My New Bible Reading Plan

(My plan doesn't rely on the high tech stuff, but this is my setup.)

Have you ever struggled to find a Bible reading plan that works well for you?  That has been my struggle recently, and I wanted to share with you what I have developed, and have found to be a great enhancement to my morning devotions.

Why did I need a new plan?

(Feel free to scroll down to the details of the plan if you want to skip the “why.”)

I've used several plans over the years. Usually, I default to a plan that includes some Old Testament, some New Testament, some Psalms, and some Proverbs each day.  But for a while I also used and enjoyed Professor Horner's system (link to PDF), which gave an incredibly broad overview of the Scriptures, with large amounts of reading from all over the Bible every day.

Each system has its advantages. But I found I couldn't stick with Professor Horner's system for more than about a year and a half before the frenetic pace left me a bit frazzled. There are great advantages in swallowing large amounts of Scripture every day for a while, but it does keep one back from a more careful, in-depth look at the Word.

Lately, I had begun to find myself dissatisfied with every Bible reading plan I tried. All involved multiple chapters a day, and I really felt I needed something that allowed me to give greater concentration to small amounts of Scripture.  But I couldn’t bring myself to embark on a one-chapter-a-day, Genesis-to-Revelation type of study. Perhaps it’s shameful to have to admit it, but there are certain books I just didn’t want to get bogged down in for a month or more. After a great deal of time spent in Deuteronomy, for example, I’m nearly gasping for the refreshment of the epistles. And while some of the Bible’s most beautiful words of hope can be found in Isaiah, it also has many, many chapters of judgments against the enemies of God’s people. All of that is useful, but one can only read so much of it at a time before one begins to thirst for words of grace.

I began to toy with the idea of creating my own Bible reading plan, one that would give me small amounts of Scripture each day, while giving me a great deal of variety in my reading. At the same time, I didn’t want to be reading things out of context, since context is such an incredibly important part of Scripture interpretation and understanding. So I certainly wasn’t going to choose some sort of random, “shut-your-eyes-and-open-the-Bible-and-read-whatever-page-it-opens-to” approach.

The more I puzzled about it, the more I thought that Professor Horner’s plan might have some answers for me.  It did offer lots of variety, it was not calendar-based, and it divided the Bible into sections from which one would read each day.

What if, instead of Professor Horner’s ten-chapter-a-day approach, I adapted it into a one-chapter-a-day plan, and read from a different section of the Bible each day? That way, I could get the variety that I thirsted for, could get the in-depth study that I knew I needed, and could keep my daily selections within their natural contexts.

And so, from these musings, my new plan was born. And I’m finding it to be everything I hoped it would be.

The Details of the Plan

It is generally recognized that the Bible can be divided into five or six different categories. Of course there is some blurring of the lines between categories, but for a weekly reading plan, you can do very nicely with the following divisions:

·        Law – Genesis through Deuteronomy

·        History – Joshua through Esther

·        Poetry and Wisdom – Job through Song of Solomon

·        Prophets – Isaiah through Malachi

·        Gospels and Acts

·        Epistles and Revelation

That gives me one different type of Scripture to read each day of the week. So Mondays I read one chapter from the “Law” section, working my way through the chapters in order, so that everything remains in its correct context. On Tuesdays I read a chapter in the “History” section, also working through that section in its natural order. And so on throughout the week. This way, I get a very nice survey of the Bible every week (except Sunday), while at the same time going through at a slow enough pace that I can spend time studying and taking notes.

Since this plan is not calendar bound, in the sense that you don’t have to finish at a certain pace, I am also free to divide a long chapter in half if I find that I want to spend more time on it. There’s no guilt for having fallen behind what someone’s predetermined plan says I should be reading today.

I find that this plan really helps me to get through the sections of the Bible that I find harder to read than others, such as the thundering judgments of Isaiah, or the grieving of Jeremiah in much of his two books. Since I know that I will only be reading one chapter from these difficult sections each week, I approach them with a better attitude. And that makes me more open-minded, and enables me to gain more from these valuable passages. And believe me, these are vital and valuable passages. It is my own sinfulness that makes it hard for me to appreciate these sections. With this new approach, I’m learning to appreciate them more.

While not everyone will agree with me on this, I also skim over the genealogical stuff. I know and believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. I believe that the profit in the genealogies comes from the fact that they show that God knows every individual, and, more importantly, they confirm the necessary genealogical line of the Messiah. (That’s why the Bible stops keeping track of genealogies after the birth of Christ.) So, when I encounter a chapter full of names, I thank the Lord for His intimate knowledge of all people, and for His wisdom in bringing the Messiah into the world. And then I skim over it and move on to the next chapter. (But be careful if you do this. Sometimes there are real gems stuck in the middle of the lists of names. So don’t just skip them. Skim them, looking for those little nuggets. It would be a shame to miss them.)

So how do I keep track of where I am? I decided to borrow Professor Horner’s strategy here, too. I created a bookmark for each section, and I clearly labeled it to show what section it belongs in. I just move it forward with me as I go along. You can see a sample below.

