As I was considering why my prayers are sometimes shallow, I realized they stem from one source: lack of consistent reading, meditating and studying God's Word. And I don't mean just going through the motions and reading Scripture just so I can check it off my list, pat myself on the back and go on with my day; still charged with my fleshly desires, thoughts, and habits. What I mean is, the lack of desire to read the Word of God, not to get something from Him, but just to be with Him—to know Him more, in order to love Him better (Ps 46:10).

I know my prayers are shallow when I'm overcome by my weaknesses. I know my prayers are shallow when I'm wallowing in self-pity because I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I know my prayers are shallow when they're filled with my desires, how I think my life and the life of others around me should be. I know my prayers are shallow when they're filled with my limited knowledge of circumstances rather than filled with the wisdom of God (James 3:17). I know my prayers are shallow when they're consumed by my words, my thoughts, and my desires rather than consumed and guided by God's Word, precepts, and holiness.

"Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understand and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.' "

~Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

This is the God I want and need to know and understand better. I need to know the LORD who alone is God—the one who practices steadfast love (mercy), justice, and righteousness. I don't need to know the feel-good, cheap-graced god that many of us have created in our own image. You know, the one who "loves you just the way you are", but not enough to discipline you (Heb 12:7-8)? The one who only says the things that make you feel good and self-assured, but not the one who humbles you so your spirit can be sanctified. This is the false god of modern day evangelicalism and I'm not interested in him at all.

When my prayers are shallow, I know it's because I've already spent too much time with this false god that only cheers but never chastises me. And I know myself well enough to admit...I need both encouragement and rebuke. And if you're honest with yourself, you'll admit, you need both too.

"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

"He [Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the Word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high"

~Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

This is the God I want to worship and love—the one I need and want to guide my prayers.

When I'm not daily reading God's Word in order to know Him more so I can love Him better, then my prayers will be shallow. And so will yours. However, if we incline our hearts to His ways and not to selfish gain (Ps 119:35-37), then our prayers are guaranteed to be deep and wide, and very effective. We need to daily discipline our bodies and minds to read, meditate and study the awesome Word of God, so that our prayers are led by the Spirit of God and not by the defilement of our flesh.

If you're looking for a way to remain steadfast in God's Word daily, here's the reading plan I use and recommend: Professor Grant Horner's 10 Lists Bible Reading System.

I know I don't mean to do it as often as I do. And I'm sure no one else does (or, at least I hope not). But we all do it more than we should, and even once is more than enough. What is it? It, is our tendency to palliate, that is, lessen the severity of, without remedying—our sins and the sins of others—particularly those who sin similarly to us. And if we happen to like them, their sins aren't as bad as others, or even worse, we choose to be blind to their sins altogether.

This is truly a grievous activity.

How do we do it? Well, I'm not going to presume upon how others might do it, but I sure know how I do it. And it's often subtle because it's cloaked in the worldly definition of love. The love that says, "I'm okay, you're okay" therefore never does or says anything that might make you dislike or reject me. So, when I see you sin, and especially if it's a sin similar to mine, I might say something like, "Oh, well...none of us are perfect." Or if I want to throw a dash of false humility in this brew of sin I'm concocting, I might even add, "After all, I've done (or am doing) the same thing."

Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with admitting a sin and making a connection with whomever I'm speaking with. What's wrong is that I stop there. I don't do what I know I is right (James 4:17) and therefore, I sin...again.

If I'm truly living Ephesians 4:29 and cared more about the Lord and your relationship with Him (than I care about your relationship with me), I wouldn't stop after I confessed committing the same sin. After noting this mutual weakness in the flesh, I would say, "We both need to repent and be grateful for God's forgiveness in Christ Jesus. And if we're truly grateful for His grace, we'll both commit to write God's Word on our hearts concerning this matter so we don't keep sinning against Him. Will you keep me accountable?" Then I would immediately begin looking up Scriptures to strengthen us so we might not sin like this again. Moreover, I would pray that the Lord would write His Word on our hearts (Ps 119:10-11, 24).

If I truly love the LORD my God, I will love what He loves and hate what He hates. If I truly love Jesus, though I may never be sinless on this side of Heaven, I will aspire not be a repeat offender of the same crime.

