My ambitious Bible reading plan for 2014 has hit a few bumps in the road. Tiredness, idleness, busyness & illness have all played a part. But I’m persevering. Today I managed a full ten chapters in a single bite for the first time in a couple of weeks. And then I noticed that the ends of the ribbon bookmark I made for myself had started to fray at the ends. Rather like me really.
So I applied some Copydex. A spot of glue can stop everything unravelling. A bit like sticking with the Bible reading.
Glued ribbons. A happy solution.
The Vicar's Wife 
Mine is obviously getting less use, since the ribbons have stayed happily intact! But I am reading most days, honest.
Hello from Virginia. I’m an Episcopalian (most people with deep roots in Virginia are), and I read the entire Bible last year using a plan called the Bible Challenge. (Here’s the link. http://thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org/what-is-the-bible-challenge/) It wasn’t difficult despite my work, and I looked forward to it. So much of the Old Testament wasn’t covered in Sunday school or weekly services that I was amazed to find the earth swallowing a tribe of Israel or mention of dragons and cucumbers. Coming across familiar passages was like bumping into an old friend.
With the Bible Challenge, each night you read from the Old Testament, then a Psalm, and then from the New Testament. I’m not certain why they planned it that way, but after reading the detailed instructions for suitable offerings of all kinds, Jesus’ words in Mark 15:11 become a sign of a stunningly new world.
Good luck with your plan, and with Gone. My little city has a residence called Safe Haven for people who will never be able to leave the streets. It’s small, but there are successes. The poor fellow who used to collect garbage and adorn himself with it is now on his medication and living there. I see him walking around the city and the difference in his demeanor is astonishing. Another young woman who used to stand in doorways holding conversations with the unseen also found a home and medical help there. The city pays for everything, but the cuts that are part of the Obamacare program may put an end to all the help that can be given.
I love the image of you bringing your “messiness” to the Bible. We are in good company there, along with the many messy people who went before us. I love reading their stories and seeing how God interacted with them in the mess of their lives. Glue on!