Read The Bible In A Year

Here's an interesting post from the Logos Blog. It includes a link to some handy software that can help guide you through your Bible reading. I like this sort of plan with one caveat; the goal must be to get closer to God and not to "get through" the Bible.

Reading the Bible in 2009
While I don’t typically write out a list of new years resolutions, I do usually take some time around the new year to think about things I would put on a list if I were to write one. On my mental list I usually include things like:

Be a better husband and father
Sleep less (I love sleep)
Increase financial giving
Go to the gym
Pray more
And, of course, read the Bible in a year
I’ll admit, many new years have come and gone with that last item going undone. Like many of you, I start off the new year strong. I have my Bible reading plan all laid out and ready to go. Then, somewhere in the year, something goes wrong and my plan falls to the side.

This year, I’m going to try something new and use Global Bible Reader. This free download from Logos is a powerful desktop application that provides community and accountability in a Bible reading plan.

Once you install Global Bible Reader you sign in with your free Logos.com user account, you can register here, and choose from one of the six reading plan. After you chose a plan (or multiple plans) Global Bible Reader will download six days worth of reading (so you can even read when you’re not online). After you finish the reading for a day, click the Done Reading button and Global Bible Reader will mark the day as completed. In order to make sure you don’t fall behind, you can set up Global Bible Reader to give you a daily reminder to read the day's text.

More than just reading yourself, Global Bible Reader plugs you into a community of people who are on the same reading plan as you. A globe in the application spins around showing you where all the other readers are located around the world. Not only that, Global Bible Reader allows you to post comments. You can use this feature to leave comments about the day’s readings or to encourage your fellow readers. Also, since you’re your Global Bible Reader is linked in to your Logos.com user account, you can update your profile picture and location and they will be imported into Global Bible Reader.

One of the only limitation to Global Bible reader, until now, was that it was tied to the computer where you install it. That problem was remedied today as we have now integrated Global Bible Reader into Bible.Logos.com! That means you can now keep up to date with your reading even when you are away from your main computer. Simply go to Bible.Logos.com, sign in, and click the Reading Plan. You’ll see links to the day’s readings and a button to click once you’re done reading. Since Global Bible Reader and Bible.Logos.com are connected, clicking Done Reading in either location will mark the section read in the other.

Join me this year and read through the Bible with Global Bible Reader and Bible.Logos.com. Having a community and accountability might be just the thing I (we) need to stick with it this year!