Plan for 2019

Happy New Year and welcome to the tenth year of the reading and studying the Bible together on this blog! 

This year we have chosen to do the One Year Bible Plan - this plan includes approximately 2 chapters in the OT, 1 chapter in the NT, 1 Psalm and a portion of Proverbs in every reading.

The benefit of this plan is that there is something for everyone, no matter your time commitment. You can read through the entire Bible, you can read only the OT, you can read only the NT, you can read only the Psalms, or even only the Proverbs - or any combination of those! Once again, if you get behind, don’t worry about catching up, just jump back in. Just don’t quit!

I, personally have purchase a book called The One Year Praying Through Your Bible for Your Kids book by Nancy Guthrie.  She uses this same Bible reading plan, then pulls a few verses from one of the passages and does a devotional, followed by a prayer focused on this scripture for our kids. I’m really looking forward to this companion reading, but it is certainly in no way necessary to follow this blog or participate this year. But if you’re interested, I’ve included the link above.

This year we have Nathan, Pamela, Emma, Jeannine, and myself participating (a few more still considering) - I am excited to go through this journey with you again this year!

We will be using the following schedule....

Mondays - Pamela and Tammy

Tuesdays - Jeannine

Wednesdays - Tammy

Thursdays - Nathan

Fridays - Emma 

Saturdays and Sundays - depending on the weekend I may do these posts (following the devotional will help give me some ideas!)

I think that’s it - looking forward to a great year of growing in God's Word and in our faith. 

2018!!

Click here for our new Bible in a Year Reading Plan!

Click here for the NT Focus plan.

Today is January 1st and the New Year has begun! I am so excited to begin our 9th year at The Bible in a Year and Beyond - welcome to everyone that is joining us this year!

This year we have decided to follow a a plan that includes readings from both the Old and New Testaments every day, it is a 6 Day a Week plan which leaves one day for catching up, and is somewhat chronological where possible. One benefit of this plan is that you can read only the NT portion if time is an issue for you, or if this is the first time you're participating in a program like this and it seems overwhelming to start.  I, personally, am going to be exclusively studying the NT portion, but reading it several times from different versions - (see NT Focus Plan link above, or in sidebar) Either way - this is another option for you if you'd like.  Use this reading plan however it makes sense for you.

Remember, perfection is not required here! If you get behind and you can manage to catch up, that's great. But if the thought of catching up is overwhelming, then simply skip the days you missed and start again where we're at. Whatever you do, just don't quit!

Our returning posters are Nathan, Emma, Pamela, and myself.  Danae is back after a short break, and Pamela's son Kaden is joining us for the first time! I am so excited to learn together with all of you this year!

Anyone else who has decided to participate with us by reading the same plan as us, and reading the blog because you need the accountability but don't necessarily have the time to do posts - we welcome you too!! If this describes you - PLEASE comment on this post below and let us know that you have agreed to follow along with us. We can't help hold you accountable if we don't know you're doing this!

Also, everyone (posters and followers) PLEASE comment at least somewhat regularly on the daily posts. This helps keep you accountable and helps you to feel part of the group (especially followers), and is a huge encouragement to the posters who have taken the time to post their thoughts. Comments do not have to be in depth. They can simply say "Great post", "Chapter x verse x jumped out at me", "very convicting", etc. It doesn't take long but increases what you're going to get out of this blog substantially. The more you put in to this, the more you will get out of it. And I really want you to feel involved in this group, even if you're not posting - so please comment! Consider this an online small group Bible study.

Posters - here are the "instructions" for the posts (see the first post of the year for an example if any of these instructions don't make sense).

Please put the date, Bible reference and your name in the title of your post.
Example: Monday, January 1st: Genesis 1-3, Mark 1 ~ Tammy

Please include today's reference at the top of your posts and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. (Everything other than the reference and it's link will automatically show up when you go to write your post).

Example: Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 1-3, Mark 1:1-28

My thoughts on today's blog...

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 4-6; Mark 1:29-45

Please put the following labels on your post - the book(s) of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".
Example: Genesis, Mark, Tammy's Posts

The type of post you do on the day's readings is totally up to you. You can use a SOAP format (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions about a portion you didn't understand, you can summarize the passage, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, you can reference commentaries or sermons you felt made good points about the passage, the choice is yours! You may choose to post about both OT and NT portions, or only the OT, or only the NT. It also can be as short or as long as you like (although we kinda like shorter!). Sometimes there is more to say about a certain passage than others, and that's ok. There really are no specific expectations.

Also - please write your post the previous day/evening (or numerous days earlier - whatever works for your schedule!) and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us (not me!) who are early risers and like to do their devotions at 6am! The postdating feature is very handy, particularly when we've gone away on holidays and I've prepared the posts in advance and just scheduled them for the correct dates. When writing your post, if you check the right sidebar there will be an option to select "Set date and time". So, January 1st's post would be set for January 1st at 1am, or something similar. Obviously sometimes things come up and you are unable to post until later in the day, and that's fine, but it's great if the goal is to post before morning.

If for some reason you are unable to post on your assigned day, either trade with someone or email me and I will do your post for you. The goal is to have a post up every single day, but I realize that life happens, so please just let me know if you cannot post after all (earlier is better, but better late than never). If you need to change how often you're posting for whatever reason (having a baby, busier than usual, extended holiday etc), just let me know!

