Plan "B"

I heard a caller to a radio show this morning as I was getting ready for work. She told a story about when she was in a fast food restaurant recently and noticed that a woman and her child asked for a cup for water along with their food order. Then, the mother instructed her child to go fill their cup with soda (and not water). Soon after, the woman was going from table to table handing out flyers to come to her church.

On the one side, it's an example of being a bad witness. But on the other side, it demonstrates very well that when we claim to be Christians, we open our entire lives to the microscope of scrutiny. We should expect every action and word to be examined against what the world thinks a Christian should act/talk like. When they see that we're truly different, and have an otherwise unexplainable joy in our hearts, they will be more open to hearing the good news. This is true for 'doing unto others' [fart] 'as they do unto you' [smoke], but it's also just as true for singing praises to Jesus on Sunday and getting drunk on the porches the rest of the week.

I feel accountable for my actions. What I could use is an accountability partner. How 'bout it? So, where do I start? Right now, I feel most challenged in the area of reading the Word and having useful memory verses that I can use to help in discussions. So, I'm taking this opportunity to tell everyone within earshot that I'm commiting to reading Matthew through 2nd Corinthians this year. Next year, I'm committing to reading Galatians through 2nd Timothy. Then, Lord tarry, I'm committing to finishing the New Testament the third year.

Hold me to it. Check up on me. Make sure I'm keeping up.

There's lots of calendars out there for getting through the Bible in a year. I've collected and attempted this more times than I've forgotten. The whole Bible is useful for teaching and sharing, but I think that doing some reading is better than doing no reading. I also think that I'll get more out of the New Testament than I would in, say, Numbers.