The Bible in 90 Days: Thoughts on Overcoming Objections
The last time I posted about reading through the Bible in 90 Days was just before my computer died, so I didn’t get to post a reminder just before my church started the challenge on February 27th! Sorry about that. Hopefully those of you who are participating are on track!! Don’t forget to Like our page on Facebook so you can see reminders and participate in the discussion!! And, it really isn’t too late to join!! I bet you could catch up faster than you would think!
I thought I’d do a little blog series about things that are on my heart throughout the challenge. I don’t really know what to call it yet, because ideas are just sort of popping into my head without any rhyme or reason. You’ll forgive me though, right?
Today I want to talk about overcoming objections, because unfortunately these ideas have been ruling my thoughts for the past week. I suppose this may turn into a place to vent, although I sincerely just want to share what is on my heart. So, if I say something that offends you, I apologize in advance and hope we can open up a dialogue.
The back story: I first heard about B90 through some Tweets I saw on Twitter. I wanted to know what these gals were talking about, so I clicked around and discovered that they were talking about reading through the Bible in 90 Days. I was immediately inspired by the idea and kind of sad that I had missed the boat. I just knew that I didn’t want to miss out on the next start date.
Fast forward: I was reading one of my regular blogs and the author mentioned that she would be joining the next B90 Challenge, hosted by Moms Toolbox, and she invited us to participate. I was excited and a little bit nervous, so I read through the comments of that post to see what others were saying about the challenge. Several comments were positive and coming from women who were just as excited to finally read through the Bible as I was. One comment, however, stuck out to me. It was from a woman who admonished the blog author that reading through the Bible that quickly was a poor idea. I don’t remember her exact words, but the gist was that we wouldn’t “get anything” out of reading the whole Bible in 90 Days, and it was better to take a year or more (and she gave examples of how she was doing it with her kids as part of her homeschool curriculum in the next 2 years). She said that it would be dishonoring to God to read through that quickly.
Talk about a punch in the gut! This came from a Christian woman, so naturally I thought about it and stewed on it, wondering if there was something to her opinion. Would I be dishonoring God by taking 3 months to read the Bible instead of a whole year or more? Would I be reading God’s Word the WRONG WAY?
Soapbox moment:
GIVE ME A BREAK!!
Would I be dishonoring God by reading His Word? Absurd. My father in heaven has been longing for me to come and sit with him and let him tell me his story. He has been waiting for me to give him more than 10 minutes out of my day . . . and to give it consistently and wholeheartedly rather than in spurts of guilt ridden fervor. I firmly believe that God feels honored when I read His message, whether I’m reading 12 verses or 12 pages.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am an avid reader. I can’t stop myself from reading. I’m currently reading 2 books, a bunch of magazines, and I’m ahead on the Bible in 90 Days challenge . . . because I am passionate! I can’t STOP reading God’s Word!! I get caught up in his history, his holiness, his passion for his people, and I can’t help but keep going to find out more and sit with Him a while longer. My Bible is my lifeline to God!! I love it. I have to have it. I am addicted to it. Don’t tell me that I’m reading my Bible too passionately. And, don’t tell me to slow down.
I’m feeling defensive. As if MY GOD needs me to defend him. Pshaw!
Last week, I was sitting at a table and a friend swept into the room, sat next to me and proclaimed, “I am loving this challenge!” Eyes sparkling, excitement in her voice . . . she felt it. God was working. Moments later, another friend sat with us and joined our discussion. Passion and excitement took over. What a joy to read God’s Word! And then a fourth gal joined us. I asked her if she was participating in the challenge, and she immediately puckered up her face in distaste.
Oh, my heart!
Her mouth spilled forth reasons why she isn’t reading with us: Because we can’t get much out of it when we read that fast. Because the Bible should be read like a piece of poetry and savored and not rushed through. She can see reading a chapter a day, but not the whole thing in 3 months.
