About our Bible Reading Programs

That’s pretty easy and straightforward, right?  Well, the goal is easy, but addressing the problems people face can be a challenge.  The Bible is a HUGE book.  It’s not easy to read.

Nevertheless, every year at the end of December or the beginning of January the pastor says something like, “I really encourage you to read your Bible this year.” Then he will give a little speech about how we are a Bible-believing people, how reading the Bible will benefit us, and so forth.  And that’s it, until next year’s speech.

There you have it: no support, no accountability, no encouragement, no fellowship, no teaching, no nothing.  When it comes to Bible reading, you’re on your own.  And you struggle for a month or so and give up.

I know, because I’ve been there.  Nobody helped me learn to read the Bible, and it took me years and years to develop a system that worked for me.  When I finally figured it out, I wrote The Bible Reading Revolution, and now I am starting a ministry that is designed to provide genuine help.

I have lots of ideas for programs, and we’ll be adding some as time goes on.  Just now we are concentrating on Group reading and Individual reading.

Group reading

Whereas Bible Study tends to be a group experience, (see here for the difference between Bible reading and Bible study), Bible Reading has always been an individual (and lonely) activity.

In Bible study, we get together once a week, usually with a set of questions, and discuss what we studied during the week. In Bible Reading, we’re on our own.  There’s no resource to turn to when we don’t understand something. There is no accountability, and there is no fellowship.

That is why I advocate group reading. Currently, we have two group reading programs.

• “Let’s Read the Bible Together” is a group study that I have developed and tested in my local church. The first quarter, Genesis – Ruth will be available soon.  It is designed for group study, but it is also appropriate for individuals who cannot join a group for one reason or another.
• Zoom meetings. I have also tested this with a few friends. We read the Bible together over Zoom every day at noon, central time. We use my Bible in 12 months schedule, and it takes about 30 minutes to read the assignment out loud and talk about it. It has been a wonderful experience, and I am amazed at how much we have learned.  If you would like to join our group, contact me. 

Individual Reading

Individual reading tends to be a bit difficult without a little encouragement. I am preparing a daily Bible Reading Guide which will be available in the future.  Meanwhile, I have four schedules available to you: Bible in 3 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months.

These are schedules that I have devised for my personal use, and I have used them for years.  They are different from other schedules in that I divide the content for each day by verses, not by chapters.  Since chapters vary in length, dividing by verses gives a much more uniform daily word count.

My schedules are also distinguished by the fact that they have built-in catch-up days at the end of every month except February.   I discovered early on that I need catch-up days because there is nothing worse than falling behind in my Bible reading program.  See <here> for access to these schedules.

If you want to read individually, it would be good to find a support group, even if you aren’t reading along with people each day.  We can meet and discuss our experiences, questions and comments on our individual reading forum.