60IN60

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

60IN60 Day 3 - Wed May 7

It's Day 3 and we're in Matthew 3.

If it's hard to understand what you're reading in the Bible, make sure you have a translation that's a good fit for you. Reading the King James (a great historic translation) can be particularly difficult because of the antiquated language. Among the good options available today: New International Version (good all-around translation), English Standard Version (good all-around translation), New American Standard (a more literal translation, closer to the original manuscripts), and New Living Translation (a translation that focuses on readability and understandability).

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - The fire is an image to dwell on for a while.

Help:
- Verse 11 - "with the Holy Spirit and fire" - It's not completely clear what the fire represents. It could be a reference to the Day of Pentecost; it could refer to judgment; it could refer to a burning passion within us.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

60IN60 Day 2 - Tues May 6

It's Day 2 and we're in Matthew 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 22-23 - There was a detail here about Nazareth that I hadn't noticed before - I'll have to do some digging on it.

Help:
- Verse 10 - The Magi did not follow the star in the sky all the way to Jerusalem. The star appeared in the opposite direction from which they traveled. Verse 2 tells us it appeared in the east, but they would have had to travel west to go to Jerusalem. They saw the star, knew (somehow) it was a sign about the birth of the king of the Jews, so they took the next logical step: go to the capital of Israel. This is why they're so excited in verse 10 when the star reappears. They'd been without it for their journey and now it showed up again.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Monday, May 5, 2014

60IN60 Day 1 - Mon May 5

It's Day 1 and we're in Matthew 1.

An encouragement as you read the Bible today: in Acts 17:11, it tells of some Christians in Berea who "received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether [what we taught was Biblical]." Let's be like them.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - It's striking to me that the way in which the birth came about probably led to the damaging of Mary's reputation. People could count months and must have presumed that the quick marriage was the result of an unexpected pregnancy.

Help:
- Verses 1-17 - The genealogy makes for boring reading, but it's important to Matthew to establish the heritage of the Messiah.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

60IN60 Next Round

We start a new round of "60IN60" on Monday.

There are four ways to get the new readings:

1. They are listed below.

2. You can get a one-page PDF on our church website here.

3. You can email me at butcher@ymail.com and I'll email you the one-page PDF.

4. For those of you who attend MBC, you can pick up a copy on the hallway table.

* * * * *

1: Matthew 1 (Monday, May 5)
2: Matthew 2
3: Matthew 3
4: Matthew 4
5: Matthew 5
6: Matthew 6
7: Matthew 7

8: 1 Corinthians 1 (Monday, May 12)
9: 1 Corinthians 2
10: 1 Corinthians 3
11: 1 Corinthians 4
12: 1 Corinthians 5
13: 1 Corinthians 6
14: 1 Corinthians 7

15: 1 Corinthians 8 (Monday, May 19)

16: Genesis 24
17: Genesis 25
18: Genesis 26
19: Genesis 27
20: Genesis 28
21: Genesis 29

22: Genesis 30 (Monday, May 26)
23: Genesis 31
24: Genesis 32
25: Genesis 33
26: Genesis 34
27: Genesis 35
28: Matthew 8

29: Matthew 9 (Monday, June 2)

30: Matthew 10
31: Matthew 11
32: Matthew 12
33: Matthew 13
34: Matthew 14
35: 1 Corinthians 9

36: 1 Corinthians 10 (Monday, June 9)

37: 1 Corinthians 11
38: 1 Corinthians 12
39: 1 Corinthians 13
40: 1 Corinthians 14
41: 1 Corinthians 15
42: 1 Corinthians 16

43: 1 Samuel 1 (Monday, June 16)

44: 1 Samuel 2
45: 1 Samuel 3
46: 1 Samuel 9
47: 1 Samuel 10
48: 1 Samuel 11
49: 1 Samuel 12

50: 1 Samuel 13 (Monday, June 23)

51: 1 Samuel 14
52: 1 Samuel 15
53: Psalm 14
54: Psalm 16
55: Psalm 18
56: Psalm 22

57: Psalm 23 (Monday, June 30)

58: Proverbs 13
59: Proverbs 14
60: Proverbs 15

Saturday, May 3, 2014

60IN60 Invitation

We've just finished up our latest round of 60IN60 yesterday and we've got a new round ready to go for Monday.

Thanks for continuing to participate in 60IN60. I hope it's a spiritually productive part of your day.

If you'd like to invite friends to join in via Facebook or email, here's some wording you're welcome to use (adjust as needed):

"I have been participating in a Bible reading group that I find helpful. It's "60IN60" - we read a chapter a day for 60 days. We have an assigned reading for each day, which helps keep me on track as well as getting a daily email with details about the chapter. Our leader Pastor Jim Butcher is getting ready to start another 60-day round on Monday, November 4th. If you'd like to get into the Bible, this can be a helpful tool. Get me your email address and I'll pass it on to him."

Friday, May 2, 2014