Foundations: Scripture // Bible Reading Plans for 2011

This Sunday we are going to be starting our series on "Foundations" with a look at the spiritual discipline of Scripture reading. 

Why read the whole Bible?
One of the great attributes of the Bible is that it tells a story.  Coming from a "church" background, I was surprised when I got to Boston University and discovered that several of my most well educated, secular college friends were not familiar with some of the most well-known Bible stories like Noah and Abraham.  I also found in church among my generation few attendees have actually read through the whole Bible.

To not have read the whole Bible and become familiar with it is similar to only reading a couple chapters in the middle of a large novel.  You don't know all the characters; you can't figure out the whole plot; and you could even get a totally confused about what the author is trying to communicate.

Bible Reading Plans
Therefore, it is important to read through the whole Bible.  To do that you will likely need a plan and a community.  There are 3 resources below that will help you plan for how to read through the Bible in 1 year.  My wife (Betsy) and I are going to be using the plan and resources that Journey Church in St. Louis has generously provided online (see option #2 below). 

I want to enourage everyone involved in Fenway Church to consider committing to do a plan together with others in our church; the accountability, encouragement and discussion that will come out of it will be valuable.  A building is only as strong as it's foundations - let's dig deep together this year!

1) 10 reading plans from the EVS Study Bible website (a study Bible I use): http://www.esv.org/resources/reading-plans-devotions/

*recommended*
2)  This plan was developed by Journey Church (an Acts 29 church in St. Louis).  It involves reading only 3 chapters (1 NT, 2 OT) a day with an an off day every 4 days.  If you are like me, the off day is key for catching up or reflecting on what you have red.  To make this plan possible, they pull out 12 of the more confusing and dense books of the Bible and provide video snapshots that provide a background for the book and then encourage you to speed read them in one sitting to catch the main ideas of the book. Here are the links:

Vision and explanation of plan includuing guidelines for how to read the Bible effectively and an introduction to the Bible's mega-narrative (I highly recommend reading through this .pdf it is a rich resource!)
http://journeyon.net/sites/default/files/attachements/blog/BibleReadingPlan.pdf

Introductory and Snapshot videos to each book of the Bible.  (I watched two and they were great, hoping the rest will have similar quality and content)
http://journeyon.net/media/engage-scripture

3) A pair of bookmarks that let you check off days and leave buffer days for each month. It more typical of traditional Bible plans in that it has you read from 4 different parts of the Bible each day. http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/15074%20BRP.dj.pdf

Thoughts for the FenFam as we head into 2011

To my Fenway Church Family (#fenfam on twitter),

I love the start of a new season.  I think God wired me that way.  I love the anticipation of Opening Day, the preparation for the start of new YMCA basketball league season where everyone starts at 0-0 and no matter how bad your teams was last year you have a shot at the championship this year. 

I love looking at a blank canvass and dreaming about what could be painted on it (although I have no skill in painting - I can DREAM up a killer picture in my mind).

And, I love church planting because God takes a small group of messed up people and creates something with their shared lives that impacts not only the world but eternity.  He takes our past seasons and our unknown futures, and He creates a masterpiece.

So as we begin 2011, I am excited.  It's a new year, and many people are considering changes that they want to make to their lives.  Some of us have had time to relax and reflect over Christmas. As I did yesterday I was driving back from western Pennsylvania... 

I was considering the New Year, what ideas needed to come through in the preaching series, ways our church could grow and work together more this year... and God directed my thoughts from all my plans, desires, and dreams to past New Year's Eves and how every year for the last 10+ years when I've looked back at the year that is ending and thought about the year that is begining I've had the same thought:
I wish I had prayed and shared my faith more last year.  I want to pray and share my faith more this year.

To me if you read the New Testament and you read what Jesus said and watch how he and his disciples lived, if you forget about church structures and strageties and leadership gatherings, if you step a side from the discussion of how the band sounded and how long the message went, if you just read the gospels and the book of Acts, you can't really escape this message that comes pulsating through.  Life is about knowing Jesus and loving others. 

The main way I get to know Jesus is through prayer.  Prayer the way Jesus taught it - closing the door to everything on the outside, being alone with him and his Word (the Bible), and opening up our hearts, minds, and mouths to him.  And prayer the way the disciples did it - gathering daily to seek God together and experiencing his power corporately.

The way I love others is by sharing Jesus with them.  Jesus said, "What does it gain a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul." (Mark 8:36)  We can be people's best friends, we can be servants of the poor but if we enable others through our love and companionship to gain things here on earth but we never introduce them to Jesus we have done them a great disservice - they will forfeit their souls. 

So for another year in a row, I am setting my heart on Jesus.  I want to follow him to the place of prayer, and I want to share him with those God places around me.

In January at Fenway Church, we are going to be talking about Foundations - the practices of scripture reading, being filled with the Holy Spirit, working in team, and confessing our sin that root us in the our foundation stone, Jesus. What I've discovered is that these practices drive me to prayer and witness.  My prayer for our church this year is that as we discover Jesus together we would gain an even greater capacity to pray with him and love like him in 2011.

Grace and peace to all God's adopted kids at Fenway Church and to those who don't know they've been adopted yet may you come to know the Father this year...

David W.

Metro - Music venue ‘Church’ is also rocking Jesus

Metro - Music venue ‘Church’ is also rocking Jesus

Check out this article about our church by Justin A. Rice that landed on the front page of the Metro Boston on December 20, 2010.  Great publicity and positive article!  Great job by Justin and the Metro.