66 books...

...1189 chapters, 31,173 verses, and 365 days.

I'm really excited that I just finished reading the Bible through in 365 days, May 28, 2007 through May 26, 2008. It's the first time I've done that in a year, and it was a worthwhile experience.

I used a website called Bible Gateway. It's a really neat site with about a zillion translations of the Bible. (I did most of my reading in the modern and very readable New Living Translation.) The site has great resources such as various Bible reading plans (including the 365 day plan I used, among others). I put together a spreadsheet so that I could keep track of which day I was on (i.e., May 28=Day 1, etc.) and so that I could catch up when I inevitably fell behind!

So what's next? Well, I'm a questioner (sometimes a cynic), and faith can be pretty challenging for me. I've chosen to build my life on this faith in Christ--and while sometimes that's an easy thing, at other times it's a decision I make in spite of my doubts. I'm well aware of how odd it may sound to base my life on something that I sometimes struggle to believe, and I wish my faith was more sure. But when it comes down to it, Christianity works for me. Even as I have doubted Him, I believe God has very personally guided me and given meaning to my life. And I've done enough reading to believe that my faith also works intellectually, that I can believe this Bible stuff without throwing my brain in a trash can--that's crucial to me. So on a practical level and an intellectual level, it makes sense for me to believe.

But sometimes there are difficult topics in the Bible that bring up hard questions. And then there's that element of believing without seeing--that can be a real challenge. So I think next I'm probably going to look into some of the topics that bring up questions in my mind. I'm not at the point that I'm trying to figure out if I'm believing in the right stuff; I'm more at the point that I want more depth and clarity to my theology and to my faith. So, as muddled as that sounds, that will probably be my next journey. And I know that as I find answers, I will also find more questions. That's okay with me; as hard as questions are, they are part of what keeps faith real and dynamic to me.

Wow, that got a bit deeper than I'd originally intended! This blog is about my life, the important (and even not-so-important) aspects of it. So there will be times I talk about faith since that's big to me. But my intention isn't to write stuff only for other Christians to read--I want to be honest about my faith (the strong and weak parts). This is who I am, and I like to share it both with those who are coming from a similar point spiritually, and those who aren't.