So I'm doing the Bible in 90 Days challenge. Hence the reason my blog is so neglected - every spare moment of my day is now spent reading the Bible instead of rambling about my not-very-exciting life.
I'm nearing the end of 2 Samuel right now, one day ahead of schedule. It averages out to be 12-13 chapters each day, an hour to an hour and a half of reading. That can be pretty rough some days, when I'm already trying desperately to keep up with schooling two kids, preserving the garden harvest, and keeping the house presentable. Most nights I look forward to the reading. Tonight I was so exhausted I didn't even want to pick up my Bible, but I managed.
Reading it this way is so different from any Bible reading I've done before. It's fast - there isn't time for cross-referencing and deep consideration of the meaning behind specific stories or verses. It's just reading for the face value, for the story that develops. I've never considered the Bible to be a sort of novel before, but that's how this approach makes it feel, and it's really quite fascinating. I'm finally able to really register whose son is whose, and you get to know the "characters" of the story in a different sort of way. It also paints a disturbing picture of just what life was like back in the early days of civilization, what little regard they had for life (especially female life) and how harsh the lives they lived really were. We're all just a bunch of sissies now, aren't we?
Deuteronomy dragged on painfully. Actually, about half-way through Exodus to the end of Numbers were all equally boring and took significant will power to finish. It seemed that in one chapter, God told Moses "blah blah blah blah rules", and then the whole next chapter was Moses repeating it verbatim to the people. The Torah could have been cut down by half if he could have just written, "And Moses told the people of Israel what God said." But apparently he didn't think that would be effective. I suppose we do learn by repetition, don't we?
Joshua got to be more interesting, until I got sick of reading about conquest after conquest. Ruth is always a pleasant read - I enjoy the love story there. I do enjoy the parts of Samuel that are about Samuel, but once it gets into Saul and David and all the fighting, my eyes glaze over and I have to really work to read. I've never been one to enjoy reading about fighting and war, and this is page after page of tiny print all about... fighting and war.
I realize most Bible in 90 Days bloggers write daily or at least weekly about their reading... honestly, I'm wondering where they find the time. I'll update here and there, but mostly I'll just be frantically trying to finish one more chapter before I move on to folding more laundry or correcting a math worksheet or canning more tomatoes.
I'd love to hear from anyone who's successfully completed this challenge, or who is working on it - I can use all the support I can get!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Julie! I'm one who has completed the Bible in 90 Days challenge... and I also host it on my blog twice a year, inviting hundreds of readers to join me. :)
You are welcome to click by and join in our conversation anytime. :)
Your post is perfect at describing the adventure. And, I think you are wise to focus on the reading and not worry so much about blogging your way through it. The first time I read it I loved it, but the reading was challenge enough.
Stick to it.. You've got some easy reading ahead and, unfortunately, some not so easy reading, too. But just wait until you hit the New Testament. You will be blown away at how you will read it with new eyes.
I'm so proud of you for making your way through. Keep it up!
I would imagine doing it in 90 days would be a great experience.
Post a Comment