Okay, first things first. What is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day period that runs from Ash Wednesday all the way up until Easter. Christians mark it in a bunch of ways, from fasting to giving something up (besides food!) like Netflix, social media or retail therapy.

Why 40 days?

This number tends to pop up quite a lot in the Bible. There were 40 days and 40 nights of rain in the story of Noah (you can get the full lowdown in Genesis 7). The Israelites wondered the desert for 40 years after being freed from Egypt. And Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before he began his public speaking.

So, seeing as us VerseFirsters are big on Bible stuff, we thought we would grab the bull by the horns and read the whole thing this Lent.

Mission Impossible?

It’s no secret, the Bible is a big book. And reading the whole thing can seem a bit daunting. But have no fear! We’ve arranged the whole of the Bible narrative into 12 short episodes. Each one will take about 15 minutes to read and we’ll be posting two a week right here on the VerseFirst blog. From Genesis to Revelation, we’ll be digging into the sweeping story of Salvation, and we would love for you to join us!

Whether you’re a first timer, or you’ve read the Bible cover to cover 5395802 times, Long Story Short is a chance to discover amazing stories or revisit old favourites. Stories matter. Stories weave our dreams and shape our lives. And this story is most definitely worth the read.

So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us on this journey through the Bible. You can do it on your own, with a friend, or in a group – up to you. And if you’ve never read it before, how does 30 minutes a week sound? 😉