Bible in 90 Days

Latest hot read for hundreds is the Bible

noemail@biblein90days.org — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Posted: 02/01/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

Participants in The Bible in 90 Days reading program at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church read 12 pages a day, then meet weekly in small groups to discuss what they have read. They have lessons on DVDs and a study guide to help them answer questions. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

It's a book awash in blood, teeming with psychosexual drama and rife with supernatural occurrences, yet the Bible is seldom read like a novel, beginning to end.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church is trying this more book-clubbish approach to scripture, with more than 600 people on the same page. They read 12 pages a day for 90 days.

"Most Christians get a little Bible here and there. Most have never read it cover to cover," says Cherry Creek pastor Don Sweeting. "Many don't think they could."

Sweeting never expected 620 people to sign on and show up. He had estimated a couple hundred of the church's 1,200 attending members might go for it.

A third of the people now reading the Bible with him are not even church members.

(Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

"I keep asking myself, 'Why so many people?' " Sweeting says. "I guess the Bible really is basic, enduring and sustaining in unstable times."

Bible readers, who began the Good Book in early January, meet weekly in smaller groups to talk about what they've read and to watch a lecture on DVD. Sweeting only half-jokingly said he might have to add staff to answer the resulting flood of biblical questions.

The Cherry Creek congregation is the first group in Colorado to undertake The Bible in 90 Days national reading program. The local congregation is the second-largest group of readers in the country, behind a Florida church, says Meredith Quarles, a church employee who was instrumental in bringing the program here. Even she is happily stunned by the response, which crosses age groups.

"I thought this would be good for me. I wasn't feeling close to the Lord," says Carrie Plank, 11, who had to convince her parents she was old enough.

The hardest part, Plank says, is keeping all the names straight.

"People have a great interest in Genesis," Sweeting says. "They get bogged down in Leviticus. They peter out in Numbers. But if they keep going, the end will be glorious."

Reading every word of the Bible in three months is not the norm, but "something just happens when you do this," says Ted Cooper Jr., the Houston businessman who gave up his day job doing computer consulting in 2002 to run full time the nonprofit dedicated to this endeavor. He says no one is more surprised than he is that he has any kind of ministry.

"The way this whole thing started 10 years ago was with me happily agnostic — my wife too," Cooper says. "We were nice enough people. We just didn't happen to believe in any of this and didn't have time for it."

However, his children, then 11, 9 and 7, had some interest. Cooper, then 43, thought they should make up their own minds.

"We knew we couldn't just drop them off at the church," Cooper says. He took them to the Presbyterian church where he'd gone as a kid.

His children had questions. He had questions. Before long he was covertly reading the Bible, the easy-to-read New International Version. He rushed through it, 12 pages a day for 90 days, to try to quickly put an end to all the questions.

He eventually told his wife what he was doing. He would read aloud to her "the funny parts," such as the passage about a person getting chopped into 12 pieces.

"We made a game of it," Cooper says. "After several days, I quit making fun of it. I found myself engrossed in it. About halfway through, somewhere in Isaiah or Jeremiah, I started to believe what I was reading."

It was 1999. Cooper would read the Bible three times in fairly short order. He was onto something.

It wasn't until 2001 that he offered his first course at First Presbyterian Church of Houston, even though his pastor had warned that few people would want to read the Bible cover to cover. The pastor was wrong. Turnout was great.

Cooper struggled for 18 months with the decision whether to leave his career, but before the end of 2002, developing curriculum and spreading The Bible in 90 Days was a full-time gig.

"It's not lucrative," Cooper says, "but this seems to be what God wants me to do. And here's the oddest part: If you'd told me 10 years ago that reading the Bible would lead to this, I wouldn't have done it."

Cooper's program is now in 46 states and several countries. United Presbyterian Church in Cañon City is the other Colorado church onboard, where there are 50 participants out of a congregation of about 300.

"It's been neat to see the lights go on," says United Presbyterian's Rev. David Freehling. "It's a very different experience for them to read it cover to cover. It's an ongoing and unfolding story, with one thing leading to another."

Program materials, which for individuals include an easy-to-read, large-print Bible and a study guide, cost about $24. An additional companion book is available for about $12.

At Cherry Creek Presbyterian, people can use their own Bibles and are also eligible for church scholarships to cover study-guide costs.

The Cherry Creek congregation's climactic end will arrive as Holy Week begins, April 5. Sweeting says he will invite Denver-area pastors to his church to hear about the experience.

"I also challenge the mayor to name the Bible as the selection for the One Book, One Denver" communitywide reading program, Sweeting says. "It is the most published, most quoted book of any time."

For the sake of cultural literacy, he said, even nonbelievers might consider reading it to see what they don't believe in.

And any latecomers who want to join can jump in, Quarles says. It isn't really a race.

"The point is not really to finish it in 90 days," Sweeting says, "but to finish it."

Church member Wesley Wolffrum, 66, says he was a "lukewarm Christian for the past 60 years," but he started reading the Bible cover to cover and became inspired.

He's read it twice and plans to repeat.

Each time he reads the Bible he puts his thoughts and family notes in the margins, he says. When he's done, he gives the personalized Bible to a child or grandchild.

Wolffrum will need to read 11 more.

Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com

Darren Dragovich attends The Bible in 90 Days class at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church with his 10-week-old son, Josiah. More than 600 people are participating in the class, three times the number expected. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

From the Denver Post - http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11584824

3-Feb-09 8:00 AM

Bible Reading Program Set for Maumee

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:00:00 GMT

BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
The Bible in 90 Days, a program that is usually aimed at individual Christians but which became a community effort last year in Waterville, is being offered this year in another Toledo suburb, Maumee.

"It's about building unity. We all read the same Bible, we should all be on the same page," said John Knollman, who with his wife, Marcia, organized the Bible in 90 Days program for Waterville in 2008.

About 210 people signed up last year and more than 150 completed the Bible-reading program, a success rate of about 70 percent.

Some of the participants in the Waterville sessions were from Maumee and asked the Knollmans if they would organize the program again this year.

The program was created by Ted Cooper, a Texas software entrepreneur, with resources published by Zondervan.

Participants read 12 pages of Scriptures per day, which typically takes about an hour, for the 90-day period. The cost of the Bible is $13.99 and a guidebook is $5.99.

Mr. Knollman also showed a video and led discussions on the week's readings, holding identical meetings on five different nights in five different Waterville locations. His goal was to make it easy for people to find a night that fit their schedules.

Free introductory sessions will be held next week at the following times and locations:

•11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 112 East Wayne St..

•7 p.m. tomorrow at Cass Road Baptist Church, 1400 Cass Rd.

•7 p.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church, 200 East Broadway.

•7 p.m. Wednesday at the Church on Strayer Rd., 3000 Strayer Rd.

•7 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 310 Elizabeth St.

In addition, the Bible in 90 Days will be offered on YES-FM (89.3) Christian radio, with information online at yeshome.com.

Mr. Knollman will be on YES-FM at 7:45 a.m. Tuesdays weekly during the 90-day program.

The station's involvement will make it possible for people to participate anywhere in the listening area, which covers most of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

He said he had scores of positive reports from last year's Waterville project, mostly from people who told him they had always wanted to read the Bible but never were able to follow through on that goal.

"So many people who go to church have never read the Bible," Mr. Knollman said. "This program makes it easy. I read a blog in which a pastor said that we Christians proclaim the Bible as God's word and believe every word in it, yet most of us have never read all of it. How can you proclaim the Bible is true if you haven't even read it? I want to challenge Christians to at least read the Bible."

Registration and information are available online at biblein90days.org, calling 419-441-0090, or by sending an e-mail to Johnk90dyas@embarqmail.com.

- David Yonke

Article appeared in the Toledo Blade - January 3, 2009 - http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090103/NEWS10/901030333

19-Jan-09 4:00 PM

Cave Creek Man Presents Bible Challenge

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:00:00 GMT

North Valley Regional Library in Anthem is challenging the Desert Foothills Library in Cave Creek to a “read off” that will get under way Jan. 17. The winning community will have the most people who have read the entire Bible in 90 days. The class will meet each week in both libraries and review what has been read over the past week by viewing a 25 minute DVD and enjoying another half hour in discussion. Bibles made especially for the course will be provided free of charge and will be marked off for each day’s reading; which will usually take approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Never read the entire Bible? Here’s the chance. To find out more about the experience of a lifetime call course leader Dave Marshall at 480-595-5295 or go to www.biblein90.org.

Dave Marshall

Cave Creek

Original article appeared in The Foothills Focus http://www.thefoothillsfocus.com/Archive2008/121708.pdf, p. 16

19-Jan-09 4:00 PM

Maumee Churches Challenge Area Residents to Read Bible in 90 Days

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Maumee Churches Challenge Area Residents To Read Bible In 90 Days
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
Got scripture? John Knollman, a Waterville hardware store owner, thinks everyone should, and several Maumee church leaders agree.They’ve teamed together to launch a program in Maumee to read the entire Bible, cover to cover, in 90 days beginning in January.

“The Bible is the foundation of all Christian beliefs no matter what denomination,” Knollman explained. He approached members of Maumee Churches United, a group of local church leaders from various denominations that meets monthly.

Rev. Howard Thompson, pastor of Cass Road Baptist Church, said the program unites the group in a common way. “It allows us to do something together. In a way, it allows us to worship together,” he said.

Rev. Paul Board of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church said the program “builds a community among congregations.”

The program is open to everyone and you do not have to be a member of a Maumee church, or any church, to participate, Knollman said.

Participants must read 12 pages of the Bible each day.

In addition, weekly meetings have been scheduled to provide discussion and a video about the material read that week. The meetings are flexible and offered at various times and locations throughout the week, so participants may choose a meeting each week that suits their schedule.
Knollman completed the program two years ago after he stumbled upon it while surfing the Internet. “It sure makes it easy and it explains it in common terms. It was designed for a small group or church, but I thought, ‘Why not a whole community?’”

Last year, through a coordinated effort with church leaders in Waterville, 154 people participated in the program. Andy and Rose Kandik of Waterville said it helped them grow spiritually together.

“It refocused our priorities away from material things to focus on doing good for others and it made us aware of what God expects from us,” Rose said.

Knollman said that reading 12 pages a day breaks the Bible into “bite-size chunks,” although he acknowledged that it can be a difficult book to understand. “Many people have tried to read it, but get confused, and this makes it easy for people to understand who God is and how he’s working even in the world today. His influences may be subtle, but they’re there,” he said.

Rev. Tom Schaeffer, associate pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Maumee, said reading scripture furthers spiritual growth. “I know people who have been Christians their whole life and never read the scriptures, and anything we can do to help equip people to do that, the better,” he said. Schaeffer said his church is incorporating the program into Mass and will preach on the scripture being studied each week throughout the 90-day period.

Knollman and his wife Marcia are so committed to bringing God’s message to people that they have invested thousands of dollars in personal funds to purchase the video equipment and advertise for the program. They will also lead all of the group meetings offered throughout the 14-week period. “You can go through a program like this, and by the time you’re done, you get a better understanding of who God is,” he said.

The program is free and open to everyone. To sign up, call (419) 441-0090, visit www.biblein90days.org and click on the Maumee link, or e-mail johnk90days@embarqmail.com.
The first week’s meetings begin on Sunday, January 4 and are informational. Lessons will start the second week.

Those interested may use their own Bible, or an official 90-Day Bible may be purchased for $13.99 along with the study guide for $5.99. They will be available for purchase at the first meeting.

The Maumee meeting locations and times are:
• Sunday, January 4, 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 112 E. Wayne St.
• Sunday, January 4, 7:00 p.m. at Cass Road Baptist Church, 1400 Cass Rd.
• Tuesday, January 6, 7:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Broadway St.
• Wednesday, January 7, 7:00 p.m. at The Church on Strayer, 3000 Strayer Rd.
• Thursday, January 8, 7:00 p.m. at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 310 Elizabeth St.

from The Mirror: http://themirrornewspaper.com/pages/news/12_25_08/12_25_08.html

16-Jan-09 11:00 AM

The Challenge

noemail@biblein90days.org — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone,

A while back I had posted about this Bible schedule that I used on my blog. Here is what I said:

"I have been using the 90 day Bible schedule for my bible reading. It is so much fun. I am on my second time of doing it.

I had first learned about it when my mom heard about it on Haven today and told me about it. I started it the next day wanting to learn more about my Savior. On Haven Today they have a blog that I used to say when I started and finished. The host of Haven Today was so impressed with me being 13 yr. old and finishing reading the Bible in only 88 days ( there are two grace days in case you fall behind) that he sent me the Bible that was made for the schedule ( the first time I had just used my own Bible which works just a well). While I was in PA he called and asked if I wanted to be interviewed. over the phone I thought about it and I had him send me the questions but I decided not be interviewed over the phone ( I am shy) but just to answer the questions by email and have him read it on the show. I am on one of the broadcasts along with some other people that have finished it. Here is the link that way you can hear it. www.haventoday.org and if you go there just click on archives and it is titled Summer in The Word (Part 2).

If you would like to read the Bible in 90 Days then just type in www.haventoday.org/schedule.pdf. I would love to hear that you are starting the schedule. May God bless you through this and have fun."

Eventually, one girl was reading about it on my blog and decided to start up a separate blog for this challenge. She asked teens to encourage each other to participate in this challenge: The 90 Bible Challenge. All together we got 25-30 teens to participate. It was one of the best experiences ever. You can check out the challenge here if you are interested..."The Challenge". It may even encourage you to start up one of your own.

Have a wonderful week!