(I chose to make magnetic bookmarks that fold over top of the page so they won’t fall out. I labeled both sides of the bookmark for easy identification from any angle, and then placed a distinctive mark on the side of the bookmark that shows which side of the page I actually left off on.)

Since in-depth study was an important consideration in designing this plan, I also needed to set up a note taking system that would work well for me. Being the computer geek that I am, I chose to set up my system in Evernote. You can of course use a much more traditional system, such as pen and paper. But whatever system you use, you may find it helpful to use an organizational strategy similar to the one I am about to describe.

I created six individual notebooks, one for each day of the week and its corresponding section of Scripture. Each notebook then has its own page devoted to a book of the Bible within that section. So, within the “Law” notebook, I have a page for Genesis, a page for Exodus, etc. (If you’re using pen and paper, you will of course need much more than a single page for each of these books.)

I then take chapter and verse notes wherever and whenever thoughts strike me. But I make sure that I date the notes, so that the next time I come to this section of Scripture, I can review the notes that I made last time. This is a great way to refresh my memory on important points I might have forgotten, as well as giving me a glimpse of my progressive understanding and appreciation of the passage over time.  (If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may recognize the fact that the notes on chapter 4 verse 5 turned into a recent blog entry!)

Please let me know if you decide to try this Bible reading plan, and how it works for you!

21st-Century Tech and 19th-Century Preachers

Image by almoko via Flickr

At various points throughout the life of this blog, readers have asked questions about how I study the Bible and where I find all of Morrison’s wonderful writings.  The answers to those two questions are intertwined, so I’m combining them today.

My main study Bible is the eSword electronic version.  It is a free download in its basic form with non-copyrighted Bible versions, but you can also download additional materials such as other translations of the Bible, devotionals, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, maps, and other valuable resources.  Some are free, others are not.  The daily devotionals have been a very rich resource for me, particularly the Morrison and Spurgeon ones.  Yes, that’s right, it’s through eSword that I discovered Morrison.  Since it’s not easy to find Morrison’s writings online, it’s worth the download just to get those devotionals.

One of the things I like to do with my eSword is to take copious notes.  You can write long notes for any verse and have them available right beside the text.  I often copy entire devotional entries into the corresponding verses’ note pages, giving rich insights every time I visit those verses. 

There are many other features of this Bible that are quite useful and helpful, but I will stop with simply recommending that you visit the eSword site and investigate it for yourself.

Another very nice downloadable Bible program is simply called “The Word,” and it’s worth checking out as well.

Whenever I’m away from home, I always have a Bible handy, thanks to MyBible 4 from Laridian Publishing.  If you use a handheld Palm, Windows, IPod or Blackberry device, you’ll want to check this program out.  I wrote earlier about how I use the Scripture Memory program that you can also download from this site, so I won’t go into that again.  Laridian also offers devotionals, dictionaries, and commentaries, as well as free and paid translations of the Bible, all for your handheld.  I highly recommend this resource.

Another excellent resource is the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.  The CCEL is for online use, but it has features you’d often expect only from a downloadable program (such as the ability to highlight text.  Your highlights will be remembered whenever you sign in).  CCEL offers a wide variety of classic Christian literature, going all the way back to the 1st Century, and moving up to extensive libraries of the greats like Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, and more!  Definitely an invaluable resource for those of us who could never dream of amassing our own vast printed libraries.

Now it’s your turn.  Have you found any “Helpful Tech” that you’d like to share?  Or do you have any further comments on the ones discussed above?  Please leave your thoughts for us to enjoy.

Tips for Memorizing God's Word

I was extremely moved and blessed by this blog entry from Challies.com. Please, please read it for wonderful tips on Scripture memory, but also be sure to watch the video clip of the man Image by celeste343 via Flickrreciting Psalm 22. It helped me so much to hear that Psalm spoken with meaning and passion, not just read like a dry piece of fiction.

After being blessed by that blog, I felt drawn to act on an idea that's been floating around in my mind for a while. I couldn't follow through on it while I was being so deeply moved to write the series on false assurance, the false gospel, etc, that I've been focused on. Maybe that's why the inspiration for that series seems to have dried up for the moment. Perhaps it's time for this entry to be written at last.

Memorize the Word!

We don't know how much longer we'll be free to read or quote from the Bible openly, or even how much longer it will be legal to own the Scriptures at all. Canada, our "democratic" neighbor to the North, has outlawed the preaching of certain portions of Scripture, and has persecuted pastors for preaching truth (hate crimes against homosexuals, you know). So it's not melodramatic to think that our religious freedoms are threatened here.

Memorize the Word!

How does one do that? How do we commit the Word to memory? Once again, I recommend the entry from Challies.com that I referenced above, but of course there are many different methods that help different people. Today I'd like to tell you what has helped me, in the hopes that it may help some of you as well.

First, pray for help with memorizing.

