11. The Daily Bible in Chronological Order (NIV 2011)

NIV 2011: The Daily Bible in Chronological Order with "narration" by F. Lagard Smith. 2020. 1730 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When I found this one at a thrift store, I was super excited because I misread the copyright of the narrated notes by F. Lagard Smith for the copyright of the translation. For most of the world, "which" year for the NIV is a non-issue. There is a percentage for which it matters a great deal. NIV 84 forever! I partly jest. Still the NIV 84 is what I first read and loved. It is ALL the comfort and nostalgia I need. Have I moved on? Yes. Mostly. But don't ask me to gush about the NIV 2011. 

This one is arranged into daily dated readings. It is single columns. Each day's reading is marked with a symbol. It is black letter. The font size was decent. It is, of course, chronological, that is what sets this one apart from other Bibles.

I first read the NARRATED BIBLE in 1997 or 1998. It was the second Bible I read cover to cover. I read the NARRATED Bible in three weeks--in between Christmas and the start of the next college semester--so mid January. I absolutely fell in love with F. Lagard Smith's narration. It was just a great experience all around. So I was happy to try to recreate that with this one. Same notes or narrations, different translation. It wasn't the same experience. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

30. The Gospel According to Daniel

The Gospel According to Daniel: A Christ-Centered Approach. Bryan Chapell. 2014. 222 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: In recent years much of my time has been spent helping different generations of church leaders understand each other. 

What does a Christ-centered approach to Daniel look like? Well. I'm not the best judge even though I read the book. I can tell you what it does not look like. It is not a commentary or at the very least not a traditional commentary. It won't really focus on the context and cultures in which Daniel lived. It won't go into various views of what any of the visions mean. It won't go into anything remotely-remotely related to "end times" prophecy. It won't focus necessarily on how Daniel has been read and interpreted throughout the centuries. It will focus almost exclusively in making Daniel "relevant" with applications for how to better live for Christ in a compromising culture. 

I have always found Daniel a confusing book. I've never really tried to find ways to apply it, to make comparisons between Babylon's culture and our own, to look for ways to correlate our times with his. I remember liking the earlier chapters. It had me thinking about the pressures that Daniel and his three companions [among other captives] faced daily. They had lost literally almost everything--but were clinging to their faith in God. 

I read the book over too many months to keep a big picture. I wish I'd been able to read it within a week or two instead of six weeks. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #21

This week's bible reading:

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible: Ezekiel, Daniel; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.

NKJV Word Study: 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter; 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation

BSB: Genesis; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Psalms 1-41; Matthew; Acts 1-19; 

KJV 544B: Leviticus 16-27; Numbers; Deuteronomy 1-14; Psalms 90-150; Proverbs 11-31; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; Isaiah; John; 2 Corinthians; 

NIV 2011 Daily Bible: October 8-November 24

1 Year KJV: Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; Isaiah 1-57; 1 Corinthians 9-16; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Psalms 33-70; Proverbs 21:11 through Proverbs 24:8

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

10. CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible. (Christian Standard Bible) God. 2020. 2000 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible features articles (dare I say hundreds?) previously published by the "Sunday School Lesson Illustrator" and "Biblical Illustrator." These are articles--heavily illustrated articles--that provide background and context to biblical times, biblical cultures. Every book of the Bible--even super short books--feature at least one or more articles. Some books have more articles than verses!

The Bible features the Christian Standard Bible translation. It is double column.  The columns are wider than some. It is black letter. The Words of Christ do not appear in red. There are book introductions. The articles are the 'main attraction.' Though I will say that I do not mean that the articles replace the text of the holy inspired word of God. I am not assigning that intention to those who created this incredible layout. I simply mean that if a person was seeking to choose A CSB bible to purchase, the articles might be the selling point. 

There are pros and cons to the CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible. The fantastic COLORFUL illustrations and visual-heavy layout create several opportunities. The PAPER is fantastic. There is NOT any ghosting. Or very, very, very minimal ghosting. But the volume of articles AND the thickness of the paper do make for an extremely bulky, literally heavy Bible. As a reference Bible, I think the Bible definitely something to consider. If you are one who reads the Bible primarily at a desk or at a table, I do think the heaviness will not be a distraction. If you are someone who primarily reads the Bible in a comfy chair, then this isn't the best lap Bible. I think if one were to read short sections--perhaps two to four chapters per day, it could be manageable. If you are a Bible glutton--like me--then this may not be the best fit for say the Bible in 90 days challenge. 

I can appreciate the quality of the paper. It is truly rare to find a Bible with little to no ghosting. Visually, this one is fantastic. Without reading a single word, you are swept away. It does stand out or stand apart from most other Bibles. 

The quality of the articles isn't something I am super prepared to judge. Some were more interesting/fascinating than others for sure. Not all were equally engaging. A few were interviews. There were definitely a handful of articles that I truly did find engaging and informative. A few that I wanted to share what I had learned with someone else [before I forgot what I just learned.] Having read through it once, it will be a nice enough reference bible, but it isn't practical enough for every day use because it is so physically heavy. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

9. NKJV, Word Study Reference Bible

NKJV (New King James Version) Word Study Reference Bible. God. 2023. 1928 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

This Bible--published by Thomas Nelson--features around two thousand key word studies from the Hebrew and Greek. Each word that is featured appears in the text underlined. That doesn't mean the key word study is on that page. Depending on if it's the Old Testament or New Testament, you might have two or three words defined or featured on that page, or you might have up to four or five. Those not defined or featured on that specific page--close in range to the Scripture--feature a reference to the page where it can be found. Though not of particular extra use to me, it does use Strong's numbers.