12-May-08 7:00 AM

Why I use the 90 Day Bible Schedule

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:00:00 GMT

I remember one night I was so depressed and I felt like I was so far away from the Lord. I knew I hadn’t read my Bible in such a long time which was something that I was really having trouble with and every time I tried to read God’s Word I would get so distracted by something else in my mind. After many week of this it really made me so depressed about my relationship with the Lord. That night I was in my bed and I started to cry really badly and I knew the Lord really still loved me so I said a long prayer to Him telling Him how much I needed Him and how much I loved Him, and so on. One thing in particular I prayed for was that I would somehow be able to read His Word more faithfully and with a passion. That morning I felt refreshed and my mom told me about the 90 day bible challenge she had hear about on the radio that night. I went right away on the radio’s site and got a schedule for this Bible reading. That morning I started reading with this schedule. Ever since that day I have had a passion and a true love for reading God’s Word and now it means so much to me. I use this schedule over and over again and it really works for me. This is the best schedule I had ever used and I plan to never give it up!!

20-Mar-08 4:00 PM

1/10/2008 Pastor challenges community to read entire Bible

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:00:00 GMT

By Brian Bethel (Contact)

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Photo by Ronald Erdrich

Pastor Dennis Patience discusses a program called "The Bible in 90 Days" with a group at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Albany on Monday, Jan. 7, 2008. Using a special Bible and study plan, the groups plans to read the entire Bible in three months.

Trey Little would love it if everyone in Albany took him up on a small challenge.

Read the Bible cover-to-cover in 90 days.

Albany, with about 1,900 people, and Waterville, Ohio, both launched initiatives in the new year to encourage everyone in those two towns to read from Genesis to Revelation in three months. Waterville has around 5,000 residents.

It's a task that Little and Ted Cooper of Houston, creator of "The Bible in 90 Days," maintain isn't as daunting as it sounds.

Little approached the Albany Ministerial Alliance six months ago and said he was planning to challenge his congregation to complete the task.

"I thought it would be great to try to get the whole community involved," he said. "... I think it's significant that a small town like Albany is one of only two on the map doing this."

Little is originally from Houston and got to know Cooper through mutual friends there.

Cooper said he and Little had talked about a communitywide Bible read before, but both said that the timing was now finally right for it happen.

"It's a wonderful concept -- a whole community embracing God's word," Cooper said.

The journey to this point for Cooper started eight years ago, when he was a "happy agnostic," he said.

But despite his convictions, or lack thereof, Cooper felt compelled for reasons he didn't understand at the time to read the Bible.

He knew if he dawdled, he would lose interest or become distracted. He set a 90-day timeline. From the beginning, he took a pace of about 12 pages a day.

Halfway through his experiment, Cooper found himself believing what he read.

"As you can imagine, that was a significant event in my life," he said.

It took awhile for some to warm to the Bible-in-90-days idea, but Cooper eventually developed a course based on his own experience, first offered in 2001.

When he initially offered it, only a handful of people were expected to show up. But 90 people gave it a try, and about half of that number succeeded.

"A lot of people didn't think anyone would want to do this, but that was when the light turned on," he said.

Soon, Cooper began thinking it was time to take the project outside of his particular church, beginning a year-and-a-half struggle that meant leaving his career as a small software developer/consultant and filling his time with ministry.

Albany's initiative started with a town meeting in December, at which Cooper told his story about how he gave his life to God "somewhere around Isaiah," Little said.

It's hard to get an exact count of how many plan to participate, he said. Many churches in the ministerial alliance plan to meet regularly to discuss their members' progress, a form of accountability that Cooper and others consider an essential part of the plan.

Given the importance of the Bible in the lives of Christians, it seems self-evident that it should become a priority, Little said. Cooper's course makes that goal attainable for many people, Little said.

"So few people read the Bible entirely in their lifetime, and even fewer read it cover-to-cover," Little said. "But you have many people who will read a novel every couple of weeks."

Cooper's approach features use of the New International Version, a good "reading" version of the Bible, he said. A small-group ethos, along with video instructions, moves people along.

"We see a marked difference between people who come and do this as part of a group on a weekly basis and those who try to do it alone," he said.

New readers to the Bible often need to talk through what they're reading. Some can be taken aback by the contrast of the violence of the Old Testament and the greater focus on divine love in the New Testament, for example.

"The help, encouragement and fellowship element is very important," Cooper said. "Reading the Bible in 90 days isn't a normal thing for most of us to be doing, and some people at work or school may even tell you you're nuts for trying. So that's why you need to have that once-a-week time when you're in a room with people trying to do exactly the same thing you are."

So far, nine churches in Albany's ministerial alliance have agreed to take on the task, Little said.

Minister Anthony Parker of Albany Church of Christ said his congregation was quite excited about the project. He hopes those who follow the commitment through will become lifelong students of Scripture.

"We've always viewed ourselves as people of the book, but unfortunately, our knowledge of the book is declining," he said. "This is something that can help transform lives and make people into better disciples of Jesus."

Pastor Dennis Patience of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) said it was exciting -- and that last he heard, about 150 people in Albany were planning to see the project through. That includes 24 at his church.

"At my pace, about 12 pages a day is half an hour," Patience said. "That's not a huge amount of time to commit every day. A lot of people will spend a lot more time than that each day staring at a television screen."

Link to article: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/jan/10/and-on-the-91st-day-they-rest/

10-Jan-08 4:00 PM

Couple works to get Waterville residents to read entire Bible in 90 days

noemail@biblein90days.org — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Marcia and John Knollman at Zion Lutheran Church in Waterville. They are organizing a community-wide effort to read the Bible, based on the "Bible in 90 Days" program.
( THE BLADE/LORI KING )

Zoom | Photo Reprints

By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR

Giving somebody a Bible is one thing; getting them to read it is quite another, according to John Knollman of Waterville.

"We had talked about giving Bibles to the community before, but I could give someone 10 Bibles and if they don't open them up, the Bibles don't do any good," he said.

Mr. Knollman and his wife, Marcia, owners of Waterville Hardware and Paint, decided to organize a community-wide effort to get people in Waterville to read the entire Bible in three months, beginning in January.

The project stems from a combination of the couple's desire to spread the Gospel and Mr. Knollman's discovery of a new program that helps people read through the Bible in 90 days.

Mr. Knollman's involvement began in late 2006, when he was surfing the Internet and came across a Web site about a program titled "The Bible in 90 Days: An Extraordinary Experience with the Word of God."
"I thought this was pretty interesting," he said. "It takes reading the Bible a step further. It helps you through it. It comes in a pack with a Bible, study guide, and DVD."

Mr. Knollman said he has read the Bible through several times, but when he asked Christians he met whether they had done the same, he was surprised by the results.

"I expected most people in church to have read the Bible, but of the first 20 people I asked, only two had read the entire Bible," he said.

The "Bible in 90 Days" program divides the Scriptures into 90 sections of 12 pages each, requiring about an hour of reading per day. In addition, a video included in the package features Bible scholars who review the week's readings and ask questions designed to promote group discussion.