After my heart attack my brain turned into sludge. I couldn't remember anything anymore, it seemed, and I don't know why. It's been four years now, and I know that my memory is much better than it was, but it's still not great. So I frequently ask the Lord, especially before beginning a practice session:

Please help me to memorize beyond my ability.

If you have problems with your memory, or doubt that you can memorize, pray for help. Then step out in faith, setting memorization goals that have no restrictions based on what you are able to do. If we are doing what He wants us to do, then our abilities don't matter. His do. And His are limitless.

Second, make a master "Want to Memorize" list

This is a list of all passages that strike your heart, your conscience, or your mind in any way, but which you aren't able to work on now. Keep this list handy whenever you study the Word, so that you can write down references as you find them. If the list gets too long to be manageable, wonderful! You're treasuring the Word!

I use the software program "Memorize" from Laridian on my Palm OS device. It's the best memorization software I've found to date. It works in conjunction with the wonderful "My Bible" program, and easily imports verses in whatever version(s) you own. It allows you to keep various lists of verses, and you'll see as we go along just how I use this feature. If you don't use this software, use anything that works for you. For many people, that may just be a spiral notebook.

Third, make a "Review Daily" list

This is for passages that you're actively memorizing. You don't know them at all yet, or not well enough that you feel confident you could retain them without daily review. I would recommend that you have more than one passage on your "daily" list at a time. That's because sometimes you'll find that a particular passage is harder than others. If you only work on that passage, it will become a cork in the bottleneck of your memorization plan. If you have several passages to work on at any given time, the tough one may stay on your "daily" list for quite a while, but in the meantime you will be mastering easier ones and continuing to accomplish your goals. Currently, my "Daily Review" list has 22 passages on it, for a total of 48 verses. Remember, it has nothing to do with how many I am able to memorize, but simply with how many I feel led to work on now. The Lord provides the ability. Some will require a lot of time, and others will be easier to master. It's all good. Don't try to set a specific number for yourself, unless that sort of thing helps you.

I think it's important to note here that nothing could be worse than stressing out over your memorization. Don't let Satan get you into that trap! This is a pleasure. A joy. A glorious privilege. Enjoy the Word as you receive it with meekness and the Spirit implants it in your soul (Jas. 1:21). Besides, you'll memorize more easily if you're relaxed with it.

The genius of the "Memorize" program lies in its memory game. When you're ready to work on a passage, you click on "Test." The program gives you a blank screen and asks you to type just the first letter of every word. If you hit the right first letter, the whole word will appear on the screen. If you need help, you hit "Help," and the next word will appear for you. It's simple, but very powerful.

You can do similar things for yourself without software. Copy your passages on a white board or chalkboard and then erase one word at a time, repeating the entire passage and mentally filling in the blanks everywhere you've made an erasure. Or copy the verse on paper and scribble out words one at a time. Use your imagination. It all helps.

When you feel confident that you know a passage well enough to be able to review it only once per week, then move it to a specific day of the week list.

Make Review Lists for Each Day of the Week

Actually, I don't have a review list for Sundays, and I often use Sundays to catch up if I've gotten behind during the week. But each of my lists for Monday through Saturday is populated with verses that started in the "Want to Memorize" list, were memorized on the "Review Daily" list, and have now graduated to being, say, a Monday verse, or a Tuesday verse.

After a while, as my "day of the week" lists got longer, I realized that it was important to keep them fairly even in length, so that I wouldn't have one really simple day and another one that gave me a mental tsunami. Of course, if your schedule is such that you logically need some days to be lighter than others, then adjust your lists to meet your needs.

As you move items from your "daily" list into a "day of the week" list, you'll want to re-stock your daily list with new things to memorize. That's where your "Want to Memorize" list will come in handy. I find it very helpful to try to replace outgoing passages with ones of a similar size. So if I just mastered a passage with three verses, I might want to bring on roughly three new verses to take their place.

Oh, and I think it's important to mention here that you might not want the verse references (or "addresses") to be a major issue. I am horrible at remembering addresses, and if I refused to graduate a verse off of my daily list until the address was perfectly mastered, I'd have far less of the Word in my heart right now. I do my best with them, but I don't let them hold me back.

I always feel excited when I get to bring new verses onto my "review daily" list. It's like a mini-Christmas, looking back through my big "Want to Memorize" list and choosing what to work on next. God's Word is so precious!

Currently, each of my "day of the week" lists has between 70 and 76 verses. God is answering prayer and faithfully enabling me to memorize beyond my ability! Praise Him! However, the length of the lists is beginning to be a problem, and there are days when I don't get to do the whole thing. So my next logical step will be the use of "Monthly Review" lists. (I don't mean a list for January and a list for February, etc. That would mean that those passages would be reviewed only once per year!) But I need to establish a list for passages that I know well enough to take off of a "day of the week" list and move to a "once a month" list. And then I need to set aside time in my months to work on that list.

Do you have a plan for memorizing Scripture? Any tips to help others do the same? Please let us know in a comment below, whether by putting the details right in the comment or linking to your own blog. And if you have an encouraging word about how memorization has helped you in your walk with the Lord, please let us know as well.