Perpetual Bible Reading Plan
In June of this year I started Dr. Grant Horner’s Bible reading plan. It is a simple plan of reading one chapter in ten different Bible books each day. I started it, but soon realized that ten chapters took me about an hour a day, and though I wanted to do that, reality made it tough to complete. So I modified it.
Instead of reading all ten chapters quickly, which he recommends, I read whatever number of chapters I can for that day, and pick up where I left off the next day. At this season of life, I can usually get through about five chapters each morning, but some days it’s just one… or two. The great thing is, it doesn’t make a huge difference if I read three or five or ten because there is no check off list, and I’m never behind.
I also write a quick summary about what I read. I do that in a little field notes book. This also makes it super easy to see where I left off the day before. The field notes notebooks fit about five chapters on a page, so each two page spread fits all ten chapters on it. Then I turn the page and start at my number one bookmark again, and just keep going.
I intentionally leave a good sized margin. That’s where I write things I notice, or wonder about, or thoughts I have about the chapter I read. I can’t tell you how many times things in the chapters have lined up with each other.
When I started this plan, I was keeping notes in my daily planner. After four months or so, I switched to the field notes books. I recently finished filling up my first one and left a page at the end blank (in hindsight, I should have left at least two or three blank).
After I finished the book, I flipped through each page and highlighted what really stood out to me, then wrote notes in the back of the book of those things. It was SO GOOD to review and reflect on all I had read. It took about two mornings to go through it, and as I was, I started to see themes from what stood out to me each day.
If you’d like to try this system, I have a free printable below with my modifications. If you’d like the original plan, the link is here. (My plan has you re-reading the book of Romans over and over, and the original has you re-reading the book of Acts.) I recommend printing on cardstock if you can.
Since these last two months are “practice months” I hope you give it a try! Dr. Horner suggests trying it for at least a month before you make a decision (me too!).
I used a similar four-bookmark system to avoid the Acts on repeat. 4 bookmarks were easier to keep track of than 10 for my brain.
I love your idea. I have done Prof Horner’s plan before but I modified it by making less categories. I would like to try it your way, maybe I’ll put both Acts and Romans together in one category. I do use a weekly planner to jot ideas down from each day’s reading. It has helped me because there is a specified space for each day. That helps with accountability. Sometimes with a big open journal page I expect too much of myself then get overwhelmed and don’t write at all. I enjoy seeing your style in a field notes book. Thanks for sharing and sparking ideas.
Oh, that’s a great modification too! I love the weekly planner idea too!
That’s a great idea too!
I’ve been reading Prof Horner’s reading plan since 2016. I really like it. As you, I find that if I can’t get through all 10, I can pick up where I left off easily. Some years I have also alternated between list 10 being Romans, or Acts! I have not attempted to journal any of the readings, since I use this method to simply get good at the overview.
WOW! Almost a decade?! That’s amazing! I really feel like this plan will be my plan until the day I go home to be with the Lord. It’s great to hear how long you’ve stuck with it!
When you first posted the reading plan it had each days reading written out and I have a page printed on in the back of my Bible. I don’t remember where I was yesterday especially when I’m in chapters 24 of one group but chapter 3 of another. I cross off what I read, like you, some days 5, some days more, sometimes less. I like the idea of you field notes because sometimes I want to write something down! But this makes it really easy to read thru the Bible. I had a hard time starting in Genesis and going thru. Especially in kings, it gets to be overwhelming. One chapter seems easier. I am finding that as I read I’m finding parallels between the different books that I am reading. I never noticed that before.
Yes! Isn’t it great with you see those parallels in the Bible? I absolutely love it!
So in theory, are you *supposed* to be reading 10 chapters a day? I am just trying to wrap my brain around this. So one chapter from list 1, list 2…etc? Thanks for the clarification.
Yes, if you follow the link to the original plan, he explains it much better than I did. But, yes, on the original plan, you are supposed to read all 10 chapters each day, but read them quickly. I modified it to read them with reflection and as fits into your schedule. Yes, so you’d read 1 chapter from list 1, then one from list 2, etc. Then the next day you read the next chapter, moving the bookmarks as you read.
When I first read about Dr Horner’s system, I knew I couldn’t keep up. But, Kari, you are good at making things accessible! (I think I might not be). I have been in a rut with bible reading, so maybe this variety will get me out. (or the novelty will! hopefully….)
Oh, I hope you’ll try it! Just for a month, then let me know what you think!
Thank you! I printed the bookmarks and am going to start tomorrow.
That’s awesome! I enjoy it so much! I’d love to hear what you think after a month!
Kari, thank you for sharing this information on the internet for everyone to see. This is so important to me. I am using the original Professor Grant Horner’s Bible System and I absolutely love it! I follow it using bookmarks that I laminated myself with clear packing tape so they don’t tear, lol. I also keep track of where I am by checking off the chapters on GH Ten Chapters app. It is free and you can also use it to read the chapters from it. I prefer the physical Bible.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I love it when I find parallels. Sometimes they are in the same day’s reading and sometimes they are a day apart and so on, but I love that about this system.
It takes me an hour to read the chapters but sometimes longer when I stop to underline or highlight something that calls out to me. I use Pigma Micron 005 pens for underlining my Bible and G. T. Luscombe Bible Dry Highlighters, in case anyone is interested. These don’t bleed through the pages. 😎