B90X... sort of

Hey there!

First, I want to say thank you to all of our friends and family who have accepted the challenge of reading through the Bible with Allie and me, and each other, over the next few months. The format that we will be using is taken from Elevation Church (and many thanks go to them for the idea), hence their logo on the pdf. The reading schedule is designed so that from start to finish the Bible can be read in 88 days, leaving 2 grace days for things that come up. My purpose for this is to build a better habit of spending time with God, not to barrel through the Bible. Therefore, we will be reading through in 100 days, not the 90 that the schedule says. With the holidays upon us and everybody’s busy life-schedules I figure that 12 grace days will provide enough wiggle room for the people who need it. If that is not enough, take more time, please… my hope is that we can be strengthened and encouraged by one another to honor God by obediently seeking Him through His Word.

Starting today (Nov. 23), if we spend 100 days reading through the Bible, we will finish on March 3rd (Ashleigh's birthday!). At some point during the weekend that follows (TBA) we will be having a party to celebrate our joint accomplishment. Through the process I expect you to keep me accountable to my reading and I intend to keep you accountable to yours.

HINTS:

- The reading plan is available here. Please print it off and carry it with your Bible, and print a copy to put on your mirror, and one on your refrigerator and in your car... it's so easy to forget so put it everywhere so you always remember to read, and always know what chapters to read that day.

- Remember that you have 12, not 2 grace days to skip your reading and still be on schedule. Use them however you wish but once they're gone, they're gone.

- When reading through the murky parts of the OT (Deut. Lev. etc) try reading an idea-for-idea translation. I would suggest the New Living Translation or Contemporary English Version (CEV) over even the NIV. The CEV in particular was translated to a 5.6 grade reading level which makes reading the laws much less painful.

- Online resources- Visit Youversion.com or Biblegateway.com for free versions of all translations. Youversion.com is what I would recommend as it allows you to view 2 parallel translations at once, have 2 windows open to do searches for keywords in one without disturbing the other, and has a built-in journal feature if you like to take notes.

- MP3 Bible- every week I will be making the week's reading available for MP3 download for those with extra busy schedules. To get these, please visit Dropbox and create an account. Dropbox is super cool and gives you 2GB of internet space to store and later access documents, or lets you share, like I'm doing. If you are joining reading through B90X through the blog, send me an email and I will send you the link to the MP3 files, and you can download those at your discretion. If you download the Dropbox program for your computer those files will sync automatically but make sure to move them to another folder on your PC as they will be updated weekly (every Monday). Email me if you didn't get the link and I'll send it your way.

- Blogging- My hope (not promise) is to keep up with the reading via my personal blog. My intention is to post some extra information pertaining to the reading, whether cultural, geographic, or otherwise. I naturally seek to know the surroundings of the text and will try to update my blog with that info for you. Visit, right here, if interested. Also, an additional copy of this email can be found there. Allie is also going to try to blog about it too, though she says its not a promise. Visit her blog at www.allisonmarkwood.com!

- Twitter/ Facebook- For those of you who care I will be tweeting updates as we progress as well, and would love to hear what God is showing you through this process. Visit http://www.twitter.com/sethmarkwood to follow along. For Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/sethmarkwood, but they will probably have the same updates. If you want to tweet about it, use the hash tag #B90X please so others can follow.

Finally, I want to encourage you guys both in word and in prayer. I will be praying for each one of you during this time, for the usual reasons but also so that we may all be built up in Christ through this experience. I consider myself blessed to have so many friends and family willing to embark on this exercise of spiritual growth and diligence with me. Thank you. Please keep in touch with updates and insights throughout the next 100 days and I look forward to partying with you on the other side of it. Let me know if you have any questions.

" And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." - Acts 20:32
~ Seth Markwood