You can read the whole Bible in a year!
The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus…and Jesus changes everything.
Why should you read the whole Bible this year?
We believe the Bible has the power to change and transform you and how you see and interact with the world.
In fact, we believe it can transform whole communities, if people will start to believe what it says and pattern their lives after the Jesus that it reveals.
As a Christian (we like to say “Jesus follower”), you owe it to yourself to know what the Bible actually says rather than relying on the little snippets you may hear at church, on TV or movies, or the FB image posts your grandma sends you.
And for 2023, we are all going to read it together as a congregation!
But…isn’t the Bible hard to read?
We get it, the Bible can be an intimidating book.
First of all, it’s HUGE (and the pages are so thin, and the font so tiny).
But did you know that huge book we call the Bible is actually a collection of 66 different smaller books? And those are divided up into smaller bite size chapters.
For most people, reading about 12 minutes a day is all it takes to read the Bible in a year. And with the YouVersion app, you can even have your phone read it to you. (like a podcast or audiobook).
Trust us, take the challenge…you’ll be glad you did.
Secondly, some sections are literally hard to read and understand.
Depending on when you last picked up a Bible it may be written in “Old English” full of “thees” and “thous” and “whensforths”. After even just a little of that and you’d feel like you’re reading a Shakespearean play.
The good news is there are updated translations that are more readable and easier to understand. Pastor Abe likes the Common English Bible (CEB) or the Message (MSG) translations. Pastor Deb likes the New Living Translation (NLT).
Which translation you read is less important than for you to actually start reading it.
While other parts are mentally and figureatively hard to read and understand.
There are stories of murder, rape and incest, war, and genocide. There are descriptions of monsters that sound like dinosaurs, giants that roamed the earth, and angels that sound like they come out of a sci-fi movie. There are different genres: historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, and eye witness testimonies.
So, yeah, even for veteran readers of the Bible it can get confusing on which parts to read literally or as metaphor.
Thanksfully, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re all going to be reading it together. Our teaching team will be preaching the Sunday messages based on the previous week’s reading. Plus, we encourage you to subscribe to The Bible Recap podcast (also available in Spanish) which will help you try to make sense of the hard to understand parts.
Ok, I’m convinced. How do I get started?
Get the Reading Plan and Subscribe
As a congregation we’ll all be using The Bible Recap Whole Bible Reading Plan.
Subscribing to The Bible Recap Podcast to help you understand what you are reading each day.
Watch the Prep Episodes
These six prepatory videos will set you up for sucess in reading the Bible this year and answer questions you didn’t even know you had.
Start Reading on Jan 1
And then keep reading the day after that, and the day after that.
But most importatly, prepare your heart to meet with Jesus every day in the pages of Scripture. Be open to Him speaking to you and changing your life.
Finally, get used to asking,
“What’s the Word?”
Since we’ll all be going through this experience together this year, we encourage you to keep each other accountable. Be ready to share what God has been teaching you through your time in the Word. And ask one another, “What’s the Word?” (This will be our secret phrase to hear what others have been learning and to share our insights.)
Quick Links:
Bible Reading Plan: