Practice
Week 1 - Read the Gospel of Mark
Have you ever read straight through a book of the Bible? This week, start on page one of the gospel of Mark and simply start reading. Pick up where you left off the next day. The book is 16 chapters long so if you read about 3 chapters a day, you’ll get through it with a couple days to spare. As you read, notice the flow of the book, the themes that keep coming up, and what is going on. Don’t simply read it to get through it, but really read it to study it – like you would a book in school. What is the author trying to communicate?
Week 2 - Read Colossians every day
This week, try reading through a shorter book like the book of Colossians one time each day. Repetition is an important part of study. Notice what jumps out to you? What is the author saying? What is the flow of the argument? What sticks out to you? And what do you notice later in the week that you didn’t notice the first couple times reading it through?
Week 3 - Focus on a particular passage
Set aside 15 minutes each day this week to focus on a particular passage. Read it over and over again. What is it saying? How is it constructed? What is the flow of the argument like? Focus on any passage you want, but consider some of the following:
Week 4 - Repeat on of the previous weeks
Pick one of the habits from the previous three weeks and repeat it. You could read through a book of the Bible (try John, or 1 Corinthians). You could read through a shorter book every day (try Galatians or Ephesians). Or you can focus on particular passages (try Galatians 2:19-21; Psalm 1; 1 Peter 1:3-12; Matthew 27:32-56).