"It's a commitment," Mr. Knollman said, "but once you get into it, the Bible opened like a story book. You get a different view."

He succeeded in reading the Bible "from Genesis to Revelation" in three months and was so impressed with the way the program was organized that he approached Waterville's pastors to see if they would get their church members to participate in a community-wide "Bible in 90 Days" program.

"The Waterville pastors meet once a month, so I presented the program to them at one of their meetings, then met separately with the pastors who didn't make the meeting," he said. "They all said, ‘It's a great idea but we don't have the time. But if you want to do it. …'"

The Knollmans accepted the challenge — and it wasn't the first time the couple has invested in new evangelization technique. In February, 2001, they paid $3,000 to bring the apocalyptic movie Left Behind to the area for a showing at Showcase Cinemas in Maumee.

This time, Mr. Knollman contacted Ted Cooper, a former software company owner from Houston who came up with the "Bible in 90 Days" concept and developed it with Christian publishing company Zondervan.

Mr. Cooper, 52, said in an interview with The Blade that he and his wife, Becky, had been "happily agnostic" when he first began reading the Bible 8½ years ago.

"I didn't know if there was a God or not, but we would find out when we died, and that would be soon enough for me," he said.

He started going to church for his children's sake, and at a Bible study the pastor said a few things that got Mr. Cooper riled up.

"I said to myself, ‘I thought I had settled this long ago, but, dadgum, I've got to think about this God thing again,'" he said.

At first, he mocked the Scriptures and laughed aloud as he read the Bible, he said, "but about halfway through, somewhere around [the books of] Isaiah and Jeremiah, I realized I believed what I was reading. It was a huge deal for me."

That life-changing revelation led him to develop the 'Bible in 90 Days' program for his church, and when 90 people showed up for the first session, he decided to try it out on a larger scale.

While he has worked with many churches before, the effort with Waterville is the first time an entire community is participating, Mr. Cooper said.

"God works in interesting ways," he said. "John has been working on this for probably 15 months now with his wife, and having a whole town do this is brand new. It's incredibly important for people to do this as a group, and I see God all over this. We are doing everything we can to support John and this process."

While Waterville, a village of 5,000, was the first to get a community program going, the town of Albany, Texas, also will be starting the "Bible in 90 Days," Mr. Cooper said.

"The Bible in 90 Days — A Waterville Adventure" starts with a series of identical meetings held nightly from Jan. 6 through Jan. 10 at five different Waterville sites.

People interested in participating can attend any single session to find out more about the project before making a commitment, Mr. Knollman said.

The meetings, set for 7 p.m. each night, will be held at Zion Lutheran Church on Jan. 6; Waterville United Methodist Church on Jan. 7; First Presbyterian Church on Jan. 8; the Waterville Fire Department's Community Room on Jan. 9, and Waterville Community Church on Jan. 10.

The actual "Bible in 90 Days" program will begin the following week.

"Being in a group arena makes it easy for other people to continue in the program," Mr. Knollman said. "When people say they're going to sit down and read the Bible, very few people actually do it on their own. But when you're together in a group and watch the videos and go through the discussions, it really perks your interest."

He said the program is open to everyone, not just Waterville residents.

Because of the community involvement, the Bible and course materials are available at group discounts, Mr. Knollman said. A thin-line Bible, with large print, written in the New International Version, will be available for $13.99 and the guide is $5.99.

Another advantage for Ohioans who read the Bible in three months rather than a year, Mr. Knollman said, is they'll be done before spring and summer arrive.

"There are so many activities in May and June that you can fall 30 days behind. When you start in January, it makes a great New Year's resolution and by April, when the weather starts getting warm, you're finished," he said.

Information about the Waterville program is available by calling 419-441-0090 or online at www.biblein90days.org.

Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.

Link to article: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071229/NEWS10/648580058

31-Dec-07 10:00 AM

Forgive me, Lord. I almost missed it

noemail@biblein90days.org — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:00:00 GMT

Forgive me, Lord. I almost missed it.

A confession: I was almost so timid in my belief about what God can do among us that I didn’t share the vision I had for us to do “The Bible in 90 Days.” I prayed and thought. Thought and prayed. And God just wouldn’t drop it. So I called a few folks together in the dead heat of summer to help me discern whether they thought this idea was as crazy as I did. Or whether it was doable by God’s grace.

They caught the vision and began organizing as I returned to my knees in prayer. The rest, as they say, is history. Though we launched the program at the worst possible time—July!—the anointing of God was apparent immediately. An avalanche of sign-ups came in week after week.

Ultimately, God doubled me. I initially told the organizers I would be delighted if we had as many as 100 people covenant to read God’s word with us. Since we are giving Habitat for Humanity $90 for everyone who completes the program, that could have added up to $9,000.

God had a bigger blessing in mind. As I write this we have just signed up our 200^th person in the program, which would produce an $18,000 donation. I said 100, God laughed…and doubled the blessings.

Forgive me, Lord. I almost missed it.

By the grace of God I didn’t neglect this opportunity to shepherd the flock into a 90-day swim in the ocean of God’s word. But I almost missed it. And that raises a troubling question: How may times have I missed it?

How many times have I missed God’s bold blessings because I have been too faint-hearted to answer God’s bold call forward?

How many times have you missed it?

How many times have we—His body, the church—missed it?

As we continue our 90-day immersion in Scripture, let’s not only receive its blessings; let’s obey its call to be bold for God, at home, at church, at school, at the office.

Let’s not miss it again.

Pastor Roy

The Bible in 90 Days

Fall 2007 started with a bang, as we kicked off The Bible in 90 Days at Rally Sunday on September 9. We are excited to report that 192 people have begun the journey through The Bible in 90 Days—strike that—as I type, that number has gone up to an even 200! We have church members, community members, and youth reading the Bible together. Even Leon and Stephanie Butler are participating long-distance, in spite of Leon’s deployment to Iraq and Stephanie and the kids’ move to San Antonio—and Leon’s mother is reading along with us from Beaumont, Texas. What dedication to the Word!

Reading “just 12 pages a day” is a time-consuming task, but if Leon and Stephanie can do it under their circumstances, surely the rest of us can do it, too. Some readers are finding it easier to break their reading into smaller chunks throughout the day instead of trying to do it all in one sitting, while others enjoy reading all 12 pages over their morning coffee, during their lunch break, or just before bed. Regardless of how you’re doing it, you are sure to be blessed by God’s Word, the chance to know Him better, and the opportunity to fellowship with other believers who are reading along with you. It’s a great feeling to drop a rock in the vase at the front of the sanctuary each week upon completing the week’s reading; plus, FPC is donating $90 to Habitat for Humanity for each person who completes The Bible in 90 Days—if we all finish, that will be $17,910! And what a perfect Christmas present for Jesus when we finish in December: Happy Birthday, Lord—We read Your Book!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the weekend of October 12-14. Dr. Mark Strauss, one of The Bible in 90 Days video presenters and personal friend and mentor to our own Pastor Roy, will be here—you won’t want to miss it!

