“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105 reminds us of the power of God’s word. I want to share 25 new ways to spend more time in the Bible that have helped me this year.
Sometimes we just have to get a little creative when we want to create a new routine. My hope in providing you with this list is to provide you with fresh ideas for making the Word more accessible and therefore, a more important part of your life. We can all use a refresh, whether you are a new Christian or someone who has walked with God for a long time.
Make sure you read until the end of this post; I will address what to do if you are having trouble wanting to read your Bible. I have been there. Remember, reading your Bible is like drinking salty sea water, the more you drink the thirstier you become for His word-and that is a GOOD thing!
I recently heard this powerful quote: “It isn’t if the storms of life come, but when… and when the storms come and we begin to bleed, let us bleed the Bible.”
So if we are going to bleed the Bible, it better be in us. Let’s get started!

1. Place Bibles in All the Spots We Linger in Our Home
In the book Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch makes the case for setting up our homes with nudges for who we want to be. For example, if you want to watch less TV, make the TV less accessible or move it out of the heart of your home. I believe this is one reason some people place big family Bible’s in their most loved room; this choice placement gives you a BIG nudge to read it.
We can do the same by adding a Bible in all the rooms we spend our time in. You are much more likely to reach for scripture when it’s visible in all your favorite spots around the house.
2. Carry a Smaller Bible to Church and in the Car
How many of you have walked right past your Bible on the way to church because it was just too big and bulky? If you keep a small Bible in your purse or car you will be less likely to forget it when you’re on the go. Having a physical Bible open on your lap at church will help you dive deeper.
My roommate in college was obsessed with Gilmore Girls, so I have watched more episodes than I would like to admit, but one thing that stuck with me was how Rory Gilmore always took a book with her no matter where she went. Why shouldn’t we make it a habit to take our Bible with us everywhere?
“I just take a book everywhere with me. It’s a habit.”
― Rory Gilmore
3. Print and Laminate a Chapter of the Bible
Paper doesn’t feel important until it is laminated. I am currently reviewing Romans 8 daily, but that is only because it is laminated and in front of me. When I wake up, I see it on my nightstand and it nudges me to read and meditate on His truth. Printing verses is one of my favorite ways to study scripture!
Laminating scripture is also a great way to take the Word to messier spots around the house. I know I can’t be the only one who has spilled coffee or found sticky handprints on my pages.
My laminator is a little old, but here is the top reviewed one on Amazon and the paper that goes with it. Laminating is so quick and easy and oddly satisfying to do.
4. Choose a Book of the Bible and Read That Book With a Friend or Spouse for the Month
My husband and I hang out in the same book all month; this month we’re diving deeper into Colossians. We each read the book at our own pace and then sit down together throughout the month and pick a passage to read together.
Reading scripture with someone gives me a sense of accountability while also taking away the decision fatigue of figuring out what I am going to read each day. I love making as many pre-decisions as I can, especially in the areas that I want to become habits.
There is something so special about reading the Bible aloud with someone else, so definitely try to get together as often as you can.
5. Memorize a Portion of Scripture with Your Kids
My kids and I are memorizing Romans 8 (thank you laminated page!). I start by having them pick a spot on the carpet. Next, I set a 5-minute timer and we all say the first 8 verses we have been working on each day of homeschool. Next, we work on the new verse we are trying to memorize. The more verses we memorize, the longer I set the timer. Slow and steady works best!
Here are some specific strategies that have worked in making this time for my kids and I more fruitful.
One key is approaching the task with an excited attitude; your positivity will rub off on your kids. You should also make the scripture readily available by printing it out and laminating it (double spacing the text will make it easier to read). I like to introduce hand motions and have my kids help me decide which gestures help them remember certain words.
Implementing a check chart has been a game-changer. They earn a check for each 5-minute session and with every ten checks, I have a fun experience for us to share. Just yesterday, the kids reached their goal and we had a fun ice cream date that included sprinkles! This approach not only keeps them motivated but also transforms memorization into an enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Our goal is to learn 50 verses this year, so we plan to go little by little.
Another benefit of helping my kids memorize scripture is I’m spending more time in the Word, too! If you want to learn something, be the teacher, right?
6. Write a Book of the Bible in a Journible or Notebook
Writing out scripture is a wonderful way to focus more intently on God’s word. The practice of writing allows you to better comprehend what you’re reading, rather than just absentmindedly glossing over the words.
Journible is a fantastic tool that makes the practice of writing out scripture a little easier and more organized. I have used them for several books of the Bible, and I could go on and on about how much I love them! Here is a post I wrote telling your more about Journibles.
