Read the Bible in the Order of the Hebrew Old Testament (Bible Reading Plan)

ReadingPlan (iPhone)

INTRODUCTION

Before we go any further, let me begin by saying that there are slight variations to this order depending on what Hebrew manuscript you choose. This order is based on the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) manuscript.

All Hebrew manuscripts have the same major divisional order: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The minor variations between the manuscripts are the minor differences in book order within the three divisions. The three divisions are in the same order in all the manuscripts. Thus, 'Old Testament' in the New Testament is referred to as 'The Law, the Prophets, & the Writings (or David)'. If you are interested in learning more, we recommend Dr. John Sailhamer and Dr. Robert Cole. Dr. Cole, one of our favorite professors at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, was our Old Testament Professor. This Bible Reading Plan is inspired by his teaching of the importance of the Hebrew Old Testament order.

KEY FEATURES

• This is a 1-Year reading plan. It is designed to finish reading the Bible in 309 days.
• There will be a free day every week to reflect on what you have read that week, or to catch up on missed reading, or to read ahead.
• You will read more or less 100 verses a day. Sometimes, it will be as low as 70 verses, and sometimes as high as 130 verses. This inconsistency is to avoid the break in flow between certain chapters.
• As mentioned earlier, this reading plan is based on the BHS book order for the Old Testament (Law, Prophets, & Writings). The New Testament is in the commonly used reading order.
• This reading plan is in thematic order, since the Hebrew Old Testament is in thematic order, not chronological order. Thus, for example, even though Ruth is before Solomon (chronologically), in the Hebrew Old Testament (BHS), Ruth (the woman of strength) is placed after Proverbs 31 (which is about the woman of strength).
• The plan is made available in various formats. You can print it, or add it to your calendar, or use it with certain apps on your smartphone.

ReadingPlan Settings (iPhone)

THE PLAN

• In Spreadsheet format: You can view the reading plan online (Spreadsheet), or download it (Excel) for offline use, or print it (PDF), or use/modify it as you see fit.
• In Calendar format (HTML or iCal or XML): You can add the reading plan to your calendar on your computer/phone/tablet (online/offline), or you can print it, or use/modify it as you see fit. The calendar repeats itself yearly, and leap years will not break it :)
• To use with iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch (ReadingPlan app): Install the ReadingPlan app (one of our favorite iOS apps) from the Apple App Store. Within the app, go to Settings>Reading Plan to browse available reading plans. Download the 'BHS Order' reading plan. Return to Settings, and select 'Bible Link' to choose your preferred Bible app to link to the selected reading plan. This way, when you click on the day's reading in the ReadingPlan app, it will open that day's reading in your preferred Bible app.
• To use with Android/Kindle Fire (And Bible app): Install the And Bible app (our favorite Bible app) from the Google Play Store or from the Amazon Appstore, and follow instructions, in the app, to download one of the available Bible versions (we recommend ESV). Next, using ES File Explorer (or a similar 'file manager' app), create a folder in your SD card named 'jSword', and within that folder, create another folder named 'ReadingPlan'. Now, download the 'BHS 100 (1yr)' file and save it to the newly-created 'ReadingPlan' folder. After this, when you open And Bible and navigate to Menu>More>Reading Plan, you should see 'BHS 100 (1yr)' listed. Select it to use it.

And Bible (Android)

NOTE

This is not the ultimate, infallible reading plan. This is just one of many reading plans out there. We put this together because we believe that there is a purpose behind the order of the Hebrew Old Testament. Also, I think that it will be interesting to read the Old Testament in the order that it was probably read during Jesus' time, and to see the thematic connections between the books. So, if you use it, we hope that it will be a blessing to you. If you run into any trouble, or if there are any mistakes in the reading plan, please let me know and I will do my best to assist.

Some Days Last Forever. . .

