RTTB -- with me?

It's January. Time to live up to the commitment I made myself sometime last year: In 2012, I will read through the Bible.

If you're reading this, I invite you to join me.

This is not a new commitment for me. I've actually read through the Bible in one year at least eight other times. I like to do it every couple of years. It's a great way to start the day; a nice basis for prayer and devotions. And I love me some Bible reading.

The key to reading through the Bible in one year is to read about three chapters per day. I usually try to read twice that much, about six chapters, Monday through Friday. I usually spend Saturday and Sunday morning working on my Sunday School lesson, and there are always a few days each month when I just don't manage my early-morning devotional time.

There are lots of guides or plans for reading the Bible in one year. Google it. Most of my read-through-the-Bible (henceforth RTTB) has been in the NIV Study Bible. This version provides plenty of explanation and other information to answer most questions and raise some new ones. I have also used a "Walk Through The Bible" version that presents a daily passage, a bit of commentary on the day's passage, a devotional thought and a Psalm. Once or twice I read through an NIV version that presented daily  readings from both the New Testament and the Old Testament.

If this actually were the first time for me to RTTB, I'd read in the order the books are presented, or perhaps using a chronological arrangement that presents the books in the order of the historical events. I would recommend that for any first-time RTTB readers. It's important to understand the progress and historic sweep of the unfolding of God's revelation.

But since I'm pretty familiar with the history of Israel and the various books of the Bible, I like to mix things up a bit. It's a good way to spot things I've never noticed or thought about before.

Two years ago, I read through the books  in reverse order--starting at Revelation and ending at Genesis.

This year, I'm going to read through in alphabetical order--starting at Acts, ending at Zephaniah.

I was flummoxed for a while when I thought about all those books with numbers in the titles: 1 Samuel, 2 Peter, and so on. Should I do all the numbered ones first? Last? Should I follow my husband's suggestion of reading them between Ezra and Galatians (First Chronicles, First Corinthians, etc.) and between Ruth and Song of Songs (Second Chronicles, and so on)?

I decided to just read them as if they don't have numbers: So I'll start Chronicles (First and Second) in a week or two, right after Acts and Amos.

The other part of my commitment to myself is to "blog" about the readings. This IS new for me. I'm hereby challenging myself to write at least once a week, if not more often. I give myself permission to write freely as my thoughts move me. Sometimes I expect I'll make close observations on the text; other times, I expect I'll express some other thoughts that arise from the readings.

I hope that someone out there might find this and be inspired to RTTB. Or just to read parts of the Bible (RPOTB?) If YOU do, let me know.

"Blessed is the one who reads and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:3