I sat there in silence, letting her speak her mind, resisting the temptation to defend my God. If I had said anything at that moment, she would have felt defensive herself, and I didn’t want that. Besides, my thoughts were all jumbled up because I was in such shock that a fellow Christian was telling me that God couldn’t speak to me if I read his word too quickly. That I was doing it wrong. Intellectually, I know that she was justifying her reasons to herself, but my heart was crushed nonetheless.
Soapbox moment:
Don’t tell me that my God CAN’T teach me anything when I read His Word with passion. I have never felt so in tune with God and so receptive to His teachings as I do when I am reading intently and intentionally. Even better, I’m reading stories and passages that are rarely preached on in church and Sunday school. God is showing me several new things each day. What does that mean? It means that my mind is FULLY on Him throughout the day because I can’t help but think about His Word and His teachings!!! (Amen, and whew!!) Oh, by the way, I’m believing God (for you fellow Beth Moore Bible Study peeps!).
I need to get down off of my soapbox, I know. I am a woman of passion (just count how many times I have typed that word in this blog post and you will understand), and I can’t help wanting to spread a passion for God’s Word.
I do hope that if you have encountered people who have rolled their eyes or have been less-than-thrilled at your interest in reading the entire Bible that you are able to keep your wits about you and not lash out defensively. I admit that the overwhelmingly snarky part of me wants to say, “Get behind me, Satan!” right to pucker-faced lady’s face . . . but then, that would be rather dramatic, wouldn’t it? And, certainly not what a good Christian lady should do. 
In my mind, though, I know that Satan doesn’t want me to read the Bible and doesn’t want me to tell others about my experience. Unfortunately, Satan is using those pucker faced Negative Nellys in our lives to discourage us from growing in our walk with the Lord. Wouldn’t those Nellys be appalled to know that? I certainly would.
Any thoughts from you? I know that I could be opening up a can of worms by asking for input, but I do want to open dialogue. Have you had to overcome objections, or are you the one objecting?
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The beauty of our God is that he uses the Holy Spirit to speak to each of us differently as we read the Bible. The B90 program may work beautifully for some and not for others. That’s OK! He speaks to us right where we are at- if we invite him in (and I know you have.) I think the devil would take great pleasure in seeing you and your fellow study member at odds over “the right way” to study God’s word. God designed us all differently and with different learning styles so we can complement one another. Tell the devil to “take a hike” - by harboring the soapbox, he wins because it steals your joy. Embrace the other study participant and acknowledge the difference with her in a loving way and then kick that devil right on out!
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Kelleigh Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Thank you, Valerie!! I needed that!
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Kelleigh - You are a breath of fresh air and I so appreciate that you are not afraid to put yourself out there and say just what you feel. I am in a bible study (not B90) and I just haven’t felt like I’m connecting with some of the women, but when you speak from your heart you inspire me to continue my journey in coming closer to God and knowing Him better and in really committing to my bible study because I know He brought me to it for a reason. Keep telling it like it is for you and inspiring the rest of us!
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Reading through the entire Bible in 90 days is better than not reading it at all. But to say that reading through the Bible in 90 days is “dishonoring to God” - I disagree with her (politely, of course). God says His Word will always accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 55:11). Something that someone reads in a given day can catch their attention and them meditate on it through the day — causing them to change their thought life, their reaction to a trial (big or small), their plans for the day (serve others instead of self), reveal a “secret” sin that they confess and repent from…creating a closer relationship with the Lord. In different seasons of life, B90 works better for some than a Kay Arthur Precept-Upon-Precept inductive study…know what I mean, jelly bean? Now, granted, I’d not recommend it as someone’s *sole* intake of Scripture over the course of their life - but still…better than nothin’!
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I agree, you are not dishonoring God by reading thru the Bible in 90 days!
My feeling is that this hopefully is not going to be the only time that one would read Scripture! I look at it like a class that you are preparing for. If you had the text ahead of time,wouldn’t you be curious and quickly read thru it to “survey” the content?
The more you read it, the more familiar you become with the material.
It is maybe like an over view of the text.
For me since I took a class that lasted 7 years, it is like a refresher course. And one that I want to do again and again. I don’t think we can ever stop learning from its rich history, the dramatic “charactors” or the life giving Word!
