Feasting on the Word

It's that time again - Lent. Time to feast, rather than fast. Once again I am reading straight through the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, for the forty days of the Lenten season. This is in addition to regular daily Bible reading, and is the same pattern or schedule I've followed before and listed here.

"It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4)

Merry Christmas!

C.H. Spurgeon's sermon on God's unspeakable gift

Reading through the Bible for Lent

Several years ago I started reading my Bible from Genesis to Revelation during Lent. This Lenten Bible reading was done in addition to my daily Bible reading plan that allows me to read through the Bible in a year.

Reading straight through the Bible in 40 days has been an educational and exciting experience and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

Lenten Bible Reading Plan
Day 1: Genesis
Day 2: Exodus
Day 3: Leviticus, Numbers
Day 4: Deuteronomy
Day 5: Joshua
Day 6: Judges, Ruth
Day 7: I Samuel
Day 8: II Samuel
Day 9: I Kings
Day 10: II Kings
Day 11: I Chronicles
Day 12: II Chronicles
Day 13: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Day 14: Job
Day 15: Psalms, chapters 1 - 75
Day 16: Psalms, chapters 76 - 150
Day 17: Proverbs
Day 18: Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Day 19: Isaiah, chapters 1 - 33
Day 20: Isaiah, chapters 34 - 66
Day 21: Jeremiah, chapters 1 - 26
Day 22: Jeremiah, chapters 27 - 52
Day 23: Lamentations
Day 24: Ezekiel, chapters 1 - 24
Day 25: Ezekiel, chapters 25 - 48
Day 26: Daniel
Day 27: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah
Day 28: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Day 29: Matthew
Day 30: Mark
Day 31: Luke
Day 32: John
Day 33: Acts
Day 34: Romans
Day 35: I Corinthians
Day 36: II Corinthians
Day 37: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
Day 38: I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Day 39: Hebrews, James, I Peter, II Peter, I John, II John, III John
Day 40: Jude, Revelation

The Antioch Effect

Ken Hemphill's book, The Antioch Effect was one of several books mentioned or recommended at our church's mission conference back in February.

I couldn't find it on PaperBackSwap so I bought a copy, and now will probably buy several more copies - it's that good.

Mr. Hemphill's book is about church growth, but instead of putting out a plan or a strategy, he takes the reader to the book of Acts and the church at Antioch. His primary point is that church growth is supernatural. Only God saves people and brings them into the church. We can do nothing at all to truly "grow" the church.

The first half of the book is lessons from Antioch for every believer. The second part is directed more towards church leadership, specifically pastors (and elders). I raced through the book and gave it to Steve and begged him to read it. He started it and gave it a thumbs-up (and he's pretty picky).

It's an exciting book and one that is on my recommendation list for every Christian.

You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think

Ray Comfort's book, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think was somewhat similar to Timothy Keller's book, The Reason for God, in that its intended audience is atheists and skeptics. It's a very short book and a quick read, but the tone is not as gentle or friendly as Mr. Keller's book.

The book is a series of questions and accusations emailed to Mr. Comfort and answered by him. The subtitle is "Answers to Questions from Angry Skeptics" and the language is definitely angry. This book is very in-your-face.

While it might be helpful for a Christian to learn what sort of arguments he might hear from an atheist friend or co-worker, some might not be comfortable responding in the same way as Mr. Comfort. For a gentler, kinder, but still strong and sound response, I'd recommend Timothy Keller's book.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

One of our pastors said Timothy Keller's book, The Reason for God was a good book, so I read it while traveling last week. It's a fine book for Christians to read, but it really would make good recommended reading for one's skeptic or atheist friends.

Keller takes many of the common modern arguments against genuine belief in God and gives good, solid answers. He uses the Bible and works by C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kierkegaard, and others to bolster his arguments for belief in the living God. (He even mentioned Wendell Berry!)

It was both a good read and a good manual for thoughtful answers to often-heard questions.

Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World

Rebacca Manley Pippert's book, Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World was one of the books recommended at our church's mission conference last month. In this book Mrs. Pippert shares anecdotes and practical wisdom regarding evangelism as a part of one's day-to-day life. I found her advice for Christians to truly live what we believe - that is, to pursue holiness - refreshing.

This in particular spoke to me:

"There are other ways that God's holy presence in us can be expressed to the world. One of the greatest differences about Christians is that we know we are sinners. Therefore, we have the freedom to admit our sins and weaknesses. We are also free to share how God is helping us overcome our temptations.

'Our honesty with seekers about our struggles does several things. First, it punctures the stereotype that Christians think they are perfect. We don't excuse sin by rationalizing it. Indeed, it's because we take sin so seriously that we try to develop a realistic understanding of who we are, warts and all. Our self-honesty, however, leads us to hope, because we see that God is changing us, not overnight and not without setbacks, but slowly and surely.

'Our honesty before others also shatters the stereotype that all Christians are judgmental and critical people. By sharing our weaknesses, we acknowledge that we not only understand the human condition but we too must overcome it! We are not "finished products," yet we rejoice that by God's grace we are being strengthened to change. Owning our sins and temptations can actually lead seekers to experience conviction for their sins."

Lenten Bible reading

Several years ago Sora wrote about reading through the Bible for Lent. It sounded so good, I decided to do it myself last year. Unfortunately, I didn't record what I did to use as a pattern or schedule to use if I wanted to do it again.

My yearly read-through-the-Bible plan is to read at least 3 or more chapters a day, cross-referencing, and exploring topics as often as I like. But to read through my Bible in 40 days requires a bit more discipline.

This year I made a plan and wrote it down in a notebook (which I hope I won't misplace before next year!). I'm reading about 30 minutes to an hour each day, and I can record a few thoughts or verses from each day's reading in a notebook.

On Wednesday I read Genesis. On Thursday I read Exodus. Today I read Leviticus and Numbers. Tomorrow I read Deuteronomy. For large books I read one a day. (I may take two days for Psalms.) I'll read 5 or 6 smaller books a day. Last year if I felt like reading more than was on my "schedule" then I read more, and I plan to do the same this year.

One thing that amazed me last year was how once I'd begun reading I didn't want to stop. Reading the Word was both comforting and exciting at the same time. And history and prophecy were both more startling and clear at a gallop than they were at my usual walking pace of annual Bible-reading.

Jesus Christ said, "It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4) Reading through the Bible each year is daily bread, but this Lenten reading is a feast!

Three things my parents did right

Et tu? is hosting a group writing project on the topic "What are three things your parents did right?" Although I'm not interested in winning the prize, I was glad to be stimulated to thinking about what exactly I'm thankful my parents did, and narrowing it down to just three.

1. They faithfully taught me and my brother the gospel of Christ. Day in and day out, conversations in our home and actions were laced with Scripture, with reminders of what God requires, and why. We had daily family devotions and prayer from the time we were tiny toddlers, through college, as long as we lived at home. We had a firm foundation of "how" and "why" Christianity long before we became believers.

2. They lived their faith in every moment of every day, with every action, even when only their children could see and hear them. Every thought was "What can we do for someone else?" They took us along when one of them took a cake or a meal to a widow, or single mother. They took us to visit those in hospitals, those in nursing homes, those ill at home. They showed us what compassion and caring for others can look like lived out in practical ways. And at home, they were courteous and loving to one another and to us, and when they sinned against us, they apologized, and admitted they were wrong. And when we sinned, they forgave quickly, and immediately - and didn't bring it up again.

3. They never gossiped about anyone. They still don't. If they didn't have a kind word to say, then they said nothing. And they didn't ever speculate about motives or other unknowns, even when they were slandered or were the subject of the gossip of others. They gave us a great model for "seeking the other's well-being" (I Corinthians 10:24), and how to "be kindly affectionate to one another in brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another" (Romans 12:10)

And honestly, I think that both of them had the same things modeled for them by their parents, from what I know and remember of my grandparents... .