For those of you who are new or re-joining (Danae, Kaden) - if you don't mind, on your first post could you just do a very short introduction of yourself and maybe what made you decide to join the blog? Thanks!

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I am so excited to see what God will do in our spiritual lives this year as we make this journey together!

2017!

Today is January 1st and the New Year has begun! I am so excited to begin our 8th year at The Bible in a Year - and Beyond and am thrilled that we have a few new people joining our group!

This year we have decided to follow a a plan that includes readings from both the Old and New Testaments every day.  One benefit of this plan is that you can read only the NT portion if time is an issue for you, or if this is the first time you're participating in a program like this and it seems overwhelming to start.  Remember, perfection is not required here!  If you get behind and you can manage to catch up, that's great.  But if the thought of catching up is overwhelming, then simply skip the days you missed and start again where we're at.  Whatever you do, just don't quit!

Our new posters are Deena, Emma and Kezia - welcome to our group! Jody is also joining us again after a couple year's hiatus. And our returning posters from last year are Nathan and myself. I'm still working on getting a few other people to join us, and will keep you posted if that pans out.  I am so excited to learn together with all of you this year!

Anyone else who has decided to participate with us by reading the same plan as us, and reading the blog because you need the accountability but don't necessarily have the time to do posts - we welcome you too!! If this describes you - PLEASE comment on this post below and let us know that you have agreed to follow along with us. We can't help hold you accountable if we don't know you're doing this!

Also, everyone (posters and followers) PLEASE comment at least somewhat regularly on the daily posts. This helps keep you accountable and helps you to feel part of the group (especially followers), and is a huge encouragement to the posters who have taken the time to post their thoughts. Comments do not have to be in depth. They can simply say "Great post", "Chapter x verse x jumped out at me", "very convicting", etc. It doesn't take long but increases what you're going to get out of this blog substantially. The more you put in to this, the more you will get out of it. And I really want you to feel involved in this group, even if you're not posting - so please comment!  Consider this an online small group Bible study.

Posters - here are the "instructions" for the posts (see the first post of the year for an example if any of these instructions don't make sense).

Please put the date, Bible reference and your name in the title of your post.
Example:  Friday, January 1st: Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1 ~ Tammy

Please include today's reference at the top of your posts and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. (Everything other than the reference and it's link will automatically show up when you go to write your post).
Example: Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 4-6; Matthew 2

Please put the following labels on your post - the book(s) of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".
Example: Genesis, Matthew, Tammy's Posts

The type of post you do on the day's readings is totally up to you. You can use a SOAP format (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions about a portion you didn't understand, you can summarize the passage, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, you can reference commentaries or sermons you felt made good points about the passage, the choice is yours!  You may choose to post about both OT and NT portions, or only the OT, or only the NT.   It also can be as short or as long as you like (although we kinda like shorter!).  Sometimes there is more to say about a certain passage than others, and that's ok.  There really are no specific expectations.

Also - please write your post the previous day/evening (or numerous days earlier - whatever works for your schedule!) and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us (not me!) who are early risers and like to do their devotions at 6am!  The postdating feature is very handy, particularly when we've gone away on holidays and I've prepared the posts in advance and just scheduled them for the correct dates.  When writing your post, if you check the right sidebar there will be an option to select "Set date and time".  So, January 1st's post would be set for January 1st at 1am, or something similar.  Obviously sometimes things come up and you are unable to post until later in the day, and that's fine, but it's great if the goal is to post before morning. 

If for some reason you are unable to post on your assigned day, either trade with someone or email me and I will do your post for you. The goal is to have a post up every single day, but I realize that life happens, so please just let me know if you cannot post after all (earlier is better, but better late than never). If you need to change how often you're posting for whatever reason (having a baby, busier than usual, extended holiday etc), just let me know!

For those of you who are new or re-joining (Emma, Deena, Kezia, Jody) - if you don't mind, on your first post could you just do a very short introduction of yourself and maybe what made you decide to join the blog? Thanks!

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I am so excited to see what God will do in our spiritual lives this year as we make this journey together!

2016!!

Today is January 1st and the New Year has begun! I am so excited to begin our 7th year at The Bible in a Year - and Beyond and am thrilled that we have a few new people joining our group!

This year we have decided to follow a Chronological Plan - reading through the Bible in the order the events occurred. I have a Chronological Life Application Study Bible that is set up this way (which makes it super easy for me!) and I have typed out a One Year Bible plan according to the way it is laid out in this Bible. I ended up making the plan a few days shorter than 365, giving more freedom around the Christmas holidays. For the most part, this plan will be easy to follow whether you prefer to read online or to read in your actual Bible.  However, there will be some weeks where it will be far easier to read online as there is a bunch of jumping around from book to book due to the chronological format.   Click here to see the new Bible reading plan for 2016! I have changed the link on the sidebar, and it will be embedded into each day's post automatically (more details on that below).
Our new posters are Jay and Kelora, Greg and Danae, and Cam and Jeannine - welcome to our group! Our returning posters are Conrad and Pamela, and Nathan and myself. I'm still working on getting a few other people to join us, and will keep you posted if that pans out.  I am so excited to learn together with all of you this year!

Anyone else who has decided to participate with us by reading the same plan as us, and reading the blog because you need the accountability but don't necessarily have the time to do posts - we welcome you too!! If this describes you - PLEASE comment on this post below and let us know that you have agreed to follow along with us. We can't help hold you accountable if we don't know you're doing this!

