The Bible in 90 Days

January 20, 2008

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus! I am writing to ask for your participation in a blessed endeavor. Let me explain…

This past week, Kris Gonnella was playing with Kaiya in our apartment. It was the first time Lori and I overheard the two of them playing “House”. They were referring to each other as “Husband” and “Wife”. After Kayia called for her “Husband” several times, the two of them began to argue. This was when the curiosity meter began to peak for us. Listening closely, Lori and I waited to hear the outcome of this squabble. We were not concerned for the two of them because it was clear they were playing, but more importantly this argument was a potential reflection of what they see around the real house. As Kris was stomping around the room, Kaiya began to yell saying, “I can’t take this, I’m nursing the baby, I’ve got to wash the dishes, and I have to cook dinner!” Kris responded, “Fine! I have to go to work!” and quickly exited Kaiya’s room, briefcase in hand, which was really a pretend doctor’s kit from the Setyon’s.

Is this not a classic struggle for us all? The phrase, “There’s just not enough time in the day,” hangs over our heads. Sometimes, the numerous demands of our lives keep us from things that we, as the people of God, know and wish we could achieve.

A foundational (yet extremely difficult) duty to accomplish is regularly reading the Word of God. It is hard enough to live it out on a daily basis, but despite this difficulty, it is still necessary for all of us to become more familiar with the Scriptures. It is one of the primary means of defense against the evil one. The apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6)

How much time do you make to delve into Scripture? Although this sword looks nice on our bookshelf, does it end up just collecting dust? Does the training required to use this weapon slip to the bottom of the priority list far too often? Do you wish you had a better grasp on the sword, the story God so graciously revealed to us? Although Kaiya and Kris modeled that daily tasks are enough to fill a schedule, we should not let the pressure cooker of life take away from our devotion to this weapon used to fight against the devil’s schemes!

Here is where I am requesting your involvement. Over the next three months, “The Brooklyn Bridge” Covenant Group will attempt to read the whole Bible. That’s right, the entire Bible, cover to cover. Zondervan recently published a Bible program that allows readers to finish the Bible in just three months.*

I know, I know, I said those dreaded words, “reading program.” You have probably already dismissed the idea thinking that Bible programs never work. Please do not dismiss this so easily. Sounds like a lot at first, but this Bible makes it more than reasonable with a reading of only twelve pages per day. That is an average of about thirty to forty-five minutes of your time. The start date is January 27th and the finish date is April 30th, thus giving us six “fudge” days for any missed readings. Also, if you need a refresher of the previous week’s readings, feel free to stop by “The Brooklyn Bridge” Covenant Group (7:30pm-9:30pm at the Gonnella’s) where we will recap and have topical discussions.

Will we actually accomplish this feat? The answer is, you guessed, it depends. The more people that covenant to accomplish this, the more accountability, and the higher the chance of it being completed. The ideal would be for the whole church to give it a go. Are you up for the challenge? Are you ready to be better equipped with the sword? And to top it all off, what a more beautiful way to enter into the upcoming Lent season than to present an offering to our Lord of the regular reading of His Word!
Let me know if you will be a part of this endeavor and let us encourage one another!

In Him,
Nicholas
nicholaskozak@gmail.com

* copies of "The Bible in 90 Days" can be picked up at the parsonage for $12.00