The Seven in Eleven Challenge

A new challenge for the new year.


For the first two decades or so of my walk with Jesus I read the Bible intensively – the Old Testament several times a year, the New Testament on average once every two months or so. The last ten years it’s seemed time to slow down a bit and do some savoring, which has been wonderful.

But this week it hit me just how refreshing it would be to aim for mulitiple readings of the New Testament again – in fact, to read it through cover to cover seven times in 2011.

Want to join me?

Here are the facts: there are 260 chapters in the New Testament, 7956 verses (depending on who’s doing the counting and which translation we’re talking about) and 138,020 words. But break it down. To read the New Testament through seven times in ’11 will translate into reading on average five chapters a day. At this rate you will finish each read through in just over a month and a half and averaging about 30-45 minutes a day; I imagine I will miss some days entirely, and on other days I’ll read whole books in one sitting just because I can – and that’s the best way to read them anyway. The purpose of this kind of reading is grasping a more panoramic view rather than in depth studies – but plenty will pop as you go along.

And how about taking that panoramic view from several different angles – mix it up and choose a different translation for each read through.

I think my reading menu will be:

1. Greek New Testament (UBS text)

2. ESV

3. Message

4. KJV

5. Da Jesus Book

6. The Jewish New Testament

7. Greek New Testament (Majority text)

Make up your own menu – and if seven times sounds too ambitious (or not ambitious enough), do your own calculations and set your own goal. But whatever you end up doing, how about we all as radical followers of Christ make the commitment to do our part personally to stamp out biblical illiteracy and be avid readers of the Book this year? Savor each Jesus metaphor and story and parable as it passes; adventure with Luke through Acts, look over Paul’s shoulder in the epistles, ask John “Sir, just what are you on?” when you get to Revelation; watch for each glimpse of Him and the Way. And even as you pass over it at high altitude and at higher speeds, watch for those times when he calls you to take a flying leap of radical life change and application.

Let the Word make a fresh impression on your mind.

Read this year. Come on.

And let it – Him – shape your heart and soul as you do.

Are you game?