Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, my first Bible was a Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I started working part time at a Christian bookstore when I started college in the fall of 1994. I soon realized that I enjoyed working more than going to class, and I eventually dropped out of school and worked at the bookstore full time. But even while going to school I was promoted to the department head of the Bibles and Church Supplies department.

Our store at the time was about 14,000 square feet, and the Bible department was tucked into the back corner of the store. I don’t recall how many different Bibles we stocked at the time but if my calculations are correct we had about 100 linear feet of shelving that was about 8 feet high. We had Bibles that were small enough to fit in a purse, large enough to be read by those with vision loss, and many more that were somewhere in between. We had Bibles that specialized in helping new Christians grow in their faith, others that included vast research and articles related to Biblical archaeology, some that helped readers understand the original Hebrew and Greek words, and others that had extensive cross-references so you could learn how different BIble passages go together.

We not only had a large selection for over a dozen English translations but a small selection of a dozen others. We had Bibles in Spanish, German, Japanese, French, and several other languages. When I took over the department, I was overwhelmed with all of the variety and set out to become an expert. I saw a Bible purchase as one that was more significant and life changing than buying a car, and I wanted to be able to help anyone in any situation find the best Bible for them.

I poured myself into researching each Bible by reading the introduction to each, pouring over literature provided to us by publishers, and purchasing books that would help me understand the art of Bible translation and how each translation differed. Inspired by airplane pilots who need to be able to put a hand on any instrument in blackout situations, I dedicated myself to memorizing the exact shelf location of every Bible in our inventory so that I could quickly and efficiently help customers. My hard work paid off. Not only was I eventually able to be considered an expert, but our company chose me to be the person that would go to each new store location, set up the Bible department, and train the new staff.

Eventually our store moved to a new location that expanded our size to over 30,000 square feet. This meant we not only expanded our inventory, but we also got a complete redesign of our fixtures and how we displayed merchandise. Around the Bible department were various quotes from and about the Bible. One of those quotes spoke to me deeply. I’ve mentioned it here before and it’s a quote attributed to a German theologian from the 14th and 15th centuries, Martin Luther. The quote is, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”

I’m not sure, but I imagine the quote is inspired by the Bible itself. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That quote and the verse from Hebrews are certainly true for me.

For Christmas in 1991 my grandparent gave me that Thompson Chain-Reference Bible I mentioned earlier. I was 15 at the time and I used that Bible every day for the next 5 years. I still have it, but by that time the cover and binding were starting to break off and the stitching from some of the sections were coming loose. One of the perks of working at the bookstore is that some publishers would send us any Bible of our choice for every 100 Bibles we sold. I used this perk to replace my Thompson Chain-Reference Bible with a Bible called The Open Bible that had a top grain leather binding which lasted me quite some time.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I met every Tuesday and Thursday with my friend, Chuck to do Bible study. During that period we were learning so much and taking so many notes that I purchased a wide margin bible that is designed to give the reader lots of room to make notes beside the text. My current Bible is an ESV Journaling Bible, which has wide margins that are lined to aid in note taking.

When my grandparents gave me that Bible when I was 15, I made a personal commitment to read it every day. It was about that same time that my parents gave me a drafting table because at the time I wanted to become a professional artist. There at that drafting table I sat every night reading from the Bible. I was committed to reading it cover to cover. I can’t tell you how many times I fell asleep at that table and then woke up at some point in the night and crawled into bed. The next night I’d try to figure out the last spot I’d read before I’d fallen asleep, and start my reading at that spot. I’ll be 49 next month, and I have continued to read the Bible nearly every day of my life since.

Here’s what I learned.

I’m not telling you all of this to brag in any way. Frankly, I don’t think it’s anything to brag about. All of us do many things every day like brushing our teeth, watching TV, driving to work, or eating meals. Reading the Bible everyday is not something to brag about. But that’s not to say it isn’t important. 

Whether it’s the story about my mom that I shared in episode 7 or the story of my coworkers that I shared in episode 483, it’s helped me find peace and forgiveness in difficult situations. The Bible has helped me understand my personal responsibility in helping those in need. It’s taught me what true love looks like in my marriage and in my other relationships. Simply put, reading the Bible everyday has helped me through every situation of my life. 

I’m writing this story just before Thanksgiving and as I write it, my daily reading has me in the New Testament books of Acts and Galatians. In 2024 I chose to read through the Bible in chronological order, which is the order in which the events occur. It’s been an interesting experience and helped me understand how passages from different Old Testament books connect together.

For 2025 I’ll be going back to my favorite way to read through the Bible which is to include a passage from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm, and Proverb each day. Some of the Old Testament passages dealing with laws and genealogies can be difficult to get through, which is one reason I like having passages from other books each day as part of my reading. 

So if I’m not bragging by telling you all of this, what is the purpose of this episode? We’ve just started a new year and this is a season where many of us look back at what was and think about what might be. We set goals and make adjustments to our lives that we hope will put us in a better position a year from now.

For some of you, you may be thinking about the spiritual part of your life and hoping for change or growth. Whether you’ve already been thinking about it or not, my hope is this episode will help inspire you to make Bible reading part of your daily life. With that in mind, I want to spend the next few minutes sharing some tips and resources that have helped me and I believe they will help you too.

