January 20, 2010
-
Prof. Horner’s Bible-Reading System
As of today, I have read 200 chapters of the Bible since the first of the year. Through a friend’s Facebook, I discovered this unique Bible reading plan that has really changed my outlook on how I read the Bible. For many years I have attempted to read through the Bible in one year by following a traditional reading plan, and almost every time I have failed miserably. One year I did it, when I was around 13, but that was only because my dad bet me $100 that I couldn’t do it (turn anything into a challenge and I’ll find a way to get it done…). And to be perfectly honest, the reason I’ve rarely succeeded is simply that I get bored.
Now I know that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for a whole lot of things and that that alone makes it cool, but it’s hard to remember that when you’re bogged down in Leviticus with only Deuteronomy and Numbers to look forward to for the next couple of months. Even in the chronological reading lists, which spices things up a bit, there are still sections where I get bogged down, miss a day, can’t catch up, and eventually stop trying (but with every promise to “do it right next year!”). But this plan has been startlingly different. I’ve been excited to read every day, I’m learning so much, and I am making connections between books and chapters that I’ve never noticed before! And because of its design, it will continue indefinitely and yet I will never read the same chapters at the same time ever again. That keeps it fresh and exciting for me, and I anticipate that I will continue to make even more connections between books and chapters when I start overlapping and reading them with others.
This is the way it works. All of the books of the Bible are divided into 10 lists:
THE TEN LISTS:
List 1 (89 days)
Matthew, Mark, Luke, JohnList 2 (187 days)
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, DeuteronomyList 3 (78 days)
Romans, I&II Cor, Gal, Eph, Phil, Col, HebrewsList 4 (65 days)
I&II Thess, I&II Tim, Titus, Philemon, James, I&II Peter, I,II&III John, Jude, RevelationList 5 (62 days)
Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of SolomonList 6 (150 days)
PsalmsList 7 (31 days)
ProverbsList 8 (249 days)
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel, I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, EstherList 9 (250 days)
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, MalachiList 10 (28 days)
ActsSome lists have quite a few books, others have only one. Not all of them are in order (Hebrews, for example, is in a different list than you might think it should be). Then every day you read one chapter from each list, so 10 chapters a day. When you finish a book, you start the next one in the list. When you finish a list, you start it over again. The 10 chapters a day range from all over the Bible though, so even if one is a boring list of names, ages, and dates, the next might be in the middle of a great battle, and then the next might be a powerful prophecy, and then the next might be teachings from Jesus. There is no way to get bored! ANd even though it is 10 chapters, my mind thinks of it as just one at a time, and that’s no big deal!
So, for example, even though I read Acts 1 the same day I read Genesis and Proverbs 1, I will next be reading Acts 1 at the same time as Genesis and Proverbs 29. But the next time I read Proverbs 1, I will be reading it with Genesis 32 and Acts 4. See how it works? It will constantly be changing and I will be constantly reading passages with new passages and learning the BIble in exciting new ways. Nothing is tied to dates, so if I miss a day of reading or can only get 5 chapters in (or if someone wanted to start tomorrow), its no big deal. I can just continue forward in the lists the next day.
Here is where I first read about it, if you want to know more (be sure to click the READ MORE link near the top under the section “Who is Professor Grant Horner?”). If you’re looking for something new to change up your Bible reading habits, I highly recommend this!
Does anyone know what I mean about struggling through traditional Bible reading methods? Does anyone have any tips to share, or other reading system suggestions like this one?
Comments (5)
Ok, so what happens if I have started a traditional read-through-the-Bible method and so I am on Exodus 7. Can I just pick up there with that list and start the other lists from the beginning? I might try it! The plan I am using now won’t get me to the New Testament until October!
@piecedtreasures - I would say yes, that you could do that. Because even though you’ll be further ahead in List 2, you’ve still read everything prior to it and then you’ll start the list over again anyway. Either that, or simply read 9 chapters a day from the other 9 lists, until you get to the place where Exodus 7 would fall, and then pick that list up. Either way, I think you should try it Mom!
I think that sounds really interesting, and could certainly help with the hum drum parts. I just need to find time to read 10 chapters a day.
@goofylookalike - That’s exactly what I thought when I started Erin, but it really doesn’t take that long! Some of the chapters are extremely short, which balances it out. Also, he explains in his stuff that it’s supposed to be a quick read, not a major study time. It takes me a few minutes a chapter, and sometimes I space it out between my day if I can’t do it all at once. I’ve discovered that it certainly takes me less time than trying to read through 5 chapters of Numbers all at once!
Yeah, I figured I could break it up. I could try to read some every time I sit to nurse the baby, or something like that.