Also, everyone (posters and followers) PLEASE comment at least somewhat regularly on the daily posts. This helps keep you accountable and helps you to feel part of the group (especially followers), and is a huge encouragement to the posters who have taken the time to post their thoughts. Comments do not have to be in depth. They can simply say "Great post", "Chapter x verse x jumped out at me", "very convicting", etc. It doesn't take long but increases what you're going to get out of this blog substantially. The more you put in to this, the more you will get out of it. And I really want you to feel involved in this group, even if you're not posting - so please comment!  Consider this an online small group Bible study.

Posters - here are the "instructions" for the posts (see the first post of the year for an example if any of these instructions don't make sense).

Please put the date, Bible reference and your name in the title of your post.
Example:  Friday, January 1st: Genesis 1-3 ~ Conrad

Please include today's reference at the top of your posts and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. (Everything other than the reference and it's link will automatically show up when you go to write your post).
Example: Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 1-3

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 4-7

Please put the following labels on your post - the book(s) of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".
Example: Genesis, Conrad's Posts

The type of post you do on the day's readings is up to you. You can use a SOAP format (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions about a portion you didn't understand, you can summarize the passage, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, you can reference commentaries or sermons you felt made good points about the passage, the choice is yours! It also can be as short or as long as you like.  Sometimes there is more to say about a certain passage than others, and that's ok.  There really are no specific expectations.

Also - please write your post the previous day/evening (or numerous days earlier - whatever works for your schedule!) and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us (not me!) who are early risers and like to do their devotions at 6am!  The postdating feature is very handy, particularly when we've gone away on holidays and I've prepared the posts in advance and just scheduled them for the correct dates.  When writing your post, if you check the right sidebar there will be an option to select "Set date and time".  So, January 1st's post would be set for January 1st at 12am, or something similar.  Obviously sometimes things come up and you are unable to post until later in the day, and that's fine, but it's great if the goal is to post before morning.

If for some reason you are unable to post on your assigned day, either trade with someone or email me and I will do your post for you. The goal is to have a post up every single day, but I realize that life happens, so please just let me know if you cannot post after all (earlier is better, but better late than never). If you need to change how often you're posting for whatever reason (having a baby, busier than usual, extended holiday etc), just let me know!

For those of you who are new (Jay and Kelora, Greg and Danae, Cam and Jeannine) - if you don't mind, on your first post could you just do a very short introduction of yourself and maybe what made you decide to join the blog? Thanks!

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I am so excited to see what God will do in our spiritual lives this year as we make this journey together!

2015!

Today is January 1st and the New Year has begun! I am so excited to begin our 6th year at The Bible in a Year - and Beyond and am thrilled that we have a few new people joining our group, including, for the first time, not only one, but two, male contributors!

In case you missed it - this is the Bible in a Year Reading plan we're going to be following this year. You'll also find the link on the sidebar, as well as embedded into each day's post.

Our new posters include Pamela's husband, Conrad; my husband, Nathan; and an online friend of mine, Elizabeth - welcome to our group! Our returning posters are Pamela and, of course, myself.  Miriam is also hoping to be able to rejoin us later on in the year.  I am so excited to learn together with all of you this year!

Anyone else who has decided to participate with us by reading the same plan as us, and reading the blog because you need the accountability but don't necessarily have the time to do posts - we welcome you too!! If this describes you - PLEASE comment on this post below and let us know that you have agreed to follow along with us. We can't help hold you accountable if we don't know you're doing this!

Also, everyone (posters and followers) PLEASE comment at least somewhat regularly on the posts. This helps keep you accountable and helps you to feel part of the group (especially followers), and is a huge encouragement to the posters who have taken the time to post their thoughts. Comments do not have to be in depth. They can simply say "Great post", "Amen!", "Chapter x verse x jumped out at me", "very convicting", etc. Takes 5 seconds but increases what you're going to get out of this blog substantially. The more you put in, the more you get out, in these types of situations. And I really want you to feel involved in this group, even if you're not posting - so please comment!

Posters - here are the "instructions" for the posts (see my first post of the year if any of these instructions don't make sense).

Please put the date, Bible reference and your name in the title of your post.

Please include today's reference at the top of your posts and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. (see previous posts if this sounds confusing)

Please put the following labels on your post - the book(s) of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".

What type of post you do on the day's readings is up to you. You can do a SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions, you can summarize, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, you can reference commentaries or sermons you felt made good points about the passage, the choice is yours!

Also - please do your post the previous day/evening (or numerous days earlier - whatever works for your schedule!) and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us (not me!) who are early risers.

If for some reason you are unable to post on your assigned day, please email me and I will do your post for you. The goal is to have a post up every single day, but I realize that life happens, so please just let me know if you cannot post after all (earlier is better, but better late than never). If you need to change how often you're posting for whatever reason (having a baby, busier than usual, extended holiday etc), just let me know!

For those of you who are new (Conrad, Nathan, Elizabeth) - if you don't mind, on your first post could you just do a very short introduction of yourself?  Thanks!

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I am so excited to see what God will do in our spiritual lives this year as we make this journey together!

Plans for 2013!

