QUICK Qs: How Do You Focus While Reading Scripture?

We tackle the challenge of reading the Bible when life is chaotic and your mind feels scattered. Each of us shares personal techniques for maintaining focus and getting the most from scripture study despite distractions.

• Javi recommends the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) for intentional reading
• Reading scripture line by line and writing down observations helps maintain focus
• David uses audio Bible at 1.6x speed while reading silently to accommodate his dyslexia
• Using a pointer or finger to track text while reading improves concentration
• Jason alternates between fast reading for narrative comprehension and very slow, detailed study
• Reading in darkness with only a page-illuminating neck lamp eliminates distractions
• Digital Bible apps allow for switching between translations and can help maintain focus

Try different methods to find what works for you—whether it's systematic approaches, environmental modifications, or digital tools.

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Episode Transcript

David (00:02):
Welcome to the Boundless Bible.
My name is David Shapiro, hey,I'm Javi Marquez and I'm Jason
Holloway.

Jason (00:14):
It's question time with David.
David, what do you got for ustoday?

David (00:18):
All right.
So this comes from you knowthat thought that sometimes life
is lifing and it's all over theplace and your mind is all over
the place, um, but you want toread your bible.
How do you read your bible?

Jason (00:29):
how do you read your bible?
Javi how do you read your bible?

Javi (00:31):
so it's.
It goes when I'm really beingintentional, to read and
actually take what the word istelling me, because sometimes
you're, sometimes in the morning, you're trying to do like this
devotional thing and sometimesyou are kind of limited on time
or you set yourself up for thatlimit.
I think it goes back to ourprayer.
One was really trying to carveout time to be intentional with

(00:54):
God.
That through prayer.
But for this, obviously,talking about scripture and
reading your word is reallybeing intentional.
So where are you in your, inyour Bible reading?
Where are you?
Where you want to start off andactually reading it line by
line?
If you really get distracted,read it line by line.
What is that telling you?
Write it down.
I think back in the day we usedto do I guess we still do it now

(01:18):
I guess SOAP, s-o-a-p scriptureO is for observation, a for
application, p is for prayer andthose kind of having.
I've never heard them before.
Oh, really Okay, so, yeah, soS-O-A-P, soap, and you're able
to really be intentional withwhat you're reading.
You write down the scripture,right.
You're kind of doing otherthings that could help you focus

(01:38):
on what you're reading.
David, how about you?

David (01:40):
For me it's funny because we talk about things you know.
Reading out loud helps a lot ofpeople.
Speaking out loud, hearingthings out loud For me.
I've suffered with dyslexia myentire life, so when I read the
Bible out loud, it's awful.
I stumble over words.
The letters are twisted.

(02:03):
So what I found to do is I willplay the audio track of somebody
reading the Bible while I'mreading it silently, do you?
Um?
And I've actually found out,because sometimes these these
apps read it really slowly.
Yeah, um, and sometimes theyread it where it just doesn't
match where my brain is going.
So, 1.6, I found out.
If I go at 1.6 speed, uh, itactually matches my brain and
I've tested it out.
1.4 is too slow, 1.8 too fast,um, but I'll have it to where

(02:26):
it'll read at the way that mymind actually is able to accept
what's going on and I'm readingat that same pace, um, so I'll
do that.
Or again, this comes from my,from my jewish background um,
there is something called theyad, it's called the hand, it's
a pointer that they used for theum.
So in in judaism you are notallowed to touch the sacred

(02:48):
torah.
You can't touch it with yourbare hands.
So you use a pointer and whileyou're learning how to in hebrew
school how to read, they giveyou a pointer to read.
No way, pointer um.
And and since that point, Iactually concentrate more on
what I'm reading if I'm using apointer no way so I will either
use my finger or a pointer and Iwill point as I read yeah,
that's crazy.

Jason (03:09):
Yeah, I am.
It's funny because I'm a verybig audio book person but for
some reason I don't absorb thebiblical truths when I try to
audio book the Bible.
I've tried it a couple of times.
I just can't do it.
So I like to read.
I like to read.
I actually have two forms ofdoing it.
I either read really fastbecause I'm trying to like get

(03:31):
the whole of the story Right, orI read really really slow.
Right now I'm going through avery, very, very slow period of
reading and I'm reading anecumenical Bible.
So I'm reading it very, veryslowly and like every line I'm
reading I'm going back down tothe notes and I'm like putting
it all together.
It's going to take me foreverto get through the Bible, but I
got through it twice last year,so I'm good.

(03:51):
But last year I really wantedto get like the overarching, and
then this year I want to likejust dig into the details.
But the trick that I've beenusing, with all the lights off.

Javi (04:05):
Yeah.

Jason (04:05):
Except for like one of those like neck lamps that like
lightens the page.

Javi (04:09):
Yeah.

Jason (04:09):
So there's no distractions.
It's just me and that page.
There's nothing else going on.
The other thing that's weird is, believe it or not, the
YouVersion app that has thereading on there.
Again, I don't know if it'sbecause it's digital and I'm
used to reading digital, but Ireally like reading the digital
version yeah um, because, numberone, I can switch back and
forth between translations.
So I like the amp, I like thecsb, I like the niv and I go

(04:33):
between the three.
So if there's something I don'tknow, I go through that.
But again, I think for me it'sthe.
When you're staring at yourphone, everything else just
disappears.
Yeah, um, so for me and my lackof attention, it's really
helpful to like do it on thephone so that's how I've been
doing it.

David (04:47):
I can't do it digitally, but I might try the light.
I might try the dark house withjust lighting, just the page I
don't know.

Jason (04:53):
Like I said, I don't know why it works, but it it.
It's something about it, likeeverything else just dissipates.

David (04:58):
Yeah, it reminds me of words it reminds me of an
ancient scribe who is just bycandlelight.
You know reading and rewriting.
Yeah, the scriptures.
Yeah, that's what you are.

Jason (05:07):
You're a scribe, ancient scribe.
That's me Emphasis on theancient Heard that a million
times you stay up all nightthinking about what you just
read.

Javi (05:15):
That's it Now, you that's it, you're reading everything
through the, through the phone.

Jason (05:20):
Yeah, you know that's what I do.
Talk to you soon.
Have a good one, Thank you.

Javi (05:35):
Later guys.