Hope this makes sense!
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I think it’s absurd for any Christian person to object to another Christian’s way of worship, especially concerning the reading and absorption of God’s word. It is this kind of petty bickering that likely plagued the early church. Pray for the nay-sayers. I constantly have to remind myself that we are all human, and to put my faith in God and accept my fellow Christian with all his/her shortcomings.
I am in awe of you for attempting this.
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I have to agree with you on it not dishonouring God to read your bible in 90 days. I’m not doing it, (although I should be) but this challenge brings back memories of when my husband first got in church after telling me I was in a cult and everything else he could think of for 3 or 4 years.. When HE started coming to church and God completely delivered him of the alcohol and the cigarettes, and the awful potty mouth and God gave him the Holy Ghost. It was amazing to me, who had grown up in church, (backslid for two years)and never had this zeal per say to read my bible, to watch my husband read and read and read his bible. He read the bible so much I had to go buy him another one b/c he wore his first one out. I can’t give you an exact amount of time he read the bible, but I can say that he probably read through the bible 3 or 4 times in the first year that he got in church. That was in May ’06. He doesn’t read it quite like he did then, but he still reads and reads and reads his bible. So I guess I would have to say that I think God delights in us reading and delving into his word.
I love that you are very vocal about God on your blog! That isn’t something you see often.
Have a great day!!
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I think any “objections” to how quickly you read thru the bible perhaps should be looked at like this……..
Shopping for a pair of jeans that fit.
I have WIDE hips and a small waist. Anything that fits my hips is always too large in the waist. My other girlfriends each have their own difficulties in finding that “perfect” pair of jeans. When we went shopping, we would call it “Jean Quest”. But eventually we would find a brand or two that would work for us.
This is how I see reading the bible. You have to find YOUR perfect fit, and just because one friend tells you that this brand(way) fits HER best, doesn’t mean it’s going to fit you the same way!
It doesn’t need to be in any way offensive to anyone. I am not mad that Old Navy jeans fit you but not me. I am not upset that you want to read the bible in 90 days, whereas it takes me several years because I will go over and over something because I want THAT particular part to really soak in. It is not the “right way” or the “wrong way”—it is just MY fit right now!!!!
If someone is objecting to the way that you want to do it—-it’s just their way of saying “your jeans won’t fit me!” I would encourage you not to be offended, but instead to encourage them! Tell them to do what works for them. If God has given you excitment and joy, than the B90 is what works for you!!!! And when your experience is done, you may want to share with them what you gained. After all, its not like we read the bible only once in our lives!
Blessings! Enjoy the journey—we all reach the finish line sooner or later!
Kelly
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I am LOVING the B90 readings. One of the biggest reasons is that reading through the Bible quickly is giving me a big picture perspective of God’s Redemptive History! Reading all the prophets in a few weeks gave me a much different perspective than I would have had if I read them over six months. I am not caught up in the details or analyzing word roots or checking cross references-I am reading a story. Both styles of Bible study (slow read and fast read) are important because they serve different purposes.
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I love the inspired Word of God. I love all of Scripture. It is the food I eat. It nourishes me. I am so happy you told me about the challenge and I took the challenge. I’m almost done with my first blast through and looking forward to my next blast. I have a goal of finishing a week ahead of the 90. What would that be? B83? Kel, you and Mitch inspire me. Thanks for your leadership. Proud of you. Dad.
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I tried doing the b90 challenge, I just couldn’t keep up. I love reading my Bible and I wanted to try, but I wasn’t able to sit down and read that much in one day. I was down for a bit because I tried and couldn’t do it, but now I’m just reading as much as I can, and not worrying about catching up. I absolutely don’t think there is anything wrong with reading through the Bible that fast though. There are things I’ve caught about similarities with different books, that I only realized this time because I did read through it quickly. Even though I couldn’t read thru the Bible in 90 days, I think God is happy that I’m reading thru it at however pace that I can!
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[...] Thoughts on Overcoming Objections: Watch out! I get feisty! [...]
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