So, if you ever catch me involved in this sinful activity of palliating my sin and yours, please rebuke me. Please remind me that this wicked attempt to make us both more comfortable about our sins is what caused our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to leave His heavenly throne, descend into His own creation, be abused and crucified, and rise on the third day, so we might escape the wrath of God and receive forgiveness for our sins and inherit eternal life.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in the putrid cesspool of my sins. I want to live in the glorious new life Jesus died to give me—the life of a daughter of the Most High God, washed clean, and dressed in the robe of Christ's righteousness.

"The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep [treasure] Your words. I entreat Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to Your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep [protect] Your commandments."

~Psalm 119:57-60 (ESV)

When we were little children, the first time we received a lollipop or a shiny sticker from our doctor, we were overjoyed and grateful. The second time, we were again excited about trying a new lollipop flavor and the new sticker we could get. Perhaps this time, it would be a scratch and sniff! But the third time, we begin to grow weary with the same old lollipop and sticker choices. So we snuff our noses as we walk by the lollipops and stickers and brighten our eyes to the new, bigger and better prize we have earned! Yep. Earned.

As cute and cuddly as we are when we're little, we're still sinners waiting to tell the world what our demands are and by golly, they better deliver. We start first with our parents. Much like our doctor's visits, we act as if our parents owe us something. For what? Our mother's owe us because she carried us for nine months, fed us, sacrificed her figure and health and some of them, their lives? Our mother's labor for us from the day she conceives until the day one of us dies, and for this, she owes us....what?

Our father's work tirelessly and sacrificially to provide a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and clothes to cover and warm our bodies. And if we're blessed with parents who love the Lord Jesus, then they spend hours reading and studying the Bible themselves and teaching and training us in the love and admonition of the Lord. Christian parents pour out their whole hearts and lives to their children so that they may know Christ and be known by Him.

Additionally, we think our children owe us something because we're doing just as God has commanded? They are God's gifts to us, to draw us nearer to Him; to remind us we can't do anything ourselves (even take care of a helpless infant). Our children humble us and bring us to our knees. And for this, we ought to continually give thanks to the Lord.

Sadly, this uncomely cycle of self-adulation and entitlement extends to our adulthood.

Even as adults, when we first meet a new friend and they share a kindness with us, whether in word or deed (or both), we are very touched and extremely grateful. We're so moved by their kindness, we want to tell our spouse, our children, and everyone on social media. But after this person does something kind a second or third time, we're no longer filled with the same gratitude we first had, rather—we expect it.

Why does this happen? Why does familiarity breed ingratitude and if not dealt with, lead to contempt?

Pride. Entitlement. Ingratitude. Contempt. That's how.

Ever since Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the Garden (believing they could be like God), all humanity has been cursed with insatiable pride that tells us we are owed everything good and nothing bad. This makes us feel entitled, which leads to ingratitude and when we don't recognize and repent of this, we become contemptuous, impatient and unkind to others.

How we see ourselves and those around us, greatly affects our relationship with God. If we can be so prideful, feel so entitled, be so ungrateful and contemptuous towards those we can see, how much more do we behave the exact same way towards God whom we can't see (1 John 4:20)?

We think too much of our own "good" deeds and too little of others. And sadly, sometimes the "good" we think we're doing isn't really a blessing to others, but rather, a burden. It may surprise us to discover, when we get to Heaven, that the time we think we spent blessing someone, was actually, the other way around. It was a sacrifice and unpleasant experience for them to be with us, therefore, a great blessing to us, rather than to them. And we missed it.

We're left in this sad and destructive state as long as we don't repent and remember what Christ did for us on the Cross at Calvary. As much "good" we think we do, we don't and can't do it unless God works it through us (Eph 2:10). Unless God gives us the seed to sow, unless God blesses us with anything to give whether in word or in deed, we have nothing but evil to give anyone (1 Cor 4:7).

The truth is, we owe God everything; and therefore, are indebted to generously love others well because God first gave generously and loved us well.

What we give to the Lord and to others is so minuscule compared to what has been given to us by our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.


Let us never assume we're so familiar with others and with God that we feel as if they owe us every good and no evil. And let us always be surprised and grateful for any act of kindness that comes our way. After all, we probably don't even realize the great sacrifice some people make in order to give us a widow's mite.

