Operation Actually Read the Bible, Year 2 Complete

Two years ago, my friend Becky and I began trekking through the Bible. She aspired to read the Bible in a year and did! I aspired to study the Bible but in five years. The goal was a chapter a day read more than once so as to truly absorb the scriptures.

I have done just that and am actually ahead of schedule. January begins Year Three of my study through the Bible. I am more than half through the Bible and if I keep reading at the same rate should finish in 18 months but I hope to finish by this time next year since many of the Old Testament books are short.

I spent a great deal of time reading the Old Testament this year. I started alternating Old Testament and New Testament books but was quickly absorbed by the men of faith throughout the Old Testament. I read Genesis straight through to 1st and 2nd Kings jumping over 1st and 2nd Chronicles to read about the women of faith in Esther and Ruth. I learned so much from the men of old and am inspired by their faith and tenacity.

This fall I read the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and John will start the new year. The Gospels as well as the previously read Old Testament books have shown me the depth of God's Grace that I never fully understood.

As a mom, reading time is practically nill. I read before falling asleep, which sometimes allows me 5 minutes to read and sometimes an hour. You don't always accomplish much when you fall asleep 5 minutes after picking up your book.

From time to time, I have taken a break from the scriptures to quickly devour another book, thus the reviews you see from time to time. I don't have time to read my Bible and a book, so breaks are required. It works and keeps me from being burned out on one book.

In the meantime, I am making quite a list of books that I want to read when time allows me to go back to devouring books again.

.....And as 2011 begins, my trek through the Bible continues....

Thoughts on Genesis, Part II

This is part II of my thoughts and questions on Genesis. If you have answers or a theory to my questions, let me know.

Chapter 25--Jacob and Esau were fighting from the day they were concieved. Talk about sybling rivalry. It would be interesting to know more about their childhood but the scripture jumps straight to adulthood and the exchange of the birthright.

Which brings me to my first question...What is the difference between a birthright and a blessing? Esau complains of losing both so they can't be one and the same.

Ch. 26: 19-22--Isaac finds water in several different places and each time it is disputed and he moves on. Isaac knew it wasn't worth fighting over the water because God was going to take care of him and bless him so he let those who claimed the water have it and he continued to search elsewhere. What a great example of conflict resolution! We should know that God is on our side and not worry about fighting a battle that is not ours to fight. God will take care of us as long as we are obedient to him.

Ch. 26: 34-35--Esau marries two Hittite women and verse 35 says "And they were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebecca." This is another place that I am curious about events and more interested in how they as the inlaws handled the grief. But I am certainly not saying something should be added to the scripture. It is what it is because God planned it that way.

Ch. 27-28--Jacob, the deciever, deceives his brother and in turn (Chapter 29) is then deceived by Laban. Also, certainly makes a person think about reaping his own actions.

Ch. 28: 10-22--Jacob's dream at Bethel--Jacob has a dream about a stairway reaching from earth to Heaven and angels going up and down. In the dream, God reaffirms the promise He made to Abraham and Isaac. "I will give you and your descendents the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south."

I think it is interesting that God doesn't just stop with his promise with one generation. He keeps coming back and reminding each person of His promises. He doesn't let them forget that He has great plans for the descendents of Israel.

Another question: What is the symbolic meaning of the stairway and the angels traveling back and forth on the stairway? Surely, this has more meaning than simply being an introductory to God's promise reminder.

Ch. 30--I did not realize that Leah and Rebekah were not the only two women giving birth to Jacob's children. He actually had 2 wives and 2 concubines who were the servants of the wives. Leah had 6 sons; Bilhah (Rachel's servant) had 2 sons; Zilpah (Leah's servant) had 2 sons; and Rebekah had 2 sons. Just one of the many things I didn't know before reading ALL of Genesis.

Ch. 30-31--God blesses Jacob despite Laban's efforts to keep him from being so blessed. I read this as God will bless us in spite of our enemies attempts to keep us down.

Ch. 32--Jacob Wrestles with God--I'm not sure why God wrestles with Jacob. Can anyone shed light on this fact? Again this is an area of symbolism that I know has great meaning but I just don't understand.

Ch. 33--Esau could have harboured a grudge against Jacob and killed him, his flocks, and his family. But instead, Esau welcomed his brother with open arms. He had forgiven his brother and was happy to see him. He had every reason not to forgive him, yet he did.

Ch 34--Dinah--I really don't have any insight into Dinah's story. Again this is where more depth is needed.

