Earlier this week i was playing around with Google Reader – deleting a few blogs and adding a couple of new ones. For the last 3-4 years i have subscribed to a variety of websites and blogs through GR and it is without a doubt the best way to get the content you want.
If you’re like me then no doubt you visit the same sites each week, perhaps even each day. With GR the content that is on those sites come to one place and immediately after it’s posted. GR is then an efficient way of reading the articles and posts that i find interesting. It also means i don’t have to go searching for what i want, i can decide whether or not to read the content straight away, leave it for later or not even read it at all.
If you look at a number of sites each day or week then i’d recommend getting on GR. There’s just no other way.
If you’d like to subscribe to this blog then put joncoombs.com/feed in the search box over at GR. Alternatively, sign up via email on the right hand side of this page.
The other day i was talking with one of my youth leaders about Bible reading plans for the coming year. I gave a few suggestions but thought that it was probably time i decided on one too. I’m not sure how you’ve done this year with reading the Bible – i’ve battled – but perhaps it’s time to begin thinking about it so that the first reading can actually be on Jan 1st.
So, here is a list of plans that may suit your needs and wants. Reading the whole Bible once throughout the year should be the minimum i think for any believer. It’s a matter of discipline and commitment in sticking to it and a great sense of accomplishment if you’ve ever done it even once. There are a variety of plans out there – for those who like to meditate on passages, for those who like to just read and read, for those who want to work through slower etc. In the end you probably don’t need a plan, after all it only takes reading 4 chapters per day to get through the Bible in a year. However, a plan will help guide you where to next and give you a system for reading – there’s nothing like putting a line through what you’ve done either.
The crew at ESV have a selection of 13 different plans - They are excellent and will suit a variety of needs. I would particularly highlight the Chronological Plan, McCheyne’s Plan, and the simple Bible Reading Plan.
I’ve come across the Horner Plan – this requires a big effort but will no doubt result in massive gains. This is 10 chapters p/day that gets you through the Bible pretty much twice with a few books up to 5-6 times in the year. Challies has a good description of the plan here.
Justin Taylor has a heap of them listed from a post 12 months ago. They are mainly through the ESV site but also a few extra thoughts about Bible reading. See here.