From First Presbyterian Church of Enid OK

19-Oct-07 6:00 PM

Presbyterian Bloggers: Friday Review

Tue, 08 May 2007 13:00:00 GMT

Friday, April 27, 2007

Friday Review. . . Bible in 90 Days

I first heard about Bible in 90 Days on a Ring member's blog. Quotidian Grace spoke very highly of it without offering much in the way of details. So, when it came up in my Adult Ed Committee, I was already interested.

Basically, Bible in 90 Days is a curriculum published by Zondervan that uses a specially published NIV Thinline, a Participant's Guide and some seriously good videos to get groups of people to read the Bible, cover-to-cover, in 90 days -- well, 88 actually.

Sound nuts? It works.

My church offered it starting in January. We had almost our entire average worship attendance sign up. We estimate the completion rate at around 80%. I kid you not.

Read full topic on blog:
http://pcusablog.blogspot.com/2007/04/friday-review-bible-in-90-days.html

8-May-07 8:00 AM

Not Your Mother's Bible

noemail@biblein90days.org — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 03:00:00 GMT

Not Your Mother's Bible
by Cindy Crosby
Publisher's Weekley
10/30/2006

It's been burned in bonfires and dug up in peat bogs; posted online and read on cellphones. You can get it free on street corners, pilfer it from a hotel nightstand or buy it at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, yes, verses from it have helped sell everything from breath mints to wallpaper borders.

It's the Bible, an ancient manuscript that keeps getting makeovers for new audiences. Bible sales represent a whopping market—estimated between $425 million (by Harper San Francisco) and $609 million (by Zondervan), with relatively stable sales. Paul Caminiti, v-p and publisher for Bibles at Zondervan—which accounts for one out of every two Bibles sold—notes, "Although there was a significant spike in Bible sales following 9/11, the Bible market as a whole has remained relatively the same."

Wrapping your arms around this market is like hugging an 800-pound gorilla—it's huge, it's intimidating, and it can turn on you. For many Christians, the Bible is more than a book—it's a life manual divinely inspired by God. Even as reading in the U.S. declines (according to the now-infamous 2004 NEA study), Bible readership is rising. In 1988, research by the Barna Group showed Bible reading during a typical week was at about 36% of the population; in 2006, at 47%. And 96% of evangelical Christians have read the Bible in the past seven days.

But it's not just evangelicals who are reading. At Doubleday, which issued the first edition of the Jerusalem Bible for Catholics in 1966, religious division publisher Bill Barry says he is "encouraged by the continuing interest among the Catholic laity in the foundational text of Christianity—a trend that has been gathering momentum since Vatican II." A free national reading program, CatholicsRead, encourages Catholics to explore the Bible and has more than 3,000 unique visitors per month to CatholicsRead.org.

Not Like Other Books

Still, Bibles present some unique challenges for publishers. Wayne Hastings, senior v-p and group publisher for Bibles at Thomas Nelson (which claims 36.5% of the market), says the size of the book, fewer printers who handle thin-sheet printing and the time it takes to develop auxiliary study content are all daunting. Bibles are expensive to produce because of the page count, binding and edges. "Margins are shorter as customers demand value when they shop," Hastings says.

Tim Jordan, Broadman & Holman's Bible marketing manager, notes that Bibles are typically printed overseas, so production schedules get complicated. "You can't replenish inventory levels quite as fast," he says.

Another oddity of Bible publishing is that the "good book" is often given away free by mission organizations. Roy Lloyd, senior manager of media relations at the American Bible Society, estimates that his organization gave away more than 26 million Bibles and scripture portions in 2004. On the other hand, consumers often own multiple copies. Research done by Barna for Nelson showed that nearly 40% of people who purchased a Bible at retail in the past year already owned three to 10 copies. How do you benefit from this propensity of readers to buy something they already own?

These challenges haven't kept new players from entering the market or longtime publishers from ramping up their Bible programs. Putnam Praise (Penguin Group) jumps in this fall with Seek Find: The Bible for All People (Oct.). Publisher Joel Fotinos believes Putnam Praise "will have a large audience for the Contemporary English Version in the ABA market and a growing presence in the CBA market." At Harper San Francisco, v-p and deputy publisher Mark Tauber recently hired Oxford Bible veteran Hargis Thomas to help ramp up its Bible program. HSF brought the New Revised Standard Version and Revised Standard Version under its umbrella in March, which will allow HSF to promote the translations as a brand with "very extensive" marketing into the mainstream, church and academic markets, Tauber says.

Fast and Fashionable

The black leather Bible is a thing of the past. "Consumers want readable, portable, fashionable and usable Bibles," HSF's Tauber says. Zondervan reflects this desire for fashionable Bibles with its Italian Duotones (two-color leather-look covers with visible stitching), which have grabbed 5% of the Bible market, according to Caminiti.

Taking the idea of fashionable covers a step further, Tyndale just released Veritas, a leatherlike handbag with a special pocket on the outside for a coordinating compact New Living Translation Bible (included in the $59.95 price tag). And in November, Broadman & Holman will cater to the consumer's desire for choice with its "Build-A-Bible" system, which lets the buyer assemble a selection of three translations, several cover styles and colors (from distressed leather to hot pink) and accessories.

For some consumers, fashion isn't an issue, but time is. At Zondervan, Caminiti says he wants to promote unique ways of engaging the Bible. Zondervan's The Bible in 90 Days (2005), which divides the text into 12-page-a-day chunks, was different enough to get people's attention: "We had lots of media coverage and bloggers all over the world talking about their experience." If 90 days still seems like too long, harried readers can try The 100-Minute Bible (July). Its slim, compact size (64 pages) makes this collection of condensed passages highly portable, and director Len Budd at the 100-Minute Press notes it can be read in about the time it takes to watch a feature film.

Perhaps the utmost in portable, go-anywhere Bibles is Bardin & Marsee's The Outdoor Bible (New American Standard version), printed on waterproof material. Its folded size (5"×6.5"×1") and light weight (12.8 oz.) allow the scriptures to go along on a hike in the woods or an adventure atop Mt. Everest.

Engaging the Content

Not all Bibles are getting smaller and more portable. Formatting aside, Caminiti believes "people still want Bibles with notes that better help them understand and interact with the word of God itself." Zondervan recently launched The Archeological Study Bible (Mar.), which includes 500 color photographs of ancient texts, art and archeological sites from museums around the world. Advancements in technology allow four-color printing on Bible paper for the first time without bleeding, Caminiti says. The Holman Illustrated Study Bible (Oct.) in the Holman Christian Standard Bible version (150,000 first printing in three formats, marketing budget $250,000+) also exploits this technology. With more than 1,000 four-color maps, charts, photographs and supporting graphics, "It's a visual study Bible that every level of reader can use on a daily basis," Jordan says.