I am so excited about getting started with another year of studying the Bible in depth with you all.  Thank you, once again, to the regular participants this past year - Miriam, Kathryn and Pamela, and of course, to all of you who follow and comment, and who follow and don't comment.  I pray that this blog continues to be as much of a blessing to all of you as it has been to me!

Kathryn has decided not to continue posting for this upcoming year (we'll miss you!) but is still willing to guest post occasionally (thank you Kathryn!).  Tiffany is joining us this year, which is wonderful - welcome, Tiffany! Sandy is back with us after a short stint back in February 2011 (welcome back, my friend!)  And Tammi is back after a one year hiatus (yay!).   Miriam and Pamela, who have been with us from the beginning, are returning once again (thanks again ladies, for your continued participation!).  If anyone else is looking to contribute regularly, please let me know!

For 2013 we've decided to do something similar to this past year.  We will be studying a few books of the Bible in depth, using very small passages.  We will be following corresponding sermon series by a few of our favourite pastors including John MacArthur, Mark Driscoll and David Legge (optional).   We've decided to do these posts Monday to Friday only instead of the weekends.  (I also took Christmas Day and the the 26th off the schedule for next year).   This past year we studied Hebrews, John, Ecclesiastes, Matthew and Romans.  This coming year we will be doing Esther, 1, 2, 3, John, Jude, Habakkuk and Luke, with 3 Psalms added in at the end to round off the year.  Here is the schedule for this coming year.  (Link is in the sidebar as well, "Scripture Focus Reading Plan").

We are also including a Bible in a Year Reading Plan for those who would like to do that as well.  This is completely optional and absolutely not required, but I have posted it because, well, that's what this blog was started for and we've had one every year, and I believe a number of us are doing this again this year.  We've decided to go with this Bible Reading Plan posted by Faith Baptist Bible College.  This plan includes 2 chapters from the OT (straight through from Genesis to Malachi, skipping the poetry books), 1 chapter from the NT (straight through from Matthew to Revelation) and 1 chapter from the Poetry books every weekday, and then on the weekends it's the 2 OT chapters only (the Poetry section ends in early November already, so one less chapter per day from that point on as well)  You can print out this plan, double sided, and use the bookmarks in your Bible reading.  (Link is in the sidebar as well).

Daily posts should include that day's Bible in a Year scripture passage and today's Scripture Focus passage at the beginning of the blog post and the following days passages at the end of the blog post.  I have the template saved so it should automatically come up with you go to post - at least it does for me, so I'm hoping it does for you other posters too - if not, just copy and paste from the day before.  All you should have to do is look up the scripture passages in the plans, find them on Biblegateway and add that to your post.  If that is unclear in any way, or you need assistance, please don't hesitate to email me.  Please remember to add your name to the title of your post and the end of your post, so we know for sure who's posting.  Please remember to label your posts - select the book of the Bible we're studying in depth, and select your name as well (Tiffany - for your first post you'll need to create a new one - call it "Tiffany's Posts", thanks!).

I am looking forward to only having to post once or twice/week instead of 9 times every two weeks! :)

Posts can be as short or as long as you wish.  You may read the referenced sermons if you like, but you do not have to.  Your posts can be in whatever style you like - devotional, teaching, historical, theological - depending on the passage, depending on what you learned, depending on your writing style, depending on what you feel like writing that day, depending how much time you have for that day's post.  As you can see, we're flexible here and don't want anyone to feel intimidated or forced into any particular mold.  I love that each poster has their own unique personality and writing style as I find I learn more that way as well!

If anything is unclear, or you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

I am grateful to all of you who have committed to this journey together and pray that God will bless s on this year's journey and we pursue discernment together, as we learn together, as we grow together, as we get to know Him more together.  God bless you.

January 1st, 2012!!

Happy New Year everybody!!

Welcome to the new version of the Bible in a Year and Beyond.  I guess this is another version of the "beyond" phase as this year we move into studying the Bible in smaller sections, more in depth.

To review - the poster will be more of a conversation starter, using short Facebook style posts to either ask questions, share their thoughts on the passage, or something new or interesting they learned.  Hopefully, as people participate, there will be an ensuing "conversation" in the comments.

As we will be taking the scripture in very small chunks, I would recommend that in your reading you build upon what we've already studied. (For ex - Day 1 you would read Hebrews 1:1-3 and study that section.  On Day 2 you would read/study the next section, and then go back and read the two together.  On Day 3, you would read/study the next section, and then go back and read all 3 portions together.  And so on, for sure in 1 chapter segments, or more, however you choose to do it.

Hopefully that made sense ;)

Also, every day there will be a posting from the Bible in a Year Chronological Reading Plan for those who want to follow that as well - there is absolutely no pressure or expectation that you will/should be doing this, it is simply there for the convenience of those who are used to coming to this blog to find a Bible in a Year reference, or who want to continue to read a plan like that.

I am still working on the reading schedule and will post it as soon as I can - so sorry for the delay!

Anyway - on to today's new style post!

Today's reading from the Bible in a Year Chronological Reading Plan is  Genesis 1-3

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 1:1-3

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

What jumped out to me today is the fact that so much has changed from OT times to today (and the NT times).  No longer is God only speaking through the prophets, now He is speaking through His own Son!  No longer are we having to look forward to the fulfillment of the Promise, we can look back on the Promise being fulfilled in Christ.  Everything changed at the coming of the Messiah!

What jumped out at you?

Tomorrow's Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:4-9
Tomorrow's Bible in a Year passage: Genesis 4-7
    

2012!

2012 is upon us!

I know we've been having discussions for awhile now and what we're going to do next year, but it's all been on our Facebook group and I just realized that I should let all of the blog readers who may not be part of that group, know what's going on! (Click here if you'd like to join our Facebook group.)

We've decided to take a break from reading through the entire Bible in a year, at least as a group, and instead focus on studying a few Books of the Bible slowly, and in more depth.  I, personally, would like to continue to read through the Bible in a Year as well because I don't want to lose my momentum in reading the text and want to continue to cultivate a passion for the text.  I know you can do that in slower study as well, but I would like to continue get to know the Bible better as a whole, while studying the smaller portions.  There is absolutely no pressure for anybody else to do that, but just in case others are wanting to do the same, I will be posting the daily passages to this Chronological Bible in a Year plan every day as well.

We are going to be starting with the book of Hebrews.  I am making the schedule of daily readings and will post the whole thing soon (obviously I need to do it soon!).  Some days we will literally only do one verse, if it is a difficult one to understand.  Other days it will be 3 or 4 verses, and others larger chunks.  John will be the first gospel we study - likely not in quite as small chunks as Hebrews.  Romans will be another one that we will take in very small chunks.  We will probably do the other 3 gospels as well, unless I receive requests to do something else.  Even after the schedule is out, we can change it as we feel led, please do not hesitate to request that!

Also - the daily posts will be a bit different this year.  We are going with shorter posts - more Facebook status style.  We'd like it to be a conversation starter - so either an observation you made about the verses, or a question you had, or something new you learned - which will hopefully spur on a conversation in the comments section.

A huge thank you to all who participated in 2011, especially our regular posters: Tammi, Miriam, Kathryn, Jody and Pamela.  I know some of you will not be joining us in 2012, and we will miss you!!  But hopefully we'll see you again soon.

Looking forward to starting this new adventure with you in 2012!

Testimonials please!

First of all, I just want to thank you all again for your involvement in this blog - it is so encouraging to see so many godly women coming together with the goal of deepening and strengthening their relationship with the Lord.

For all those involved in this blog - whether guest posting, or simply following - can you please prepare a short testimonial and post it on Friday, January 14th? I'd like us to get to know each other a little bit so we can better know how to pray for each other and keep each other accountable during this journey together. Please title the post "Tammy's Testimony" (except obviously use your own name :), and include the following...

1) a short testimony on when you became a Christian and where you are at spiritually right now
2) one or two things the Lord has done for you or how you've seen His hand at work in your life.
3) one or two things you hope to gain from participating in this blog, (returning participants - also include what you're learned/gained from last year's blog) so that we know specifically what/how to pray for you

Please try to keep it short and sweet, as there will be several testimonies! And, obviously, feel free to share only as much as you feel comfortable in this public forum.

Details of how this works: guest posters, please prepare your testimonial as a new post anytime before and including Friday (post-dating it to Friday). Any followers who do not have posting rights, please email me your testimonial by (or before) Friday and I will post it for you.

Even though this blog is not meant to be a chit chat blog (we can get to know each other that way by following each other's personal blogs, or Facebook, if we'd like to) I'd love for us to get to know each other on a spiritual level as we read/study God's Word - so we can meet each other wherever we're currently at in our spiritual journeys, as well as challenge each other to grow in the Lord.

I want this blog to be open to both "new" and "old" Christians.

A place where those who are still new to the faith, or struggling with doubts to have a place where they can grow and where they can feel safe to ask questions.

A place where those who have been on this journey a long time can come alongside, perhaps offering some wisdom and insights, while also deepening their own faith - because no matter how mature of a Christian you are, no one has "arrived". We all need to be constantly learning, constantly changing as we strive to reflect Jesus to those around us.

I want this blog to be a place where we all can feel both accepted and loved for who we are and where we are at on our spiritual journeys, and yet challenged to grow at the same time.

So, along with committing to read and study the Bible this year, let's also commit to pray for each other, to encourage each other and to challenge each other in love.

Grab the Button!

Figured out how to make a "Grab the Button" for the blog - so go ahead and grab it!

Grab the small button

<a href="http://bibleinayearandbeyond.blogspot.com"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglexjnzNmNOxyLHktqQ9i-8K1fM2R9v1WjWo6q3FKEFiVEcVufcTn4tDPE_E5TB58vS_PDvnLYcYZDcRBQ64S_AObAW13VEqZoLHX2gthFdmzY-dS0wdEK7mO04o6wO7nAv7KjQ8XPZpw/s150/Bible-blog-button2-2011.jpg"/></a>

Or grab the large one!

<a href="http://bibleinayearandbeyond.blogspot.com"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqAO1lRP4R8E0jQWR2tiYTVyK3befCzkn_ByiHHuO0AW8ppDAPGGeH19sKyT7dn_hiF0bzneZg2_h3iZ1ZdGBFuuLrDZ5m-SVYrSx8t9KMZaofRIsk4JURvUjgABiFsNUPcfE3IwbHoI/s400/Bible-blog-button2-2011.jpg"/></a>

I found the tutorials for how to do this fancy html work on this very helpful blog.

