I’ll be the first to admit: I’m not perfect in this area, and I don’t know it all. But I’ll also be the first to tell you that it is WORTH the effort and the discipline and persistence of reading the Bible. If you’re new to reading the Bible, feel overwhelmed about where to start, or just feel “stuck” (BEEN THERE), here are a few of my favorite resources that I hope will help!

The Bible Project

This Bible Project is INCREDIBLE. Their team created animated videos of each book of the Bible that help explain the history, themes and cultural contexts and how that book connects to the story of Jesus. They also have a whole video series on How to Read the Bible here! Along with the summaries of each book are downloadable graphics and notes, and there is also a wide variety of videos by topic to help explain themes and common questions.

The Bible Recap Podcast

I just recently learned about The Bible Recap from a friend! It corresponds with The Bible App’s Chronological reading plan (reading through the Bible in chronological order instead of front to back!), and is a short 5-10 minute podcast that overviews each day’s reading and continually points out how the story of Jesus coming is woven throughout the whole Bible. If you’re looking for a structured plan, I’d recommend Bible App’s Chronological plan with this podcast! You can also create groups within the Bible App and read and discuss together with friends!

30 Days to Understanding the Bible

I went through this book in college and it was SO HELPFUL! It helps you understand the Bible from a high level by walking through the main characters and stories from Genesis to Revelation and how all the books work together to tell one big story of Jesus. It has a super simple fill-in-the-blank format and repeats this as you go to help reinforce and connect what you’ve learned. It goes WIDE not DEEP, but I highly recommend giving this a read if you’re unsure of how the Bible fits together as a whole! You can find it on Amazon here, or by clicking the book image below!

Seamless: Understanding the Bible as a Complete Story

This book has the same idea as 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, but is more conversational. Angie, the author, (great name! ;), provides explanations and questions to guide you along the way. This is a really great place to start – whether you are new to this whole “reading the Bible thing”, or just want to better understand how it all relates together. I’d say the main difference between Seamless and 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, is that this one reads like more of a study guide with someone helping you along vs. more of an analytical, just-the-facts, textbook approach. There is also a really great student version written for teenage girls that you can find on Amazon here!

There you have it! Hopefully these suggestions will serve as a resource and encouragement for you. 🙂 Of course, I am happy to talk further if you’d like — just send me a DM over on Instagram! I don’t promise to have all the answers, but my hope is we can both know Him more through the process!