New Year, New (Old) Practices
January Bible Reading, Prayer, & Fasting Plan
Happy New Years Eve Everyone!
As we enter this new year, it’s a fitting time to take stock of the rhythms and patterns that shape your daily life, the ones you chose and the ones you didn’t, the ones that need to be pruned so they can bear more fruit and the ones which perhaps need to be cut off and thrown into the fire. Now might also be the perfect time to adopt new patterns and practices for the sake of deepening your relationship with Jesus.
In my local community, we’re slowly amassing a group of like-minded believers who want to grow in holiness. To this end, we have committed to five historic Christian practices to help re-embody our faith, and we’d love for you to join us. Here’s a quick synopsis of the five practices with some links to get you started:
SCRIPTURE: We share a common reading schedule, usually one passage from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and a Psalm each day. Learn more: How To Read The Bible
PRAYER: We pray on our knees the first minute we get out of bed and the last minute before our head hits the pillow. Learn more: How To Pray
FASTING: Fasting makes space for God. We do it in different ways in different seasons (e.g. internet fast on Sundays; no meat or dairy on Fridays; special alms-giving in summer). Read on to see what we’re doing in January. Learn more: Why We Fast
CHURCH: Make a commitment to physically go and worship with other Christians at a local church every Sunday. Learn more: Losing Our Religion
AUTHORITY: Begin to ask God for a trustworthy pastor, priest, or spiritual leader. Then approach that person and give them authority in your life. Learn more: What Is A Priest?
For more on the integration of Christian faith and practice, read this:
21 Days of Prayer & Fasting (Jan. 4-24)
Speaking of fasting, my local church has traditionally set apart three weeks in January as a special season of prayer and fasting. This year, the dates are Sunday, January 4 through Saturday, January 24th. You don’t have to be super hard-core about it. The idea is to choose a measurable fasting commitment which you will actually keep. Most people choose one or two habits to give up, which cost them something and therefore drive them to prayer on a daily basis. For instance, my students usually give up all liquids but water (coffee is the hardest part for many!) and social media. Our family usually does some variation of the “Daniel Fast,” which is briefly described in the images below. You can also pair this with an internet fast on Sundays.
Feel free to ask me about it if you have questions. Again, the point is to drive us to prayer: to make space in ourselves which only God can fill. And remember not to draw attention to your fasting outside the community of those joining you (and not to judge those who don’t join). These practices are for the secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. For more on fasting, read or listen to this:
January Scripture Readings
The readings for this month are as follows. If you’re the analog type, you can access the reading plan here and print it out or bookmark it on your phone or computer. We also have a personalized plan on the Dwell app (FREE for you!), which automatically loads each new day’s Bible passages. You can read or listen right on the app. It’s pretty awesome. You have to create an account to get started, but once you’re in, it’s free thanks to VB Fellows footing the bill (we welcome your donations to help keep it going).
In the past, the plan has consisted of three regular readings per day: a Psalm, an Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage each day. But for this month, we are beginning very simply with just a Psalm and a New Testament reading for each day. The best way to form a habit is baby steps! As usual, I recommend watching the excellent Bible Project video introductions linked below before you begin. Happy reading!
Hope you will consider joining us on this journey in the New Year. Feel free to share with friends and let me know if you have questions.
— Ross
P.S. If you haven’t yet, check out my latest series on moving mountains:
