Month: January 2024

5 Steps to Customize Your Own Year-Long Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion

/ johngregoryjr / 2 Comments

(updated from 1/21/23 post)

A year’s commitment to anything can sound daunting. I imagine that’s the feeling most people have when they consider committing to a 365-day Bible reading plan.

Besides that, most of those plans are designed to take you through the entire Bible. A worthy goal to pursue at least once in life. Yet, the challenge to get that done in a year can be tempting to ditch.

I completed one of those plans once on YouVersion…in about 3 years. See the point.

It took me that long because I choose to take my time. And I like to veer off track. If I want to campout in Jonah longer, I do. If I’m intrigued by a theme in Romans, I’ll take a break from the plan and complete other plans covering that theme…as many as I want as long as I want. Coloring outside the lines.

But the idea of reading a portion of the Bible every day does not mean you have to read the entire Bible in any set amount of time. All it means is placing a priority, developing a rhythm in your day that includes reading the Bible. Whenever you do it, how long you do it, where you do it, that’s entirely up to you. And, for those other rule breakers, what you read is also entirely up to you.

For quite a while, I’ve been using YouVersion reading plans. A nice thing that’s possible is customizing a year-long reading plan. Want to give it a try? Here are five steps.

  1. Determine to Make a Daily Commitment. Pretty obvious, but if you aren’t resolved to it, you won’t make it to December 31st. Sure, you might miss a day here or there. Understandable. Give yourself some grace and think about the fact that odds are you’ve got 5 minutes to give to this commitment and missing it a couple of times doesn’t make you a loser. If you are in, move on to step 2.
  2. Decide on a Theme. There’s a popular trend that’s replacing making New Year’s Resolutions. Instead of setting goals and aspirations, you choose a word that you’d like to guide you for the year. Not sure about that, check out this podcast episode to learn more. I started this in 2020. Each year I’ve utilized it differently, more broadly. This year, that word is what I’m using to customize my Bible reading. My word for 2024 is courage. Know your theme? Move on to step 3.
  3. Search Plans. On the YouVersion app (download it now if you haven’t already), you can search for reading plans simply by typing in a word. Most likely, dozens of reading plans are available. You’re ready for step 4.
  4. Save for Later. On each plan description, you have two choices: sample and save for later. Sample allows you to check out any day of the plan. I do that to get an impression if I think I’ll complete it. If I think so, then I save it for later. You don’t have to start the plan when you find it. I’m not worrying about saving enough plans that equal 365 days, by the way. I just saved the ones that looked interesting to me for now. At the moment, I’ve saved enough plans to get me into February (total up the days for each plan to see how many days you’ve already covered). Saved at least one plan? Final step is next.
  5. Follow the Thread. As you read each plan, some verse/story/character will stand out, grab your attention. Take note. Follow that lead to search for other plans to save for later. For instance, since I did my initial plan saving, the book of 1 Peter has gotten my attention. Adding reading plans can feel very fluid and interactive.

That’s it. This approach proved worthwhile and meaningful last year. If it ain’t broke…

Top 3 2023 Word of the Year Songs

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The first year I chose a word for the year was 2020. It’s an exercise I’ve grown to appreciate. If you have yet to consider it, here are a few blog posts about it:

https://mountainmodernlife.com/word-of-the-year/

https://www.fillingthejars.com/word-for-the-year/

My 2023 word was “rich” for which I created a playlist. At one time the playlist had about 20 songs. Last month as we edged closer to year end, I began deleting songs as a way of keeping focus. And in a fun way, unintentionally, I got down to the top three songs on the list that spoke the most to me along this theme. So I thought I’d share them with you.

To share them, here’s the playlist and videos of each song. Enjoy the richness!

Four Corners Quad Keyah Series Lesson #6

/ johngregoryjr / 1 Comment

As shared in the previous post, “Easy like Sunday morning” was not playing in my head on the drive back to Albuquerque. I had three things on my mind: Heat. Food. Fluids.

Well, there was a fourth thought going on. 

Lesson #6: If no one else cares how long you took to finish, let that be a sign. Caring trumps Competing.

As far back as I can remember I’ve been driven by achievement. Guess that explains why one of my top StrengthsFinder is Achiever. Setting goals and self discipline are second nature for me. Two balancing acts that come with that are competition and perfectionism.

This journey to run a race of any distance in all 50 states has certainly improved that balance. I can set goals all day, but there’s no guarantee of meeting them. And at the end of race day, I’m still learning it’s more about the journey than the finish time.

On Sunday in New Mexico, two runners illustrated this to me. We had been on these courses together for three days. We didn’t share names, but we shared encouraging words. And on the day they recognized I was struggling, they made sure to check in on me. Caring for a fellow runner was more important than competing against them.

On these long runs in unfamiliar places with complete strangers, you learn a lot about yourself and others. I’m grateful to be reminded over and over of the more important things. 

Personal achievement is one thing. Loving others and creating community is a better thing.