No doubt a huge battle that I face on a daily basis in these years of mommy-ing little ones is the pessimistic and faithless perspective that difficult things about these days are never going to change. Often it feels as though we're going to be stuck in this twilight zone of dirty diapers, snotty noses, pee accidents and bedtime meltdowns forever. Of course there are also good, sweet things about these early years, but as the day winds to a close and the little ones wind up just as Mama and Pappa are losing their steam, inevitably a "Woe is me" attitude lurks, crouches, and often overcomes my joy.

This quote from Ed Welch found in Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full has put steel in my soul of late: "Your future includes manna. It will come. There is no sense devising future scenarios now because God will do more than you anticipate. When you understand God's plan to give future grace, you have access to what is arguably God's most potent salve against anxiety and fear."

I would add to that an emphasis on his words "God's plan." God's sovereignty is the ballast in the boat of my soul reminding me that he is ruling over all my life circumstances--good and bad, easy days and hard days. He is giving grace for the moment. I can trust him to give grace for the next moment, next hour, next day, and so on. He is so kind to us, is he not?

Motherhood is a Calling. . .Motherhood is a Mission Field

There are two excellent articles by these titles written by Rachel Jankovic, I believe. I'm not going to rehash all her thoughts or try to echo them in my own paraphrase. But I highly recommend them to any and all willing to read them, as they will certainly orient your mind and heart toward what in the world God was thinking when he designed this excruciatingly wonderful and hard role. It truly is on this side of Glory a "being given over to death for Jesus' sake" on a daily basis, which we will see on the other side of Eternity was just a "slight momentary affliction. . .preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:11, 17).

My dear, patient husband spoke a word of encouragement to me last week about an area in which he has seen some improvement in my responses since coming back to India. I have a huge tendency to complain at every jolt and bump, aka inconvenience, change in scheduling, and generally anything I wasn't planning, that rock our family's little boat. I felt so hopeful hearing that he saw the Spirit of God working in me to conform me more to the image of Jesus in complaining less, but knew then and certainly now that there is still much room to grow. All that to say this: something I am learning in this role as Mama is that I cannot control things. And I think the slow apprehension of that truth is what is freeing me to complain less and enjoy life (and my children) more. How this works itself out on a day-to-day basis is that when I experience the frustration of a baby or toddler not sleeping or eating or obeying. . .again. . .for the ___th time that day, I recall by the Spirit's enabling that my wrath doesn't work the righteousness of God, God is with me enabling me at that moment to respond, and that these moments are actually speed-of-light fast in their fleeting nature in the grand scheme of Eternity. I have a moment--just a moment--to enjoy/teach/shape these little ones. If God is God over my joy and theirs, He is also God over our suffering and hardships, sovereignly allowing them through His kind hands. And what He has chosen for me to walk through for the day I should not complain about. I have the choice to rejoice in Him at that moment, remember that He is always good in the gifts that He gives (or withholds--like a nice, quiet, productive naptime), and give my children grace instead of griping. That is what my Heavenly Father gives me over and over again as His child, and by His grace and enabling I can, as Mama, show my little ones His image as I bless them with the same.

Aidan

Just wanted to take a minute and note some of the funny things Aidan does/has done in the past few months before I forget. . .

- Laying a miniature baby doll in her tiny crib, Aidan pulled the small blanket over her, held her little hand, bowed his head, and said, "Pray." He's implementing his own night time routine during play time :)

- Aidan has an OCD streak it seems. When he lines up his cups, the spouts have to face the same direction. Cars, animals, trains, all have to be put in straight lines. He cleaned up some spilled pens yesterday and had to insert them all in the same direction into the box--meticulously checking each one before he put it in, cap facing down. When shoes come off outside, he must match them together neatly beside one of his parents' pairs along the wall. Thank God for someone who has an orientation toward neatness in our family, the Lord knows we needed at least one person like this. . . ;)

- Nearly everything we do finds its mirror in Aidan. I spotted him holding a little toy animal the other day to his chest, gently rocking up and down on his toes to try to make it "sleep." In the early days after Ava was born, he carried a baby doll around often, and at times would hold its head to his chest and insistently command, "Drink!"

- Branching out into storytelling yesterday, Aidan recounted some important events that had just transpired. He had just pulled down a plate that had pacifiers and other sterilized baby things on it, and they scattered all over the floor--which, to his dismay, was followed by a spanking for doing said previously forbidden action. After settling down from his crying, he animatedly retold the happenings in his own words: "Paa-i! Down! Panking!" (translation for all you who don't live with him: Paci! Down! Spanking!)

We thank God for this sweet boy (and our darling Ava as well) and look forward to seeing what God does in and through him in the future, if He tarries.

Stuff and nonsense

I’m supposed to write a blog post on a weekly basis now. I’m more or less (okay, less) aware of that task as the end of the week approaches and the post hasn’t been written. So, here I sit with an unprecedented event in the history of our time in India to date this trip: both babies are napping. At the same time. Never mind that it was preceded by many tears and heartfelt cries (poor Ava got knocked in the face by Aidan’s head during a diaper change). Tears are dried and bums are clean and little bodies are still and quiet—for a moment—long enough for me to grab the computer and write. We don’t have power right now, so this will go out into the vast world outside of Melagaram sometime tonight when Sonu comes home and connects to the internet again. As I type, he is navigating the district capital an hour and a half away, registering all his foreign relatives, aka wife and kids, so we can legally live in India on our visas. Pretty important stuff. He’s also getting sliced cheese and some groceries from a bigger supermarket. VERY important stuff. J

Our re-entry into India was relatively painless on the travel side. Both kids did very well. Aidan fussed only a bit and slept a lot; Ava slept only a bit and watched a lot. I think she grew mentally by several months on the trip from the overstimulation alone. Lights, noises, people, smells, she took it all in. . . which means she crashed from overload when we got here.

When we arrived, the anniversary celebration was just getting underway. Sonu’s family is celebrating 25 years of service here in Tamil Nadu this November. We arrived just in time to join in. . .or at least that was the plan. We were all so jet-lagged that most of our time was spent snoozing in spare beds here and there. I think we all made it to one service, and even at that one Aidan was wailing part of the time from heat and exhaustion. The final and main day of celebrations we missed entirely because I (Betsy) got very sick and the only one available to stay with me was my sweet husband, despite being needed in his role as dean at the Bible college graduation that morning. Sonu also felt the beginnings of tonisillitus, Aidan was stretched beyond what he could take anymore sleep-wise, the baby was dehydrating, and all around we were in a pretty bad state. Ahh, the strange providences of God. We travelled all the way back to be here to participate In the very events we were unable to attend. Thank God, everyone has recovered now and we are so very grateful to God for carrying us through many long nights of sleeplessness and days of sickness.

We all seem to be adjusting to being here, though each at our own pace. Sonu has seemingly seamlessly fallen back in just where he left off (no surprise J). Ava doesn’t really know anything has changed. I am coming around, though still disoriented by continued sleep loss (nursing issues) and getting used to being truly, for the first time, on my own with the kids during the day in a home that is not ours. Aidan seems to be experiencing the most trauma related to the move back. He wakes every morning, and in the middle of the night when we were jet-lagging, asking for dear ones from the States. “Gammy? Maggie? Dew? Emma? Tweety? Deby?” The inquiries are quieted for a time by telling him that they are in their home, to which he repeats “Home,” staring off with a confused and thoughtful look. He has no idea where “home” for them is except that it isn’t right here, right now. He is clingier than usual, and wants either Mama or Pappa to accompany him on any outing, or anytime he is taken from our side, basically. He loves sitting in the car on his on like a big person, no car seat holding him down and cramping his style (yikes). For now he is very still and obedient; I think he thinks he is getting away with a lot being allowed to sit without constraint, so the idea of moving around within the vehicle hasn’t entered his mind yet. I’m sure it’s just down the road ;) Pray for his little heart to adjust and for us to be patient and understanding with him. We’re seeing a lot of discipline issues pop up—many due to his age, to be sure (nearly 2), but some likely prompted at least in part by the sudden and drastic changes he has experienced in the past month.

There’s more to say, much more of course, but your time is short and precious as well, dear reader. Thanks to all of you who have upheld us in prayer as we have transitioned physically, and continue to transition emotionally, mentally, spiritually, to being back in our Indian home. Please continue to pray for us in the following areas:

1.       - We are still looking for a house to rent. Proximity to the school/church, price, and cleanliness are key factors for us.

2.     -   Health. Sickness goes around weekly here, and with our little ones and several surrounding little ones (the kids have 3 small cousins within the same building), sickness tends to get passed back and forth often. Pray for strong immune systems!

3.      -  Translation work. Sonu is working on a translation project that needs to be completed in about a month. Pray for clarity, diligence, and efficiency as he works on this special task.

4.    -    Parenting. We’re in uncharted territory, as we have been from the start, trying to raise these gifts God has given us. Please lift up Betsy as she balances nurturing the kids with keeping the living area livable as well as people fed and clothed.

Until next time, God bless you and thanks for keeping up with us!

Kids on a Plane

If someone was to come out with a movie titled Kids on a Plane, I would definitely watch it, especially, if it's directed by Bill Cosby. While the idea of flying with kids may seem scary in real life, it's actually funny watching it when you are not directly involved in it. In the words of Charlie Chaplin: "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot." We were laughing when we heard little Jeffery's story on Bill Cosby. Now that we have little 'Jeffery' with us, I have a feeling that we won't be laughing on the plane.

Anyway, all that to say, we are flying to India this week. If there was no God, we would NOT be making this trip. But, since God is and since He is King forever (Psalm 10:16; Jeremiah 10:10), we take this trip with hope, but not without a bit of anxiety. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to blame God for this trip. It's our privilege that we get to serve Him where He takes us. After all, this is nothing compared to what King Jesus has done for us: He left His heavenly home and came and dwelt among us (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7-8). This is the least we can do for Him.

Please do remember us in your prayers. Our goal is to keep you posted at least once a month. I apologize for not having done so in the past. But, now we have reminders set up to update the blog. So, it's official [At least, that's what we would like to believe :)]

Baby Sam . . . Part 2

Welcome to the world,

Ava Grace Sam

Hello, dear friends. We want to introduce you to the newest addition to our family, our precious daughter Ava Grace. She made her grand entrance on Monday, August 25. She weighed 7lb 12 oz, and was 21.5" long. We thank God for a healthy delivery with a healthy mom and baby. We continue to praise God for good health for Ava and Betsy: Ava weighs about 10lb 4 oz at nearly 6 weeks old, so she is growing steadily, and her smiles and intent stares convey she is attempting to interact more with the world around her.

We're busy making preparations to leave the U.S. to head back to India for Emmanuel's 25th anniversary thanksgiving celebrations. Our tickets are booked for November 5; however, the travel date is dependent upon receiving the visas for Ava, Aidan, and Betsy. We've had a lot of adaptations to our plans for re-entry to India, but are trusting God's sovereign hand in his dealings with us and looking forward to the resolution of visa and medical issues in his timing. 

Ava's name has quite a few variations in meaning. We've seen everything from "bird" to "life" (derived from Hebrew "Eve") to "grace" to "bearer of good news" (probably borrowing from "Evangeline") to "sound" or "voice" in Persian. The meaning of her middle name, Grace, is a little more obvious :). We have no problem making a conglomerate of meaning out of the several available ones. Our hope and prayer is that our daughter will be a sweet song bird filled with the life of Jesus whose voice bears the  sweet savour of the good news of His grace to all whom she meets!

Please join us in praying for God to use us in the remainder of our time here, establish our steps regarding our time of departure, give us strength and discernment for the packing and paperwork, and prepare us for settling back into India. We look forward to seeing all of our family and friends there, but at the same time will be grieved to leave our loved ones here once again. Thanks for your prayers!