BONUS: Preparing for the Bible in a Year Journey

Podcast: The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz, Ascension
Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special bonus episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz offers encouragement, practical advice, and spiritual insight for listeners embarking (or re-embarking) on the "Bible in a Year" journey. Drawing from his own experience and feedback from the first year of the podcast, Fr. Mike discusses why reading the Bible matters, what makes this approach unique, common obstacles, and strategies for lasting success. He highlights helpful tools, including The Great Adventure Bible Timeline and supporting resources, and emphasizes the most important lesson: "Perfection is not expected. Perseverance is."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recognizing God’s Invitation

• Fr. Mike begins with gratitude for listeners' interest, noting even the desire to start the journey is itself a response to God’s pursuit.
• Quote:

  “If you find yourself here, that's because God has moved in your heart in some unique way… So we just have to acknowledge that, that God cares about you. You're loved. You matter.” – Fr. Mike (02:04)

2. Why Read the Bible in a Year? Rediscovering Your ‘Why’

• The world is “good but broken,” and many don’t know God’s story or their place in it.
• The podcast aims to help people see the world, themselves, and others through God’s eyes by gaining a restored view through Scripture.
• Quote:

  “You lose your way when you lose your why.” – Fr. Mike (03:45)

• The motivation for reading comes not from discipline or intensity alone, but a deep reason—a “why” that sustains you.

3. The Great Adventure Bible Timeline: Making Sense of Scripture

• Developed by Jeff Cavins, the Timeline keeps the narrative thread by focusing on 14 time periods across 16 key books, adapting the plan to keep context for all other books.
• Quote:

  “One of the things the Bible does is… It corrects that [distorted view]. It's got corrective lenses, right? … Here's God saying, this is what I'm really like. … Don't forget how good you are.” – Fr. Mike (05:45)

• Fr. Mike shares personally how reading the prophets in context was transformative for him after decades of not grasping their context.
• The reading plan is available for download; marking off each day brings satisfaction and sense of progress.

4. Building a Habit: Practical Tips

• Pick a daily time to read/listen—on your average day, not just your best day.
• Integrate Scripture into your routine wherever it fits best (e.g., morning routine, commute, quiet time).
• Consistency is key—success is found in faithfulness, not in a flawless streak.
• Quote:

  “Consistency beats intensity every single time.” – Fr. Mike (19:54)

• “Not being perfect is not a problem because being perfect is not the expectation for us.” – Fr. Mike (17:09)
• Don’t let missed days (or weeks) stop you; just “press play” and continue.
• Memorable moment:

  “The hardest day to read your Bible is the day after the day you don't read your Bible. … All you have to do is, okay, I stopped on day 18. That means I'm on day 19. Press play. That's it. So simple.” (18:20)

5. Tools and Resources for the Journey

• The Great Adventure Bible – recommended for following the narrative flow and annotating as you go.
• The Bible in a Year Companion – supplements Fr. Mike’s commentary with background info, maps, prayers, and reflection questions; multiple volumes cover the whole year.
• Bible in a Year Notebook & Insight Journal – for capturing personal insights so what God reveals doesn’t get forgotten.
  • Quote:

    “It would be…unthinkable to imagine that here is God, who has gone through all of this trouble to reveal himself… and not want us to remember what he revealed.” (25:57)

6. Encouragement for Perseverance

• The habit is more important than pace; even people who get through only 3-4 episodes a week are making progress.
• Real-life example: An elderly listener who started the plan at age 90 says that just 15-20 minutes a day “changed his entire life.”

7. The Power of Community and Subscribing

• Subscribe to the podcast or YouTube channel to make it even easier—episodes arrive automatically, minimizing friction.
• Announcing the Bible in a Year in Spanish (La Biblia en un Año) to widen accessibility.
• Quote:

  “What an incredible gift. So whether your first language is Spanish, whether you're trying to dive more deeply into Spanish, we have the Great Adventure Bible in Spanish as well as this Bible in a Year in Spanish.” – Fr. Mike (32:34)

8. Final Words: Journey, Not Perfection

• Fr. Mike stresses his personal need to be “penetrated by God’s word” and invites everyone to start anew, letting God speak to them.
• Quote:

  “Perfection is not an expectation, but just planning on never losing our way because we never lose our why. Maybe your why is because the Lord has placed it in your heart that it's time… to let him talk to you.” – Fr. Mike (35:40)

• Final encouragement: “I truly am praying for you. Please pray for me… I cannot wait to go on this journey with you.” (36:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• 02:04 – “If you find yourself here, that's because God has moved in your heart in some unique way… You're loved. You matter.”
• 03:45 – “You lose your way when you lose your why.”
• 05:45 – “It's got corrective lenses, right? … Here's God saying, this is what I'm really like. … Don't forget how good you are.”
• 17:09 – “Not being perfect is not a problem because being perfect is not the expectation for us.”
• 18:20 – “The hardest day to read your Bible is the day after the day you don't read your Bible… Press play. That's it. So simple.”
• 19:54 – “Consistency beats intensity every single time.”
• 25:57 – “It would be…unthinkable to imagine…God, who has gone through all of this trouble to reveal himself… and not want us to remember what he revealed.”
• 32:34 – “What an incredible gift… we have the Great Adventure Bible in Spanish as well as this Bible in a Year in Spanish.”
• 35:40 – “Perfection is not an expectation… but just planning on never losing our way because we never lose our why.”

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:04 – 02:30 : Introduction, gratitude for listeners, God’s initiative
• 02:30 – 06:10 : Why read the Bible? Seeing the world with God’s eyes
• 06:10 – 11:50 : The Great Adventure Timeline and reading plan explained
• 11:50 – 19:00 : Building strong habits; practical advice & avoiding discouragement
• 19:00 – 25:00 : The importance of consistency over intensity
• 25:00 – 31:00 : Tools and resources overview (Companion, Notebook, Insight Journal)
• 31:00 – 33:00 : Subscribing for success; Spanish program announcement
• 33:00 – 36:50 : Final encouragement, personal reflections, invitation to pray for one another

Summary

This bonus episode invites new and returning listeners to approach the “Bible in a Year” journey with hope, practical wisdom, and confidence that God welcomes every step, not just perfect ones. Fr. Mike’s tone is warm and encouraging; his central message is that responding to God’s Word daily—even imperfectly—can change your life, and that the journey is sustained by knowing your “why,” using good tools, and staying connected to community.