Read the Bible Daily

We believe the Bible is the foundation of our faith and practice; a library of 66 books that tells the story of our God who has established and faithfully preserves a covenant relationship with us. As United Methodists, we believe reading the Bible is central to all we do as faithful people. So we want you to read the Bible every day and be excited to learn how God is at work in the world and how the grace of Christ has and continues to transform us every day! 

Start with a really good study Bible
Choose one that has footnotes and can explain some vocabulary and give background on what might be going on in a passage. Here are a few we would recommend:

Each of these is a New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which we most often use in worship and small group study. This version is a translation from the original texts and aims to be readable and understandable in today’s English. It is the version understood to be the standard translation for serious Bible study, especially in seminaries and colleges.

If you’re looking for an app, we recommend Our Bible that will allow you to read through different modern translations of the Bible, create a daily plan for yourself, and engage in conversations with others who want to talk about what they are reading.

Daily Bible Reading Plan
Step 1: Download a copy of the plan here or pick up a hard copy at church.
Step 2: Read – Each day’s section should take around 5 minutes. If you fall behind and it feels overwhelming to catch up, don’t worry! You can always start afresh with today’s date.
Step 3: Reflect – 1) What stands out to you in this reading? Maybe it comforts, disturbs, challenges, inspires, or surprises you. 2) what questions does it bring up for you? 3) what’s one way this applies to your life, the life of our church, and/or the world around us? What would it look like to start, stop, keep, give or share something in response to this reading?
Step 4: Share – Pastor Eric will lead some reflection on each week’s readings in midday prayer, Thursdays at 12:15 on Zoom (find link on the calendar). You might also ask someone to be a conversation partner with you as you read, or make part of your small group time a brief check-in about highlights or one person’s take-aways from the week’s texts. You can also join our Daily Bible Reading Facebook Group! If you’re looking for ways to process as you read, or have questions in general, contact Pastor Eric.