Introduction to the 150 Day Challenge – Beginning January 1

Dear FPC family and friends,

We are becoming a bit more adventurous in this Challenge.  We are moving from our traditional ninety day to a whopping 150 Day Challenge.  The reason should be obvious.  We are going to be looking at the Psalms and there are 150 of them.  We will begin on January 1 and it will take us all the way through May 30.  It will be challenging because with a much longer discipline of reading the Bible one just might get distracted.  But it’s the Psalms!  How can we get distracted with the Psalms?

Many attribute this book of the Bible as having been written by David, but we know that it was compiled over many centuries of writing.  It falls squarely within the poetical book of the Old Testament.  Within the Psalms we find some of the most familiar passages of Scripture along with some of the most comforting.  “The Lord is my Shepherd”, “Thy word is lamp unto my feet”, “Praise the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me”, are just some of the passages that have become part of our vocabulary.

I know that as we embark on this journey together we will be enriched by a hope that can only come from a faith in Jesus Christ.  Even though we are focusing on a book of the Bible in the Old Testament and the person of Jesus is never mentioned by name, we will find him immersed in every word that we find.  His grace, sacrifice, love, and faithfulness are heralded as the consistent attributes of our God and our Savior.

But we will not only find Psalms of hope and praise and thanksgiving, but also Psalms of lament.  We will hear the author bemoan the fact that he feels that he has been left alone.  Anyone reading this ever feel that way?  We will find a compatriot in the author who asks the question: “Is anyone there?”  But inevitably we will find ourselves reminded of God’s grace and providence and our need to reflect upon the fact that God always follows through on His promises.

I hope you enjoy making your way through the Psalms.  I can’t wait to get started.  See you on January 1.  If you want to follow along in the blog that I will be posting daily just go to

http://www.straspres.org/150-day-challenge.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob