Around the Bible in 90 days - Empty Nest by Curt Swarm

It's just 12 pages a day for 90 days. Anyone can read 12 pages a day, can't they? (It's quite a commitment, but well worth it.)
The Bible in 90 Days to change your life! Ginnie and I jumped at the opportunity (or challenge) through our church to participate in the program where we read the Bible in 90 days. For me it would be a renewal of faith, a historical study and educational endeavor. I had read the Bible from cover to cover before as a motivational exercise, and it did motivate me. I was and still am an insurance salesman and had been reading motivational books. All of them, without exception, said that the number one motivational book is the Bible. So I read the Bible and was motivated. My insurance sales went through the roof.
I should point out that I also read the Book of Mormon (I know Mormons who haven't done that). I found the Book of Mormon in a hotel nightstand beside a Gideon Bible. The Mormon story is quite interesting and, Southeast Iowa being this close to Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois, where Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were murdered, added to the intrigue.
I should also point out that I become what I read. I take on personalities of main characters and live vicariously through them. (Ginnie won't let me read “Frankenstein.”) I'm aware of this character defect and have made peace with it. So, when reading the Bible, all of these characters came alive for me, from Adam through Paul. Example: one morning while working outdoors, I was trying to move something that wouldn't budge. I said, “Dear God, give me the strength of Sampson!” And was able to move the heavy object. True story. I paid the price the next day when my old hernia repair popped out, but what the hey?
Anywho, our Bible-in-90-Days class met once a week by Zoom for discussion. One of the criticisms or concerns about the Old Testament is that it is so bloody and full of violence. Our pastor pointed out that we've been in continuous war for the last 18 years and it wasn't all that long ago that the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. Touche.
The Bible we're reading for the 90-day study is the New International Version (NIV) and is easy reading. It has the 12-day segments marked off. Many of the stories I can't remember reading in my previous excursion through the Bible, which was the Revised Standard Version. Hmm. Maybe God got in there and slipped a few more passages in, or, more than likely, I don't remember.
By far, the most moving part of the Bible for me, was the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, each recounting the life and death of Jesus Christ. I found each book to grow in depth, detail and power as I traversed through them. If I ever had any lapse of faith, or questions as to the truth of the Resurrection, all doubt was erased.
During the 90-day reading, I found my life going smoother. I was less irritable, and more patient with other people and events that I had no control over. Contrary to the naysayers who are proclaiming the present day world turmoil as signs of End Times, I am at peace with the feeling that everything is going to work out. God is in control, I'm not.
Several tidbits: I read a lot. During this 90-day study of the Bible, I found any other reading to be boring and lacking in substance. I feel about the same as when Ginnie and I returned from our trip to the Holy Land this spring: it's a life changing event. I was finally able to make a major life decision that I've been putting off for way too long. True, The Book of Revelation is alarming, but if we follow the teachings of Jesus, what is there to fear?
I don't know if this was planned by our pastors who organized our 90-day reading of the Bible, but we finished up just in time for Thanksgiving. Hallelujah! Even with the pandemic, we have so much to be thankful for. God bless this planet we live on.
Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com