January 1 Reflection

It was a pretty busy day and before I knew it, it was after midnight and I hadn't done the first reading! (Way to get a start on that New Year's Resolution, Mo!) But I picked up The Book and read the first reading before going to sleep.

The creation passage is so familiar; the activities of the seven days and the announcements that "God saw that it was good." And then the creation of Adam and Eve and the introduction of sin. But the thing that stood out to me was relatively minor...not earth-shattering, not faith-changing, but drew my attention.

Genesis 2:9 - And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food...

Sometimes I get all wrapped up in the practicalities of life -- and of my faith -- and neglect to remember that God purposefully created things that are pleasing to the eye -- His eye, and ours. I'm often times too concerned about whether what I'm doing is pleasing to God's eye, focused on results and where I lack. I'm probably missing out on plenty of opportunities to see the beauty He has created.

Day One: Genesis 1:1 - 3:24

And so begins our year-long challenge!

What's a chronological Bible?

Most people know that the Bible, as it is typically presented, is not completely chronological. Sure, activities in the New Testament follow the action (and fulfill prophecies) of the Old Testament, but often in the Old Testament there are actions happening concurrently, but presented in different books. An obvious New Testament example is how some events happen in each of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It's my (and Luke's) hope that reading this version will help us better understand the context of the things we're reading.

If you're looking for a chronological Bible, you can buy them online from Amazon.com or Christianbook.com.

Welcome to Our Challenge!

We're Luke and Momo, a nephew and his aunt, who have made a resolution to read through the Christian Bible in one year. We've decided to read from an NIV daily edition that puts the events of the Bible in chronological order. Would you like to join our challenge? You can get a version of this Bible for yourself, or just follow along in the passages that we post here. Join us in Operation: Read the Book!