The Beta Course – Instaurator
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The Beta Course

Why the Bible Had Felt Dry And How to Get One Chapter to Actually Speak to Me

Read — My Story
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Outcome: you will have read 7 chapters and at least one has surprised. You no longer believe the problem is self-discipline. You will have the rhythm you can keep for the rest of your life.

When the Bible Goes Dry

As a teenager, a couple of years after becoming a Christian, I found the Bible had become dry as dust. Despite my early enthusiasm, I could not keep reading it consistently, no matter how hard I tried to force myself.

The Struggle

No matter how hard I tried to force myself, consistent reading felt impossible. The discipline simply would not stick.

The Consequence

At the same time, I could feel myself stagnating spiritually — a slow drift that was hard to name but impossible to ignore.

Many Christians know this feeling — the Bible that once felt alive now sits unopened, and the guilt of that only makes it worse.

A Dangerous Prayer

After leaving high school, I prayed what I can only describe as a dangerous prayer:

"Lord, I'll go wherever you want me to go, and I'll do whatever you want me to do."

That same afternoon, a letter arrived from a friend in California — an invitation to come and stay. For more than a year, I wrestled with whether this was an answer to prayer or just a random coincidence.

The Prayer
A bold, open-ended commitment made after leaving high school.
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The Letter
That same day, an invitation arrived from California — too close to be ignored.
The Sermon
A preacher quoted Deuteronomy on keeping vows. It cut to the core.
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The Decision
Tired of arguing with myself, I finally went to California.
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Deuteronomy warns: it is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it. Those words landed with full force.

The Question That Wouldn't Go Away

While in California, two competing thoughts began to surface — pulling in opposite directions.

One Path

Perhaps I should go to Bible college and learn more about what I actually believed. A deeper investment, not a retreat.

The Other Path

Maybe I should give up being a Christian altogether — because it did not seem to be working.

"Who else can I turn to but Jesus Christ?"

No one else came to mind. That single question — asked honestly, with nowhere else to go — became its own kind of anchor. Sometimes the most profound moments of faith are not triumphant. They are simply the absence of any better alternative.

Words That Stopped Me in My Tracks

Not long after that season of doubt, I was reading these words from 1 Thessalonians:

"May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
"He will do it."

The last line stopped me completely. Three words that reframed everything. I began to ask new questions:

What was his part?

If God would do it — what exactly was he promising to do? What did sanctification actually look like in practice?

What was mine?

If he would do it, did that mean I had no role? Or was there a partnership — a response required on my end?

How would he keep me?

The promise was that he would keep me blameless. But how? Through what means, what habits, what encounters with him?

One Chapter a Day — For Forty-Eight Years

I enrolled in Bible school, and then another clear thought came: maybe I should start reading a chapter of the Bible each day.

I started with Genesis Chapter 1. When I reached the end of Revelation, I started all over again. Perhaps it is a bit like a 'Forrest Gump' reading plan — just keep going, one step at a time. In any case, I have now done this for forty-eight years.

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Practical tip: If any chapter is too long — more than fifty verses — divide it into two easily digestible parts. This simple adjustment has made it possible to consistently stay the course.

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Drawn Closer to Christ

Daily reading has deepened my relationship with Jesus for decades.

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Spiritual Resilience

It has built a steadiness that trials and challenges could not shake.

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Clarity and Direction

At the right moment, a verse brings clarity, direction, or encouragement.

"A particular verse or passage has stood out at exactly the right moment, helping me solve a problem, make sense of confusion, clarify new direction, or simply just keep going."