2018 BIBLE CHALLENGE

With 2018 only a day away, we want to issue a challenge. In keeping with our thoughts about new year goals, this challenge will help us accomplish at east one of our 2018 goals. The challenge is this; to read the Bible every day in 2018! Now let's be careful, we didn't say "read through the Bible" in a year. No, we're shooting for something a little more practical and less overwhelming. This challenge is to simply READ your Bible every day!

As you know, we're not huge fans of the resolution tradition. Resolutions look great on paper, but too often we drop the ball, and after a couple of weeks the resolutions as no more. Now, if you have the will power to get it done, great. But for most of us, well..

This year, we want to do something that we hope will help you. For a great number of us, the start of the new year leaves us wanting to read through the Bible in 12 months. Genesis to Revelation, 12 months. Cover to cover. And some of us do it. But many of us don't. We get started, and it's great. But then we miss a day, then two, then three, and before we know it we're a week behind and we think, "Oh, well, maybe next year." Fail. Right? But we can do better. We should want to do better. So let's do it better.

Instead of making a new year's resolution to read through our Bible, failing after a couple of weeks, let's try doing it a little differently. What if we gathered to read the Bible together?

Here's what we're thinking...

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Change the Why

First, let's change the why. If we're reading the Bible simply to accomplish a goal so we can SAY we read the whole Bible, then what are we getting out of it. It becomes just another check on a daily check list. But if we change the reason why, say from reading the Bible in the year, to getting to know God more, then we we have a knew reason to read the Bible.

Don't read the Bible just to read the Bible. Instead, read the Bible to know God more. We teach that God wants to be number one in our lives. We encourage our students and our kids that God should be at the center of who they are and all that they do. Reading for the sake of reading is nothing more than a chore. But when we read to know God more, to see his story and discover how we fit into it, then the reading becomes more of a want then a have to.

​So let's read the Bible to know God.

No More Timelines

Second, let's drop the "in a year" commitment. Some of us don't do well with the pressure of trying to accomplish something in a deadline atmosphere. If we are reading the Bible to deepen and enrich our relationship with God, then why are we racing through his story? Reading to know God more means that we're taking our time to read, learn, absorb, ponder, mediate, and apply. We want to be able to spend some time thinking about what I am reading, allowing it to soak in and change my heart and mind.

So what if instead of racing through the Bible so we can say we did it, we took our time to read the stories of our faith in a way that helps us grow in our walk with God.

Join the Village

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Third, if it takes a village, then perhaps we should start a village. Think about it...isn't always better to learn new things in a group? Go back to your days of high school and college. Remember study groups? Think back to your youth group days. Small groups, cabin groups, maybe mentorships or discipleship. We learn better when we learn together.

Jesus knew this. It's what he did with his disciples. He call 12 guys together and share life them. As part of this sharing, he taught them, challenged them, convicted them, and loved them. It's the model that many of us in church leadership preach, and even more practice! So what would it look like to be part of a small online community where you were reading the Bible and then sharing thoughts or lessons where others might learn from you or encourage you?

What do you think? Would you be interested in joining a group of like-minded friends to read the Bible, share our thoughts and encourage one another? No more pressure with reading a selected number of chapters a day and crossing them off your do to list. No more isolation or lone ranger readings. No more chore or check list. Instead, a group of friends getting together on a regular basis to read, study and grow together.

Does that sound like something you might be interested in?

Here's the Plan

Starting Sunday, January 7th, we will share a selection chapters and verses to read. This selected reading will be our topic for the week. Monday through Friday, you will have the opportunity to read the verses and share comments. We will post a few questions to consider, to help you process through the reading. From time to time we might also share some resources that help us understand what we are reading. We will start in Genesis and work our way through the Bible reading, discussing and learning until we reach the end.

The community will be hosted here on the blog. We are creating a unique page that will allow you to visit each week, see the readings and share comments. And, here's the best part...if you miss a week, don't panic, just go and do the section you missed, read the comments, and continue on! So what do you say, are you in?

The new Bible Challenge Page goes live this weekend. Our first reading will be posted on Sunday, January 7th! We hope to see you then!

​- the higham family

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE 2018 BIBLE CHALLENGE

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