A New Year has begun!! Welcome & Instructions

Today is January 1st and the New Year has begun! I am so excited to begin our 2nd year at The Bible in a Year - and Beyond and am thrilled that we have so many new people that are joining our group!

We have several new posters joining us this year - Sandy, Kathryn and Jody - welcome to our group ladies! We also have several returning posters from last year - Tammi, Miriam, Pamela and, of course, myself. I am so excited to learn together with all of you this year!

Anyone else who has decided to participate with us by reading the same plan as us, and reading the blog because you need the accountability but don't necessarily have the time to do posts - we welcome you too!! If this describes you - PLEASE comment on this post below and let us know that you have agreed to follow along with us. We can't help hold you accountable if we don't know you're doing this!

Also, everyone (posters and followers) PLEASE comment at least somewhat regularly on the posts. This helps keep you accountable and helps you to feel part of the group (especially followers), and is a huge encouragement to the posters who have taken the time to post their thoughts. Comments do not have to be in depth. They can simply say "Great post", "Amen!", "Chapter x verse x jumped out at me", "very convicting", etc. Takes 5 seconds but increases what you're going to get out of this blog substantially. The more you put in, the more you get out, in these types of situations. And I really want you to feel involved in this group, even if you're not posting - so please comment!

Posters - here are the "instructions" for the posts.

Please put the date and your name in the title of your post.

Please include today's reference at the top of your posts and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. (see previous posts if this sounds confusing)

Please put the following labels on your post - the book(s) of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".

What type of post you do on the day's readings is up to you. You can do a SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions, you can summarize, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, you can reference commentaries or sermons you felt made good points about the passage, the choice is yours!

Also - please do your post the previous day/evening (or numerous days earlier - whatever works for your schedule!) and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us who are early risers.

If for some reason you are unable to post on your assigned day, please email me and I will do your post for you. The goal is to have a post up every single day, but I realize that life happens, so please just let me know if you cannot post after all (earlier is better, but better late than never). If you need to change how often you're posting for whatever reason (having a baby, busier than usual, extended holiday etc), just let me know!

I am on holidays right now actually and until Monday evening I have no internet access (yes, this was a scheduled post!), so I am unable to answer any questions until then - but if you have any, please ask and I will answer as soon as I can.

I will soon be asking for you all to post a short testimony so we can get to know each other a bit better and know how to pray for each other, so you can start preparing a bit for that.

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I am so excited to see what God will do in our spiritual lives this year as we make this journey together!

More testimonies coming on Friday

For those who have not yet shared their testimonies, we're going to have another day of sharing this coming Friday, January 29th. Looking forward to getting to know you better!

Also - Nathan and I are leaving for our cruise on Saturday for 8 nights, so I will be unable to participate actively that week. I am going to read ahead and use the schedule post feature for my assigned days, but I will likely be unable to comment and discuss while onboard our ship. I will miss this fellowship and look forward to catching up when I return!

A huge thank you to those who have agreed to do extra posts for me while I am away - THANK YOU!

Guest Posting "Instructions"

Here are the "instructions" for the posts.

Please put your name in the title or in the beginning of your post, so people know who you are.

Please include today's reference at the top and tomorrow's reference at the bottom of your posts. Please add the links to Biblegateway's corresponding Bible passages. If you don't know how to do it, I can edit your post to include it later.

Please put the following labels on your post - the book of the Bible the readings were from, and "Your Name's Posts".

What type of post you do on the day's readings is up to you. You can do a SOAP, you can do a devotional in a different format, you can ask questions, you can summarize, you can talk about a portion of scripture that stood out to you, the choice is yours!

Also - if you can, do your post the previous day/evening and then postdate it to sometime during the middle of the night so that it's ready to go for those of us who are early risers. That is, as long as guest bloggers can change post times (I think they can). If not, just try to get it up as early as you can that day, or simply post it the evening before and that'll be just fine.

Thank you all for participating in this blog - I know this will be a great year in our spiritual journeys!

Post schedule and Testimonials

OK, I have the schedule of guest posters up and running on the right. If at any time you'd like to switch your days just let me know. Also, if your name isn't on the list and you'd like to start contributing a post regularly, let me know!

For those who are following along with us, feel free to post your comments as well, even if you don't do any guests posts. Everyone is welcome to participate as much or as little as they are able.

For those who are guest posting, can you please prepare a short testimonial and post it on Friday? I'd like us to get to know each other a little bit so we can better know how to pray for each other during this journey together. Please title the post "Tammy's Testimony" (except obviously use your own name :), and include the following...

1) a short testimony on when you became a Christian and where you are at spiritually right now
2) one or two things the Lord has done for you or how you've seen His hand at work in your life.
3) one or two things you hope to gain from participating in this blog, so that we know specifically what/how to pray for you

Please try to keep it short and sweet, as there will be several testimonies!

Even though this blog is not meant to be a chit chat blog (we can get to know each other that way by following each other's personal blogs if we'd like to) I'd love for us to get to know each other on a spiritual level as we read/study God's Word - so we can meet each other wherever we're currently at in our spiritual journeys, as well as challenge each other to grow in the Lord.

I want this blog to be open to both "new" and "old" Christians.

A place where those who are still new to the faith, or struggling with doubts to have a place where they can grow and where they can feel safe to ask questions.

A place where those who have been on this journey a long time can come alongside, perhaps offering some wisdom and insights, while also deepening their own faith - because no matter how mature of a Christian you are, no one has "arrived". We all need to be constantly learning, constantly changing as we strive to reflect Jesus to those around us.

I want this blog to be a place where we all can feel both accepted and loved for who we are and where we are at on our spiritual journeys, and yet challenged to grow at the same time.

So, along with committing to read and study the Bible this year, let's also commit to pray for each other, to encourage each other and to challenge each other in love.

Click here to read the post on today's readings.

January 2nd Readings, Some Business, and SOAP

Click here to read today's Scripture passage (Genesis 4 - 5, 1 Chronicles 1:1-4, Genesis 6) online.

Hi everyone! There were some great thoughts on yesterday's passage. I'm excited about continuing this journey with you. During the next few days/weeks I will continue to get this whole system more organized - just going with the flow and learning how things work best as we go along here.

More on how this will work (please feel free to comment or email me with any ideas you may have).....
I have sent invites to the following people via email to become guest bloggers on this blog... Andrea, Tammi, PamJ, Pamela, Jen, Miriam, Kristilea, Jacquie, Nicole and Jen. If you have not received the invitation, please let me know. If your name is not on this list and you would like to contribute to the blog, please also let me know!

I would like to draw up a schedule for when you guest posters will be contributing your own thoughts/insights/devotionals to this blog. I don't know if there's any way to post that schedule directly to the blog so that you'll be reminded of when your day is coming up - if anybody knows if/how this is possible, please let me know!

In the meantime, please email me with a concrete # of times per month you would like to post. If you have a day preference, please let me know that as well. It wouldn't be a big deal to have two people posting on the same day, but I'd love it if we could have a full-fledged post up every day, so we may as well spread it out to make it easier on us all! So, if you want to post every other Friday, or every third Wednesday or whatever, please email me. You can always change this later (more/less often if you find it's too much/not enough), but please give me something concrete now. I have added an "Email me" link to the top right of the blog to make communicating with me easier for you all.

OK - enough business discussion - on to today's readings!

We are continuing in our Chronological Reading Plan. Today's Bible passage is Genesis 4 - 5, 1 Chronicles 1:1-4, Genesis 6. You can read the passages in the NIV online by clicking here. If you prefer a different translation you will notice a drop down box near the top of the page that currently says "New International Version" - simply click on the drop down box and select the version of your choice and click the "Update" button to the right.

A few things stood out to me today.

First was the verse in Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Enoch walked with God. That is my desire - to be able to truly say that I walked with God. That He is involved in every part of my life. That He is my Lord, that He is my Friend, that He is my Father, that He is my Saviour. There is so much meaning in that one phrase.

Next, I was curious about the timeline so bear with me while I type this out...

Seth was born when Adam was 130.
Enosh was born when Seth was 105 and Adam was 235.
Kenan was born when Enosh was 90, Seth was 195 and Adam was 325.
Mahalalel was born when Kenan was 70, Enosh was 160, Seth was 265 and Adam was 395.
Jared was born when Mahalalel was 65, Kenan was 135, Enosh was 225, Seth was 330 and Adam was 460.
Enoch was born when Jared was 162, Mahalalel was 227, Kenan was 297, Enosh was 387, Seth was 492 and Adam was 722.
Methuselah was born when Enoch was 65, Jared was 227, Mahalalel was 292, Kenan was 362, Enosh was 452, Seth was 557 and Adam was 787.
Lamech was born when Methuselah was 187, Enoch was 252, Jared was 414, Mahalalel was 479, Kenan was 549, Enosh was 639, Seth was 744 and Adam had died 44 years earlier.
Noah was born when Lamech was 182, Methuselah was 369, Enoch was no more because God had taken him away 69 years earlier, Jared was 596, Mahalalel was 661, Kenan was 731, Enosh was 821, and Seth had passed away 17 years earlier.

(Talk about big family gatherings going on back then!!)

What amazes me is that the 3rd generation was still alive when Noah was born. And in Noah's time people had already become so sinful, so corrupt that God decided to wipe them from the face from the face of the planet! The flood came 5 years after Noah's father died. The flood came the exact same year Methuselah died (makes me very curious - did he die before the flood or due to the flood? I would assume before).

Amazing how fast sin can take root.

Which brings me to my SOAP for today - very short cause I'm about to fall asleep.

Scripture - Genesis 4:7b But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Observation - Sin is real and it is actively seeking to destroy us. We must master it.

Application - We need to recognize the evil that is around us, the temptations that we are surrounded by, especially those that we are easily susceptible to (which will vary from person to person, we all have different weaknesses). But we cannot focus on sin. We need to focus on Jesus. Through Him we have victory of sin. Through Him we can master it and it's destructive force on our life!

Prayer - Lord, I thank you that you are a powerful God. I thank you for the shed blood of Jesus that washes away our sin. I thank you that you victory over sin and over death. Help us to be on alert, to be watchful of the sin that can so easily entangle us. Help us to focus on You, to live for You and to master our sin. Thank you Jesus. Amen.


Tomorrow's reading is Genesis 7-10:5, 1 Chronicles 1:5-7, Genesis 10:6-20, 1 Chronicles 1:8-16, Genesis 10:21-30, 1 Chronicles 1:17-23, Genesis 10:31-32. You can read the passages online by clicking here. If you find it to be distracting to flip back and forth so much - simply read Genesis 7-10 and then 1 Chronicles 1:5-23. If you'd prefer to read it this way online you can click here.

