Annual Bible Reading Plans

Blackberry Family Church

Bible Reading in a Year

December 30, 2023

One of the common beliefs and practices at Blackberry Family Church is spending time in the word of God. Several families read through the entire bible in a year and have done so for over a decade. Once you realize that the same God who spoke the world into existence also inspired scripture you can begin to realize how powerful it is to change your life and bring happiness. Scripture describes itself as being living and active and sharper than a two edged sword. If you have ever experienced a passage of scripture that seems to talk directly to you, you know what I mean.

The following are some suggestions for how you can read through the bible in a year. If you don’t have a plan, it probably won’t happen, so here are some suggestions.

Read the Bible in Book versus Chronological Sequence

Some like to read scripture from cover to cover. If you choose this method realize the Bible is not like a novel or text book, it is instead a library of books that cover different periods of human history. Some books repeat information that is written in earlier books. Some books deal with poetry, some are letters to people who are going into captivity or coming out and then there is the new and old testament.  The alternative to reading the Bible cover to cover is to read it in chronological order.  This is a bible with a rearranged book order and passages that follow a historical time line of events. If you prefer this method then you will have to purchase a chronological Bible or specify it if using a bible app.

Reading Method

There are a variety of Bibles and methods for accessing them. The simplest and most common is reading a written bible. Bibles come in different sizes, bound in leather or paperback, different size font, and different translations (discussed below). 

A favorite method for many is the Daily Walk Bible which comes in different translations and has a detailed reading schedule created for each day of the year. There is an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, and a passage from the book of Psalms or Proverbs printed for each day. This is appreciated and keeps you from getting bogged down in Old Testament detail. Many have used this tool for multiple years.

Since entering the digital age you can now access the Bible on your computer, tablet, or phone. If you choose the digital route you can download free Bible apps like the following: (Google the names and it will lead you to the website where you can download them or use the app store)

·  You Version – you have access to several different translations of the Bible on this app but some of them require you to be online to access

·  Blue Letter Bible – same as the You Version app with a limited number of versions that you can download to your device with the remaining versions requiring you to be online to access.  This of course uses your device data plan.

·  Bible Gateway – this app gives you access to a website that has a host of different translations, study tools, reading plans, and audio bible. Most material requires you to be online.

·  Daily Audio Bible – you can listen to daily readings, read them, or do both. This app is handy if you are on the go or spend a lot of time in your vehicle. It has traditional and chronological versions and also comes in Spanish and Arabic translations.

·  Amazon Kindle – The app is free but you may have to pay for the Bible you want to read. The app has many features like being able to highlight passages in different colors and change page and fonts formats.

There are also Bible apps that you can buy that have improved features and allow you to download the entire content to your device. This allows you continued access without requiring internet access.

·  TecartaBible – you can download almost all translations to your device with this app and change the format, font size, access cross references and footnotes, add red letters for words of Jesus, auto scroll, or access an audio Bible. The big advantage is you always have the complete Bible(s) on your device.

·  Amazon Kindle Bibles come in a variety of translations and reading sequences, i.e. traditional vs chronological. Once you purchase a Bible you can download it to multiple devices to be read on the Kindle App. You do not have to be online and you have many features like synchronizing your reading progress on all your devices, being able to edit appearance and audio features. You can also purchase other books and create a entire personal library of materials.

Bible Translations

Most everyone is familiar with the King James Version (KJV), which was the first English translation that was sponsored by King James in 1611. Some believe that it is the most accurate translation but it is written in old English with many unfamiliar terms as compared to todays vocabulary. There are no copy writes on this version and it is widely available.

Seventy years ago the modern translation of the day was the Revised Standard Version (RSV), published in 1952. It eliminated the old English terminology and simplified the expressions with more modern terms. It was a big step forward in understanding scripture for many.

The New International Version (NIV) was first translated in approximately 1978 and was the combined work of scholars from many different church backgrounds. It was updated again in 2005. It was the bestselling modern English translation and is still the standard for many today.

The New Living Translation (NLT) is an easy to read translation that seeks to convey the meaning of the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Its focus is on communicating entire thoughts of a scriptural passage while the NIV is more focused on the accurate translation of specific words. This is a good choice if you want a good overview of the Bible.

There are 63 different translations of the Bible to include some versions that are paraphrases or amplified by adding additional words to help explain a passage.  The latter two are good at communicating ideas but they are not a literal translation of scripture. While explaining all the differences is beyond the scope of this document, if you pick one of the ones above you will be making a good selection.

Supplemental Tools

There are a couple of websites that are worth mentioning to enlighten the reader with a good overview of passages and books. 

www.biblegateway.com is an excellent free website that allows you to quickly look up any passage or even do a word search for the entire bible. It gives you access to 63 different bible translations and will even print out a verse in all the translations if you really want to study it. It is also good for copy and pasting Bible passages into other documents.

www.thebibleproject.com is another free website that produces informative videos consisting mostly animated drawings accompanied with excellent explanations of specific books in the Bible. If you want to get a good overview and an explanation of a books purpose you can search the website to find resources. All of their videos are on YouTube. Check it out, there is a wealth of free Bible knowledge available.

Bottom line Recommendation

After all this discussion some asks, but what do you do? I use the Kindle App and read the NLT Chronological translation of the Bible. I’ve done so for several years. Occasionally I will switch to another translation or sequence so as to keep hearing scripture with slightly different wording to keep it fresh.

Reading Tip

Many start reading through the Bible and then fall beyond because of life situations, sickness, etc.  After a while it seems you are days behind and catching up is an awesome task. At this point many may become discouraged and stop reading all together. The secret to avoid this trap of the enemy is to read ahead.  When you come to an interesting section of scripture start reading two perhaps three scheduled sections in one day. I personally like to stay about ten days ahead. Then if I have to miss a day or two I can easily accommodate the interruption without feeling the guilt and pressure of falling behind. I’ve done this for years.

Jim Warren

Founding Member