ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible Top Grain Leather

This year, 28 people completed our Bible reading challenge and entered the drawing for a top grain leather ESV Bible. Many thanks once again to Crossway for sponsoring this year’s grand prize giveaway. The good people at Crossway really want to help you read God’s word, and they have generously supported our efforts to promote rambunctious Bible reading.

Some Stats

50% of those who entered used a combination of reading and audio. 29% used a physical Bible alone. About 10% used audio alone, and about 10% used e-Bibles or Bible apps.

The most common reading plan was canonical (54%). 14% followed a chronological plan, and the rest used a wide variety of reading plans.

54% read the ESV. 14% read the NLT. The rest read the NIV, NKJV, HCSB, CSB, NASB, or LSB.

Over a third of the entries were from folks who have completed this challenge more than once. One said he enjoyed it so much that he is going to keep reading the entire Bible every 3 months for the rest of the year.

Some Liked It

Here’s what some others had to say, identified by the number of days it took:

88 days: It was amazing. So many things were made so much clearer by reading different parts of the bible so close together in time.
88 days: It was kinda nice having that time set aside for the word.
72 days: Love it! So easy to see the big picture.
69 days: This is now my 7th year and I enjoy the challenge! … I so enjoy as I read to make note of books and certain chapters I want to go back to later and do more “digging.” It is a wonderful way to “see” and “hear” the full counsel of God… I have ended every year with the book of Deuteronomy. I need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness and amazing love to His people, and to take to heart the words of Moses in Chapter 32:46-47 “Take to heart all these words I am giving you as a warning…they are not meaningless…they are your life..”
66 days: It was a very inspirational and enjoyable experience as I read large chunks of scripture. I was able to make some connections between different books. As some of the readings would be still fresh in my mind.
70 days: It is a great thing to read the entire Bible because it really puts it into perspective. There are parts I didn’t know about untill I read them. It also familirizes myself with some of the most unkown books of the Bible. Reading it fast is way different than meditating but I was still able to absorb some of the information.
60 days: I really enjoy this experience and find it helpful. I am better able to see the big picture and link passages together. This challenge has also helped with my Bible reading in general. In the past, I struggled to read through the Bible completely in a year. Now it isn’t difficult to read it more than once a year. Last year I read it twice. Now that I’ve finished this challenge, I’m ready to start over at a slower pace. I also really appreciate reader’s versions for this challenge, they are very helpful.
76 days: I enjoyed reading large chunks of text at a time. The narratives were more cohesive. I noticed repeated words and themes. There was less time to procrastinate or get behind schedule. Psalms and Proverbs were difficult to read in large chunks. Hebrews and Revelation were fascinating to as a whole text. Reading large chunks generated questions that I will now chase down and also created ‘ah-ha’ connections between prophets, history and then carried into the NT writings.
76 days: I am so glad I did this again the year. It is a great way to wrap up 2023 and plunge into 2024. Seeing the connections and single thread of God’s hand throughout the entire Word is very encouraging. As I read, I created a list of questions and topics to launch my deeper study for 2024.
63 days: Every year I do this (eight years running), the consistency and coordination of the Word is reinforced and illuminated for me. This is a VERY doable challenge for almost anyone and I encourage my friends and family to take up the challenge.
84 days: Challenging, required a good bit of discipline initially. It now makes reading through the bible in one year almost like a “walk in the park”. Using the Crossway ESV Chronological Bible gave a better understanding, and detail, of passages that get repeated eg in Kings and Chronicles, and also the 4 gospels with repeated events. Seeing God’s redemptive plan throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation was a real blessing.

Some Didn’t Like It

I don’t mind mentioning that this sort of reading is not for everyone. Nor is it the best way to read at all times. I have high respect for those who persisted to complete the challenge even when it wasn’t their favorite thing:

89 days: Honestly, I felt that I was speed-reading, and I did not have time to meditate on what I was reading.
90 days: It felt rushed to read completely on 90 days.
90 days: I’m glad I did it but it’s not my favorite way to read through Scripture. I don’t feel like I was really spending quality time in the word, but just reading to read.
83 days: It was hard, but very satisfying! However, I’m ready to read slowly through one book 🙂
90 days: It was like drinking out of a fire hydrant. This was my first time ever reading the whole Bible straight through. I liked it. My parents did it too, so I got to do it with them. I’d like to do it a little bit slower next time.

Looking Ahead to Next Year’s Challenge

Thanks to all who participated. If you thought about it, or got started but didn’t finish, we hope to be back at it again next year. Expect to hear from us in November to launch the 10th annual reading challenge.

I’d love to hear your ideas for how to make next year’s challenge more grand. So far, a number of folks have requested continued prizes of reader’s Bibles or Scripture journals. But the most commonly requested prize so far is a Logos package.

Many have also suggested generating a broader social media presence to advertise the Bible reading challenge. We would be delighted to do so, but could really use some help with that. If that is something you might like to help with, please contact me.

The Challenge

I’m writing to announce our 9th annual Bible reading challenge. The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2024.

And why—you ask—would you embark on such a strange venture? (“Has the day finally come,” they inquire, “when the Lord has struck with madness the riders of this horse we call the blogosphere?” Zech 12:4) I can think of at least three reasons.

Your grasp of the Bible’s big picture will surge like a COVID case count in winter.

Your reward in heaven will be great.

We’ve got a sweet set of prizes to urge you on in the present age.

All who complete the challenge are invited to fill out the form below (which we’ll share repeatedly as the twilight of March draws nigh). One grand prize winner will be selected at random to win an ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather, generously provided by the good people at Crossway Bibles. Yes, you read that right: This Bible has top grain leather. This is one of those gorgeous “premium” Bibles that might not normally fit the budget.

One additional winner will be selected to receive a one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice. Physical prizes are limited to the continental United States. Winners in other parts of the world will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Official Rules

Here are the rules:

You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but the Lord sees and knows when you are being honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.

You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.

The last day of that 90-day period must be between November 4, 2023 and March 31, 2024. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.

To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.

Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 2, 2023 and March 31, 2024, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).

In the first week of April 2024, we will randomly select 2 winners from those who have submitted the form. We will email the winners to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.

The first prize winner (if continental US) will receive a copy of the ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather. The second prize winner (if anywhere in the US) will get their choice of a one-volume reader’s Bible (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.). Any winner who does not qualify for a physical prize will receive a US $50 Amazon gift card via email.

Unfortunately, though they are terrific people doing marvelous work for the sake of Christ, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.