Journey, Book, or Topic? Choosing a TTW Guide (aka Reading Plan)

There are more than eight million web pages about Bible reading plans. Eight million. But how many of us have started strong through one of those plans, only to wind up lost in the desert.  Lost… in Leviticus.

Reading the Bible can be difficult, and reading plans can get overwhelming. It’s sort of like being lost in a museum. Lost and confused. Someone hands you a map. Which helps. Some. At least you know the room layout. But what you really need is a guide - someone to walk you through and explain as you go. That’s Through the Word. TTW provides a simple daily plan with a clear path through the Bible. It’s more than a reading plan, it’s a guide through the Bible. Because the Bible is more than a book, it’s a journey. 

So here’s how our guides (aka reading plans) work. There are three types to choose from: Journey, Book, or Topical.

18 Journeys

We want you to make it through the Bible (our name is Through the Word, after all), so we have divided the Bible into 18 Journeys. The first Journey, Start, takes you on a grand tour of the Bible in 25 essential chapters. The remaining 17 Journeys each take about 90 days to cover 90 chapters, though you’re free to set your own pace. Each journey walks you through several Bible books, reading every chapter. Our pastors carefully organized the journeys to balance Old and New Testaments, follow the various themes and stories of the Bible, and weave together the Bible’s many genres. For example, Journey 2, Foundations, will walk you through Mark, Colossians, Genesis and Romans, four foundational books to understanding what the Bible is about.

If you’re looking for a clearly guided path, and especially if you’re new to the Bible, we recommend the journeys. We’ll get you moving on a clear path through the entire Bible, one chapter at a time. In four years, you’ll study through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. You control the pace, of course, but remember that the goal is not simply to get through the Bible, but to understand it as you go.

66 Books

Journeys are great, but you may just want to head directly to a particular book. Maybe your small group is going to study Matthew, or perhaps you’ve been meaning to tackle Jeremiah for some time. You can subscribe to a guide through a particular book, just like taking a Journey. On the guide selection page, select “Books” from the pulldown menu, then select the book you want from the second menu. Currently there is just one teacher for each Bible book, and it is the same audio that you will find on the journeys. In the future, we plan to add additional audio to give you options from more teachers in each book. 

Studying the books at your own pace is great – but we have found that it can lead to skipping over tough books or entire sections (ahem, the prophets?), so we recommend you jump back into a Journey when you are done with your book study. Note that completing a book guide will not mark that same book complete in the Journey. However, you will find your journals accessible in both locations, and you can easily mark chapters complete if you don’t want to read again.

Topical (coming soon!) 

TTW is working now on adding topical guides through important life issues and Bible themes. They’re not available yet, but we’ll have guides on relationships, manhood, science & the Bible, prophecy, and much more. Each topical guide will focus on what the Bible has to say about the topic, leading you through key passages and chapters so you can see the big picture in the full counsel of the Word. Those are in the works, and we’ll announce new guides here on the blog - so check back here to watch for it!

It’s All About Habit

No matter what reading plan you choose, getting into the Word of God daily is important. Developing a regular Bible reading habit will help fuel your day – like a spiritual breakfast. Your daily Bible time will give you the wisdom and energy you need to face the day ahead of you. But even more important than that, it gives you a chance to hear from God. Imagine going days without talking to your spouse or best friend. We want to spend time with those we love, and talking to them only once a week just wouldn’t cut it. In the same way, spending time in the Bible allows you to hear from God – the one who loves you more than anyone else. So go pick a reading plan, and start your habit (and help us cure Lost-in-Leviticus syndrome!).

Guide Selection FAQ:

• Can I follow the journeys out of order? Of course! You’re free to sign up for journeys in any order you like. You may be curious about end-times and skip to #17, or have a heart for restoration and jump in #18. However, you will mix up the OT chronology if you jump around.
• How do I choose my pace? When you sign up for a journey, it will give you two options for timing your plan:
• Keep me on track allows you to set your own pace without missing a chapter. Every time you open that guide, it will pick up right where you left off. You can read twice a day, or every two days, or whatever you like.
• Keep me on schedule sets your plan to a calendar, one chapter each day. If you miss a day, you’ll have to go back to catch up. This is ideal for groups who want to follow together, or for procrastinators who need a reminder to keep up!
• Do I have to subscribe to a guide to hear the audio? No. You can find any audio guide at any time by navigating the Bible to the chapter you want to hear. However, you cannot mark a chapter complete without subscribing to a guide.
• Can I follow more than one guide? Yes! You can subscribe to one each for: morning and evening, family Bible time, small group, disciple a friend, etc. It’s all up to you. All of subscribed guides will appear on your home page.
• Where do I find all the guides? From your home page, just tap “All Guides” in the top left. Then select Journey, Book, or Teacher to see what’s available.
• Can I change my mind? Yes. You can unsubscribe to a guide at any time. From the home page, find the guide, tap My progress, then tap unsubscribe.