The next time you sense yourself feeling slighted or indignant about a kindness that wasn't given to you that you assuredly knew you deserved, look to the Cross. No true Christian can fix their eyes on Jesus' costly sacrifice and then turn to see themselves as anything more than an utterly humbled and grateful servant who feels as they should—unworthy of the price that had to be paid to set them free.

photo credit: www.Biblescreen.com

Yesterday, on my way home from the grocery store, I was overwhelmed by a very small act of kindness. Not one done to me, but one I was able to offer a total stranger.

As I neared a construction area in my neighborhood, I saw a man driving a truck wishing to come out of the alleyway. He was unable to because no one driving either north or south would allow him entrance onto the main road since we all had to share a single lane due to the construction. I understand. It was rush hour and everyone was trying to get home.

When it was my turn, and I had the right of way, I stopped and waved him in. He was hesitant and looked to the car coming southward, but they saw me and stopped too. The driver of the truck smiled, carefully drove out, and gave me a warm wave of thanks. I smiled, nodded and waved back. Then I smiled and waved at the driver who joined me in this very small act of kindness and they smiled and waved back.

Unexpectedly, as I thanked God for this opportunity to show a stranger this very small act of kindness...I began weeping. I was overtaken by the fact that I could experience such joy over something no one else involved in this situation would probably ever remember. I mean, this isn't the kind of thing anyone goes home and writes about (well...obviously...present company excluded). This very small act of kindness isn't something we'll eagerly tell our family and friends or even years from now, reminisce fondly and repeatedly tell our grandchildren about. It's simply a very, very, very small act of kindness.

So why am I writing about it? Why am I telling you about it? Why is this small act such a big deal?

It's a big deal because the instant I thanked God for allowing me to experience exuberant joy for such a small act of kindness, I realized how very depraved I am without Christ. As I thanked God for allowing me to notice that other person, the small need he had at the moment, and that I was able and desired to meet that need, filled me with joy.

Realizing I'm far too self-absorbed, selfish, and so many other words that begin with "self", to notice another human being, let alone a need they might have, I wept with thanksgiving in my heart to the Lord. In actuality, we're all a bit too self-something or other. We all complain too much, we all feel more entitled than we ought, and we all suffer from outright pride, or pride cloaked in self-loathing.

Our eyes are too fixed on self rather than on Jesus and that's why we disobey Him and why many won't acknowledge Him as who He is—the one true God, Creator of all we see and can't see, the King of kings, the Lord of lords and the only way of eternal salvation. Whether we want to admit it or not, and regardless of how meek a person may appear, disobedience to God in any form originates from pride. We all have it. And we all suffer from how it manifests itself—total human depravity.

But here's the thing, total depravity doesn't mean I'm as depraved as I can be and neither are you. Total depravity means we're all sinful and totally incapable of saving ourselves. But because of God's common grace, no human being is as depraved as they can be. Evil does not dominate the earth because God is God and He is gracious. The sun shines on both those who bear the righteousness of Christ as well as those who reject Him. God causes the rain to fall on the ground and bear fruit to feed both His children and His enemies.

Without God's common grace poured out to all creation, no human would be safe from constant evil bombarding them from their first breath to their last. None of us would ever be able to experience any joy in participating in any act of kindness, small or great because we simply wouldn't even think to do it. We're all too self-actuated. We are all that depraved (Rom 3:10-12).

Admitting I'm totally depraved without Christ isn't self-loathing. And it isn't depressing. It's actually an act of great confidence, that is, confidence in Christ's finished work on the Cross on my behalf. Those whom God has chosen to grant repentance that leads to saving faith, willingly bring and see all things in the light of God's truth so that it's clear that any and every good has been carried out by the mighty and compassionate hand of God (John 3:21)—even a very small act of kindness.

"For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

~1 Corinthians 4:7, James 1:16-18 (ESV)

Any good we receive comes from God, even our "good" acts (James 1:17). For He is the one who prepared them for us that we might walk in them.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." ~Eph 2:10

Let us, as God's dearly beloved children, always find our worth, our joy and our peace, not in the people around us or in our circumstances (whether good or evil), but in Christ alone—mindful and grateful that in God's grace, He gives us the good we are not owed—and in His mercy, He withholds the evil we are owed.

E.L. James (Erika Leonard James) born March 7, 1963, is only six years and 20 days older than me. She's a British author whose first book, Fifty Shades of Grey was a runaway success. She's married, and she and her husband  have two teenage sons (as of 2012, not sure how old they are now).