Ch. 37--Joseph's dreams--Without Joseph's dreams, his brothers would have never sold him into slavery. If he had never been sold into slavery, then he would not have saved his family from starving during the famine. God was at work early on.

Ch. 38--Judah and Tamar--I seem to recall a sermon long ago about this story but can't remember any of it. This is another story that I would love to have some serious insight. So much time is taken telling the story of Tamar that I am interested to know the purpose.

Ch. 41--Pharoh's dreams--Joseph interpret's not only Pharoh's dreams but also the dreams of the baker and the cup barer. I wonder if we have dreamers today and interpreters of those dreams. Jospeh obviously had a gift from God for interpreting the dreams. Does this gift exist today?

Ch, 42-45--Joseph's brothers go to Egypt--Again we see the example of forgiveness. Joseph tests his brothers to determine their true hearts and in the end, sees they have changed. But, whether they had changed or not, he had already forgiven them. Again when he had every right to hold a grudge, he didn't. He forgave them and welcomed them with open arms. This story reminds me a lot of the prodigal son.

Ch. 49--Jacob blesses his children before he dies-- I came to the conclusion that we too should bless our children before we die.

Ch. 50--Jacob reassures his brothers--Once again we see forgiveness as the theme. Forgiveness is not a one time act. It must be given over and over again.

Well, those are my thoughts. That took a lot longer than I thought to type it all up, so I may be bit more brief with Exodus. If you have thoughts or answers to my questions, feel free to email me!!

Thoughts on Genesis, Part I

As I mentioned yesterday, I have finished reading Genesis. I learned so much reading each and every chapter. I've never read every chapter of Genesis. I also used the study guide in Max Lucado's series. It was excellent!

So, after reading the entire book, here are my thoughts and a few questions. Feel free to email me if you know the answers to my questions.

Creation of Man--Chapter 1: God created man in His image meaning what? He gave man what He (God) already had Himself: an eternal soul, the ability to love, and free choice. The animals God created were not given all three of these things thus not created in His image. I always imagined God looking in a mirror and giving Adam his nose and Jesus hair, and maybe he did, but I think it was quite likely more characteristics of the heart than physical being.

Creation of Eve--Chapter 2: Eve was created from part of Adam. She was literally part of him thus becoming two pieces of the same puzzle. And to use a very overused phrase: She completes him.

The Flood--Chapter 6:4 "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

This is very criptic to me. Who were the Nephilim and who were the "sons of God"? One theory says the Nephilim were giants. Another says they and the "sons of God" were angels who decided to walk the earth with the humans. Honestly, I don't know enough to know or even have an opinion.

The Flood--Chapter 7: As pointed out by Lucado, if Noah was obedient enough to build an ark when he'd never seen rain imagine how obedient he was in the little things. I can also imagine that he took great care to teach his children about God and not following the ways of the world.

Chapter 11: 4-25: Each generation after Shem lives fewer years. Shem lives to be 500 years old and 7 generations later, Nahor lived only 119.

Chapter 18: Abraham is visited by three visitors. He addresses one of the visitors as Lord. This could be because the person is highly respected or because he recognizes the person as God in human form. In verse 27, he acknowledges that he is speaking far too frankly, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord." I am led to believe that he not only recognized the Lord as God but also had a close enough relationship with him to feel he could speak his heart to him. This is an amazing relationship. To be able to walk and talk with the Lord God is an awesome thing. What an example of the relationship we should have with God.


Chapter 22: Abraham had faith that God would follow through on his promise so he followed God's instructions to sacrifice his only son. Isaac had faith in not only his father but also in God and followed without knowing why and without asking questions. We should have the same faith. We should follow God's lead without asking questions and with the knowledge that God will bless us and take care of us in the end. God provided an angel to stop Abraham's hand and a Ram to replace Isaac, and I am sure Abraham had not imagined that this would be the way God would take care of his son. I am not lost on the similarities between Christ and Isaac, but that is a sermon heard more than once in the pulpit.


Chapter 23:17: Abraham insisted on buying the land so there would be no dispute later. We know all too well how the Israelite land is disputed today so the wisdom of Abraham's decision.


Chapter 24: Rebekah was Isaac's first cousin. hmmmm

24:47: "Then I put a ring in her nose...." OUCH!!! Why did it have to be the nose?! Why not the ear or on the finger.

I'll post my thoughts on chapters 25-52 tomorrow.

