2021 Bible Reading and other Spiritual Food

I completed year three of a five-year Bible study: Thru the Bible, Vol. 3: Proverbs - Malachi by J. Vernon McGee, thus finishing the Old Testament.

 

J. Vernon McGee was an ordained Presbyterian minister, a non-denominational pastor, and Doctor of Divinity – though I never heard him addressed as Doctor (he probably wouldn’t have it). He was also a radio Bible teacher. His Thru the Bible broadcast was a daily study of every chapter of the Bible that took five years to complete (and then, he’d just start again).

 

If you never heard J. Vernon, well friend, I’m sorry you missed something special. He had a fatherly, mmm…make it grandfatherly, kindly voice full of warmth, humor, and wisdom. Fortunately, audio files of the broadcasts are available for free download at the Thru the Bible website:  https://www.ttb.org

 

I think listening to J. Vernon is the best way to experience Thru the Bible, but, I’m old school about reading, and like to – you know – read. So, I’m using the printed version to go through the Bible in five years – reading thru the Bible, along with J. Vernon’s corresponding commentary. 

 

Year Three covered the remaining poetic books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, as well as all the prophetic books.

 

I’ve been reading the Bible for over 40 years, but J. Vernon still manages to enlighten and inform. In 2022, the study will move to the New Testament. 

 

I also read three non-fiction books on Christian topics. 

 

The Consequence of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Changed Our World by R. C. Sproul. According to Sproul it is a “…sketch of leading voices in the History of Western thought”. It is an accessible introduction to the great philosophers, and thinkers, who have shaped the Western World.

 

Wild at Heart Revised and Updated: Discovering the Secrets of a Man’s Soul by John Eldredge. The author helps men face the fundamental question: “Do I have what it takes?”

 

Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You by John Eldredge. The follow-up to Wild at Heart, this book explores six stages of the masculine journey:

 

• Beloved Son
• Cowboy
• Warrior
• Lover
• King
• Sage

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