Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 23rd

Mark 4-6; Psalm 18:1-24
With Mark chapter 4, Jesus begins to teach using parables. In the first parable who is the parable's main subject? (Hint: sometimes the parable is called Parable of the Soils. How does this change if it is called Parable of the Sower?) What are the parables about (4:11, 26, 30)? How is the calming of the storm (4:35-41), the healing of a demon possessed man (5:1-20), healing of Jairus' daughter and the bleeding woman (4:21-43), Jesus sending out the disciples (6:8-13), and Jesus feeding the five thousand (6:30-44) also signs of the Kingdom of God?

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 22

Mark 1-3; Psalm 17
Today we begin the Gospel of Mark. Note how Mark characterizes his gospel (1:1)? What does that say about the content of this Gospel? Something to watch for as you read the Gospel of Mark is the word "immediately" which he uses 47 times. It is though the ministry of Jesus in a hurry. Is it that He is in a hurry to get things over with? Or might there be another reason?

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 21st

Sorry it has been a while.


Today's reading ends Genesis. What is your thoughts about the book? Any insights you want to share?

Interestingly the book ends with Joseph's death, his being placed in a coffin, in Egypt. The book begins with God creating life and ends with death. The book begins with possibilities and ends in the confinement of a coffin. The book begins in the Garden of Eden, a place man for Adam and Eve and the book ends in the land where the people will be slaves.

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 13th

April 13th - Genesis 24-26; Psalm 9

Did you know that the chapters and verse numbers in Scripture are not original? Our present division of chapters was probably done by Stephen Langton around 1200ad. Verse numberings began around 1550. The first English Bible with OT and NT into verses was the Geneva version of 1560.
How would it change things for you if had a version of Scripture with no chapter or verse numbers?

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 12th

There are 27 New Testament Books broken down into the Gospels (Matthew through John), Acts of the Apostles (which is a historical work), Paul’s Letters to the Churches (Romans to 2 Thessalonians), Paul’s Letters to Individuals (1 Timothy to Philemon), Letter to the Hebrews (anonymous), General Letters (James to Jude), and Revelation (Apocalyptic Literature).

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 11th

There are 39 Old Testament books. The OT can be broken into the Law (also called Torah or Pentateuch) which is the first five books, then the History section (Joshua to Esther), the Wisdom section (Job to Son of Solomon), and the Prophets (Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and sometimes Daniel and the Minor Prophets are the rest).

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 9th

Genesis 15: God’s faithfulness. This is one of my favorite stories because it displays graphically the extent of God’s faithfulness. Abram continues to have his doubts, and why shouldn’t: he’s old and still has no direct heirs. God makes a covenant with Abram and becomes the one who guarantees the covenant. This was the way people made covenants then. The maker of the covenant walks through the bloody ditch to signify that “If I break my end of the agreement, you are free to do to me what has been done to these animals.” Does that affect your image of God? If so, how?

Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 8th

Genesis 12: God’s Call and Covenant. How extensive of a call was given by God to Abram? What exactly is God’s promise to Abram? Who will be the recipients (be careful with this one)?

Read Through the Bible in a Year

Day 4
How extensive of a call was given by God to Abram? What exactly is God’s promise to Abram? Who will be the recipients (be careful with this one)?

Read Through the Bible in a Year

Day 3
Did you know that the Bible is a collection of 66 books? In fact, the Bible means ‘book.’ It is essentially God’s book for its focus is essentially about how God has revealed Himself to His world. While Christians don’t believe its content was given exactly verbatim, we do believe Scripture to be inspired and authoritative for our lives. There is definitely a human element in Scripture as people continue to be surprised at how ‘real’ the Bible is in the stories of violence, rape, adultery, betrayal, and death. Yet we are very often overwhelmed at how divine it is in revealing God’s self-sacrificial, committed, and compassionate love for the world.


So why do we read the Bible? Not for trivia, but to listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives faithfully and obediently in the light of eternal truths.

Read Through the Bible in a Year

Day 2
How did the serpent twist God’s command (see 2:16)? Did Adam and Eve die? How was God’s grace shown to Adam and Eve’s disobedience? Did their punishment fit the crime?

Read Through the Bible in a Year

Day 1
Genesis 1-2. Genesis comes from the word meaning ‘beginnings.’ Here we have the origin of the cosmos and people are very important. In many of the religions surrounding the Israelites, their stories of origins (like the Enuma Elish) do not give people a place of prominence. People are often offspring of the gods. People are made to serve the gods. In the Genesis accounts we are made in the image of God. We are to have dominion over the earth. Also significantly, there are not gods of light and darkness, sun and moon, earth and sky. For our God has created even them! This would have served as a real slap in the face to the other religions of the day. It was a way of proclaiming – Our God Reigns!


Does that change how you read Genesis 1? If so how?