Kali Berhnard
“I grew up in the church. I’m sure I had read all of the Bible in pieces, but never as a cohesive book. I knew God. At least, I knew the parts of Him that fit into the box that made sense in my life for so many years. And then, life happened. I went through some difficult seasons of my life, and I had a really hard time reconciling how the God I knew fit into those situations. There was so much more to Him that I had never experienced.
I first heard of The Bible Recap in 2019 when I was listening to Tara-Leigh Cobble being interviewed on a podcast I loved. Even though I had been raised in the church, I was still intimidated by the thought of reading the whole, entire Bible. I had tried several times over the years, but was never able to stick with it. But I committed, along with three of my friends, to reading the Bible and following The Bible Recap podcast together in 2020. Now, I can honestly say that I will never look at God or the Bible the same way again. Not only did it change the way I know God, It also changed my relationship with my friends of 30 years as we talked weekly about what God was doing in our lives. Going through it with friends offered accountability, and we learned so much from each other as we each picked up different things in the Scriptures and podcast. Nearing the end of my second journey through the Bible and TBR, I’m already looking forward to the next year and how much more I’ll experience.
I had always looked up Scriptures on “faith” or “fear” or “patience” when I needed an extra dose of those things in my life. I would study the verses and often memorize them. I went to the Bible with the intention of finding what it could offer me, often taking verses out of context to make them apply in a way that offered me the comfort I needed. But with The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh encourages us to read the Bible with the intent of learning more about God- His character. Who He is. What He has done. What He wants for us. God is steadfast. The powerful, sovereign, tender, merciful God of the Bible is the exact same God who walks with us today. The more I’ve learned about God by reading the Bible through that lens, the more I want to know about Him. I still don’t know all the stories in the Bible. I’m by no means a Bible scholar, and I will probably always have to use Google to remember the difference between Elijah and Elisha. But I know God so much more than I did two years ago. I also know that I’m not done learning about Him, and that is so exciting to me! I can’t wait to Read it Thru in 2022.”
Thank you Kali Bernhard for sharing your story with us!
Amy Chamberlain
Hi, my name is Amy Chamberlain, I started attending BFC at the age of 5 with my grandparents when my parents were going through a divorce. When I was 8, I moved a block away from the church that I still call home 25 years later. As someone that has attended church practically my whole life it is hard for me to humble myself and say that I have not read the bible all the way through in my 34 years of life. I have started many times, done many bible studies and short YouVersion plans but never read the bible all the way through.
When we were stuck at home during COVID, a girl in our Sunday School class challenged all of us to download the Bible Recap plan on YouVersion. This was also the first time in my life I started drinking coffee in the mornings, not because I needed help waking up, but I could sit long enough to enjoy a cup since we had nowhere to go! So in March 2020 I began the bible recap plan to read through the bible. Several months had passed by and I was not where I needed to be in my plan so I gave up again and did not finish. Why do I share this part of my story you might ask yourself - because I was given grace and I want you to give yourself grace too.
I am now loving my quiet times in the mornings so I wanted to share how I got there.
1) Drink the coffee!!! There is something about waking up to a warm cup of coffee, the light of a lamp and a blanket that gets me excited every morning.
2) Use the time change to your advantage. This fall your body will be ready to wake up an hour before it needs to be... use that time to start your routine of waking up and getting in the Word.
3) ACCOUNTABILITY!!! We all need it. Whether it is a simple text saying done, a reminder on your phone to do it, a small group or your spouse.
I started in January 2021 and I am happy to tell you that I am 9 months into the richest reading I have ever done. There are mornings where I am encouraged, filled with JOY and overwhelming thankfulness, there are also mornings where I weep, mourn and am challenged... but every morning I am met by God.
I hope and pray you choose to join us in 2022 to read the bible all the way through!