Where Do I Begin?

Friend, we have been spending some time over on my YouTube channel challenging ourselves to "Cultivate Faithfulness" and grow in 2026. I have been sharing prompts from the journal I created (and have used for 7 years) to set goals and measure growth and one of the recent prompts was "What is God teaching me through His Word?"

This can be a difficult question if you don’t already read your Bible on a regular basis or even if it has been awhile since you did. There are so many reasons we can come up with to put it off - and the primary reason is often:

"I don't know where to begin!"

I want to dig a little deeper into that reason here on my blog and list some practical resources you can use to make reading your Bible a part of your day and a part of your growth as you cultivate faithfulness.

Here are 6 ideas to help you find a rhythm of spending time in The Word:

1. Follow a reading plan.

   There are many to choose from; chronological, historical, 90 day plans, etc. A good source to begin with is https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/

2. Choose a Bible Study that focuses on one book of the Bible.

   1. A Bible Study usually contains a workbook - and sometimes video - that walks you through the book of the Bible with insights and questions that cause you to process and think for yourself regarding the Scripture. Here are a few I have enjoyed: Nehemiah by Kelly Minter,

      James by Beth Moore,

      and The Gospel of Mark by Rosemary Jones and Cari Brown (local authors).

3. Find a Bible Study that focused on a topic.

   I have several topical Bible Studies available on my website in the series, "A Daily Cup of Encouragement - One Sip at a Time" Topics include: Hospitality, Focus, Godly Relationships, and Direction (coming soon ;-).

4. Consider a Guided Journal that takes you through reading Scriptures and answering prompts about what you read.

   I created a series of guided journals in the "Arrows" series as well as a Sermon Notes Journal that guides you to go deeper in Scripture using your pastor's sermon as a jumping off point.

5. Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

   You don't need a guide for this, but Bible Gateway does offer one.

6. Read through the Psalms.

   You also don't need a reading plan for the Psalms but there are many available. Some of the Psalms are very short and others are long and could be broken into multiple days.

There is no one right way to begin reading the Bible - but not reading it is stunting your growth. Selecting one of these ideas could just be the starting point you need as you begin this journey of cultivating faithfulness and growing in your relationship with God.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16

If you would like to know more about the "Cultivating Faithfulness - 2026 A Year of Growth" challenge, head on over to Youtube and join us in the this playlist. You are not too late - and never behind.

See you there, friend!