

Though phones can be a distraction from spiritual formation, they can also be used in positive ways. Mornings, he says, are one of the most important times to form habits-things like prayer, Scripture reading, and gratitude. In his book, Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, Justin Whitmel Earley writes about the power of ritual in shaping our spiritual lives. Because the episodes land each morning in subscribers’ feeds, listening becomes an easy, practical habit. Listening also embeds people in a community of other fans who are following along with the same passages each day. Listeners can also speed up or slow down the audio to meet their individual needs for listening. The podcast form adds an additional degree of structure, with a host as a guide to offer commentary and pacing out the passages in a manageable way. The popularity of Bible podcasts follows more accessible audio Bible features through Bible apps like YouVersion and Dwell, which have brought Scripture to our headphones, where we can listen as we commute, walk, or do chores. Apps and podcasts have made it more accessible than ever to listen-no need to make your way through a stack of tapes or CDs to hear a book of the Bible. More than half of Bible readers under 40 prefer the Bible in app, digital, or audio format, the 2021 report found, with about a quarter of all Bible readers saying an app was their first-choice medium and 8 percent saying audio. The report’s authors noted that as more Americans engage Scripture for the first time, “these new Bible explorers often find the Bible difficult to navigate and understand … they will also need relational guides to help them and digital tools to improve their access to Scripture.” And yet, there is good news: The American Bible Society’s 2021 State of the Bible report found 24 percent of adults reported reading Scripture more frequently last year than they had the year before. According to Lifeway, only 11 percent of Americans have read the entire Bible. Reading the Bible in a year is a goal for many Christians, but the success rate is low. “Even at eight minutes a day, people attest to the fact that their hearts are falling deeper in love with God as a result of listening to this short podcast.” “The things we think about change our lives, the things we learn about change our minds, the relationships we build with God change our hearts,” she said. She says the more she repeats the cycle, the more she wants to continue reading. Cobble plans to keep doing the podcast each year, adding updates and revisions along the way: “There’s always something new to learn about God.”Ĭobble is currently reading through the Bible for the 15th time.
BIBLE STUDY PODCAST FOR MOMS FULL
If listeners keep up with the daily readings and episodes, they will finish the full Bible in one year.

The episodes end with a “God shot,” where Cobble delivers what she calls a “snapshot of God and his character.” Each day, there is a reading assignment for listeners to complete on their own and a podcast episode where Cobble-in about eight minutes-breaks down Scripture, often zooming in particularly confusing passages.

The Bible Recap is a chronological journey through the Bible. It’s been downloaded more than 80 million times. The podcast came out of her own love for Scripture and a desire to help others “overcome any obstacles that keep them from reading, understanding, and loving God’s Word,” she told Christianity Today. As a next step in her mission to keep the Bible front and center for Christian discipleship, she started The Bible Recap four years ago. But their sustained popularity and the proliferation of Bible podcasts reveal something deeper than an annual resolutions bump.ĭuring the pandemic, when people are reassessing priorities and picking up new rhythms, the podcast platform is offering believers another way to get in the Word and study alongside a community of listeners.Ĭobble, who lives in Dallas, is the founder of D-Group, which organizes small group Bible studies focused on discipleship. The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz has taken the top podcast spot for the past couple Januaries, and The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble ranked second this year. 2 spots on Apple Podcasts January 2022, as Christians restarted their Bible-reading plans. Two podcasts geared toward reading the Bible in a year swiped the No. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, but in a new technological era, podcasts about the Bible are topping charts as well.
