I’ve been living on Signal Mountain for almost 17 years now. What holds a community together? Government? Employment? Affluence? Pride? Benefits? Ethnicity? Good Schools? Security and safety?
As helpful as those are, they are all grounded on deeper foundations. One of the strongest bonds to hold people together in community is this: Religious faith.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and that the second is to love our neighbor. This is the glue (and proof) of the Christian faith. God’s vision for us is for us to be closer to Him and closer to each other. God created us in His likeness and though we fall short of that glory, He redeemed us through Jesus death for our sins and resurrection from the grave. We who believe this are called to come together in faith and obedience to Him.
Signal Mountain has 22 church buildings, representing at least 11 denominations, serving a community of around ten thousand citizens (many of which go off the mountain to church, and some come from off the mountain to attend church here).
While there are differences and disagreements among us, we share a common location and those of us who believe in Jesus share a common book, the Bible.
What might happen if we all agreed to read just the New Testament and talk to each other about it?
This next year, 2016, let’s see how many of us can do just that! Won’t you join us and take ten minutes a day to read from the book that has shaped western culture? From January to March, just ten minutes a day, and you can read every word of the New Testament in your Bible.
Here’s a reading schedule:
| Jan 1, 2016 | Matt. 1, 2 |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Matt. 3, 4, 5 |
| *Jan 3, 2016 | Matt. 6, 7, 8 |
| Jan 4, 2016 | Matt. 9, 10, 11 |
| Jan 5, 2016 | Matt. 12, 13, 14 |
| Jan 6, 2016 | Matt. 15, 16, 17 |
| Jan 7, 2016 | Matt. 18, 19, 20 |
| Jan 8, 2016 | Matt. 21, 22 |
| Jan 9, 2016 | Matt. 23, 24, 25 |
| *Jan 10, 2016 | Matt. 26, 27, 28 |
| Jan 11, 2016 | Mark 1, 2, 3 |
| Jan 12, 2016 | Mark 4, 5, 6 |
| Jan 13, 2016 | Mark 7, 8, 9 |
| Jan 14, 2016 | Mark 10, 11, 12 |
| Jan 15, 2016 | Mark 13, 14 |
| Jan 16, 2016 | Mark 15, 16; Luke 1 |
| *Jan 17, 2016 | Luke 2, 3, 4 |
| Jan 18, 2016 | Luke 5, 6, 7 |
| Jan 19, 2016 | Luke 8, 9, 10 |
| Jan 20, 2016 | Luke 11, 12, 13 |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Luke 14, 15, 16 |
| Jan 22, 2016 | Luke 17, 18 |
| Jan 23, 2016 | Luke 19, 20, 21 |
| *Jan 24, 2016 | Luke 22, 23, 24 |
| Jan 25, 2016 | John 1, 2, 3 |
| Jan 26, 2016 | John 4, 5, 6 |
| Jan 27, 2016 | John 7, 8, 9 |
| Jan 28, 2016 | John 10, 11, 12 |
| Jan 29, 2016 | John 13, 14 |
| Jan 30, 2016 | John 15, 16, 17 |
| *Jan 31, 2016 | John 18, 19, 20 |
| Feb 1, 2016 | John 21; Acts 1, 2 |
| Feb 2, 2016 | Acts 3, 4, 5 |
| Feb 3, 2016 | Acts 6, 7, 8 |
| Feb 4, 2016 | Acts 9, 10, 11 |
| Feb 5, 2016 | Acts 12, 13 |
| Feb 6, 2016 | Acts 14, 15, 16 |
| *Feb 7, 2016 | Acts 17, 18, 19 |
| Feb 8, 2016 | Acts 20, 21, 22 |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Acts 23, 24, 25 |
| Feb 10, 2016 | Acts 26, 27, 28 |
| Feb 11, 2016 | Rom. 1, 2, 3 |
| Feb 12, 2016 | Rom. 4, 5 |
| Feb 13, 2016 | Rom. 6, 7, 8 |
| *Feb 14, 2016 | Rom. 9, 10, 11 |
| Feb 15, 2016 | Rom. 12, 13, 14 |
| Feb 16, 2016 | Rom. 15, 16; 1 Cor. 1 |
| Feb 17, 2016 | 1 Cor. 2, 3, 4 |
| Feb 18, 2016 | 1 Cor. 5, 6, 7 |
| Feb 19, 2016 | 1 Cor. 8, 9 |
| Feb 20, 2016 | 1 Cor. 10, 11, 12 |
| *Feb 21, 2016 | 1 Cor. 13, 14, 15 |
| Feb 22, 2016 | 1 Cor. 16; 2 Cor. 1, 2 |
| Feb 23, 2016 | 2 Cor. 3, 4, 5 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | 2 Cor. 6, 7, 8 |
| Feb 25, 2016 | 2 Cor. 9, 10, 11 |
| Feb 26, 2016 | 2 Cor. 12, 13 |
| Feb 27, 2016 | Gal. 1, 2, 3 |
| *Feb 28, 2016 | Gal. 4, 5, 6 |
| Feb 29, 2016 | Eph. 1, 2, 3 |
| Mar 1, 2016 | Eph. 4, 5, 6 |
| Mar 2, 2016 | Phil. 1, 2, 3 |
| Mar 3, 2016 | Phil. 4; Col. 1, 2 |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Col. 3, 4 |
| Mar 5, 2016 | 1 Th. 1, 2, 3 |
| *Mar 6, 2016 | 1 Th. 4, 5; 2 Th. 1 |
| Mar 7, 2016 | 2 Th. 2, 3; 1 Tim. 1 |
| Mar 8, 2016 | 1 Tim. 2, 3, 4 |
| Mar 9, 2016 | 1 Tim. 5, 6; 2 Tim. 1 |
| Mar 10, 2016 | 2 Tim. 2, 3, 4 |
| Mar 11, 2016 | Tit. 1, 2 |
| Mar 12, 2016 | Tit. 3; Phile. 1; Heb. 1 |
| *Mar 13, 2016 | Heb. 2, 3, 4 |
| Mar 14, 2016 | Heb. 5, 6, 7 |
| Mar 15, 2016 | Heb. 8, 9, 10 |
| Mar 16, 2016 | Heb. 11, 12, 13 |
| Mar 17, 2016 | Jam. 1, 2, 3 |
| Mar 18, 2016 | Jam. 4, 5 |
| Mar 19, 2016 | 1 Pet. 1, 2, 3 |
| *Mar 20, 2016 | 1 Pet. 4, 5; 2 Pet. 1 |
| Mar 21, 2016 | 2 Pet. 2, 3; 1 Jo. 1 |
| Mar 22, 2016 | 1 Jo. 2, 3, 4 |
| Mar 23, 2016 | 1 Jo. 5; 2 Jo. 1; 3 Jo. 1 |
| Mar 24, 2016 | Jude 1; Rev. 1, 2 |
| Mar 25, 2016 | Rev. 3, 4 |
| Mar 26, 2016 | Rev. 5, 6, 7 |
| *Mar 27, 2016 | Rev. 8, 9, 10 |
| Mar 28, 2016 | Rev. 11, 12, 13 |
| Mar 29, 2016 | Rev. 14, 15, 16 |
| Mar 30, 2016 | Rev. 17, 18, 19 |
| Mar 31, 2016 | Rev. 20, 21, 22 |
* Sundays