What’s the deal with repeating chapters in the app? And other burning Bible Challenge questions answered.
Hey there, person-who-uses-the-Crossroads-app. You might be asking yourself, “why did you guys repeat Daniel Chapter One for THREE FRIGGIN DAYS in a row?”
The short version is, we thought it would be a good idea. Turns out you probably hate it. So we’re going to change the daily scripture plan a bit, and I’ll tell you all about it.
Hi, I’m Craig and I work on the team designing the Bible Challenge. And guess what, it is starting off GREAT. More people at Crossroads than ever are diving into the Bible, and it’s been amazing to see. We’re off to a strong start. Also, we’re realizing people have a bunch of questions about how to do the Challenge, as well as questions about the plan itself. So here are answers to the questions we’re getting.
So really, why did you repeat Daniel chapter 1? If you really want to know the nitpicky details—It was all part of the plan for this series. Teach from the book of Daniel each week, and match up the scripture taught on the weekend with daily scripture in the app. This Daniel series happens over five weekends, so that’s like 42 days’ worth of app readings, but there are only 12 chapters in the book of Daniel. And the app currently can only display one chapter of the Bible per day. So…we thought, let’s repeat chapters, and it’ll all match up.
But we’re finding that repeating chapters isn’t the ideal way to start a new scripture habit. And it’s a break to the new-chapter-each-day cadence we’ve had in the app for over a year, which makes it a jolt to people’s rhythms. So we’re going to change it.
Okay, so what’s the new plan? The new plan is to cycle through the entire book of Daniel about three times, one chapter a day. That will get us to mid-February, when we’ll start a whole other book (hint: it rhymes with “genesis.”)
I actually kind of liked repeating chapters. That’s not a question, but very cool! I actually agree with you. One of the best ways to learn is through repetition. I’ve read the Bible multiple times all the way through, some parts dozens of times. And God keeps showing me new things when I read. It’s crazy.
What’s the best way to read the Bible anyway? The best way is simply whatever way you actually read it. Especially if you’re just getting started. Just keep reading, keep wrestling, keep pushing. You can’t always measure the difference in terms of days, but you can see a huge difference when you measure in terms of months and years. Stick with it. (But if you must know, my preference is to study a book at a time. It really helps to get the original context and point of the book, so I can hear what God is saying right now.)
What makes you an expert, Craig? I don’t have a Bible degree or anything. I’ve just been studying the Bible and wrestling with it on a regular basis for the last couple decades. And over time, it’s gone from this impossible collection of ancient writings to a living, breathing (I mean, metaphorically) source of spiritual renewal to me. There’s so much life and crazy insight and mind-blowing stuff in the Bible. And it shows no signs of stopping for me.
What kind of a name is “Craig?” It’s Scottish or something for “rock.” Which means I’m super strong and could probably beat you up. Or that my parents liked the sound of it better than “Greg.”
Will I read the whole Bible if I do the Bible Challenge this year? Probably not. The goal is to get you to read the Bible ALL year, not read the Bible IN a year.
What’s the plan to keep this Bible Challenge thing fresh? At some point, we’re buying everybody a flamethrower.
For real? No. But we do want to keep the energy up on this challenge all year. We’re working to build new features and resources in the Crossroads app, some of which will launch in February. We’ll be working hard all year to keep this thing helpful and fresh for you.
What other books will we read during the Bible Challenge? We’ve built a tentative plan that’s subject to change. A couple hints: we’ll probably do some Psalms. And go through at least one of the four gospels, which are kind of like Jesus’ authorized biographies.
I have more questions. Yeah, but I have to go pick up the kids from school now. Maybe we can do this again sometime. Now get out there and read that Bible.
