40 Day Bible Challenge Archives

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The 40-Day Bible Challenge: What Are You Putting Your Hope In Other Than God?

Margaret — March 18, 2013 — 14 Comments

HOPE

I confess.

Of all the weeks of The 40-Day Bible Reading Challenge during Lent this proved the most difficult to me. When reading Lamentations felt like a breath of fresh air, I knew I was in trouble. [Tweet this]

To put it in running terms, I felt like I hit the wall—that moment when you’re weary, tired, and don’t think you can take another step. This week’s reading included Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (along with Lamentations)—all of which are long, thick, dense books packed with mysterious prophetic imagery and references.

If Leviticus and Numbers felt like plodding, Jeremiah and Ezekiel felt like slogging. Heavy. Cumbersome. Tedious.

Yet I kept catching glimpses of God’s heart. Continue Reading…

In Dive Deeper 40 Day Bible Challenge, 40 Day Bible Reading Challenge, 40 days, Easter, Ezekial, hope, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Lent, prophetic imagery, prophets, tired, weary

5 Breathtaking Moments from the Psalms

Margaret — March 7, 2013 — 20 Comments

In the 40-Day Bible Reading challenge, we’ve been plunging and playing in the Psalms this week. I’ve so appreciated the way Eugene Peterson breaths fresh language, imagery, and color into this collection of songs and poems in The Message Bible.

Here are 5 breathtaking quotables from the Psalms. All are within an easy click to Tweet to your friends and Pin-able for all your fellow Pinterest-lovers!

“At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,

For you, God, have put my life back together.” —Psalm 4 #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK [Tweet this] Continue Reading…

In Bible Study 40 Day Bible Challenge, bible graphics, bible verses, Eugene Peterson, Lent, lent adventure, Lenten challenge, livewonderstruck, pinterest images, Psalms, The Message

A Jolly Dose of Encouragement for Bible Readers Everywhere

Margaret — March 5, 2013 — 5 Comments

ENCOURAGEMENT

Thousands of people have joined in reading through the Bible during the 40 Days of Lent this year. People have invited their small groups, friends, spouses, neighbors, and co-workers to join in.

We’re already in Week Four of the Wonderstruck by Scripture 40 Day Bible Reading Guide. That means that by the end of this week we’re more than half way through.

If you’ve fallen behind, here are some tips on how to catch up.

As you’re reading and preparing your heart for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning, I want to offer you a jolly dose of encouragement.

God is doing more in you through this season of Lent than you realize! [Tweet this]

1. Notice What You’re Reaching For. Making a commitment to read the entire Bible during Lent is changing me—and I bet it’s changing you too! Continue Reading…

The 40-Day Bible Challenge: Will You Answer the Call to the Hard and Heroic or The Simple Obedience?

Margaret — March 4, 2013 — 11 Comments

SIMPLE OBEDIENCE We’re moving forward in being Wonderstruck by Scripture in The 40-Day Bible Reading Challenge. As I’ve been reading this week, I’ve been wonderstruck by the number of cray, cray, or crazytown stories in the Bible. [Tweet this] I’ve read them before, but every so often I find myself awestruck again. Did you notice any? I was taken back again by a few of these:

In 2 Samuel 20 where Joab gets his pirate on and punctures Amasa with a sword. Guts spill to the ground. Double ew!

Or 2 Samuel 24, where God feels the pain of the terror of the 70,000 people who die from an epidemic and tells the angel, “Enough’s enough! Pull back!”

Or that trickster holy man in 1 Kings 13.

Or Zarephath, the owner of the original Biscuitville (1 Kings 16).

Or that crazy gourd story (2 Kings 4). Continue Reading…

In Dive Deeper 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Samuel, 40 Day Bible Challenge, 40 days of lent, Bible, bible challenge, Joab, Lent, livewonderstruck, obedience, prophets, sacred echoes, simple obedience, Wonderstruck

Why Doesn’t It Rhyme? 7 Tips and Tricks to Reading Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature

Margaret — March 1, 2013 — 7 Comments

HEBREW POETRY

It’s almost time to check off Week Three of reading for the 40-Day Bible Challenge. Whether you’re reading the entire Bible or listening to an audiobible (free copies here!) during Lent, we’re excited you’re joining in. We never expected nearly 2000 people to download the free 40-Day Reading Guide in the first 24 hours. You can grab your copy by clicking here.

If you peek ahead at the reading guide, you’ll see that next week is almost completely poetry and wisdom literature.

The pages of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs may bring some of us a sigh of relief. Not too many unpronounceable names, unknown places, or foreign laws.

Others of us may feel dread toward the strange illusions, awkward sentence structure, and bizarre language. You may ask yourself, “If this is poetry, why doesn’t it rhyme?” Continue Reading…