Bible Reading Plan has been chosen!

OK, the votes for the Bible Reading plan are in and the majority want the Chronological Plan so that is what we are going to go with.

I am excited to start this journey with you, I can't wait to see what God does in each of our lives this year.

If you want to read daily as we go through this journey, you can simply rely on this blog to let you know which scripture passages to read. I will post the current day's readings as well as the next day's readings. If you like to read ahead more than that, or simply want your own copy to go off of, simply print out the Chronological Plan here and check off each day as you complete it.

Tomorrow we will kick off our journey to discernment with the first day's reading which is Genesis 1-3. If you want to get a head start already, feel free!

Click here to read January 1st's scripture online in the NIV. If you prefer a different translation you will notice a drop down box near the top of the page that currently says "New International Version" - simply click on the drop down box and select the version of your choice and click the "Update" button to the right.

See you tomorrow!

Ready, set, read!!

Bible Reading Plan - and Beyond!

My cousin Tammi has been posting a lot about discernment on her blog lately. And the biggest thing that has struck me is the NEED to be in the Word. Reading it, and studying it.

Which brings me to my own personal decision/conviction, as well as a challenge for anyone out there in bloggyland that would like to take me up on it!

I want to read through the Bible in one year again this year. Last year I followed a plan which had a reading from the OT, the NT, Proverbs and Psalms every day. There was also a blog that I followed sometimes, which had insights on each passage.

This year I'm choosing between two different plans. I either want to do a Chronological reading of the Bible (reading it through in the order the events actually took place), or this one which divides up the readings by having a different "type" of book read regularly on each day of the week (the Law is on Mondays, History on Tuesdays, Psalms on Wednesdays, Poetry on Thursdays, Prophecy on Fridays, Gospels on Saturdays and Epistles on Sundays). Both have their pros and cons. But neither (as far as I know) have a blog that follows each day's readings and provides insights on the passages.

Which brings me to my challenge.

I have created this blog for exactly that. I will post the passage every day. But I know that I won't do a detailed post every day (that would be unrealistic). I would commit to at least one or two days a week. I would probably do it in a devotional format, likely following the SOAP format (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). Sometimes I may look up something that I don't understand. Sometimes I may comment on a passage that just jumped out at me. It boils down to this - I want to commit to not only reading the passages, but to studying them. And this will help to keep me accountable.

Now, I know for some people the thought of reading through the whole Bible in one year just seems like such a daunting task. You might fall behind and then it would be too overwhelming to catch up, and then you would've failed at reading the Bible and you would feel really bad.

And that's not going to anybody any good!

But why does it have to be all or nothing?

It doesn't!

If you are interested in participating, but not sure if you could read through the whole Bible in one year - this option is for you!

If we select the reading plan that has a different type of book for every day of the week, you could commit to reading anywhere from 1 - 7 of those days! You could pick just the Gospels. You could pick just the books of Poetry. You could read both the books on History and the Epistles. You could do Gospels, Psalms and Prophecy. You can literally pick any combination that you like!

And just because the plans says that Poetry is on Thursdays doesn't mean you have to read on Thursdays. If you really want to do Poetry, but Thursdays are crazy busy days for you, and you know you'd be more successful if you read on Tuesdays, then read on Tuesdays! Simply pick the day that works best for you and make it a priority. Or if it works best for you to read the week's passage in small sections every day of the week (instead of a large passage one day) - then do it that way!

You can also pick how often you'd like to contribute a devotional/study/thoughts. I would still like to see a regular commitment for accountability, but how often is up to you (once a week, twice a month or once a month, etc).

So often we (especially first-borns, perfectionists, etc) tend to have an all or nothing mentality. If I can't do it perfectly, if I can't succeed 100%, if I can't be the best, then I'm just not going to even try. Ladies (or any men that read this!), that's not from the Lord. If you didn't have a regular Bible reading/devotional habit before - then any commitment is better than nothing. You have to start somewhere, and who cares if you start small? So long as you start! Your efforts will be rewarded. You will draw closer to Him. You will reflect Him to those around you. And you will be able to be more discerning. There is no downside here!

Here are some details on how I think this will work (if anyone has suggestions to improve this process, feel free to chime in).....

I have created a new blog for this venture, and all people who want to be involved and regularly contributing, I will email an invitation with the rights to post to this blog. As guest posters you will be able to post your own devotional directly to the blog, but you will not have rights to edit other posts or to change the blog layout/design.

Every day I will post the scripture references as will as a direct link to Bible Gateway where you would be able to read those scripture references. I'm not sure if I'll only link the NIV translation, or if I will provide a few options (it's easy enough for you to change once you get there anyway, so I'll likely just do the one option). I will try to post at the same time every day (probably 9am) so that everyone knows when they can come on and read/post their own comments. (This means I'll likely actually be writing out my posts in advance and schedule posting them appropriately).

And of course, everyone is welcome to post in the comments their own thoughts on the day's readings and/or devotional.

So, would YOU like to commit to doing this together with me?

Think about it, pray about it, and let me know! Please email me at ntreimer at mts dot net. Let me know which reading plan you would prefer, how strongly you prefer that particular option and how often you would like to contribute a post to this blog.

Consider yourself challenged!