Reading the Bible in 2014

Greetings readers,
It has been a little over a year since this blog began.  I'm excited about a new phase for it.  I want to use this post to briefly describe the shift we'll be making.

The blog began over a year ago.  I called it "New Beginnings" to help keep my writing focused on the difference that Christ makes for us.  Trying to live a distinctly Christian life is difficult.  It requires not only a new beginning with Christ.  In addition to this, we must begin again and again with him.  What does this mean?  That is what I have sought to explore.  In the moment when we wake up, or go to sleep, or sit down to pray, or sit down to write a reflection on how great or how poorly the day went, what does it mean that "in Christ there is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17)?  I intentionally framed this to allow for any number of types of written reflection, not knowing what the blog would become half a year, or a whole year down the road.  As you know, the blogs have all been responses to preached sermons at Mandarin Presbyterian Church this past year.

Now, the blog will enter a new phase.  During the year of 2014, this space will be used to reflect at least weekly on MPC's Bible reading plan.  I am very excited about this.  In fact, it's all I have been able to think about for the last several days!  The Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament is the fountain for our lives of worship and service in the name of Jesus.  It is the authoritative word on everything for the Christian life.  This blog will reflect on the Scripture this coming year.  To keep the clarity of this in mind, the blog will focus on the Bible reading plan, and not on the preached sermons.

If you already receive the blog and would be interested to follow the Scriptures, you can find it online at this site: http://www.mandarinpres.com/readingplan/  Read along with us.  Oh, and don't be intimidated because you are already a few readings behind.  If you take a look at the plan, you will notice that we aren't reading through the Bible sequentially.  I won't go into the reasons now, but we have reason to think this will be helpful for prayerful, Christ-centered reading as opposed to reading just to catch up and be up-to-date.

Thanks, and I look forward to reading the Bible with you!
Chris