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Are you a person who picks up your Bible and randomly lets the pages fall open to select your reading for the day, or a week, whatever the case might be?  That was me and I can tell you that I wasn’t very consistent with my reading or my method.  Then I began using the YouVersion Bible reading app which made a big difference but I was still randomly selecting chapters to read until I tapped into the Bible reading plans the YouVerison app offers on any number of subjects.

What I like best about the YouVersion reading plans is that I have the option of choosing my topic of study, and there is a devotional reading that goes along with the selected scriptures for the day.  The plans I have selected to read have run anywhere from 3 to 10 days in length.  Consequently, I have become a more consistent Bible reader.

Challenge - Read Through the Bible in One Year

So, here is the challenge that I have accepted…and that is to read through the Bible in one year.  Daunting right?  Okay, so even putting it out there is a little scary.  So, to take away the pressure, I just say to myself that I’m committing to following the plan, and I will aim to read the required number of chapters each day.  This usually consists of 2 to 3 chapters.  I think I can do this, and if I miss a day I can just double up during the week to catch up.

The Bible Recap Podcast

Now I know that reading the
Bible cover to cover in one year is not a new idea, but I’ll admit, the thought of me actually reading through the whole Bible never really occurred to me as something that I should do.  As I  said earlier, I would randomly select chapters to read.  Then I stumbled upon The Bible Recap Podcast which helped motivate me to set the goal of reading the whole Bible. So, I started the journey.  But, what I thought would be somewhat of a chore has really turned out quite differently.  I actually look forward to reading each day followed by the Recap.  The Recap has really given me a better understanding and has shed light on some really significant points in the scriptures.

Here’s a tip to make the reading experience a lot easier, because reading through some of the pronunciations can be a little difficult at times.  A couple of weeks into my reading I started using the Bible.is app that allows me to listen to a dramatized version of the chapter while I read along.  So now, for the purposes of this challenge, I use the Bible.is app for my daily reading.

Here is Why the Bible Recap is Such an Awesome Tool...

  1. If you’ve ever asked yourself “What did I just read?” the recap will definitely help
  2. The daily podcast doesn’t take much of your time, the recordings usually run between 5 to 10 minutes
  3. The recap is given in a casual way that is easy to listen to and is very easy to understand
  4. The reading plan goes through the Bible chronologically, so you are reading the Bible in the order that things actually happened
  5. It only takes about 20 minutes a day to read the required chapters and listen to the podcast

My first time listening to the Bible recap was not at the beginning of Genesis 1; as I stated before, I would randomly read chapters.  The first episode I listened to was from the book of Joshua.  Even though this one episode was from month three of the plan, it was enough to grab my attention and make me dig deeper.  This first listen led me to commit to the challenge of reading the Bible cover to cover.

Do You Plan On Diving Into the Challenge?

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Find and subscribe to the Bible Recap podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Podbean, Google Play, and YouTube.
  2. Use a personal Bible or the Bible app: there is no need to purchase a Chronological Print Bible.
  3. For printed users: copy of the reading plan to check off your progress, click here to download.
  4. For digital users:  download the Bible app and sign up for the Bible reading plan to track your progress online

 Here is my experience with the Reading Plan and Podcast…

At the time of this post, I’m 91 days into the jouriney and have read through 6 1/2 books.  I’m learning so much about the character of God but at the same time, I have questions that will only be answered by continuing on.  The Bible Recap Podcast has made this challenge much easier than expected.  So, I have to give a big thumbs up to the Bible Recap Podcast which keeps me looking forward to reading each day.  Don’t just take my word for it, check out some reviews here.

If you decide to take the challenge, share by dropping a line in the comments.

 Here is an Update...

I started reading Genesis chapter 1 on 4/20/2019 and completed all chapters of the Bible on 5/3/2020.