7. Lay Out Your Bible, Journal, and Pen
I find that if I sit at a desk with a clear working space that I stay in the Bible longer, dig deeper and get less distracted. It also helps to keep a separate Bible by my bed, so that I can read a little at the end of the night too; if I am shifting Bibles around, when I sit down to get a focused minute in, I end up spending half the time hunting my Bible down.
8. Read Commentaries Alongside Your Bible
Oh, how I love a good commentary! To get the most out of a commentary, I try to read the paragraph of scripture first, analyze it myself and THEN bring in some commentary. When I study my Bible this way it feels like I am getting to chat with a friend about the Word.
When I use a commentary like Christ-Centered Exposition I linger longer in the Word and get even more out of the passage. My husband, Matt, and I have gathered a collection of Christ-Centered Expositions and have loved every one we have used. I like that they are written by a group of trusted men and then edited by another group of trusted people.

9. Try Reading Different Versions of Your Bible
My favorites are the ESV and CSB versions, and I also enjoy the NIV. Switching up the versions you read can help boost your understanding of scripture. For example, you may enjoy the ESV because it isn’t a word-for-word translation.
10. Listen to the Bible App on Your Phone
So much money has been put into this FREE Bible App, and I am truly thankful for it. To think we live in a time where we have dozens of translations at our fingertips and can LISTEN to someone read us the Bible is amazing!
We all learn differently, so listening may help you better understand scripture. You can even listen and read along in your Bible.
11. Listen to the Message Bible
After staying awhile in a chapter or paragraph of scripture, one of my favorite ways to go deeper is to hear how Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, puts scripture into today’s language. And to be honest, when my heart is feeling cold to scripture and I just don’t want to listen to my Bible, mixing it up with the Message helps spark my joy of being in scripture again.
I do caution you not to use The Message as your everyday Bible; I truly don’t think Peterson wrote it to be used that way.
12. Hang Up Laminated Verses of the Bible in the Shower
The shower is a protected 5-10 minutes out of your day where you do not have a phone in your hand. So one idea is to take a chapter of scripture, laminate it and use shower safe velcro to put the scripture on the shower wall. This would be a great example of habit stacking that I am going to talk about below. You are already taking a shower, so why not stack your Bible memory practice onto that time?
13. Bible verses for Specific Areas of the House
Place Bible verses all over your house as it applies to the task you might be doing in that area. Think through your vanity area; this is where you see your reflection and make judgements about your appearance, so why not post verses that speak truth to that moment:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
In the laundry room, you could have a verse that reminds you to have a servant spirit:
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26b-28
Consider where you are tempted to grumble or get frustrated in your home and add truth to that area. Next time you are tempted to complain or slip into “victim mode”, BOOM you are reminded of how God desires you to respond.
14. Listen to Podcasts that Read Scripture: “Oh, Hey Truth!”
A fun podcast to check out is “Oh, Hey Truth!” They have great episodes that show you how to engage in scripture more often. Some of my favorite episodes are when they simply read scripture. The gal who reads does a great job and it is nice to hear scripture from someone who sounds like me.
15. Make Art or Calligraphy with Scripture
I am not super artsy, but it does bring out the inner child in me to doodle journal as I’m trying to memorize a verse or chapter.
True story: when my husband was taking Neuro in Physical Therapy school his teacher made it mandatory that every student have a big pack of color pencils. These doctorate students were tempted to think this class was going to be a breeze, but they found just the opposite. Neuro was one of the most complex classes they would have, but the teacher knew something they didn’t. When you add coloring to the memorization mix it helps the information stick. My husband was shocked at how much his professor’s methods worked.
So, let’s kick it back to coloring sheet days and get creative with scripture. You could even design pretty decor for your home. Here are some fun pens to get creative with Bible journaling.
16. Put Scripture About the Way God Sees Us Where We Get Ready in the Morning
No doubt, we take a look in the mirror in the morning and what comes to our mind is not always encouraging. We cannot let these thoughts stick, they have to be intentionally replaced. Adding scripture all around your sink and mirror and reading those to combat the lies about who Satan says we are with the TRUTH about who God says we are is key to not falling prey to the dangerous attacks on our mind.
When we meditate on these verses (meditate means to chew on something, like a dog chews on a bone), the truth will eventually seep down into our brains and we will be able to recall the verse, even when we are on the go and away from our sink.
17. Listen to Scripture While You Walk With your Kids
One of my favorite things to listen to while I’m driving or on a walk is the Bible. The kids may fight me at first, but after a while they accept it and we end up soaking up multiple verses of scripture in a matter of minutes. I really think that we are absorbing more than we realize, otherwise commercials and advertisers wouldn’t be placing ads everywhere.
18. Dwell App for Amazing Voices Reading the Bible
If you geek out on the Audible books you listen to or your favorite podcast’s quality sound, then you will really love Dwell. It is like the free Bible App, but with unique voices and accents. It is an app with a yearly subscription, but it offers a special listening experience of the Bible.
19. Make a Big Stack of Scripture Notecards to Carry Around With You
Recently I started reading Sally Clarkson’s book, Leaning on the Promises of God, and at the end of each chapter she includes three verses. So, I began writing those three verses out on notecards each day. After two weeks, I had a great stack of encouraging verses to carry with me on my solo walks around the neighborhood.
I would read one card and just meditate on it for a couple of minutes, letting it roll around in my head. I think even the act of writing out the notecard helped it sink to the next level in my mind and soul.
Do you read Sally’s books? She has been one of my favorite online mamas and mentors.
20. Illuminationed Scripture Journal to Read and Make Notes
Illuminated Scripture Journals are beautiful thin little books of the Bible that have scripture on one side and a spot for notes on the other side. You can buy the whole collection or just one at a time. These are also handy if you are walking through a certain book on Sundays at church. You could use these Illuminated Scripture Journals for sermon notes, while you have the Bible open beside you.

21. Habit Stack Your Bible Reading
This idea comes from the legendary book Atomic Habits by James Clear. The idea is to take your existing habits and tack on Bible reading.
Ideas:
- Read the same verse by the sink while you’re brushing your teeth.
- Listen to Romans 8 while you do your workout warm up.
- Meditate on a verse while you are making breakfast each day.
- Write out a scripture card to go into your kid’s lunch each morning.
- While your hot water warms up for tea or coffee listen to one Proverb.
22. Use Childcare at the Gym to Have Extended Time in the Bible
Working out doesn’t take me 2 hours, but the YMCAs I have gone to give you 2 hours a day of free childcare. This is amazing and worth the price of a YMCA membership alone. When my kids were under 5 this is where I did most of my deep studying of the book of John for my Bible study.
23. Do Mom Swap with Kids to Have Extended Time in the Bible
I currently do not live close to family, so doing a mom swap with my dear friend has allowed us both a moment to breathe. She takes my kids one afternoon every-other-week and I take hers the other week. It was fun because we got to catch up and get some friend time on the drop off or pick up, and an added bonus is our kids got really close and had a playtime to look forward to.
I like to find a cozy coffee shop and spend time in the Word. It’s so nice to have a moment where I’m not interrupted constantly and I can simply be still.
24. Bible Studies or Small Discipling Groups
I am a huge fan of women getting together to read their Bibles. I think we are especially relational and it fills my cup so much to have this time together. My suggestion is to be intentional about your time in the Bible rather than focusing on a study written by someone.
We typically read a chapter each week on our own and then come together, read the chapter out loud and discuss! We share what we discovered in commentaries that week, what revelations we had or what attributes of God we discovered in that chapter.
These groups have also given me accountability to get my Bible reading done and provide a much-needed check up to help me realize how long it has been since I’ve been in the Word.
Some healthy peer pressure is a good thing! Many women have gathered as a group and walked through John with my Journaling through John resource.
25. Sing the Word: Scripture Lullabies
This is an ancient way to remember scripture. Often, I have been reading the Bible and come across a couple of verses that are in a worship song I’ve heard and I have a big epiphany: Oh! I was singing scripture.
Scripture Lullabies are one of my favorite ways to calm the kids down in the car when things feel tense and it helps wash the truth over me, as well. The next family melt down you have, try turning on Scripture Lullabies and see how quickly it can shift the mood.
What If I Do Not Feel Like Reading My Bible?
There are going to be dry seasons in your walk as a believer where the motivation to read your Bible just isn’t there. Don’t beat yourself up, but do take some strategic action. Check out this post on 3 keys to bouncing back when you just don’t feel like reading your Bible. I also include one of my all time favorite videos that always gets me pumped to read my Bible again.

Want a Clear Plan for Reading Your Bible?
Check out this FREE Bible Study through the book of John. This study gives you an ebook with tips, a checklist and 22 videos to guide you through each chapter of John.
Save this post to refer back to when you are feeling like you need new ideas for Bible Reading:
