Read the Bible in 90 Days!

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The Bible in 90 Days is a non-denominational curriculum structured around a simple, straightforward mission for its participants: “To read, ATTENTIVELY, every word of the Bible in 90 days.”
When taking the course, each participant reads 12 pages a day in a specially selected NIV Bible, then gathers with fellow participants once a week. The weekly class meetings provide insight, accountability, fellowship and encouragement.

A typical class meeting includes:
•a review of the past week’s reading
•a small group discussion
•a DVD lesson
•and a preview of the coming week’s reading

The DVD series is led by John Walton, PHD and Mark Strauss, PHD. John teaches Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School and College and is the author of several books on the Old Testament. Mark is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego and a member of the Committee on Bible Translation, and has written or contributed to numerous books and articles on the New Testament.

Resources

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***Listening to the Word while you read is a rich experience. Using the link below, you can listen to the Bible as you follow The Bible in 90 Days program.

Listen while you read

Register

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REGISTRATION IS OVER. We will be back next spring!

If you have to miss your regular class, you are welcome to slip into any of the classes below so you don't have to miss a thing!

Class sections currently available:
**Mon 7p-8:15p
**Wed. 6:30p - 7:30p
**Fri. 1p - 2:15p
**Sun. 9:40a - 10:45a
**Sun. 6:30p - 7:45p

We highly recommend that you purchase The Bible in 90 Days Bible. It's about $14.00 at the following locations: Christanbook.com (click here), Barnes and Noble (click here), or Amazon.com (click here). You can also try LifeWay Christian Books. Of course, you may use your own NIV Bible (required), but the Bible in 90 Days Bible makes it VERY easy to finish in 90 days. It's designed with special helps to assist you in doing something that most people never do: read the entire Bible. We have scholarships available if you need help purchasing a Bible.

We also recommend The Essential Bible Companion. It gives you what it promises: the essentials - background information, timelines, and important biblical characters. It's a valuable resource for any Bible study. You can find it at the following locations for about $10.00: Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com .

Weekly BLOG

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Reading for days 1-7
Genesis 1:1 - Exodus 40:38
You know, God knew exactly what He was doing when He decided Genesis would be the first book of the Bible. What a way to grab your attention. Even though I've studied Genesis a couple of times, reading it through I've picked up on a few details I never noticed before.

• The Serpent was a "wild animal". This doesn't sound like it was a snake hanging from a tree in the garden like all of the pictures I've seen.

• There was some type of covering on Noah's ark. So, not only did Noah have to build the huge house boat, he had to make a cover for it too.

• Many names in the book of Genesis sound sort of red neck. Ham and Shem were Noah's sons, Uz and Buz were Abraham's nephews. Also, no doubt Esau was a red neck. He was even a hairy, red neck. As I read that story I could hear Hank Jr. singing "A Country Boy Can Survive".

• The whole story of Lot and his family, weird!! Especially since Lot and his daughters "settle in the mountains", imagine that!

• Abraham remarries after Sarah dies.

• Everyone has family issues and in-law issues.

Bottom line - my take away so far is that God loves ordinary, disfunctional people! He takes the nobodies and transforms their lives into incredible stories of faith and grace. For a small town country girl with some colorful relatives of my own, that gives me hope and promise for what God can do with me.

Keep reading you might find your family story there!
Leigh Appleby

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is The Bible in 90 Days?

The Bible in 90 Days is a Bible READING curriculum. It helps people read attentively the entire Bible -- from cover to cover -- in 90 days. Churches across denominations, prisons, drug rehab missions, corporate Bible studies and neighborhood small groups have all used the curriculum successfully to help people read the entire Bible. Recently, small towns have begun inviting their citizens to do this curriculum. To date, groups have ranged from 2 people to 1000 people. (No kidding). They span 47 states and several foreign countries.

What ISN'T The Bible in 90 Days?
The Bible in 90 Days is NOT a speed-read through the Bible. Rather, it's akin to reading the Bible like a novel.

What is the process, in a nutshell?
Each participant reads on his or her own, then gathers once a week with other participants. The weekly meetings include guided small group discussion, activities, and a video lesson. For most people, the fellowship, accountability and material shared during the weekly meetings is CRUCIAL to their successfully reading the entire Bible.

Why 90 days?
Because most people can wrap their minds around doing something for 90 days. Imagine giving a person a choice to diet for three months... or twelve. Which is more likely to succeed? From day one, the end is in sight. This becomes important AT SOME POINT for each participant. The reading IS a challenge, though most participants tell us it is a manageable challenge. And the payoff more than compensates.

