Hoping you have continued...

in my absence. It seems God inspired me to begin the weekly assignments for a reason. I have been battling a serious stomach bug since Sunday night. To be completely honest, I still don't’ feel very well and I’m not sure how far I will get today but, I will endeavor to catch up with your current assignment as quickly as possible. Having mapped out several weeks in advance I know where to point you if I have further trouble.

This seems a good time to remind readers that the task of reading through the bible in one year is not one you should abandon in frustration. There will be setbacks and times when you can’t keep up. There will be times when you are well ahead of the curve. There will be times when illness and family emergencies throw you completely off track for days or even weeks. For these times I have suggestions.

If you aren’t already doing so, start a journal of your reading. It doesn’t have to be as detailed as these blog entries but, you should mark down what you read and note any message you felt God left for you in the passage. You won’t always see one. Some passages just don’t seem to be speaking to you. In this case, pray, skim over the passage a little more, and if you still don’t see a message just write that fact down. There is nothing wrong with such honesty.

Get a decent bible cover. The kind that zips up, has a handle and a little extra space inside. Reading through the bible usually means using a larger bible for easy reading and this is less necessary if your eyes allow you to use a pocket size edition. I use a large print bible for comfort even though I’m only 39. Inside the bible cover you should have your bible, a notebook for your journaling, a couple of pens or pencils (in case one runs out of ink), and a note of the reading assignments up to date. This way, you can take advantage of breaks like a long wait at the doctors office to catch up. There is also those times waiting for the school bus, waiting for the dishwasher, waiting for the cake in the oven... you get the idea.

You can also keep a highlighter in the cover to highlight verses that you feel are especially important to you. Try having a couple colors in there so you can color code based on why you think it’s important. One color could be promises and a second could be rules for living.

I’m already lightheaded and I haven’t been doing this for 10 minutes so let me move on and try to get one of these assignments done.