Make 2020 The Best Year Ever!

I just finished reading the Bible in a year plan for 2019. Boring? I feared it might be when I started doing these in 2014, and that kept me out of God’s Word for a long time beforehand. Turns out Scripture not only has a lot of adventure, but wisdom and above all, insight into the heart of One who loves an imperfect you and me.

I just didn’t get it how people other than Monks would read God’s Word. I loved God and loved hearing the occasional encouraging Verse. But, reading God’s Word? Yeah, it’s life-changing. After a couple weeks, I found I looked forward to getting into Scripture. Weird right? It’s like entering a gold mine and finding the yellow stuff regularly. Who wouldn’t keep going back? That’s why I started this blog — I wanted to highlight the things that stand out as I go through God’s Word. I also wanted to make it interactive with the comments so you can share what stood out to you.

15 minutes a day in God’s Word will undoubtedly change 2020 and ultimately your whole life.

I like to have a good plan in place because it keeps me accountable and shows me the pace I should be reading to completely read the Bible in 52 weeks. Plus, it’s bite-sized. Each day is a reading of as little as 15 minutes of reading, but some days as long as 35 minutes. That’s my 5-day week reading program that I chose. There are also great 7-day week reading programs that are easily completed within just 15 minutes.

What’s cool is most plans will serve up Old and New Testament readings and usually a Psalm as well. With this mix, it helps see the continuity of God’s Word and tie together His plan of redemption from beginning to end.

In the sidebar are a few plans I recommend. Bottomline, here at the first of the year, this is a great way to get your faith back on track. Will 2020 be perfect and all a smooth path? Of course not. But, it’s amazingly comforting to know you’re taking the journey with God as a part of it. He’s got your back and always there — to thank, to ask, to confess, to love. There’s very little you can do within 15 – 30 minutes a day that will impact your life like this will. Promise.

Have a plan you’d recommend? I’d love to hear it — just use the comments below!

How would you like to win a Bible for 2020?

LifeWay sent me the Tony Evans Study Bible to review. Sadly, as I’m writing this, I learned that Tony lost his wife to cancer. Yesterday morning, Tony said, “Just before the sun came up this morning, the love of my life, Lois Irene Evans, transitioned from earth and watched her first sunrise from heaven.”

You’re likely familiar with Tony Evans or at least heard his name. He’s is one of our country’s most beloved pastors. He’s funny, but his message is usually poignant and get right to the heart of the matter. This study Bible is no different. I appreciated the thought and amount of work that must have gone into putting this together.

Here are my thoughts:

• Each page is crammed-packed with study tips and tools.
• Pages feature QR codes throughout you can use your smartphone camera to jump to a video lesson or devotional.
• Questions and answers help in key moments throughout.
• After reading, chances are there’s a deeper look in the notes at the bottom of the page.
• Kingdom Living devotionals are interspersed throughout to bring the Scripture you’re reading to current life.
• Truly inspirational, page-long devotionals are found frequently that again, make the passage you’re reading relevant to today’s faith journey.
• CSB translation.
• Literally the last half inch of the Bible are packed with charts, definitions, etc. — pages geared to help equip you as you discover God.
• And yes, there’s a plan in the back that shows you passages for reading each day to complete the Bible in one year. This plan has you going from Genesis straight through to Revelation. It’s a great plan with bite-sized readings each day. But, if this is your first time through God’s Word, you might find some books tough to read straight through. If that’s the case, you might use one of the readings in the sidebar that mix Old and New Testament each day. Note: in future times through, you might find those slower passages more relevant because now you know more about God’s heart, purpose and character
• Plus, many, many more features throughout that make this a great resource to get the most out of your Bible reading.

Enter below for your chance to win your Tony Evans Study Bible!