PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Pleasure Reading

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Pleasure Reading

BIBLE NEWS: School System Backs Down on Bible Ban

You may have heard last week that a school district in Broward County, FL had forbidden a student from reading his Bible during a free reading time.  Well, after much back and forth, the school district has backed down and reaffirmed a policy that students may read their Bible during reading times.

...on Tuesday, Liberty Institute received a letter from the School Board saying, in part, that the state does not ban the Bible in public schools and that teachers and staff across Broward would be notified of this.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Bible Reading Marathon Podium

COOL TOOLS: One Year Bible Online

We normally hear about this in January, but there really is no right time to start reading the Bible. It should be part of our daily routine, to listen to what God has to say to us. If you're ready to start on an epic journey of discovery, check out the One-Year Bible Online which offers you the chance to build a customized plan to read through the entire Old and New Testaments in one year. Start now or start when school ends. It is a great way to start digging into the great story ever told!

90-hour Bible Reading Marathon

In Nacogdoches, TX, a church began a 90-hour marathon bible reading yesterday which will stretch until the National Day of Prayer on Thursday.

Readers volunteer for minimum 30 minute time-slots, but many of them alternate so they can read for longer periods of time.

"It's not just ten percent of our wages, it's ten percent of who we are. We need to devote our worship to him," said Ryan Davis, bible reader.

Reading the whole Bible out loud for the New Year

There are many different ways to celebrate the New Year. Some have raucous parties, others travel to Times Square, still others sit quietly at home with family. But one church celebrated by reading the entire Bible out loud from cover to cover. The whole reading took 72 hours.

The “Take Up the Sword” event is more of a relay than a marathon. Reading is nonstop, 24 hours a day. Members, one at a time, read in one-hour shifts. Some couples split the time equally, sharing passages. The experience encompasses generations, from 20-year-old readers to those in their 80s.

Pastor Tom Miller kicked off the event at 10 a.m. Thursday with the words of Genesis 1:1. It ends with a 22-person reading of Revelation during the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service — one reader for each chapter.

Remember this, the next time you feel too tired to read thru one chapter of First or Second Corinthians.

Should a non-Christian read the Bible?

We know why it is important for a Christian to read the Bible, but what about non-Christians? One agnostic decided to try it out, and was surprised by what he learned.

While reading the Bible, I often felt as if I had finally lifted a veil from my eyes. I learned that I hadn't known the true nature of God's conflict with Job, which is the ur-text of all subsequent discussions of obedience and faith. I realized I was ignorant of the story of Ruth. I was unaware of the radical theology of Ecclesiastes, the source of so many of our ideas about the good life. I didn't know who Jezebel was, or why we loathe her, or why she is the painted lady, or even that she was married to Ahab.

Scripture says that God's word does not return to Him void. Reading the Bible is beneficial for everyone, especially anyone who wants to understand Western civilization.