Why does it work?
For MANY reasons. Here are a few:
* TIME FRAME: 90 days vs. a year (or more)
* READABILITY: large print, easy to read translation
* COMMUNITY: weekly meetings for support, fellowship, accountability and knowledgeable insight
* SUPPORT MATERIALS: we provide just enough additional materials to keep participants engaged in reading the Bible, but no more. We don't want reading support material instead of the Word
* A LOWERING OF BARRIERS: by tending to many of the PRACTICAL aspects of reading the Bible, we foster an environment in which the participant is MORE LIKELY to recognize the leading of the Spirit that he or she read and be transformed by the Word

I don't have time to meet once a week. Can I get the materials and do this myself?
This program has been successful because it is done in community. It’s the expectations of community that foster accountability – and that, in turn, creates success. If you are unable to attend weekly meetings, wait and commit to this program when you can devote your time to it. We hope to offer this program each year.

Is there an attendance policy?
In order to complete this adventure, attendance is necessary. However, we understand there may be some times when missing a meeting is beyond your control. A maximum of 4 absences is suggested during the 14 week period. In order to complete your goal, the daily reading must continue even if a meeting is missed. Also, the classes are interchangeable. For example, if you know you will miss your Sunday class because you are out of town - you can slip into the Wed class that week instead.

I missed a weekly session, can I borrow the DVD to catch up?
We will not be lending out the DVDs due to having groups scheduled often. Again, the classes are interchangeable. For example, if you know you will miss your Sunday class because you are out of town - you can slip into the Wed class that week instead.

Should I do anything before I start reading each day?
We recommend that you say a brief, silent prayer such as this: “Gracious Father, thank you for the gift I hold in my hands. May your Spirit fill me and interpret your precious words for me as I read. In your Son’s name I pray. Amen.”

How much will I read each day?
Each day you’ll read 12 pages in the NIV Bible. On Day 1 you start with page 1, on Day 2 you start with page 13. At the end of 90 days, you’ll have read the entire Bible from cover to cover. We encourage you to do what you can to alleviate distractions, so that you can reach your goal of reading each word attentively.

When should I read?
That’s completely up to you. Some will read first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed. Others will make it the last thing they do each night. Still others will read at various times during the day and/or night. Some will read their daily quota all in one sitting. Others will space their reading throughout the day, reading a page or two in several sittings. Try more than one approach; one of the benefits of doing this reading is becoming comfortable with reading your Bible at any time.

What if I get behind?
Try your best not to get behind. But, if you do, there is one very important rule about catching up: Do not skip any pages! There are two reasons for this rule: (1) If you skip anything, by definition you will not have read from cover to cover, which is the goal. (2) If you skip anything, our research shows that you are unlikely to go back and read what you skipped, so, again, you won’t end up reading the entire Bible. If you get behind, just read some extra pages each day until you’ve caught back up to the class.

What if I get WAY behind?

If you happen to get more than a day or two behind, set aside a large block of time during one day — Sundays are particularly good for this — and just “plow through” the reading. This may seem more like a chore than a spiritual experience, but you will probably be surprised by the insights you glean from this.After a day (or so) of reading this way, you’ll be caught up! Remember, too, that God’s work sometimes seems like, well, work. Reading the Bible from cover to cover is a challenge; however, when this challenge is met, you’ll be glad that you persevered!

Brief History by Ted Cooper, Founder

Mr. Cooper, 52, said in an interview with The Blade that he and his wife, Becky, had been "happily agnostic" when he first began reading the Bible 8½ years ago. "I didn't know if there was a God or not, but we would find out when we died, and that would be soon enough for me," he said. He started going to church for his children's sake, and at a Bible study the pastor said a few things that got Mr. Cooper riled up."I said to myself, ‘I thought I had settled this long ago, but, dadgum, I've got to think about this God thing again,'" he said. At first, he mocked the Scriptures and laughed aloud as he read the Bible, he said, "but about halfway through, somewhere around [the books of] Isaiah and Jeremiah, I realized I believed what I was reading. It was a huge deal for me."

That life-changing revelation led him to develop the 'Bible in 90 Days' program for his church, and when 90 people showed up for the first session, he decided to try it out on a larger scale.

In 2002, he left his career and founded the Bible in 90 Days ministry.
In 2003, he developed the first video series. Jack Modesett created and presented fourteen lessons designed to keep people engaged in the reading. Not only do participants respond well to Jack's lessons, course leaders tell us they love to view them time and again.
In 2005, Zondervan published the curriculum and a Bible specifically for The Bible in 90 Days. A second video series was added to the curriculum, this one by two Bible scholars - John Walton (Old Testament) and Mark Strauss (New Testament). This series, too, has been very well received.
In 2007, the curriculum was translated into Spanish.
In 2009, we re-wrote the Leader's and Participant's Guides and are re-launching The Bible in 90 Days.