According to Forbes, the average adult reads between 200 and 300 words per minute. The average college football game lasts about three hours and 26 minutes, according to the Atlantic Journal Constitution. During the course of a college football game, the average adult could read Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, First John, Second John, Third John, and Jude, and still have 35 minutes left. With those 35 minutes, one could read First Corinthians.
That is a total of 92 chapters in three and a half hours. Finding time to read our Bibles can be difficult, but it can be done. The key is finding a strategy for reading and staying on track with daily readings.
Dr. Anessa Westbrook, assistant professor of Bible and ministry, said she read through the Bible several different ways, sometimes reading the whole Bible and sometimes focusing on a section of the Bible.
“For strategies, sometimes I’ve chosen a theme,” Westbrook said. “My favorite theme was looking at the face of God. I just wanted to know who he was.”
Westbrook said she gave emphasis to sections about seeing the face of God and spent time focusing and reflecting on those passages.
Senior Kaitlyn Goin said she has tried to read through the Bible many times, but has never completed the task.
“I always start off really well, but then I get to Leviticus and I fall off track,” Goin said. “Before I know it, I’m really far behind.”
Goin said that her goal this year is to read two chapters of the Old Testament and two chapters in the New Testament at time.
“I’m hoping that by balancing the testaments, I won’t get distracted and weighted down when I get to the law and the other difficult parts of the Old Testament,” Goin said.
Junior Emory Rockwell said her goal this year is to read her Bible at least three times a week. She said, in hopes to read through the entire Bible, she has decided to start in Ezekiel.
“I’m hoping that by starting in Ezekiel, I will be more excited because, as much as I hate to admit it, I often lose focus and interest when reading my bible,” Rockwell said. “I am using my hour break right after chapel to spend time in God’s Word and have a good start to my day.”
Westbrook also suggested trying different strategies and finding one that works.
“I wonder if all the past years people not making it through or getting discouraged affect the way we read the text,” she said. “Anything that can make it more natural and make it become an ‘I want to’ rather than an ‘I have to’ is good, I think.”
For more reading plans, download the You Version Bible app — available in the App Store or Google Play.
