so many things- a beautiful piece of literature, God's letter written to us, a guide for living, a comfort and encouragement through anything we might face, an anchor in a crumbling world. There is no other book like it! If you've never read it, I encourage you to read it along with me. The Message version is a great place to start! I'll keep you updated on my progress here.