Read The Bible With Me By The End Of 2017!

Anyone else get sad every time one of your Bibles is worn out and needs replaced? All my notes and underlines, with dates jotted all throughout the margins. What everyone assumes are coffee stains, but are really the pigment from flowers I pressed from my grandfather’s funeral. 4 leaf clovers hidden here and there from days when I’ve read outside.  All special memories and reminders of how God used specific passages to comfort, encourage, and spur me on.

I decided to do something special with my ‘about to be retired Bible’ this time though. I’ve decided I’m going to save it for Cherish. I’ll give it to her when she reaches a certain age – not sure what age yet, but much older for sure. But deciding that made me a little more excited to get a new Bible now, because my next one I start will be saved for Liam once it has nearly reached its end, and then the next for Abi, and so on and so forth (see what I did there?….you only thought we were done having kids!). 

Before I ‘retire’ Cherish’s Bible, I want to read it one more time, cover to cover. So, that’s why this reading plan was born. What… you can’t read it or something? This is my life, y’all. I really don’t know how my bullet journal has survived as long as it has.

I thought about making a free printable checklist, but considering the fact that I just came up with this idea like… yesterday, and the plan starts like… today (hurry, you’re behind!), I just didn’t have the time. Because as much as I like order and organizing things, I still like to fly by the seat of my pants from time to time too!

So, sorry about that. But… New plan! I’m going to do the above super fancy Bible reading plan – homemade by yours truly – to test it out and you are more than welcome to join me!!! Matt already said he would! And if I like it, if it’s not too difficult – that sort of thing, then when all is said and done (hopefully Dec. 31st), I’ll make that free download for ya!

So here’s how it works (for those of you who don’t speak ‘mom had five free minutes, oh wait they’re gone!’):

We’ve got 1,189 chapters to read and 35 weeks to read them. It takes roughly 75 hours to read the Bible out loud from cover to cover. Not speaking from personal experience over here, I just googled some audio bibles. #professionalresearcher

I’ve counted a ‘grace day’ each week, because BSF does that and I like it. I think it’s smart and realistic. So, that gives us 210 days.

Read 5 chapters every day. But one day of the month you’re also going to add a 7th reading day to the week and make it special!

5 of those 7 months, you’ll spend this day reading aloud with your spouse, or friend, or boyfriend, or neighbor. I don’t care, just find someone to read aloud with and read 15 chapters together! I’m calling it a “mini marathon”. It’ll take 1-2 hours probably. – I’m totally guessing. Let me know how long it takes so I can edit this one day.

The other 2 months, you’ll host a ‘scripture marathon’ at your house with friends on this day! Remember, this is just 2 days in a grand total of 7 months, you’ll be fine. So, gather some friends and family and read the bible aloud together for a long time. A really long time. 32 chapters long of a time. Based off my other math guess, it’ll take 3.5-4 hours… give or take.

So, let’s recap in brief so you don’t have to read through all that mess again when you’re trying to remember this crazy Bible reading plan…

*May 1-Dec 31
*Cover to cover
*Read 6 days a week
*5 chapters every day
*1 day a month, add a 7th reading day to your week, make it special:
*5 of those months, read 15 chapters aloud with your spouse (“mini marathon”).
*The other 2 months, host a “scripture marathon” and read 32 chapters aloud with friends.

Clear as mud? I thought so. No pressure to join me in this, I just wanted to throw it out there in case anyone was looking for an oddly specific ‘read through the Bible in the 7 months we have left before the New Year‘ Bible reading plan or anything…. but maybe I’m the only one.