Experimenting with binding materials and colors and displaying information graphically instead of with words should continue, says Rob Stone, OUP Bible advertising and promotions manager. The challenge: "maintaining enough of a variety of formats, binding materials and colors that assure us a place in the market, while maintaining acceptable margins and controlling our inventory levels."

Another way to repackage the Bible is to build on an author's success, and on the success of devotionals. Max Lucado's Grace for the Momentbooks (volumes 1 and 2) have combined sales of more than 3.2 million, so it was a natural for Nelson to create the Grace for the Moment Devotional Bible (Oct.), with inspirational thoughts and guidance from the popular author. Tyndale's Sanctuary (Nov.) includes devotional contributions from Anne Graham Lotz, Rebecca St. James and Teresa of Avila. Zondervan launches a new line of devotional Bibles this fall, completely retrofitting its bestselling Men's and Women's Devotional Bibles with all-new devotions as well as exterior and interior designs; the Today's Devotional Bible and College Devotional Bible will be added in March.

And for Baby Boomers who want an "un-Bible," Nelson's new full-color Biblezine Redefine (Nov.) couldn't look less like a New Testament. Think magazine, complete with a couple on a motorcycle on the cover, q&as and feature pieces by prominent authors and Bonus! articles. You almost expect a cover line about thinner thighs.

Link to article:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6385787.html

8-Mar-07 9:00 PM

A Goal of Biblical Proportions

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Church Program's Participants read Bible in 90 days

By Carla Hinton,

Religion Editor

Edmond - Among Christians, a popular New Year's resolution is the lofty goal of reading the entire Bible in a year.

An Edmond congregation hopes to complete the task in three months...

Says Rev. Joel Baker, "Lots of us study parts of Scripture, but we never take the time to read the Bible in a conconcentrated effort... if you get a bunch of people together and cheer each other on, it works."

Read complete article at www.newsok.com

10-Jan-07 6:00 PM

Article in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser

noemail@biblein90days.org — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:00:00 GMT

Cover the Bible in 90 days

“Cover the Bible in 90 Days.” It’s not just the title. It’s the goal of a class held Sundays at Grace Presbyterian Church, 518 Roselawn Blvd., through November.

Ted Cooper founded the “Cover 2 Cover: The Bible in 90 Days” program that serves as the basis for this class. Cooper, who lives in Houston, spoke at Grace Presbyterian on Sept. 10 as a precursor to the class.

Cooper was an agnostic who set a personal goal of reading the Bible, cover to cover, in 90 days. Halfway through, he committed his life to Christ. He later created “Cover 2 Cover” to help others share his experience.

“Cover the Bible in 90 Days” groups are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Sundays to review the previous week’s readings (about 12 pages a day), preview the coming week’s readings, participate in small group discussions and hear a video-taped lesson.

Registration is $20, which includes a Bible and all course materials.

Information: 984-6400, gracepreb@bellsouth.net

26-Oct-06 10:00 AM

Article in Colorado Springs Gazette

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 22:00:00 GMT

SPEEDY deliverance

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 7, 2006 by PAUL ASAY THE GAZETTE

The Bible: best-seller, yes; page turner, no.

The Good Book can be intimidating, confusing and thick. It makes War and Peace look like a Vanity Fair fashion spread.

Most people own a Bible but few have read it, frightened away by a hail of candlestick measurements, characters with names like Elzaphan and the word "begat."

Most Christians would say that one should not edit the nearly 800,000 words of God. But some think it's OK to speed it up.

Bible readers these days feel the need for speed, and many reach for tailormade products and regimens that get them through the Bible as quickly as possible.

William Proctor created the Light Speed Bible, a Bible that, when paired with Proctor's speed-reading techniques, can be read in less than 24 hours.

"It's the only Bible that's been designed for accessibility and speed," said Proctor, a writer and speaker who lives in Florida.

The Light Speed Bible uses a Holman Christian Standard Bible translation and includes loads of headlines, subheads and underlined text to help readers grasp key points quickly. Lines have more white space between them, making it easier on the eyes.

The real key, Proctor said, is to remember Lot's Wife: Never, ever look back. "Looking back is a deadly enemy to efficient reading," he said. "More often than not, you're going to answer the questions as you go along."

Proctor says he uses the Light Speed Bible and teaches speed- reading techniques in Christian speed-reading seminars. Most attendees can polish off the Gospel of Matthew in about an hour, and speed up as they get more experience. In fact, Procotor said his 24- hour estimate is downright pessimistic. Most can cruise through all 66 books -- from "In the beginning" to the end of the world -- in 18 hours or less.

Moreover, Proctor says his readers generally retain at least 70 percent of what they read.

Crash Bible-reading plans are nothing new. Many denominations read through the entire Bible every three years or so as part of their liturgy, and Jewish congregations read through the Torah -- the first five books of the Bible -- every year. Yearlong plans are legion: The 969-year-old Methuselah probably could have read the Bible (had it been around) each year of his life using a different plan.

But Ted Cooper, creator of "The Bible in 90 Days" reading program, says one-year plans don't work for everybody. Type A, list- oriented folks need to have more of a challenge, and need to make more of a commitment.

"The speed certainly has to do with where we are as a society today," Cooper said. "We're used to shorter time frames. It's easier to get distracted."

Cooper's 90-day program requires readers to absorb about 12 pages a day of his "The Bible in 90 Days" Bible.

It's enough reading to keep readers soaked in Scripture, he said, but not enough to require them to quit their jobs.

Most importantly, it allows readers to explore the Bible more thoroughly than other speed-reading programs do. Every word can be read and pondered -- as long as the reader keeps to a strict 12- page regimen. There's precious little room for slackers in Cooper's plan.

Quality time with Scripture is important, according to Cooper. A few programs are more akin to spiritual Cliff's Notes.

"The 100-Minute Bible is primarily intended for people who have an interest in Christianity but not the time (nor tenacity!) to read the whole Bible," toots Britain's The 100-Minute Press. "As the title indicates, most people will only take 100 minutes to read it, making it ideal for an upcoming rail or aeroplane journey."

Glenn Paauw, director of product development for the Colorado Springs-based International Bible Society, said, "I would say I'm a little concerned (about how some Biblereading programs are used)." Such abbreviated, paraphrased Bibles interpret for the reader, and that can be worrisome. What happens if a paraphrase cuts back on commandments?

Still, Paauw says that reading the Bible is too big a task for some people without some sort of plan.

"I think it's gotten harder, as our culture has changed, to read an admittedly difficult book," Paauw said.

"If you take a non-Bible reader and give them a whole Bible, their reaction is to be intimidated, to be overwhelmed, to be confused."

The International Bible Study has long printed sections of the Scriptures for readers: The Gospel of John, for instance, or the book of Ecclesiastes.

