Every morning for the past 63 years, retired American pastor Shelvie Summerlin has been reading the Bible for two to three hours. The 95-year-old has read the Bible from cover to cover at least 1,025 times. He was inspired by renowned English evangelist George Muller who read the Bible 200 times.
He records each reading in a ledger and says the Bible remains fresh to him every time with its 783,137 words in the King James Version. “It’s like a new book every time you start,” Dr. Summerlin says, his voice full of the reverence that has marked his lifelong relationship with the text.
His favourite passage Romans 8:1 was the first verse he ever memorised: There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Dr. Summerlin’s journey of faith began long before his daily Bible readings. He served with the US Seventh Air Force based in the Pacific during World War II and nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. After leaving the military in 1954, he was ordained by the Assemblies of God and led congregations across the country. His pastoral work eventually led him to higher education, where he earned a Doctorate of Literature in Humane Letters from Logos College in Jacksonville, Florida.
He no longer serves as a pastor but continues to speak in churches near his home in the state of Georgia. Much of his Bible reading is spent searching for sermon topics. “You overlook those things unless you’re looking for them,” he said. “I call it looking for a nugget every day, and I’ve been able to find one.”
Reflecting on his life’s journey, Shelvie Summerlin said: “The whole thing is, I’ve had a good time. There’s a lot of work, but it’s been a joy.”
