Category: Blogging

Get Your Daily e-Bible Reading Plan

~ Bob Hayton ~ 10 Comments

It’s that time of year again. Time to choose your next daily Bible reading plan. But with more and more people turning to e-Bibles on their smart phones or other portable devices, the traditional bookmark style, Bible reading plan’s days may be numbered.

Thankfully, for today’s Bible geeks (a term used for the tech-savvy, Bible aficionado) plenty of digital options are available when it comes to tracking and promoting Bible reading. I have found that having some plan and some tool to track my reading, is a very practical way to encourage me to continue to make Bible reading a priority. I don’t think we have to be slavishly beholden to a Bible reading plan, and not everyone is equally able to read the Bible through in a year. But reading the Bible is one of the best ways to encounter Jesus. So why not do all we can to read as much of the Bible as possible this year?

What follows is a list of some of the e-Bible reading options available. Please jump in and share any tools you are finding helpful that aren’t included here.

YouVersion

YouVersion is a site that uses the appeal of social media to encourage interaction with the Bible. The site lets users submit notes on the Bible, and share Bible verses easily through various social media channels, particularly Twitter and Facebook. The site has a long list of Bible reading plans. I’m interested in trying the Historical plan which goes through the OT according to the order of books in the Hebrew Bible, then goes through the NT books in the order that most scholars believe they were written in.

Youversion lets you track your progress online, or through your mobile phone (or even via RSS). You can share your progress with your social media networks, letting your friends know as you complete each day’s reading plan. This encourages others to be reading the Bible and allows something like Facebook to provide some accountability even, as your friends can see whether or not you are staying current with your reading plan.

Bible Gateway

Bible Gateway seems to be the most popular site for looking up Bible verses online. The site has several Bible reading plans that work with the various versions the site includes. If you’re interested in reading through the new updated NIV 2011 translation, this site is for you. There are also a few additional reading plans somewhat buried in the site. An interesting one is the biographical reading plan focusing on key Bible characters. For a couple plans you can even sign up for email updates with the days’ reading included via email (currently only available for the NIV or KJV).

ESV Online

My version of choice is the ESV, and I love the ESV Study Bible. Now the ESV Online incorporates the Study Bible notes and also includes two different versions of the complete Bible in audio format, easily accessible right from the viewing page. I enjoy reading along as I hear the audio version playing. The ESV Online lets you add your own notes and highlight passages in various colors, too. I just wish the History of Salvation in the OT article was referenced in the SB notes for each OT passage it covers, however.

The ESV Online has several reading plans as well as some devotionals. The Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional seems quite unique, and might be great for family devotions. It’s a classic that I had never heard of.

Bible.Org

Bible.org offers five different reading plans which launch in the new beta version of a Net Bible reader. The Net Bible notes are some of the most comprehensive available, and great for studying. What’s nice about the beta Net Bible reader is that you can instantly see the Hebrew or Greek for the passage and relevant articles from Bible.org regarding that passage. You also have the option of adding your own notes to share with other readers (or store for personal reference). It also includes an audio version of the Bible (but probably not for Greek or Hebrew!).

Olive Tree Bible Software

You may already be an Olive Tree junkie. Olive Tree Bible Software has carved out a niche in the mobile devices market, offering arguably the best Bible software for smart phones and other portable devices. A few reading plans are available for free Olive Tree, as well as additional devotional books.

Blue Letter Bible

You might not be into the whole e-Bible thing, however. You might just want the old-fashioned, tried and true, bookmark Bible reading plan. Don’t despair. Blue Letter Bible can help. They have a wide selection of Bible reading plans available as .pdf downloads, which can then be printed on actual paper and kept as a bookmark in your very own, leather-bound Bible! Chronological, historical, canonical and blended plans are available, as is a 2 year plan to read through the Bible at a slower pace.

Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plans

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention what may be the most popular Bible reading plan around, the Discipleship Journal reading plan from NavPress. This popular plan lets you read through the Bible in four different locations. One reading starts in Genesis, another in Psalms, another in Matthew, and the last one in Acts. It ensures variety and keeps one from being bogged down in the genealogies or Tabernacle details too much. Plus it only has readings for the first 25 days of the month, allowing for extra study, for those who stay on track, or for catch up days, for those who need the extra help (and motivation to stay on the plan). You can see a sample of the plan here (in .PDF), or you can order 25 copies of the plan (in good old bookmark format) from NavPress, and pass the others out at your church. There is also a Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Journal available to complement this plan.

DJ also has a book-at-a-time reading plan (preview here) which provides variety by having two reading tracks and alternating between Old and New Testament books. A simpler plan for those newer to Bible reading is also available (preview here). It covers the New Testament by having 5 minute readings, 5 days a week.

The Biblioblog Top 50

~ Bob Hayton ~ 5 Comments

Breaking news! I just cracked the Biblioblog Top 50! I debuted on the list at #25. If you want to join the Biblioblog list, and if your blog deals with biblical studies, you should leave a comment on the post linked above, and ask to be added to the list. You have to be sure your site is indexed by Alexa too.

My goal now is to catch my fellow blogger, Jason Skipper, who’s at #15. Our new group blog, Re:Fundamentals made the list, too.

Calvin, Coffee & Blogging

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Blogging has been a tad slow lately. I’m spread out over several blogging ventures now. Re:Fundamentals.org, KJVOnlyDebate.com, and CrossFocusedReviews.com all need tweaking. I thought I’d share a post about a great new blogroll I recently joined. If you aren’t connected to fundamentalism or don’t want to join the Reforming Fundamentalist blog network I created, this blogroll might be more up your alley. Regardless the blogs on the network would make for great additions to your RSS reader.

Shane Vander Hart of Caffeinated Thoughts, started this blogroll. If you like Calvin, Coffee and Blogging, it might be just right for you! Click the image below to learn more.



Aspiring PolyMathis

By Grace Alone

Caffeinated Thoughts

Calvinistic Cartoons

Chris Ashton

Daily On My Way To Heaven

Deek Dubberly

Early Christian America

Fundamentally Reformed

Heavenly Springs

Orange County Calvinist

Journal from the Street

Justification by Grace

Random Thoughts From A Cluttered Mind

Reformed Women

Remissioned

Romans 11:36

Shane Waldrop

Taylormatthews

The Bible Christian

The Hafts

The Old Dead Guys

Theology for Girls

Theology Girl

Theology Girls

The Purple Sparrow

The Reformed Traveler

who am i?

Introducing The Reforming Fundamentalists Blog Network

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Cross-posted from the group blog, Re-Fundamentals.org. This represents the latest version of what I started a long time ago with the Fundamental Reformers blogroll.

We now have The Reforming Fundamentalists Blog Network up and running. Past members of Transformed by Grace and fellow contributors of Re:Fundamentals.org were included as members of the network. Anyone interested in joining can visit the network page here on this site.

Please note, if you are listed as a member of the network, we would still ask that you please take the time to add the blog network to your blog sidebar.

The following is from the description of the blog network.

The Reforming Fundamentalists Blog Network is a listing of blogs maintained by people connected to the independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement. The IFB movement is widespread and includes a vast assortment of various fundamentalist camps. Most of these could do with some reformation. Some of the problems members of the network are standing against include: man-centered pragmatism; domineering leadership; emotionally-high, doctrinally-shallow preaching; rules-based, performance-oriented sanctification; and a lack of charitableness to other Christian groups.

Members of the network are at various stages in their journey with the Lord. Some work for change from within the IFB movement. Others view themselves as historic fundamentalists who embrace the fundamentals of the faith but not necessarily the fightin’ fundy mindset.

These blogs should all have some content devoted to the fundamentalist problem, but by no stretch do we think that members must all be crusader-blogs. This blog network is intended to spread the word about the new movement of young fundamentalists who care about the Bible and want to right the fundamentalist ship. The network is also about getting to know one another and sharing our common experiences. Often seeing what someone else went through and how similar it was to your own experience, can have a healing affect. It can also sharpen our thinking.

My hope is that continued interaction among the members of the network will help us realize Eph. 4:13-15: “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…. (ESV)”

Tim Challies on Piper & Warren: Responding with Grace

~ Bob Hayton

Last week, I posted my response to John Piper’s invitation of Rick Warren to speak at this year’s DG Conference. I have since gotten mixed reactions to it. Both on my blog and elsewhere, I’ve seen a wide range of reactions. Some are denouncing Piper as a heretic. At least one has withdrawn any endorsement or use of Piper’s books and materials in his church’s ministry. Some are waiting to see how this turns out, but displeased with Piper’s action. Others see no problem at all and are incensed with all the negative reactions.

Today, Tim Challies posted his response, and I think his post is a model of how to respond gracefully to such controversies in the church. He posts clear and thoughtful reasons why Piper shouldn’t have invited Warren. But he does this charitably and stresses it isn’t that big of a deal. We shouldn’t disregard Piper’s proven record of faithful ministry over this one decision.

I encourage you to check out Challies’ post, and may we all learn to express ourselves with such reserve and grace in such matters.