TAKE TEN and TAKE TIME

I posted the TAKE TEN 2013 Bible Reading Schedule on the tab above for those of you that might be interested in reading through the Bible in a semi-chronological, highly contextual format next year. It has again been revised from all of the previous schedules. What can I say? The more that I read and study my Bible the more I change my mind about where things fit!

For instance, if you are following the 2012 Plan you might want to read Ezra chapters 1-4 prior to today's scheduled reading of Haggai which is then to be followed by Zechariah. Just read Ezra 1 and 2 today, then Ezra 3 and 4 tomorrow. Follow this with Haggai on Saturday and Zechariah on the following days. You'll be back on track in about a week.

Anyway. . . I say all this to announce that I will not be reading the Bible through in a year's time with you in 2013 and probably not in 2014 or 2015 either. No, I have not deserted my faith and I am not going to stop reading my Bible each day so take a deep breath or close your mouth! On the contrary, I have decided that I want to TAKE TIME for deeper study and this could take several years. I anticipate three (at least).

This idea has been knocking around in my head since our church's teen summer camp. Some of the young ladies mentioned that they would like to read through the Bible but doing it in a year is too much. It seems the whole "Take Ten" (meaning 10 minutes a day) might be do-able for me, but it takes them (and most adults, too) longer than that to read the assignment. That's okay! The idea is not to discourage people but to get them to read the Bible!!!!!

As a result I came home determined to divide Bible reading into more manageable portions for them. I introduced the Take Ten for Teens version here and some told me they like this idea. For the teens the focus each week was on a memory verse, a prayer primer using the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) formula because in my humble opinion most young people - and adults, too - spend an inordinate amount of their prayer time - such as it is - on the "S" and very little on the A-C-T parts, and a putting into action element. Some might call this a "social gospel" segment. I, on the other hand, see it as what the KJV calls "charity"in I Corinthians 13 and what James (in any version) calls "faith that works, or putting faith into practice" or what the whole Bible teaches as obedience to God's Word!

I have chosen other nuggets to mine in my own study. Personally, I wish to uncover the promises that God made and to discover to whom they were made. (This desire comes of reading Batterson's book The Circle Maker this past summer. I'm not endorsing the book, but I did develop a determination to find the promises in the Bible that are meant for me!)

I also want to spend time studying the future as revealed in the Bible as deeply as I've studied the past found in it (the whole Timeline theme!) because there is a whole lot more life ahead than that which  as passed as earth's history and I don't care which opinion of the Old Earth/Young Earth debate you hold. Well, I care, but in light of eternity millions of years doesn't seem that long, now does it? (This particular study theme comes from reading Alcorn's book Heaven recently which was refreshing and scriptural because he is not one of those individuals who claims to have been there and back again.)

And last, but far from least, I want to find Jesus in each passage. While walking on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection, He explained to a couple of disciples that the law and the prophets spoke of Him. I want Him to teach me the same thing.

I gave it the name of TAKE TIME so that it would not be confused with the TAKE TEN yearly reading schedule. The shortened reading segments will allow some to take just ten minutes to read their Bible each day without frustration (hopefully!) and more in-depth study for those who desire it.

I hope you will help me with the TAKE TIME discussions even if you do not read along. Perhaps you have mined gems from certain passages that I miss and will share them with me.


Note: The TAKE TIME discussions will begin during the first full week of January (7th- 12th) since the original Teen pages were not dated but designed to be read Monday through Saturday each week.