An Update on My Seven-Year Bible Reading Project
In case you’re interested, I thought I’d give you an update on my seven-year Bible reading project.
About the Project
I started this plan in 2021. My plan was inspired by Nate Pickowicz and his book How to Eat Your Bible:
Instead of plowing through a few verses and then speeding off to work, slow it down. Instead of laboring through the whole Bible in a year, go a little deeper. Instead of reading your Bible simply to check it off the chore list, change your mental approach—change your philosophy. Instead, take a longer view of learning your Bible—two, three, five, or even seven years. Make your end goal not merely to read the Bible but to know and understand it—to love and treasure it as God’s holy, sufficient, transforming Word.
I pick a chunk of Scripture, usually about seven chapters at a time. I read it and highlight it. Every day, I go back to the same passage of Scripture and add notes with the help of study Bibles. I use ESV Scripture Journals to record my notes.
At the end of two weeks, I try to come up with the big idea of each pericope (section) of Scripture. By the end of this project, I hope to have compiled notes on all of Scripture, and to have crafted a working big idea of each passage and each book.
My Progress
I’m Behind
My seven-year project has become much longer. I’m about half a year behind. That means my project has likely become at least an eight-year project, but that’s okay. As God gives me strength, I’ll keep going.
Right now, I’m finishing 1 Samuel. However, I have jumped ahead and completed some New Testament books as well.
I’ve Started a Website
I’ve also started a website for the project. It’s BigIdeaBible.com. It explains a little about the project, what a big idea is, and it lists my work so far. It still needs a lot of work — I haven’t completed book introductions for all the books I’ve completed, for instance — but I will keep updating it as I make progress through Scripture.
If you’re interested, you can sign up there for updates. I’ll send out an email when I complete a book. You can also follow the project on social media (Facebook, X, and Instagram).
I’ve Ordered a Bible
I love the ESV Scripture Journals, but there’s a problem: the entire set isn’t very portable. So I’ve purchased an ESV Journaling Study Bible. I like it, because it has just the right amount of study notes, and plenty of room to add my own notes. I’ve sent it to Scriptura to have a custom leather cover installed, along with a closure strap.
When it arrives, I plan on transferring my key notes from this project over to this Bible. This will be my primary Bible from now on, and I hope to fill it with as much as I can from this project.
I remember the days when I had one primary Bible. It became a key part of my life with notes and highlights. I could remember where certain passages fell on the page. It became a helpful tool. I miss that, and I’m hoping this Bible will serve that purpose again.
So the project is continuing, and I’m enjoying it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s joyful work. I appreciate this different, slower way to read Scripture, and the fruit that it’s yielding in my life. I’d appreciate your prayers as I continue this project.