Many say her books were a surprise hit, but I don't agree. It's no surprise that this trilogy filled with every shade of evil, only proves what God already said—we're all depraved, and without Christ, we're actually drawn to darkness rather than repulsed by it.

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." (John 3:19, ESV)

E.L. James gladly admits that Fifty Shades of Grey is her "midlife crisis, writ large. All my fantasies are there, and that's it." Some people purchase a new car or a new house; they get in shape, or find new hobbies when they have their midlife crisis. But poor E.L. James decided to infect millions of people (mostly women) with this book where she attempts to make a cesspool of evil look like a refreshing dip in clean, clear waters. But no matter how you dress it up, dung is dung.

With the heightened awareness of abuse (emotional, mental and physical) toward women, I'm surprised Hollywood would consider flinging this dung onto the big screen. Especially with the most recent Ray and Janay Rice incident and how poorly the NFL initially handled the situation—it seems odd. Everyone was appalled by watching a less than five minute video of Ray Rice abusing his then fiancée, Janay in the elevator. Yet, Hollywood thinks people actually want to sit for nearly two hours and watch a woman get violently abused?

I don't know. Perhaps millions will go see this movie. Perhaps all those who cried "Foul!" when Janay Rice was abused by Ray Rice forgot what they said they hated. Perhaps all those people who said they cared about a woman's welfare and dignity just lied...to themselves and to the public. I hope not.

James says this is a "love story." It is not. It is a scripted, sadistic fantasy. In reality, no one conquers evil (Christian Grey) by submitting to it (Ana Steele). Satan and his demonic legions aren't convinced of their wickedness by people submitting to his dominion of darkness. Satan and his demonic legions are conquered by God's holy, mighty and righteous acts. Only good conquers evil. And God alone is good.

It breaks my heart to think millions of unbelievers have been bewitched by this book of horrors (Rom 1:24-25). But when I hear professing Christian men and women have read and "enjoyed" this book filled with more than 50 shades of evil, I'm indignant. And according to God, every Christian should be (1 Cor 5:11-13).

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy."

~Colossians 3:5-8, 1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)

Did I need to read this trilogy in order to recognize the evil oozing from the pages? No. Much like the caustic stench of death permeates the nostrils before one sees a week-old corpse, knowing the basic premise of the story line is enough.

The truth is: Real men don't dominate and abuse women—they cherish and protect them; and real women don't submit to immature fiends like Christian Grey.

Please don't misunderstand. Just because I'm calling a spade a spade doesn't mean I despise or have the slightest of ill feelings toward E.L. James. Rather, I feel great pity for her lost soul who, just like you and me, needs Jesus Christ. If ever I could sit down and have coffee, or a cup of tea with her, I'd greet her well and happily share the Good News of Jesus Christ with her. I pray the Lord will be pleased to grant her the gift of repentance that leads to salvation.

If you're reading this and you profess Christ as Lord, yet find even a slight hint of delight from this book that's an abomination before the sight of God, then please, I urge you—repent and seek godly counsel for your pleasure of sexual immorality.

If you're reading this and you're not a Christian, and enjoy this book, please know I am praying for your salvation. Only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ can you be made acceptable before the sight of a holy God, have your sins forgiven, and conscience cleansed.

I have often been asked, "How do I handle situations when professing brothers or sisters in Christ are offended when I use the Word of God often in conversations, or for reproof, or for the reason why I do or do not participate in certain things?" I promised my friends, readers and "followers" on social media that I'd share a more detailed response than the short and quick one I shared on my Facebook ministry page a few days ago. So here it is.

Before "handling" this situation, you'll have to first assess who you're speaking with: a possible false convert, or one who possibly does belong to Christ, but are presently burdened by their pride. The reason why I say this is because no true child of God abiding in the love of God is offended or put off in any way by the use of God's Word...unless they're being prideful. All Christians love God's Word and are only strengthened and encouraged by it whenever spoken, used or applied. It is a balm of blessing to our spirit and a sore spot to our fleshly pride. Thanks be to God for both!

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

~John 3:20-21 (ESV)

Distinguishing Marks of A False Convert

A person who is falsely converted may have made a profession of faith in Christ, but there isn't clear evidence there is any possession of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work displayed in their lives (Js 2:14, 18-19, 26). Additionally, there is no continual practice of repentance (Mt 3:7-8), there is no grief for sins but rather the desire to conceal and continue in them (1 Jn 3:4-7), there is no evidence of reverent fear of God's holiness and regard for His righteousness (Ps 25:14, 36:1-3); and last but not least, there is no demonstration of love for God and others over love for self (Mt 22:37, 1 Thess 4:1).

Distinguishing Marks of a True Believer in Christ

A person who has truly been regenerated by the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, will love God and the things of God more than self. As Burk Parsons once said, "You can tell your faith is real if when the Holy Spirit pricks your conscience you bleed repentance." And often this conscience pricking by the Holy Spirit is through God's Word, whether read by yourself or spoken and shared by others.

I recall a time (between the ages of 17-20) when there was no outward appearance that I was truly saved. I lived a very carnal life that I would consider was worse than many unbelievers I knew at the time. But inwardly, there was a raging war within me (Rom 7:15, 22-23)—my old sin nature and the Spirit of Christ within me. Though outwardly it looked as if I enjoyed this sin-infested life I was living, inwardly I despised it.

So when God sent a precious sister in Christ (someone I hardly knew) to rebuke me with the Word of God (Prov 27:5-6), I wept bitterly and decided then that she was someone I really needed to befriend. Unfortunately, she didn't feel the same way, as she was quite disgusted by my iniquitous living. Though this saddened me, I understood, and was grateful for her godly rebuke because I was obviously in great need of it.

"Let a righteous man [or woman] strike me—it is a kindness; let him [or her] rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it."

~Psalm 141:5a (ESV)

Of course, none of us can see another persons heart (we can't often know our own; see Jer 17:9-10), but Jesus did qualify and command us to be wise fruit inspectors (Mt 7:14-20; 15:18-19) so that we may make the best us of our time here on earth (Eph 5:15-17).

One of the most unloving things we can do, is affirm the salvation of someone who's living in blatant rebellion to God and His Word. Conversely, the most loving thing we can do, is urge them to test their salvation (2 Cor 13:5) with the Word of God and not by the testimony of others.

If we truly love the Lord Jesus and care about those He came to save, we will be more concerned about a person's spiritual state than about offending them, or being offended or rejected by them. In this, we will desire to be better listeners, be more prayerful, and point the hearer to Christ (rather than ourselves and our opinions) whether they are saved or unsaved.

Share God's Word and obey God's Word not for the results (that everyone will agree with you or like you), but for the sole purpose that God is well pleased (Gal 1:10, 2:20). And to happily live in obedience to 2 Peter 4:10-11. But before you share any Scripture with others, test your own heart's motive with His Word first to ensure you're not doing this out of spite or to make/prove your own point (Ps 19:14, 139:23-24). After all, who are we that our thoughts and opinions should be valued and heard? It is God's Word and His precepts alone that are deserving and worthy of being heard and immediately heeded.

Therefore, make sure you handle the Sword of the Spirit as a skilled soldier and not as an immature and self-aggrandizing toddler.

Pictured above, is my newest Bible, the ESV Reader's Bible. Those who know me, know I don't need another Bible...so it may seem. But I actually do need this one because of its layout. It has no title headings, no verse numbering; no cross-reference, footnotes or study notes, and no book introductions. It's straight Scripture with only the name of each book (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, etc.) and their chapter numbers. That's it. It's purely for reading the Bible and I have a trouble doing that—which is why I absolutely need this Bible.

It's confession time. A confession I'm not very proud of, and quite ashamed of; yet, know I need to share in order to comfort and exhort others. Okay...here goes. Ready?

I've never once read the entire Bible. No, not even once.

Why haven't I? If I love God's Word as much as I say I do, how is it possible that I haven't read all of it? Well, this answer requires another confession. I'm somewhat of a I-need-to-understand-all-of-God's-Word-aholic. What this means is, no matter what reading plan I've ever started, I can't ever get through it because I always get stuck on a word, a name, a place, a time, an event...you get the picture. And I can't get passed it without cross-referencing, getting on my Logos Bible Software to research, reading the study notes in my ESV Study Bible and grabbing my Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology book, along with a host of other books so that I can understand what I'm reading and apply it to my life.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against studying the Word of God. I encourage it. However, reading only to study—stifles reading for comprehension.

