I'm about to start the book of James.

I first came up with the idea for Bible Summary in July 2010. At the time I was near the end of reading through the New Testament, just about to start the book of James.

I decided to use James as a five day test run for the project (although not publishing to Twitter). Could I really imagine myself summarising a chapter every day?

As it turned out, I was amazed by how much I got out of the process, and by how much I looked forward to the task each morning. Summarising James made me all the more eager to summarise the whole Bible.

So James is kind of where the project began. It feels significant to reach the book for real. My style has developed quite significantly in the many months of summarising, so it will be interesting to see whether anything from the test run survives.

I'll post the original summaries below so you can check with me over the next few days...

James - 2010 test version

Jas1: Let trials produce perseverance in you. Riches won't last. God will give you everything you need. Don't just hear God's word, do it!

Jas2: Don't show favouritism to the rich; if you break one law you've broken it all. Faith that isn't shown in the way you live is useless.

Jas3: Be careful how you speak; the tongue is like a small fire that sets a forest ablaze. Godly wisdom is shown in a life of peace.

Jas4: Worldly desires cause conflict. Resist the devil; draw near to God. Don't judge one another. Don't be proud.

Jas5: To the rich: you're storing up judgement! Beloved: wait patiently for the Lord. Pray for one another for healing and forgiveness.

I recently discovered that the website's non-Twitter comment form was broken. Apologies if you tried to post anything! All fixed now.

I've completed 1089 of the 1189 chapters!

I'm enjoying summarising Paul's letters a great deal. My excitement as I started Romans a few weeks ago probably reveals how much I'm an Evangelical at heart.

I think I've benefitted most from the project when I've been wrestling with less familiar sections, but these chapters of Paul effortlessly fill my mind with interesting and edifying ideas for the whole day. Which possibly just means I need to read the other sections more attentively.

People keep asking me about the end of the project now, and I'm thinking about it more and more. Here are answers to a few common questions...

How do I feel now I'm nearing the end? So excited at the prospect of finishing what I set out to do almost three years ago now. It's surreal to be getting to this point.

Am I looking forward to summarising Revelation? It's an intimidating end, no mistake, but that's been true about several sections and they've all been alright.

Am I going to publish the whole thing as a book? Yes, hopefully. I'm exploring my options.

What am I going to do afterwards? Start again at the beginning..! Seriously though, I do have a couple of ideas for other projects. But perhaps I should take my Bible reading out of the public domain for a time.