The Space Between My Peers

Here we are at the end of the ‘everything year’:  the school year is nearly over, which coincides with the ministry year and most regularly scheduled activities.  In a return to what has been an often-repeated topic here, I pose a series of questions:

1. How do you meet your need for regeneration?  (Social interaction, sleep, time alone, a new goal, or perhaps creative activity or outdoor recreation?)
2. How much social interaction do you need? 
3. How do you manage to get your social needs met in the summer when everything is on break?

Although this has nothing to do with social, it does have to do with summer:  I am very excited to begin Professor Horner’s Bible-Reading Program, which I learned about from a MOPS friend who had Professor Horner for English, I believe, at The Master’s College.  From the facebook group page:

* PROFESSOR GRANT HORNER’S ‘TEN LISTS BIBLE READING SYSTEM’*

Each day you will read one chapter from each list, in order. THAT’S RIGHT — *TEN CHAPTERS PER DAY*!!! Use ten bookmarks or sticky notes with the individual lists on them to keep track of your locations. (LOOK BELOW at the Wall for several posts on Feb 1 2009 and you will find links to handy bookmarks made by users.) On day one, you read Matthew 1, Genesis 1, Romans 1, and so forth. On day 2, read Matthew 2, Genesis 2, etc. On day 29, you will have just finished Matthew, so go to Mark 1 on the Gospel list; you’ll also be almost to the end of 2nd Corinthians and Proverbs, you’ll be reading Psalm 29 and Genesis 29, and so forth. When you reach the last chapter of the last book in a list – start over again. Rotate all the way through all the Scriptures constantly. Since the lists vary in length, the readings begin interweaving in constantly changing ways. You will NEVER read the same set of ten chapters together again! Every year you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the OT wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the OT History and prophetic books about 1 ½ times. Since the interweaving is constantly changing, you will experience the Bible commenting *on itself* in constantly changing ways — the Reformer’s principle of ’scriptura interpretans scripturam’ — ’scripture interpreting scripture’ IN ACTION!

After you’ve read any particular book once or twice, your speed in that book usually *doubles or triples* because you’re familiar with it and can move quickly and confidently — because you are no longer merely decoding the text but thinking it through in the context of all of the scripture! Acts 20:27. Even an ‘average’ reader, if focusing on moving through the text, rather than trying to figure everything out, can usually do this in about an hour a day – 5-6 minutes per chapter. If it is taking you longer, then you are ‘reading wrong’ – stay relaxed, focus, and just keep it moving. Moderate but consistent speed is the key. This is “gross anatomy” — looking at the whole body; you’re *not* closely studying organs or systems or tissues or cells — it is *not* microbiology. BUT
– microbiology and the study or organs makes more sense when you know what the *whole* structure of the human body is like, and how all the parts, large and small, relate in perfect interdependence. After just a few days the reading gets *much* easier; in a month it will be a habit, and in six months you’ll wonder how you ever survived before on such a slim diet of the WORD. And then — you’ll tell others to start the system!

Whether or not you believe the Bible is God’s Word, you are not fully educated unless you have read it for yourself.  I invite you to join me in reading the Bible through this summer.

Now, back to summer social survival.  I’ll let you in on a well-kept secret:  they don’t check ages for taking senior classes.  All this time, I’ve been waiting to turn 50 or whatever, so I could take affordable, day-time classes.  This year, I believe I’ll try taking an art class. 

And hopefully I’ll be back to blogging a little more consistently as well. 

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