Leviticus had struck again. In January the congregation had begun yet another annual plan of daily Bible reading, but by February, Leviticus had ended their enthusiasm again.

But after a remedial survey on a Minor Prophet, one of the ladies said, "I never realized that little book had so much to say." I was surprised that a simple survey of the book's background, theme, and outline had so aroused her curiosity. It gave me an idea.

So the next year, our church began an ambitious project: If the congregation would take up daily Bible reading again, I would teach scriptural surveys that covered the passages they were reading. By year's end, the congregation had read Genesis to Revelation, and I had taught 250 messages on all 66 books. I had to preach five times a week to keep up with the church (they were devouring 20-30 chapters a week), but a simple plan and some well-organized software enabled us to do it.

One step ahead

Each day of the week, the congregation read a new passage, ...