A ballsy challenge

Way back in 2002 someone challenged me to read the Bible through during the year.

The end result was that for five years I read it through at least once. I thought I’d accomplished something.

I really hadn’t.

During 2008 I read 36 books. Several of them were close to a thousand pages. I’d typically read the thick ones in less than two weeks, usually within a week. Those of less than 500 pages were consumed in just a few days; a 200-pager wouldn’t last more than two days at the most.

So what’s the big deal with taking a whole year to read the Bible?

Everybody makes a big whup-te-do about the Bible being SO important, the Word of God, an instruction manual for living, so on and so forth. Yet, they haven’t even read the stinking thing through one time. I think that makes you a fake or a liar when you spout the platitudes about what it is.

The dirty secrets behind the scenes are that a) you feel really good about having read the whole daggone book, b) you’ll learn things you never knew were there, c) your faith will be stretched, and d) you’ll walk away with power you didn’t have before.

So, I challenge you (actually dare you) to read the Bible through this year. I’ll even read it in Portuguese so you’ll have a fair chance!

Here are some places to look at to get started:

• One Year Bible
• Bibleyear.com
• Heartlight
• YouVersion.com

P.S.: I’ve got a running start on you — I’ve already read today’s reading!
P.S.S.: Wanna know where I’ll be? I’m using the YouVersion.com plan. That might explain some of my insights during the year.
P.S.S.: If you’re ballsy enough, let me know that you’re manning up to do this.

I don’t do no stinking resolutions

Just like the title says, I don’t do no stinking New Year’s resolutions.

I used to attempt to do them.

I always failed.

I watched a fascinating movie last night called “The Illusionist.” I highly recommend it. And, why, might you ask, am I throwing this in while talking about resolutions? Because it illustrates my position quite nicely.

In the movie, reality and illusion were so confused that it brought about a change in political power. The illusion was thought to be real, when all it did was allow the protagonists to achieve their goals. Everyone else was left with an illusion, and didn’t even know that they’d been snookered.

So it is with New Year’s resolutions. I’ll bet you a box of doughnut holes that anyone who has made a resolution that was to start today will fail. Anyone. You have designed it to fail before even starting; lose weight, get out of debt, change job, improve marriage, study harder, it doesn’t matter. By putting it off till the first of the year you have convinced yourself that it is so lofty, so unattainable, so… out of the ordinary, that you cannot accomplish it.

Thus, you fail.

Can you achieve it. Of course! But not via a “New Year’s Resolution.”

Happy New Year! 🙂