IBS also offers what Paauw calls a "Five Act Drama," which gives readers a broadbrush treatment of the Christian story through selected Scriptures. The verses can be found in IBS publications, new versions of NavPress' popular Bible paraphrase "The Message" and on the IBS Web site (www.ibs.org/niv/appendix/get tingstarted.php).

Paauw said the smattering of verses doesn't replace the Bible. For Christians, or people interested in Christianity, reading the whole book is as important as ever. Time-sensitive Bible-reading plans -- be they 90 days or a year -- can be a real aid.

Paauw also suggests that readers should tackle the Bible in groups, making it a kind of book club, so readers can talk about what they're reading with other people.

"I think that people who don't have some kind of help, it's very difficult to do it alone," Paauw said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0367 or paul.asay@gazette.com

MORE ONLINE

For more information about rapid Bible-reading strategies, check out these Web sites:

www.thebiblein90days.org
www.ibs.org
www.bibleplan.org
www.williamproctor.com

Article link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20060107/ai_n16010926

12-Sep-06 5:00 PM

90 Days Well Spent

Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:00 GMT

By Bret Hern
Member, Church of the Ascension (Episcopal)
May 31. 2006

It's been my experience -- because for a number of years, it really WAS my experience -- that mentioning the Bible in the context of a "normal" conversation produces reactions not unlike a colleague announcing his/her involvement with Amway during a status meeting. The ambient temperature rises by several degrees, the legal pads in front of everyone around the table suddenly contain vital information, and a dozen or so outgoing, effervescent folks can find nothing to say, torn between a good-hearted desire to be supportive and a reflexive "you have got to be kidding me" response. I know it well -- from the other end, as one of those folks who thinks to himself, "Crap, and Joe seemed like such a normal guy."

But I'm going to risk tossing this particular conversational turd onto the table because for the last three months, I've been involved in a very enjoyable reading experience that I want to share. Over the years, I've studied the Bible in bits and pieces, but never once had I been able to muster up the discipline to read it all the way through. As I was wandering through "The West Wing" catalog, a particular episode resonated very powerfully with me, when three rather cynically-drawn caricatures of the religious right met with White House staff members in hopes of capitalizing on a recent administration gaffe. One of them begins to cite the Ten Commandments and is corrected by one of the White House staffers because he's gotten the order wrong. (The staffer's correction is also incorrect, but I digress.)

Point being, it occurred to me that I was cheating myself, a bit like owning a priceless painting but only displaying the upper right hand corner of it. So when I stumbled upon The Bible in 90 Days program, I decided it was time to fix that, and a group of about a dozen of us, including the Random Wife, have spent the last 13 weeks reading every word of the Bible, cover to cover.

Early this morning, I read the final "Amen" in Revelation. The skies didn't part, no light suddenly shone through our windows, I heard no angelic chorus. (Although I did get a couple of volleys of thunder; we're having some ark-inducing rains this week.)

What I did get was a real feeling of appreciation and accomplishment. I have a much stronger sense of the overall context of the many fragments and episodes I already knew, which gives me great comfort. Far from being a chore, I found myself looking eagerly forward to each reading session, and that enthusiasm is a welcome gift in a jaded time.

If you're still tugging at your collar, scribbling on your notepad, no problem. There's no altar call forthcoming, just a request to ponder not Peter, Paul or Mary, but Confucius: "The greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about."

http://www.bretonconsulting.net/weblog/2006/05/90-days-well-spent.html

31-May-06 3:00 PM

Article in Christianity Today

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 20:00:00 GMT

For the person who wants their speediness to be at a relaxed pace, The Bible in 90 Days might be a good choice. With an interactive website and cross-country encouragement, it is both a Bible and a curriculum (www.Biblein90Days.com site run by Zondervan) developed and field-tested by Ted Cooper, a Houston businessman.

Six years ago, Cooper and his wife were professed agnostics. They started attending church for their children, and Cooper began to be skeptical of his own agnosticism as he read the Bible. "I thought if there is a God and I get started reading it, he's going to want me to finish it," he said.

(More...)

[This article compares The Bible in 90 Days with The HCSB Light Speed Bible and The 100-Minute Bible.]

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/111/13.0.html

13-Mar-06 3:00 PM

Article in New Covenant Connections

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 21:00:00 GMT

The Bible in 90 Days Goes National
Launch Leaders Wanted

In January 2001, ninety-one intrepid church-goers filled a room to hear a first-time Bible “teacher” discuss the notion of reading the Bible in 90 days. The venue was First Houston, and the course was called Cover 2 Cover: The Bible in 90 Days. Over the span of 14 weeks, not only did the majority of this group stick with the class, but — much more importantly — they read the entire Bible from cover to cover.

This month, after much sweat, support and guidance from First Houston and the Houston Presbyterian community, the course moves to a national audience. Rechristened as The Bible in 90 Days, the newest version is published by Zondervan, one of the world’s largest Bible publishers. The curriculum is now designed to be offered in large or small groups and facilitated by either lay leaders or pastoral staff.

Response to The Bible in 90 Days outside the Presbyterian ranks already has been dramatic. Last spring, churches and small groups across six denominations field tested the course for the last time before publication. Based on its experience, St. John the Divine Episcopal is devoting its entire adult Sunday school to the course. Over 800 people are enrolled and reading. Pastors at Clearpoint Community Church and Southminster Presbyterian are preaching sermons to coincide with the program’s weekly reading. Second Baptist will begin offering the program in February. A Catholic group in Dallas is eager for a Catholic version. Churches are successfully offering The Bible in 90 Days as a stand-alone course or as the follow up to courses such as Alpha or The 40 Days of Purpose.

This is just a beginning, but none of these things would be happening without the efforts and support of First Houston and the other churches in the presbytery that became early adopters: Windwood, Grace, Memorial Drive, Heritage, Clear Lake, Southminster, Braeburn, and Northwoods. Thank you!

For more information on how your church or small group can become a Houston 2006 Launch Leader for The Bible in 90 Days, please call us at 713-526-6800 or visit the following websites: www.biblein90days.org or www.biblein90days.com. A sample set of the material is available in the Resource Center.

10-Jan-06 3:00 PM

Article in Jacksonville Times-Union

noemail@biblein90days.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 23:00:00 GMT

Want to read the Bible in 24 hours? One author says it’s highly possible

By JEFF BRUMLEY, The Times-Union

Jacksonville resident Jack Leon said he’s determined to read the entire Bible — cover-to-cover, Genesis to Revelation — in 2006.

“I just want to know everything in the Bible,” the 17-year-old Southsider said. “It will be a challenge.”

A challenge, Leon said, because he starts college in the fall and will have plenty of other homework and reading to do. And because the Bible can be difficult to read in places.

“Oh my gosh,” Leon said as he recalled books like Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy that contain pages upon pages of laws, regulations and genealogies.

“Books that are flat-out boring,” Leon called them.

Leon isn’t alone in that assessment. In fact pastors, Bible study teachers and a growing number of authors say that most people who try to read the entire Bible fail when they become mired in difficult passages.

Throw in busy lives and it’s easy to see why reading from Adam to the Antichrist is easier said than done.

In response to those realities, a number of new products hit the market in the latter half of 2005 designed to help people achieve their Bible-reading goals in short periods of time.

Among the most hyped are The HCSB Light Speed Bible and the The Bible in 90 Days, both of which retail for about $20.

The authors of the two books say speed is the key to success. Both also say their products can help reduce what past research has shown to be high levels of biblical illiteracy, even among Christians.

Blazing through Scripture

“A lot of people get bogged down in Numbers and the royal lists, in Deuteronomy, then they give up the New Year’s resolutions they’ve made to get through the entire Bible,” said William Proctor, the Vero Beach creator and editor of The HCSB Light Speed Bible, produced by Holman Bible Publishers. HCSB stands for its translation, which is the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Proctor said readers using his system can read the entire Bible, “with good comprehension,” in 24 hours.

“That’s 16 to 18 hours if you’re really good at it,” he said of the speed-reading technique his system utilizes.

Proctor’s Light Speed Bible features special headings, strategically highlighted and underlined words and passages and a detailed how-to section on speed reading techniques.

He recommends going through each book at three speeds: Light Speed, at four seconds per page; Landmark Speed, at eight seconds per page; then at Learning Speed, at 30 to 60 second per page.

The three-month program

Ted Cooper Jr. of Houston said he got the idea for The Bible in 90 Days after hearing people express frustration at not having time to read the entire Bible.

“Most people struggle when they try to read the Bible from beginning to end,” Cooper said. “Most of them never make it.”

Published by Zondervan, Cooper’s specially designed book omits distracting footnotes and sets a 12-pages-per-day goal for readers.

The Bible in 90 Days also comes with a curriculum that churches and other groups can purchase.

“The mission is to read, attentively, the Bible in 90 days,” Cooper said.

Is slower better?

But some doubt that anyone can read the Bible attentively in 90 days, much less in 24 hours.

“I still say if you’re reading it just to say you’ve read the Bible, that’s fine,” said Orin McClain, pastor of Cornerstone Ministries in Hilliard. “But if you’re reading it to retain it, then you need to spend a little more time at it.”

McClain said he actually advises people to read the Bible slowly — at about three chapters a week.

“The average person cannot retain much in 90 days,” McClain said. “If you read the Bible in 24 hours, what are you learning? You’re not seeing the beauty of the Bible.”

Proctor and Cooper said their systems are not intended to be readers’ only exposure to the Bible, but to help them develop the familiarity necessary to engage in deeper study.

“This isn’t meant to take the place of that slow, meditative type of study,” Proctor said. His Light Speed Bible does present a fourth reading level called Meditative Speed, in which readers are encouraged to take notes and further contemplate the passages they have read.

Cooper said his system emphasizes reading versus studying and attracts people “who would absolutely not do this otherwise.”

Key: Have a plan

Bible reading programs are nothing new. Tyndale publishes a One Year Bible and Nelson’s MacArthur Study Bible includes a day-by-day, month-by-month reading plan to get readers through the text in 12 months.

There is even a one-year Bible study plans available on the Internet.

But whatever the plan, Proctor and Cooper agree that it’s important to have one.

“The Bible was a gift that was given but wasn’t really received until we’ve read all of it,” Cooper said.

Leon sees it that way, too, which is why he said he’s confident of success.

“Jesus Christ went to the Cross and died for me,” Leon said. “So reading his book is the least I can do for him.”

jeff.brumley@jacksonville.com

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/010106/met_20700513.shtml

2-Jan-06 5:00 PM

Article in the Columbus Dispatch

noemail@biblein90days.org — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 23:00:00 GMT

Biblical speed read

If you think you might make a New Year’s resolution to read the Bible straight through in 2006, consider asking Santa for The Bible in 90 Days (Zondervan, $19.99).

The concept is the brainchild of Ted Cooper Jr., a self-described agnostic who nonetheless wanted to read the great religious book straight through at least once and in less than a year. Applying simple math to a Bible with limited notes, he realized that if he read just 12 pages a day he could finish in 90 days. Somewhere in the book of Isaiah, Cooper realized his reading was changing his life.

Zondervan has turned his concept into a slimmish, large-print NIV translation with each 12-page segment marked off.

Despite its 66 different books by more than 40 authors, the Bible really does hang together as one continuous story of the interface of God and man. Reading it rapidly makes that clear and brings to life its human stories of murder and charity, faith and faithlessness, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption.

Link to original

lreuter@dispatch.com

16-Dec-05 5:00 PM

Article in the Texas Episcopalian

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 23:00:00 GMT

Texas Episcopalian
December 2005

Houston church offers course to read the Bible in 180 days

St. John the Divine, Houston, began an extraordinary journey in mid-November — reading through the entire Bible in just 180 days. St. John’s is serving as a launch leader for the unique program, developed in 2001 by Ted Cooper, Jr., a layperson in Houston. St. John’s is the first church in the country to host the new version of Cooper’s program. Classes feature small group discussion, a weekly lesson, specially developed resources to assist in the reading and a videotape series. Cover2Cover is open to any interested person and includes a Bible and teaching guide at no charge to all participants.

Individually, a participant reads six pages a day in a Bible specially selected for its ease of reading. Resource materials aid in reading comprehension. Once a week participants gather to pray for one another, review readings from the previous week, preview the next week’s reading, participate in small group discussion and hear a lesson — videotaped or live — drawn from the previous week’s reading.

Cooper, an agnostic in 1999, read through the Bible in three months and his life was changed. Halfway through the experience, Cooper said he committed his life to Christ. In 2001, he created the Cover2Cover program to help others share his experience. Surprised by the response and the success rate, he modified the course so that it could be easily led by other lay leaders.

Cooper says that a person can read the Bible in 180 days or less. “The idea is NOT to make the process a race but to give everyone the best opportunity to read all of God’s Word,” he said. The course offers a structure that helps with group support, commitment and question and answer sessions as well as resources. Cooper encourages anyone who wants to read the Bible and hasn’t and those who have, but in bits and pieces to consider the course.

Large enrollments encouraged Cooper to move beyond his own church with the program. “We were even more surprised by how many people successfully completed the reading. It became apparent that the course fills a need that isn’t being met otherwise,” he said.

According to a poll by George Barna Research, 72 percent of the nation’s 170 million Christians who have read only part of the Bible want to read the entire book at sometime during their lifetime. Cooper’s program provides a resource to help.

“The course is geared exclusively to helping participants read, attentively, every word of the Bible in 180 days… Along the way comes insight and discussion, community and study,” Cooper said.

For information on times and location, contact St. John the Divine, Houston, at 713.622.3600. Information on the program can be found at www.biblein90days.com.

1-Dec-05 5:00 PM