by Shaun Mayfield
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2010 (MMX) is a common year that started on a Friday and is the current year. In the Gregorian calendar, it is the 2010th year of the Common Era or of Anno Domini; the 10th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century; and the 1st of the 2010s decade. There are a lot of interesting things happening this year, like Chevrolet releasing the Volt, a new electric car, or even greater things such as the Space Shuttle program will be retiring NASA and replacing it with Project Constellation (go read some of more 2010 changes here).
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The first three numbers; 0’s, 1’s and 2’s. Simple numbers that almost all 2 year-olds know. This idea of 20 minutes reading and 10 minutes praying brings a few thoughts to my mind, neither of which are trying to figure out whether the proper pronunciation is twenty ten or two thousand and ten. Although I think twenty ten is correct 
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We live in a day of technology. An ingenious software called YouVersion is celebrating their users collectively reading 1 billion minutes on their iPhones, iPods, Blackberrys, cellphones, the mobile web and the internet atwww.youversion.com with 41 translation and 22 languages, again that is 1 BILLION minutes, or 16.7 million hours, or check this out, 19 CENTURIES. What about listening to the bible in audio format in your car or on your iPod. To give you an idea I read from Genesis through Deuteronomy in as little as a few weeks listening to the bible while driving to and from work in about 15 minutes each way. People also use all kinds of bible software like Logos that Pastor Jeff, myself and others use that allows about three hours of Bible study/research in as little as a few minutes.
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Prayer requests are blasted out on email prayer lists to their corresponding prayer teams. Prayers are blasted to friends and even strangers using Twitterand Facebook as well as blogs and other tech resources. In a matter of a few email forwards a prayer need could reach hundreds and even thousands of people. These tools will continue to increase to make it even easier to study and pray.
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However these technological tools also can complicate things and cloud out the simplicity. What I personally LOVE about the vision of 2010 is it is returning to a simple process. Although the technologies are great they can often get in the way. I once heard a radio host for a Christian radio station challenge listeners to not allow Christian radio to get in their way of personal prayer, bible study and worship. She went on to say that even good things like Christian radio can get in the way of our spiritual disciplines. The same here applies, as good as technology is, let’s make sure it doesn’t get in the way of the spiritual disciplines that God wants us to have in this new year.
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20 minutes in the Bible, reading a few chapters and spending 10 minutes praying for some is no sacrifice at all, for others this is a large sacrifice. When I asked several leaders if they were happy with their current prayer life, 7 out of 7 said “no,” they all wish they prayed more. Reading the Bible and praying are direct lines of communication with our Creator. When we truly grasp that then we would never waste a single moment away from God.
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Here’s my challenge
What do you have to lose? 30 minutes of sleep, 30 minutes of fun, 30 minutes of family time, 30 minutes of your lunch break?
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Now, what do you have to gain? A spiritually disciplined life, a deeper spiritual commitment, a changed life, a changed family life, better eye sight? Okay, maybe not the last one.
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The truth is there is so much to gain and very little to lose. So what’s stopping you, get going!
I love it! So excited about the 2010 project:) I’m getting my coworkers and friends involved too:) But why make it just for only this year. Should this not be every year that we read through the Word?
Nothing to lose- of course. Listened to first podcast-GREAT! on to the next one.
I have been doing this for quite some time I started learning how to study my bible as it should be with Gary from the church and then with Kay Arthur. I listened to her as she help me to learn how to study my Bible. I kept notes. I observed, I discovered what it meant, not to sure I’ve applied it to well, but am working at it. Even though many will say I have trashed my bible but to me it has become more beautiful with all the markings that have been made in it. Now I am learning with 2010. And I feel that what I have learned in the past. I can never replace, yet I certainly can add to it and so it’s exciting to see what God has to teach me through 2010.