The Challenge Map
THE FALL STUDY CHALLENGE
Your week-by-week guide for October.
Download the printable map. It fits right in your Bible binder.
Before October 1, do two things. First, pick your book (if you are unsure, pick James). Second, decide WHEN you will study. A routine that is not on the calendar is a wish. Morning, lunch break, after the kids are down. Write it down.
One thing before you start: this month is not about finishing. You are not behind if you only ever study one chapter. Going slowly is the assignment, not a compromise.
WEEK 1 (OCT 1-7)
Gather the context
Read your whole book start to finish, in one sitting if it is short. Then ask: who wrote this, who was it written to, when, and why? What was happening at the time? What themes did you notice? Do not rush this and do not study anything yet. This week you are only getting the whole shape of it in view.
Want to see it done? Watch me walk through the context of James.
WEEK 2 (OCT 8-14)
Stay in one chapter
Choose one chapter and stay there for the week. Read it several times, on different days. Then summarize it: what is actually happening, what is being said, what stands out. One chapter, all week. If you finish early, read it again rather than moving on.
WEEK 3 (OCT 15-21)
Sit with one verse
Out of that chapter, pick the single verse you kept coming back to, the one that would not leave you alone. Map it. Read it in a couple of translations, find the cross references, write down what it says about God and what it asks of you.
WEEK 4 (OCT 22-31)
Go deeper on one or two words
In that verse, find the word carrying the most weight and study it: what it meant in the original language, where else it shows up, how that changes the verse. One word is a full week's work. Take a second only if you have the time.
At the end of the month, look back at what you have. A book you know the shape of, a chapter you know well, a verse you will not forget, and a word that opened up. That is not a small October.