  • Find a spot in your day that will allow you to create consistency. In my teens, this was right before I went to bed. Eventually I realized that a better time for me was doing it first thing in the morning. So I make coffee and then sit down in my office with that coffee to spend the next 20 minutes or so reading. In this way, I’ve anchored reading to another thing I do everyday, which is drink coffee. Now these two go hand in hand.
  • Realize that reading doesn’t necessarily mean reading. For nearly 20 years now I’ve been “reading” the Bible by listening to podcasts. Brian Harden started a podcast called 1 Year Daily Audio BIble in January of 2006, and I started listening to it probably some time in 2007 or 2008. Each day he reads a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, and provides commentary on the passages once he’s finished reading.
  • Daily Bible podcasts are great for anchoring to daily routines like your commute to work, listening during your daily run or workout, or even while enjoying your daily cup of coffee like me. I know you like podcasts, so these might make the most sense for you.
  • In 2024 I decided to read a physical Bible WHILE listening to a podcast. Since I wanted to do the Bible Chronologically, I opted for a podcast called Chronological ESV Bible Plan with Robert Smith. I’ve found the combination of visual and auditory to be helpful in retaining what I’m reading.
  • Bibles can be expensive, but there is a free Bible app called YouVersion. The team that created the app is based here in Oklahoma City. I’ve met them and they are great people. They’ve created an app that not only includes multiple translations of the Bible, but it also includes various reading and study plans and community connection resources.
  • Here are some recommendations for those of you looking for a physical copy of a Bible. If you look at the show notes for this episode, I’ll have these linked to Amazon. And just so you’re aware, these are affiliate links which don’t raise your price, but Amazon will send a few pennies my way if you purchase anything via these links.
    • The Life Application Study Bible is a great Bible to help you understand the Bible and how to make practical sense of it in a way that will help you grow and mature in your faith.
    • If you’d like a Bible that has wide margins for taking notes, I recommend the ESV Journaling Bible that I mentioned earlier.
    • If you’re dealing with drugs, alcohol, or other personal struggles, I recommend either the Life Recovery Bible or Celebrate Recovery Bible.
    • If you want to better understand how different passages of the Bible connect together or take a deep dive into Biblical archaeology, I recommend the Thompson-Chain Reference Bible. It was reading this Bible where I first learned that the massive rock temple featured at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a real place called Petra.
    • If you’d like a Bible that provides general notes that will help you take a deep dive into the Bible and understanding it, I recommend either the NIV Study Bible or the ESV Study Bible.
    • If you struggle with reading due to dyslexia, I recommend the ESV Dyslexia-Friendly Edition. This Bible has a specialized font, different overlays, and other tools to help you read and understand the Bible.
    • If you’d like to explore how Bible translation decisions are made while reading the Bible, I recommend the NET Bible Full-Notes Edition.

Lastly, some of you may want to read the Bible and don’t know where to start. Maybe you’ve tried to read it in the past, but once you got past Genesis or Exodus it became too difficult to keep up with. If that’s you, I totally understand. That’s one reason why I like to include portions from other parts of the Bible in my daily reading.

If you want to learn more about Jesus, his life and his teaching, I recommend starting with the New Testament book of John.

If you’d like to learn more about how to live the Christian faith, I recommend the New Testament book of Romans.

David was the second king of Israel. He’s described as a murderer, adulterer… and a man after God’s own heart. He had times of great achievement and he had times where he was running and hiding for his life as his enemies pursued him. He had deep family turmoil. In short, he lived a life that all of us can relate to in multiple ways. He wrote most of the book of Psalms. Each one is written during various parts of his life, and reading them brings great insight into how to walk with God throughout the ebbs and flows of the journey of life.

Lastly, the Old Testament book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. I recommend reading one chapter a day, and match that chapter to the day of the month. In this way, you’ll read the full book most months and essentially read the entire book 12 times each year. Whether you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God or not, Proverbs is FILLED with practical wisdom. It’s a great book to read for every person regardless of whether you’re a devout believer, new believer, skeptic, agnostic, or atheist.

The Bible is alive, it does speak to me. As I read it and go through my day, it shapes my thoughts and actions. It challenges me to grow in every part of my life, teaches me how to be a better husband, father, and worker. It teaches me about the character of God, morality, history, how to manage money, and so much more. It reveals my shortcomings and transforms my mind. 

Charles Ryrie was a theologian of our time, passing away just a few years ago in 2016. He once said, “The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.” May his words and the words I’ve shared today encourage each of us to pursue God and include reading the Bible a priority for each day. 

I’m Darrell Darnell, and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.

I want you to be a part of the next Monday Mailbag on March 31st! Monday Mailbag is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU.  It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long.  It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others.  You can send in questions or responses to my SILY episodes, and I’ll respond to them via Monday Mailbag episodes. You can send in questions or responses to my SILY episodes, and I’ll respond to them via Monday Mailbag episodes. You can participate in Monday Mailbags by visiting the Golden Spiral Media listener feedback page.