Reading the Bible in a Year

Well, this year I am going to try it again. I have tried numerous times to read the Bible through in a year. Sometimes I start in the middle of a year, sometimes at the beginning, sometimes in the middle of a plan and try to finish (which I actually did better at than starting at the beginning of one and going all the way through). All that said, I don't really know that I've actually made it all the way through the Bible in a whole year. I have read all parts of the Bible, some part much more than others, but doing it in a year has always been a struggle. I get bogged down usually in Job or in the prophets.

So again, all that said, I am trying something new this year. Usually, I pick a plan that takes the reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, or while reading the OT and NT together. However, I came across a plan that has no order to it. You read one book in the OT and one in the NT together but it is really random. Also, I read an article by Noel Piper who explained how she had read through the Bible in that year. She too, of all people!, had trouble getting through the way most plans propose. She picked what she wanted to read next and read it and made it through in a year.

I didn't really want to do the plan that I found. I think I like to make things hard for myself. So, I figured out how many chapters there are in the OT and NT and then decided how to divide those up during the year. Here is what I came up with.

I read one New Testament chapter 5 days a week. I think with this you have time left over at the end of the year to catch up if needed, plus you have 2 days each week to catch up.

I also read 2 or 3 Old Testament chapters 6 days a week, excluding Psalms and Proverbs. Again, I think you finish before the end of year. During the week at breakfast or lunch I try to read a Psalm or a few verses from Proverbs with the boys out of a Reader's Version Bible.

I started out with Hebrews in the New Testament and am now in Revelation. I think I will do a gospel next, maybe John, since he also wrote Revelation. I started the Old Testament with Hosea and have continued on through the minor prophets because these are the ones I've read the least. I've missed a few days but I've been able to catch up for the most part. I haven't yet decided what to read next in the OT. I may read Job.

How do I keep up with it? I write out what I want to read next in my pocket calendar. That way, I just open the calendar and it tells me what to read that day and if I get behind I also have it recorded and know where I should be and what I need to read to catch up. I didn't write it down this way at the beginning and I got a little lost so I came up with this idea. So far it has worked great.

So I just wanted to share this with you in case you are like me and find it difficult to do a plan the conventional way but still desire to really read through the Bible in a year. However, wouldn't necessarily recommend this if you are not familiar with the layout, flow and history through the Bible. Hope it is helpful!