I get stuck on verses I don't understand and have questions like: "Why Lord? Why did you do that for this person, but not that other person?", "Why did you feel that way?", "Why did you allow so and so to talk to you that way?", and the one that stumps me the most, "Father, I don't even know what to ask because I don't even know what this verse means."

I want so desperately to know God more in order to love Him better that if I see a little letter or number near a verse, I just have to look up the cross reference or read the footnotes. And if that doesn't satisfy me, then I have to look up the original Hebrew or Greek. And often, I also have to study the historical setting of the time it was written, as well as the cultural understanding of why something is mentioned.

As you can see, having this insatiable desire to know the God who saved my wretched soul, and calls me His beloved child, disables me from being able to read the entire Bible all the way through...with the kinds of Bibles I have and with the methods I've been using. By the time I'm finished doing everything I normally do (as described above) during my praise and quiet time, usually, hours have gone by and I'm still on verse one, or chapter one.

Which is what brings me to why I'm writing this article today and why I purchased my new ESV Reader's Bible.

By God's awesome kindness, He put it in my darling husband's heart to search for yet another "read the Bible all the way through" plan. And he found one that will not only work for someone as peculiar as me, but also for normal people. Hallelujah!

This wonderful Bible reading plan is one Professor Grant Horner (of Master's College) has used for more than 30 years.

Professor Horner has some fantastic suggestions and solutions, as well as a very enjoyable and exciting format for reading the 10 chapters, that when I'm done, I have to check and make sure I actually read 10 chapters because it feels like I've only read a couple. I've tried to follow other 10 chapters per day reading plans and I've never been able to stick with it because I can't stop studying, cross referencing, researching, etc. But Professor Horner's reading methodology is so intriguing, I've often found myself getting carried away and reading beyond what I'm supposed to read each day. Wow...what a problem to have, huh?

I've created a downloadable PDF file so you too can join me in reading God's Word all the way through...for the rest of your life! Included in this PDF are Professor Horner's instructions, and bookmarks I've created to help you with the 10 chapter per day reading plan. I've created six bookmark sets to meet individual color preferences: multi-colored, red, blue, green, purple and gold. Each bookmark displays the number for the order in which you will read. For example, Reading Day 1: read chapter one of Matthew (bookmark #1), chapter 1 of Genesis (bookmark #2), chapter one of Romans (bookmark #3), and so on. Under the Bible book titles are the number of days it'll take to complete the reading for each bookmark.

To download instructions for Professor Horner's "The Ten Lists Bible Reading System" and bookmarks, click here: Instructions and Bookmarks

After printing out the set of bookmarks you prefer, take them to Mardel Christian Bookstore (laminating in my area store only cost .25¢ per foot) or any office store and get them laminated so they will last beyond only a couple weeks of reading.



After getting the bookmarks laminated, use your cutting board (if you have one) to cut them. If you don't own a small cutting board like I do (pictured above), use the one at Mardel, or have the bookmarks cut at whichever store you had them laminated.


I laminated and cut the bookmarks (pictured above) for myself, my husband and our oldest son (who's 22), and for a special teenager he's mentoring at our church (who will also be following Professor Horner's Bible Reading System).

Below is a photo of my new ESV Reader's Bible along with my new multi-colored bookmarks that help me easily find the order in which this reading system suggests (and I encourage you to follow it exactly as it's the reason why I'm enjoying this system so much).


I absolutely love my new ESV Reader's Bible and love Professor Grant Horner's "Ten Lists Bible Reading System". It's easy to follow and very engaging to read it in the order Professor Horner instructs.

When I read a chapter from Matthew, move on to a chapter in Genesis, then read a chapter in Romans and so on, I'm constantly amazed at how I see Christ in every chapter! I'm actually understanding more and discovering new things about my great and awesome God that I never knew (Jer 33:3). I'm delighted by how reading Matthew, Genesis, Romans, 1 Thessalonians, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Joshua, Isaiah and Acts (in that order) flows seamlessly in a narrative format—consuming my heart and mind in God's grace, and soothing my soul that longs to see my Savior face to face.

"Thus says the LORD: 'Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.'

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—"

~Jeremiah 9:23-24, Philippians 3:7-9 (ESV)