Summer Challenge

My friend Christa recently issued a challenge on her blog to “Seize the Summer.”  She mentioned that most everyone has a schedule change in the summer as school gets out, ministries take breaks, work hours become more flexible.  And, in the past, all of this has been true for me as well…but not this year.  Since Jason graduated from seminary last year, this is the first time since I was…well, Hannah’s age, that life has not been dictated by the school-year calendar!  And, because I have a toddler at home, our daily routine does not change drastically just because the calendar pages turn to June (or July, or August).

But, reevaluation, and the resulting necessary adjustments of our habits, lifestyles, and goals should be an ongoing process.  There are always areas in our lives that need improvement, or special attention…and that is especially true of our spiritual lives.  I loved how Christa pointed out that:

“If we did a 12-week diet or workout routine we would see results from that. Consider the progress we would make if we committed to a specific area of spiritual growth for a whole summer? It would make a huge difference in our lives!”

So, even though my schedule and daily routines will not be changing much over the next three months, I still liked the idea of finding something to commit to for the next twelve weeks.  But what?

Like many others, I often find myself going back to familiar books or favorite passages during my quiet times, instead of making an effort to study, and know, God’s Word as a whole.  But, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is profitable.  My husband recently said on his blog,

“God wants us to know all of what He has said.  Every part of scripture is relevant to us, and not only relevant but necessary for our growth.”

At our girls’ accountability group last night, my friend Janet brought up an idea that she had heard about on the radio.  It was a plan for reading through the Bible in 90 days – and I thought that it fit in perfectly with Christa’s challenge to “Seize the Summer,” and also with Jason’s challenge to read the “whole counsel of God” (regardless of the time of year!).

The goal of this plan, is to read the Bible from cover to cover in 90 days.  Of course, this time-frame is not designed for in-depth study.  But, I am excited about the idea of reading, systematically, from Genesis to Revelation in a relatively short time span, in order to get a better grasp on the big picture.  And, I am sure that in doing so, I will find many passages that I will come back to in the future, and study more carefully.

What are you doing this summer?