Reading the Bible in 30 Days: 30 Day Shred
30 Day Shred
No, that’s not a typo. Yes, the entire Bible in 30 days. Cover to cover.
If you’re anything like me, every time you finish reading a book of the Bible, you struggle with what to read next. That’s exactly what happened to me in mid-January. I had just finished Ecclesiastes and had no idea where to go from there. Later that day, I got on YouTube, and a video popped up in my recommended feed: “30 DAY SHRED | HOW TO READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE IN A MONTH.”
The 30 Day Shred is a plan by Nathan Finochio, who provides plenty of resources to guide you through the challenge and enhance your experience. I highly recommend checking them out once you’ve finished reading this.
Seeing the Tree, Not the Leaves
Every spring break, my church goes on a mission trip, and one afternoon, we have breakout sessions led by different pastors. Last year, I attended one called “How to Read the Bible.” I wish I could give credit to the pastor who led it, but I can’t remember his name, so please forgive me.
I remember the session wasn’t what I expected in the slightest. The pastor talked about reading the Bible fast. I remember thinking, Fast? Isn’t it better to slow down and really dive into the text? I had never heard of someone taking that approach before. But he explained how he reads entire books in one sitting, sometimes 10 to 20 chapters a day. He talked about how the Bible is a narrative meant to be read like a story, just as you would with any other book. Reading in large chunks helps us see the bigger picture, making it easier to understand how all the individual pieces fit together.
As Finochio puts it, the goal of this plan is to “see the shape of the tree as opposed to studying the leaves.”
My Practical Tips
Reading the whole Bible in a month is definitely an ambitious goal that can feel overwhelming, but having a few simple strategies made it more manageable. Here are some of the practical tips I have:
Limit social media. This is my biggest tip and the one I believe set me up for success. I would have undoubtedly failed this plan if it weren’t for this. One of my goals for this year is to be more unplugged and present. I knew that a practical way to make this happen was to enforce some strict time limits on my social media usage. My roommate told me about the app ScreenZen, and it’s been a game changer— you seriously need to check it out. Since limiting my social media, I’ve realized how much time I had been wasting day after day just scrolling mindlessly. Turns out, I had a lot more time on my hands than I thought.
Use a narration. Honestly, I probably only read about 30% of this. I listened to a lot of it. If it weren’t for the audio narration, I can say with full confidence that this would’ve taken me longer than 30 days. Whenever I would typically listen to music or a podcast, I listened to the Bible instead. So I’d listen during my workouts, on my drives, and on my walks to class.
Don’t do it all in one sitting. Each day’s reading takes about 2 to 3 hours total. I highly recommend not doing it all in one go if possible. Some people can, but for someone with a short attention span like me, it wasn’t feasible. Breaking up the reading into multiple, smaller chunks kept it from feeling too overwhelming, which brings me to my next point.
Seize the little moments of your day. Whenever I found myself with small pockets of free time, I took advantage of them. For example, if I got to class early, I’d knock out a chapter or two. Reading little by little throughout the day really adds up.
Use other resources. After finishing a book of the Bible, I’d watch a Bible Project video on that book. These animated recap videos were incredibly helpful for me as a visual learner. I also love the Enduring Word commentary to deepen my understanding of certain verses.
Biggest Takeaway
The biggest thing I learned from this experience was getting to see the full, big picture of God’s story. Growing up in church, there were so many stories I had heard multiple times in Sunday School or Youth Group, but reading the Bible this fast helped me piece everything together and make connections I had never seen before.
There are still so many little things I’m learning day by day after completing this challenge. But the last thing I want to leave you with is this: just do it. Just start. This experience has been so beneficial and transformative for my walk, and I’d love for you to experience it for yourself.