During the month of January, many in our church family have read through the entire Bible in 30 days. This January, we will again invite anyone who wants to read through the Old and New Testament within a month to join us as we dive into the scriptures.
In addition to a plan to read the entire Bible, we are providing two additional reading plans of different intensity levels. One plan will tackle the New Testament and the whole book of Psalms. The third plan will stretch cover to cover, pulling stories and movements to the forefront to give an overview of the story found in scripture—and it will suggest one psalm per day.
Below you will find a PDF for the reading plan of your choice—as well as a link to join a GroupMe for that specific reading plan. The GroupMe will provide a place to interact in community—to reflect on the reading, ask questions, and offer encouragement.
No matter which reading plan you commit to, we believe that the Holy Spirit will reveal the nature of God in the Word and you will be blessed by your time in scripture!
Read the Bible in 30 Days: Old & New Testament
Scroll down for tips on how to make the most of your reading.
Read the Bible in 30 Days: New Testament & Psalms
Scroll down for tips on how to make the most of your reading; these tips were written for reading the entire Bible but many will apply to this level of reading.
Read the Bible in 30 Days: Overview
How to Read the Bible in 30 Days
Have you ever wanted to read the Bible from cover to cover but can't seem to stick to it for a year? Join us as we read the entirety of the scriptures in the month of January! Before you immediately think "There's no way I could do that," hear these few important things:
It takes around 2 hours a day. Think about all the things you do that take up 2 hours of your day: TV, social media, YouTube, etc. You can do it!
We're looking for major themes, so we'll read fast. The goal is to get the grand scope of the story of God, not to drill down into specifics.
We'll do it in community! You will be able to see everyone's feedback and encouragement through the GroupMe.
10 Tips
We are looking for big motifs. The point of this style of reading is to see the big picture, which might be different from your devotional style of reading. Look for the big movements, what the author is trying to communicate by jamming all these stories or passages together.
Read quickly, and don't feel guilty about it. We are aiming to see the big picture of Scriptural unity and continuity. If you don't complete the readings you won't see the readings. We want you to see the scope of Scripture, so make finishing your priority. That will probably involve some level of skimming on some days.
Expect this to take 2 hours a day. Break it up with your phone, daily commute etc. You probably won't be able to complete it if you think you can carry on with Netflix at night, social media scrolling, etc. It will have to replace some stuff. Get creative.
Try not to make too many notes. Observe big things. Make a plan to come back and study things that jump out at you. Make the priority finishing your daily reading.
Don't reduce God's working in your life to a devotional moment. There may be days where these long readings feel more like work than any experienced spiritual encounter. The point is to actually create Scriptural context for you in the future-to hear God's voice clearer through your developed understanding of the arc of the Biblical story.
If you want to go a little deeper, a Bible Encyclopedia such as Baker or the Bible Project videos are great to read on given books before you read them. These short entries or videos can help you see what you should be seeing and pay attention to the author's circumstance, theological point, and emphases.
If you feel like you're not going to complete your readings in a day, skim and just finish. Make finishing the priority, not understanding everything you read. This will keep you from abandoning this project. There will be some days that you'll lose steam. By skimming to finish, you'll keep up your momentum for the next day's reading. Momentum (consecutive completion of days readings) is your precious treasure. Guard it at all costs.
Try to knock out half of your reading in the morning before you get your day started. This will make the rest of the day a piece of cake.
Delete your social media/time wasting apps for the month of January. Literally move the Bible app to the spot on your phone where your most used social media app is now. You’ll involuntarily click it and be there already so you might as well knock out a couple of chapters.
Invite the Holy Spirit into the craziness of reading massive swaths of Scripture. He is the best teacher and will lead you better than any tip you can receive.