Sample of a daily verse on the iCal calendar.
There are reasons Christians don’t read the Bible, and I’m going to blog about those in an upcoming post. But for those of you who have made a Bible-reading resolution you want to succeed at in 2011, I’m offering a free gift.
It’s an iCal calendar that will give you a Bible verse to read and think about every day.
If you’ve read my 2009 Time For God series, you might remember some of the tools I mentioned to help people stay on-plan once they commit to reading the Bible. This iCal calendar is a digital version of one of those tools—the “verse-of-the-day” track.
If you use iCal, download and import this calendar. You’ll get an alert every morning, and clicking on the event will open in it iCal, where you can read what God is saying to you that day. The verse is followed by a short thought and then a question to help you apply it.
There might be other calendar programs that an iCal calendar is compatible with, but I don’t know for sure. If you have successfully used an iCal calendar in Outlook, or on your iPhone/iPad, or on a Blackberry, would you let me know in the comments below?
If you’d like to try this iCal calendar, you can subscribe to it here. If you’d rather have the actual iCal calendar file, click the image to automatically download it. If you have other ways of keeping God’s Word in front of you throughout the day, share them in the comments below!
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Our church has a four-year Bible reading schedule. You read a chapter a day for six days (Sunday off) each week, and in four years you’ve read the whole Bible. To find out more, go to:
http://www.faithchurchonline.org/BibleScheduleInsights/tabid/136/Default.aspx
Hey, I think Living Springs is doing the same thing! We call it the Journey, and we started it two years ago, so we’re half-way through. One chapter per day is a nice, manageable commitment. The hard part is sticking with it for four years!
We just finished our first time through last year, and are doing it again (started Jan. 1). The secret is finding a time of day to do it. Our church also has a daily meditation you can receive via email, Facebook, etc.
Nice!
One of my 2011 Resolutions is to spend more time reading the Bible. I can’t wait to look into this and see how it can help me keep on track. Thanks Melanie!
Hey, good for you, Deana! You know, it might be worthwhile to buy an Apple computer just so you’ll be able to use the iCal verse-of-the-day calendar. Seriously, if you have an iPhone, will you try using the iCal calendar on it and let me know how it goes?
I’ve appreciated the schedule I found at http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com, a ministry of Tyndale Publishers. My original schedule called for daily readings in the OT history, Psalms, Proverbs, and NT. Recently, I modified this by splitting up the NT into daily readings from the Gospels and everything else. I was able to read the entire Bible in about 11 months during 2009-2010. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve been a happy domestic engineer for about 18 months, and I have ample time to read.
Bob Wille, how nice to hear from you! Thanks for sharing these ideas. I think Discipleship Journal also puts out a nice reading track similar to the one you’re describing. The main thing is to Just Do It!
Hi Mel,
Like the encouragement to read more faithfully. It has been a blessing for me to do so. I used a Gideon “Read through the Bible” guide for many years. Now I am using Bible Gateway and the reading plan they provide. Good for me because they keep track of which parts I have read and where I am in the program. My goal is to read it first, before I do any other computer work in the morning. Many days I get it in. I also like to read the Old Test. and New Test. parts in the same reading. Amazing connections between the parts when so read. Blessings on your reading in 2011. Shalom.
John, when you say Bible Gateway, do you mean BibleGateway.com, the online Bible reference site? I LOVE them!
Melanie, I will give it a try. Do you know if it will sync in with my regular Outlook calendar? Maybe you could sell an “App” for that!! :)
I will be in touch.
I really don’t know. You’re venturing into bold new technology territory, and I’m eager to hear the reports about what you find! A lot of apps are “cross-platform” now, but I haven’t heard directly from any firsthand Outlook/iCal users. You’ll be the first! O Pioneer!
Good morning Melanie!
I just imported the calendar into my Cozi calendar! I love it! Thanks for sharing!!
Cozi.com is a great place for a family calendar that can be shared with others. It is very user friendly. I have one set up for the Burnap family and am in the process of setting one up for my mom so that she knows which of her children is taking her places and when!
Have a blessed day!
Peggy
Hi Peggy! I’m so glad you posted a comment to let us know about Cozi.com! I have not heard of that calendar, but I’m thrilled to know it’s compatible with iCal calendars. What a great idea to use the Verse-of-the-Day calendar on your family calendar! That’s brilliant!
I love to read through the Bible each year, but most of the Read Through The Bible in One Year plans with set dated readings everyday don’t work for me. I have created my own Read-in-Any-Order, Monday-Friday, One Year Bible Reading Plan. I choose the order in which books are read. At the beginning of the month, I write the month and day in a space provided next to my selection(s) for that month. I omit all Saturday and Sunday dates. This month I am reading the Psalms. Next month? I’ll decide then. :) If anyone would like a blank copy of this plan, I would be happy to share it.
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