Read Through the Bible: Question of the Week #5

What do you do in the in-between times? Those times when you are in-between-Bibles or in-between-books of the Bible, or in-between Bible studies. Do you ever feel a bit lost, a bit unsure of where to go next? what to read or study next? It's not that you don't want to read--you do--it's just you may be a bit indecisive OR you may be a bit overwhelmed with all the choices.

Ah, yes, I do have those indecisive inbetween times. The last time was when I finished Ephesians before Christmas. I wanted to study John next but the book is so long and so deep it just intimidated me. I had purchased a study guide but it didn't go in depth enough. It only scratched the surface of the book of John. Since the holidays were approaching I just didn't study at all.

Once January rolled around, I started anew with the Read Through the Bible challenge. I just finished Genesis and it is an easy decision to roll on into Exodus. After that, we'll see if I stay in the Old Testament or go back to the New Testament.

I don't really have a method to get out of those indecisive moments. I guess I just wait for inspiration.

A deeper thought

Lately, it seems my thoughts are drifting more to the philosophical than anything else. So today I pose a philosophical question.

I am trekking through Genesis and am now up to Joseph. Later I will give all my thoughts about this fabulous book but for today just one.

From Adam to Isaac, God takes on an actual form and walks and talks with his people. He walks with Abraham and discusses Sodom and Gomorrah. He talks to Isaac about having children and being the father of a nation. But then we get to Jacob and Esau and God speaks to Jacob in dreams and visions. But still Jacob knows it is God.


My question is why the change. Was Jacob not able to hear or see God in any other way? We see others later on that had the same relationship with God that Abraham had, i.e. Moses. But what happened along the way? What happened today that so few have that same relationship? I have a friend that prays about everything and knew she was going to have another baby before she did because God had shared that with her. I asked myself now why I can't hear God's voice so clearly. I pray but never truly converse. Perhaps, it is a listening issue. Perhaps, I have a great deal to learn from Jacob.

Read Through the Bible: Question of the Week

So, thanks to computer problems, I wasn't able to post all week so I didn't answer Becky's Question of the Week. This week's question is:

Last week it was all about goals. This week is slightly related to that. It's about plans--Bible reading plans to be exact. Do you need a plan to stay on track? Do you find reading plans helpful? Or are they more of a hindrance to you? Do you have a plan B? In other words, do you have it worked out what you're going to do when you fall behind, forget, get frustrated, get bored, etc.? (There are a dozen excuses why it might happen.) Do you see this as an all or nothing proposition?

I do have a plan. I always have a plan, and if I get braver in my posts, I might share with you how incredibly awry my plans have gone in the past.

But, as for a reading plan it is this: I plan to read at least one book a month. If I get behind, then I'll just keep trekking on and not worry about it. I think it will take me at least three years to actually study all the books.

Will I get bored or frustrated? Of course, I've never actually made it through the Bible because of those reasons. And I think there are some books I've never actually read. What makes this time different? First of all, I want to set a good example for my son. If he doesn't see me reading the Bible, then he will not see the need when he is older. This is the example my parent's set for me, and the one I plan to set for him. Also, I have accountability. With Becky's monthly updates and questions of the week, I hope to feel prodded by those of you who are now reading and checking back ever so often. I have even considered starting a second blog to correspond with my study so I can share my own observations and epiphanies about the scriptures. We'll see.

Operation Actually Read the Bible

Becky and I have been friends since our first or second year of college at Texas Woman's University. During that time, we have shared our faith with one another, discussed Bible studies, and talked about different Bible translations. Now, she is on a mission to actually read through the Bible. This had never been a goal of mine, but at her prodding and encouragement, I am taking up the mission as well. I am actually going to read through the entire Bible.

This is an ongoing challenge with many participants, so it should be a lot of fun along the way. I haven't set a deadline for myself but will say that rather than just reading the Bible I am actually studying it. This will take a lot longer, but I want to take it all in. I have read the stories hundreds of times, but I want to dig a lot deeper this time around.

I have been working through the Bible study series by Max Lucado titled Life Lessons. I highly reccomend this series. He adds excerpts from his books to each study that gives the study practicality to today's life. Thus far I have studied: Ephesians and James and am currently working on Genesis.

I am also including the books our pastor teaches because while he is teaching the series on Sunday, I will be endeavoring to read those chapters during the week. If I find that too encumbersome a task, then I will not count those books as read. I won't fudge my numbers in other words.

The next part of this adventure includes a weekly "Question of the Week" from our brave leader, Becky. Each week she will post a discussion question on her blog and at some point during the week, I will discuss it on my blog.

If you wish to participate in Becky's challenge, click the logo above, and it will take you to her site to sign up.