In case this is helpful.

I sent this email out to a bunch of friends yesterday and thought I might as well post it here too!

"oh hey bffs.

so me + Bible reading = stressful lately. I've been getting super stressed and anxious whenever I read it, like check out this cool conversation I keep having with myself:

me: Ooh, I want to read the Bible! I need comfort!
me: Emily, but you shouldn't just read the Bible for COMFORT... You should read it to know Jesus.
me: Oh, right! I want to read it to KNOW JESUS.
(overwhelmed pause)
me: AH. Where do I start?!
(overwhelmed pause)
(overwhelmed flipping through Bible for the RIGHT PASSAGE TO READ!!!!)
me: Ooh, I like this Psalm!
me: But I'm not getting enough out of it. I should be meditating more. Crap, my meditation is so selfish!
me: and aren't you supposed to be in the New Testament because that's where JESUS IS?!!
(frantic opening to New Testament.)
me: Oh this verse helps me to know how to live! That's good!
me: But that's not what Jesus actually said!
(flip to Gospels)
me: but then I don't get the FULL REDEMPTION STORY INCLUDING THE OLD TESTAMENT.
(frantic flipping for old testament)

...you get the idea.

Also, I really would so love to tell you I exaggerated this for comedic effect, but, no. Aren't you so relieved you don't have to live in my brain? Slash HEAR MY PRAYERS? Poor God.

OK, anyway, so in desperation I finally decided I need a new reading plan because then a nice checklist tells me what to read and I don't have to feel all this pressure to Read The Perfect Thing or Read Perfectly.

Some googling produced a handy website that has all these little options where you plug in what you want to read and in how long and in what translation. So I am doing a "Chronological New Testament", which felt manageable. It has readings per day but it's taken me 4 days to do the first, which is fine with me, I just want to have someone telling me what to read next.

ANYWAY. Why am I sending this to all of you? Because sometimes it helps me to know a) that someone else ever feels that way too and b) to have motivation/community to do Bible reading. THIS IS NOT MEANT AS A GUILT OR PRESSURE THING but I just thought I'd send out what I'm doing at the moment in case anyone else is feeling the same way and having even just me be trying to commit-ISH to something with you would be helpful.

And by "Commit-ISH", I mean, pick your own plan, do it at your own pace, just know I'm trying too.

Website is here: http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/read.aspx

Feel free to forward to whoever!
Love you all. Lots and lots.
Em

PS: In case you DON'T have conversations like that in your head... um... I mean me neither. That'd be so weird and awkward. ..."