I am so pleased that you are joining us on our journey through the Bible over the next year and a half. This week I will take a little bit of time to explain our reading plan options and how they work alongside things such as Sunday preaching, Life Groups, and our Daily Devotional. Once introductions are made, our weekly Sunday email will simply list the scripture readings for each of the four reading tracks.

As we have said our objectives for this teaching series are to: know the Scriptures, see the glory of Christ through the Scriptures, and delight in the Lord. Toward this end, may I suggest a framework I have found helpful in my own Bible reading and study. When going through a passage please have these things in mind:

In His Word, God has:

  • Something to see – what does the text say
  • Something to understand – what does it mean
  • Something to apply – what does it mean to me
  • Something to praise – for what are you thankful

This kind of framework may be new to you, but if you give yourself to it you will find it can revolutionize your Bible reading. Our Life Groups will be following this kind of approach for some of their discussion time. 

The four reading tracks are as follows:

(1) Through the Bible

To cover each book and chapter we will read about 2 chapters per day for 6 days each week, leaving one day for supplemental or “catch up” reading. This reading pace will only approximate the preaching schedule. I recommend you connect with the short daily devotional as well to reinforce our Sunday theme.

(2) Key Passages

Each week I will select passages that reinforce the key Sunday theme. The total reading requirement would be about 2 chapters per week. For those who have not had a habit of regular bible reading, or for our adolescents, this is a great place to start. It will help you follow along on Sunday mornings, and grow your understanding and love of God’s Word.

(3) Key Verses

For our early readers, I am selecting one verse per day that over the week will help solidify the big idea from the Sunday service.

(4) Pre-readers

Our infants and toddlers are not too young to hear and learn God’s Word! Each week we will send out a short devotional just for them with one or two verses to learn. At their level they will learn the same beautiful truths the rest of the church is learning week by week.

If you are asking, “how does the Daily Devotional fit into all this?”, thanks for bringing it up. It is not really meant as a stand-alone devotional, but rather something to come alongside your reading plan and our Sunday ministry. Each Sunday’s theme will be the focus of the week’s devotional study. Each day, by e-mail or our Facebook page you will receive a single verse and a short reflection. Unlike the reading plans, the verses will come from various parts of the Bible outside of the current preaching book. This will help us make our Christ connections and grow in our devotional delight!  For example, this Sunday’s theme is “life”, and the week’s devotional theme is “God gives life”.

As always, please connect with me if you have any questions!

Much love,

Pastor Gary

This week’s Bible reading plans:

(1) Through the Bible

In general, for our plan, we will read through the Bible in canonical order (each book in sequence starting in Genesis). This week is a little different as I am including Pastor Andrew’s preaching text from the series introduction and then inviting you to read the first three chapters and the last three chapters of the bible, before picking up from Genesis again.  After the day 3 reading, compare and contrast the first three and last three chapters of the Bible. This little exercise will help you to see how God wrote an amazing singular story from beginning to end! I may help out a little bit with this exercise on the day 3 devotional, but I encourage you to give it a go!  

Day 1: Luke 24:13-35; Genesis 1-2Day 4: Gen 4-
Day 2: Gen 3; Revelation 20Day 5: Gen 6-8
Day 3: Rev 21-22Day 6: Gen 9-10

(2) Key Passages

Day 1: Luke 24:13-35Day 4: Gen 2:1-9
Day 2: Genesis 1:1-19Day 5: Gen 2:10-17
Day 3: Gen 1:20-31Day 6: Gen 2:18-25

(3) Key Verses

Day 1: Luke 24:27Day 4: Gen 2:1-9
Day 2: Lk 24:32Day 5: Gen 2:7
Day 3: Genesis 1:1Day 6: Gen 2:9

(4) Pre-readers (in the translation of your choice, quoted below from the NLT

Gen 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Gen 1:26a

Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.’”