I tried to read the Bible in 7 days. Here's what I learned.

Last year I came across an article about reading the bible in 7 days. It was on the now deceased Bible Study Magazine site so I can't link to it, but it planted the seed of this idea in my head.

In fact, it informed a lot of my thoughts on not only this challenge but a recent post I wrote on binging large chunks of the Bible. I thought it would make a great alternative to my usual "read the Bible in a year challenges" and I spotted a moment of opportunity in my schedule.

The Plan

I shared my plan in the last article I wrote but here's the high level summary.

• Follow the reading plan of the Bible Study Magazine article
• Read with a pen to mark interesting parts
• Read while listening to the Dwell Bible app to keep motivated and a regular pace
• Accept that I might miss a day or spend twice as long but still aim for sub-30 days.

I thought it was a solid plan but there were some key issues I didn't know.

What really happened

My biggest mistake was taking the time record in the Bible study magazine as a guide for my own progress.

I don't know how the writer managed his own schedule of reading but there was NO WAY I could do the same. I mean, he managed to do Psalms and other books in sub 4 hours! HOW!

That basically threw all my timings out, plus my kids were sick so I had less free time and so I ended up reading while my course was going on to (which is what I wanted to avoid). All this slowed me down a lot, and made me rely on using an audiobible alone while on commutes.

In the end, I managed to read the whole thing in 19 days.

What I learned

It really is amazing to read the whole Bible in a short time frame.

It's so much easier to pick up on the big picture storyline and notice parts that inform whole sections.

For example, I found the end of judges to be very tough until I read the last line "in those days there were no kings and everyone did as they pleased". It really added perspective and judgement on some of the terrible acts the people did.

I also noticed the beauty of the Book of Isaiah and recurring themes like the Good Shepherd and YHWH as the freer of slaves and how seriously sexual immorality is treated in the New Testament.

If I did it again?

We'll, I wouldn't. Not in 7 days at least.

I believe 30 days is a far more realisitic and sustainable (while still seriously challenging) pace to read at. I'd bet that it's better for taking in more too.

I'd also use the dwell timings to work out a rate to read at, as I did for the 7 day challenge.

If you attempt a challenge like this, let me know. I'd love to learn from your experience.