CBTstories

Not sure this is for you? Check out what other GVC women have to say about reading the Bible chronologically in 2022.

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Tuesday Evenings 6:30-8:30pm Starting January 10th

Wednesday Mornings 9:30-11:30am Starting January 11th

Special thanks to Darby Toy, Jana Savage, Lauri McCay, Laura Sloan, Penny Clark, Kristin Funston, Lesley Regenhardt, Bethany Schmidt, and Kelly Langley for sharing their experiences.

How have you been changed by reading the Bible chronologically this year?

Darby: I have tried on many different occasions in my adult life to read the entire Bible, inevitably failing. I would get frustrated, confused, disengaged and ultimately uninterested in going any further. BUT THEN I started reading the Bible chronologically. WOW, I cannot express the difference this made for me! The Bible came to life! The old testament points us to Jesus and the new testament reveals and tells us exactly who He is. I also learned that I am a huge fan of the old testament. The overwhelming love that God has for his people was very visible to me. As a mom I could feel the yearning God had for them, TIME AFTER TIME, to just turn back to him! As annoyed as I often was with the Israelites and their blatant disobedience, I was quickly convicted that this is me, this is us. We disobey and live for ourselves just as they did and we deserve the penalty for sin - death. Thank God for promising from the very beginning that He would provide us a way back through Jesus Christ. The new testament read chronologically humbled me to my core, I finally REALLY got it. We serve the SAME God, Jesus is the SAME today as He was then, and the Holy Spirit is given as a gift to guide and convict us just as it was given then. We are still the chosen, we are still called to spread the good news just as the disciples were! The women who have been on this journey with me know how excited I get when we connect the dots of prophecy being fulfilled throughout the Bible. It still amazes me that we are part of that fulfillment! We are truly wanted and perfectly loved by the same God that created everything out of nothing and I don't think I understood the gravity of that until reading the Bible chronologically.

Kristin: Reading the Bible chronologically was transformational for me. That might seem dramatic, but it’s 100% true. Not only have I now read the Bible cover-to-cover, but the dots are ALSO connected from beginning to end. I for the most part, have a solid feeling of understanding regarding it, as well. Without understanding the chronological timeline, the context was never fully there for me. While doing context research before reading a book of the Bible, you get the “gist” of it, but miss the details. And details matter. For example, Paul’s multiple letters to the churches laid out in the middle of the books of Acts felt more like a “real-time” experience for me as I read along with his missionary journeys. It made the Bible more “alive” if you will.

Jana: I hesitated joining the study with all of the typical excuses but the Lord kept pressing on my heart to do it. Little did I know that it would be one of the hardest years of my life and being consistently in God’s Word was just where I needed to be. His faithfulness was on full display on the pages I read each day and it was truly a lifeline. I love God’s Word more now than I ever have before.

What was your biggest fear about committing to read through the Bible?

Laura: It felt like such a huge time commitment and that I wasn’t smart enough to comprehend the entire Bible. But both turned out to be untrue!

Darby: It was intimidating to me, because I had tried several times before- and been unsuccessful- will reading it chronologically really make a difference? IT DID!

Lauri: I think my biggest fear was the commitment. That’s a lot of time every day. Nothing like the 6-8 week studies I had done in the past. But honestly there is something so comforting knowing I have this to look forward to every morning and my group of ladies every Friday morning to hash out what we didn’t understand.

Penny: My biggest fear was reading it just to mark off the calendar for that day and not grasping what I needed to learn. I didn’t want it to be a task to complete. I have had daily quiet time most of christian life, so spending time in God’s Word is a part of who I am. To have a goal of reading it through in a year, I didn’t want it to be a task, but a revelation into who God really is.

How do you handle it if you miss a few days or even a week or two (or more) of reading?

Bethany: If I miss more than one day I just pick up on the assigned day and realize this isn’t a competition and no one is keeping track. I’ll eventually get to all of the days if I continue to read chronologically. I think coming to this realization and giving myself permission to skip if I get too far behind has given me a lot of peace and less stress about continuing.

Penny: If I miss a day, I double up the next day. If I miss several days, I go to the current day's reading, then add 1 or 2 of the days I missed until I catch up. So I may be reading 1,2, or 3 days together, depending on how much time I have. And if I don’t catch up on some days, I don’t go down in defeat. I just pick up where I should be for that day.

Kristin: If I missed only a small handful of days, I commit to reading at least 2-3 days each time. If I’ve missed a massive chunk, I’ve told myself that I’m okay to skip ahead to catch up, but maybe double up and read back what I missed. OR I touch base with my group members in my group meetings and let them “catch me up” via discussion.

Why is reading through the Bible with a group so important?

Lesley: Hearing others’ perspectives, as they may differ from my own. Being kept accountable.

Jana: Because I knew that I would be meeting with other women who would want to discuss the text it held me accountable and pushed me to stay committed. I also knew that I had a place to bring questions and find clarity.

Kristin: I have to say I wouldn’t have continued reading chronologically if not for my group. Not only is there an accountability aspect with them expecting you to be there, but in the “harder to read” sections (I’m looking at you Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Judges!) the discussion we had not only explained it to me in a way I was able to process it, but my group always noticed and brought up topics I had skimmed over.

Laura: The accountability is so important. And the discussion is so stimulating because even though I may not have understood every passage, someone else had such a great perspective and interpretation.

Lauri: The group aspect is my favorite. We discuss what we have read, what we don’t understand and encourage each other. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand something. Also, together we try to make sense of it. In the past when I was reading alone, I would simply read on and never had anyone encouraging me to dig deeper.

Why would you encourage others to read the Bible chronologically?

Kelly: I realized the way I had been reading the Bible my whole life was like picking up any other book in the middle and reading it out of order. The context isn’t there. The Bible is an amazing story and even though a lot of us know “the stories” in the Bible, reading it chronologically opens your eyes to THE seamless and perfect story.

Laura: This way of reading through the Bible is so simple. It’s like reading an amazing novel and getting to know the author through every chapter. It will not only bring you closer to God, but also gives a richer understanding of who and how he is.

Penny: I encourage people to read through the Bible chronologically because it is a story about God, His creation, and His plan for us. When I read a novel, if I skip around and read chapters out of sequence from what the author intended, I may get the gist of the story, but I do not grasp the story the author is telling. It is the same with God’s Word; once I read how God’s plan has and continues to unfold, I understand the author (God) of the story, who I am, and what I am called to do.

Why are you excited about reading through the Bible again?

Bethany: I have truly enjoyed reading the Bible chronologically and have especially loved the discussion and accountability. Now I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

Laura: I love reading through it again each year because I’m encouraged by how much I remember but also humbled by how much I have forgotten or overlooked.

Darby: CBT is just such a huge part of me now. I look forward to it daily and I look forward to doing it every year to come- I can’t imagine getting to a point and thinking- “Eh, I think I have read the Bible enough”- haha. Being in a valley from beginning to end during this first read through, I can not imagine how differently I would have felt or dealt with life without CBT. I am beyond grateful for being introduced to CBT and I am excited to see what God reveals to me in round 2!

Kelly: This wasn’t a question but one thing that surprised me is how much I enjoyed the Old Testament. I’ve read the Old Testament (but never in order) and my default and comfort zone has always been the New Testament–I think a lot of believers are this way. But walking through and understanding how and why everything had to happen to get to Jesus is so exciting. It really helped having an experienced leader in our group who could help make the connections for us along the way because there are A LOT.

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