In addition to the key word studies, this one features "topic by topic" articles and "study the book" articles. These were previously published in the NKJV Know the Word study Bible. These appear less frequently than the key word studies. But every book of the Bible has at least a handful of additional articles. (Shorter books might just have one.) I didn't always agree 100% with everything in the articles. There was one in particular in Deuteronomy that I had quarrels with. 

It is a double column Bible. Words of Christ appear in red. The font is 9.5 comfort print. This Bible is a bit heavy/bulky. It definitely leans more towards a reference bible than an "every day carry." 

I am growing more attached to the New King James Version. I like the idea of loving this one absolutely. I did find MANY of the word studies to be interesting and informative. However, and this is just on me, I got SO overwhelmed when it came to the New Testament when the extra features were everywhere. The proportion of text to "extras" was just a little too much for me. That being said, if I was using this as a reference book, if I was just looking up a particular chapter or book of the Bible, I don't think it would be as overwhelming. (Pushing to read straight through the Bible can be challenging on its own.) 

Are there apps and websites that can tell you what each word is in Hebrew or Greek? Yes. Some are easier to use than others. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #20

This week's Bible reading:

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible: 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 2 Kings; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Romans 7-16; 1 Corinthians; 

NKJV Word Study Bible: John; Acts; Romans; Ephesians; Philippians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; 

KJV 544B: Genesis 26-50; Exodus; Leviticus 1-15; Nehemiah 7-13; Esther; Job; Proverbs 1-10; Psalms 17-89; Matthew 14-28; Mark; Luke; Acts 18-28; Romans; 1 Corinthians

KJV 1 Year Bible for Women: 1 Chronicles 24-29; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah 1-7; Romans 4-16; 1 Corinthians 1-8; Psalms 13-33; Proverbs 19:15 through Proverbs 21:10

NIV 2011 Daily Bible: July 22-October 7. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #19

Bible reading:

NKJV Word Study Bible: Nehemiah, Esther; Job;  Proverbs 23-31; 1 Kings; 2 Kings; Mark; Luke; Galatians

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible: Joshua 5-24; Judges; Ruth; 1 Samuel; Isaiah; Acts; Romans 1-6;

KJV 544B: Genesis 1-25; Ezra; Nehemiah 1-6; Psalms 1-16; Matthew 1-13; Acts 1-17; 

NASB 77 Ryrie: 2 Kings 9-25; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles;  Psalms 35-72; Ezekiel 12-48; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Titus; Philemon, Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation

KJV 1 Year Bible for Women: 2 Kings 1-; Acts 13-; Psalms 139-; Proverbs 17:19-

NIV 2011 Daily Bible: June 1-July 21. (Read through a LOT of history and the book of Isaiah)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

M'Cheyne Horner Bookmark Bible Reading Plan

Chances are you've heard of the Professor Horner Bible Reading System AND you've heard of the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. Both have been around for decades. The M'Cheyne Bible Reading plan has been around for over a hundred years. 

Personally I have slight issues with both plans in how they work for me and my Bible reading. I thought I might improve both methods by marrying them together. This is the M'Cheyne-Horner Bookmark system. It has FOUR bookmarks (not ten). It doesn't assign a specific number of chapters per day--like the M'Cheyne and Horner. It allows you the freedom to read a little or a lot. 

Bookmark one: Psalms. If you finish Psalms, rinse repeat. (I jest.) But seriously, just start it again-again-again. 

Bookmark two: Genesis through 2 Chronicles (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles

Bookmark three: Ezra through Malachi. (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).

Bookmark four: New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

Though I didn't have an exact system of how many chapters per day to read, except for Psalms (which I expected to start again-again), I found it read evenly. I finished up the remaining three bookmarks around the same time. 

While I have never really loved either the M'Cheyne or Horner plans, this one that combines the best elements of both I found myself LOVING. I will definitely be using this plan again. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

8. NASB (1977) Ryrie Study Bible

NASB 1977 Ryrie Study Bible. 1978. Charles C. Ryrie, editor. God (author). 2059 pages. Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Since first reading the NASB 1977 translation in 2019, I have fallen head over heels in love with this translation. I've read it five or six times at least. I think I read it three times last year. I am already planning on reading it again this year. So without a doubt the translation is one I absolutely love and adore and would definitely recommend. 

This was my first time to read a Ryrie Study Bible. The Ryrie Study Bible is available in various translations. This one is double column, verse by verse, red letter. Study notes are on the bottom of the page. There are book introductions. This one does feature outlines in the book introductions and the text of the Bible itself--along the lines of paragraph headings that you might find in other translations. (Though to be clear, this one is verse by verse.) 

I read most of the notes. That isn't always the case. (I typically read text-only Bibles). Did I agree with all the notes absolutely, positively? No. Did I find all the notes relevant and helpful? Probably not. But they also weren't super overwhelming and intimidating. It was a good balance of text and notes. Some study bibles have more study notes than scripture per page. That--to me--is intimidating and confusing. The notes are definitely dispensational. 

I started this Bible on April 6, 2024. I finished on May 9, 2024. I used a reading plan of my own creation--the M'Cheyne-Horner bookmark plan. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #18

Current Bible reading:

NKJV Word Study Bible: Psalms 132-150; Proverbs 1-22; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; Isaiah 48-66; Jeremiah; Ezra

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible: 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Proverbs; Isaiah 1-6; John; 

NIV 2011 Daily Bible March 23 through May 31st. [I've read through the life of Solomon].

NASB 77 Ryrie Study Bible: 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 2 Kings 1-8; Psalms 1-34; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel 1-11; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy

King James Version 1 Year Bible for Women: 1 Kings; Acts 4-13:1-41; Psalms 124-138; Proverbs 16:24 - 17:18

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible