• God Sightings: The One Year Small Group Leader Guide. 112p, softcover. $9.99, Group Publishing.

• God Sightings: The One Year Companion Guide. 112p, softcover. $9.99, Group.

• God Sightings: The One Year Bible. NLT version, 1404p., softcover, NIV version, 1360p., softcover. $12.99, Tyndale House.

• God Sightings Bible Study Set. Contains both The One Year Bible (NLT or NIV) and Companion Guide. $19.99, Tyndale/Group.

• God Sightings: The One Year Launch Kit for Pastors & Ministry Leaders. Kit contains The One Year Bible (NLT or NIV), Companion Guide, Small Group Leader Guide, Planning Guide (40p., softcover), DVD, CD-ROM, pack of 50 bookmarks, and bonus booklet, R.E.A.L.: Surprisingly Simple Ways to Engage Adults(32p., softcover). $69.99, Group.

To be honest, I've never been a big fan of the idea of reading through the Bible in one year. It's seemed like it was too fast to really soak it in. So when I decided to begin working through God Sightings, which takes you through the Bible in a year, I was a little bit hesitant. But I also knew that I hadn't been spending any regular time in God's Word, so I needed a disciplined, right-at-my-fingertips way to start.

God Sightings was designed by Group Publishing and Tyndale House for use with The One Year Bible (both NLT and NIV versions), but as daily and weekly readings are clearly spelled out, the program will work with whatever translation your church or small group uses.

I like the way God Sightings breaks up the text. It doesn't seem like I'm reading more than I can chew each day. And one thing that really ties that together is the One Year Companion Guide, which you either can buy with The One Year Bible or use online at mygodsightings.com. It invites you to look for God in a specific way, and then record your “God sightings” either online or in the Companion Guide. And to me, that's the difference between God Sightings and just reading the Bible in a year. You can keep an ongoing record of your greatest God sightings of the year, so you have a permanent reminder of how God worked in your life during 2010.

Each week, I have something to focus on — a way to look for God in the scriptures I read and also a way to look for God in my life, like God’s guidance or the ways he gives me rest. For example, the week I just completed through focused on God’s promises.

The guided nuggets make it easy to focus on and look for God in a directed way during the week, then come back and reflect on what I've seen. And they tie the Scripture I read together in a really great way. I've already seen how God is changing me through focusing on his Word.

And with The One Year Launch Kit, churches can get their entire congregation to focus on God, and see him at work together in small groups. The One Year Small Group Leader Guide helps leaders guide their groups through active learning experiences and connect about what they’ve learned from the reading and how they’ve seen God at work. Small group leaders can also get great tips from the R.E.A.L.: Surprisingly Simple Ways to Engage Adults booklet, so small groups are more open and comfortable.

So often, our small group Bible studies are one more thing on top of our personal Bible reading. With God Sightings, you can focus on what you’re reading as it impacts your personal life, then share those insights with a group. And it’s the group time that will keep you going through the year. The website (www.mygodsightings.com) is free and also a tremendous resource.

My goal is to keep up with my daily reading and looking for God. And God Sightings is a great resource to you, your small group, and your church to a deeper, even more personally connected level.

Ali Thompson is children's curriculum editor at Group Publishing. Prior to coming to Group, she had several years of ministry experience in at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin.