Here is a great chart for tracking a 5-day Bible Reading Plan (allows you two days to make up for missed days. It’s never too late to start. Don’t feel bad if you fall behind…just keep reading and checking off days and eventually you may catch up. If not, you’ll still learn a lot!
http://bibleclassmaterial.com/Catalog/Mark%20Roberts/BibleReadingSchedule.htm
Most of us cannot afford the money or time to travel to places mentioned in the Bible. However, Ferrell Jenkins has visited these places and weaves interesting history and personal observations together with beautiful photographs to give us the next best thing. Visit his blog at http://ferrelljenkins.wordpress.com/feed/ and begin your journey and education.
I believe it is a good practice to consider improvements to how you think and act when starting a new year. No matter how good we are doing, there is always room for improvement. Why not check out the articles in the “Starting Today I Will…” section of the web site. You can find it here: https://godlyyouth.com/articles/starting-today-i-will/
I hope you all have a safe and encouraging new year.
In the last few weeks I have been using the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible by Crossway Publishers and I am VERY impressed with its readability and accuracy. It is written on an 8th grade level and is supposed to be textually accurate. It claims to be in the same tradition as the King James Bible (but much more readable!). An online version is at www.esv.org if you want to evaluate particular verses.
I know there are some “King James Only” advocates but it has been my experience that kids have great difficulty reading many passages in the KJV. I know some claim that the KJV is easy to read but they are usually adults and people who have been reading that version all of their lives. However, the archaic language is very difficult for kids to understand as they read which discourages them from reading and makes some conclude that the Bible is too tough to read. It is interesting that the “KJV Only” advocates don’t insist on going back to THE KJV: the 1611 version (see picture at http://www.kjv-only.com/oldscans/kjvgen1.jpg). Parents, make sure your children have a Bible that faithfully renders the original texts and is readable. The ESV certainly fits that requirement.
If you attend Bible classes regularly, do you always have your lesson prepared? If you are a parent, do you know if your children have their Bible lessons? Do they try to get the lesson on the way to Bible class?
When we realize that God’s word contains “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” we realize how important it is to study daily and meditate on our Bible lessons, and complete the homework assignments, so we can learn more effectively when we go to class.
Parents especially must be mindful of the importance of their children preparing for Bible classes. My friend, Phil Robertson, had an excellent point in this regard (http://www.hueytownchurchofchrist.org/?year=2007&pageid=3223 lesson “Quest for Truth”):
“If studying and learning God’s word is not a priority in the home now, why in the world would you think it would be later?”
If we want our children to have a respect for the truth (and to teach our grandchildren) then we must instill the study habits with them today. KIds, you need to spend some time every day reading God’s word to build up your knowledge and give you the tools for making good decisions.
Godly Youth 
