Welcome, friends! My name is Doug Resler and I am a local church pastor living in Parker, CO. Over thirty years ago, I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Before I met Christ, my life was heading towards a very dark place. I was isolated and disconnected from family and friends. I was drinking heavily. I was flunking out of school. I was struggling with depression. In the midst of my despair, a friend of mine from high school invited me to attend a campus ministry meeting on a Tuesday night. Desperate and not knowing where else to turn, I decided to go and heard a man named Mike Gaffney preach the gospel in a way I had never heard before. After the meeting, I asked how I could learn more about this God who loved me and I was encouraged to join a small group Bible study. After studying the Bible weekly with this small group of guys, I found myself becoming more and more open to faith and that’s when Jesus Christ came and found me. I can still remember the exact place I was standing on campus where it happened. After accepting Christ, my life began to change. It didn’t happen all at once. I still struggled mightily with addiction and depression but God surrounded me with Christian men and women who invested in me and helped me begin to put my life back together. One of those people was a man named Don Bachman.
Don was an older Christian man who had retired early from his career to mentor college students. He and I began to meet monthly and he encouraged me to begin reading the Bible every single day. He helped me understand that if I really wanted a relationship with God, I would do all I could to get to know God and the primary way we do that is through His Word. So here I am thirty years later - still meeting with Don on a monthly basis! - reading through the Bible each year and trying to help others do the same.
If you are joining us for the first time…welcome! We are glad you are here! We want you to know there are no questions or comments that are off limits! Reading the Bible will challenge you in all sorts of ways. It can be confusing and frustrating at times. You might find yourself feeling fearful and anxious along the way as your faith is stretched. You might find yourself struggling with doubts and uncertainties. These are quite normal and expected. We’ve established a private Facebook group - “Bible in a Year 2023 with Doug, Greg, Johnny, and Lucy” - that you can join where you can ask these questions openly and honestly. Just search for the group and ask to join.
If you are returning for another round…welcome! We’re glad you’re back! Let me encourage you to read a different version this year to keep things fresh. Perhaps listen to it audibly as you read along. Maybe even journal your own thoughts along the way. There’s always more to learn which is why reading the Bible never gets old.
As in previous years, the readings will be posted each day, Monday through Saturday, and we will take Sundays off. If you want to follow along in the YouVersion Bible App, you can search for and find the plan we are using under the title, “Reading God’s Story: One-Year Chronological Plan.” Please note the plan will not take us Genesis through Revelation but rather though the different books of the Bible as they are written which I find to be the most helpful. I trust the Lord will bless every moment you spend in His Word and I encourage you to pray each day for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to what He wants to reveal to you. Looking forward to the journey and if you are ever in Parker, CO, look me up at Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church!