When Faith Zapata first began her journey through the Chronological Bible, she wasn’t chasing a spiritual milestone or aiming to check off another box on a religious to-do list. She just knew she wanted to know more of God, and she knew she wanted her four kids to want that as well.
Being open to the process—the messiness, the moments of clarity, and the long seasons of waiting—is what has shaped Faith’s now five-year journey through the Chronological Bible. What began as a simple goal has become an anchor, a steady rhythm that’s redefined how she views Scripture, parenting, and the patience of God.
“One thing that has kept me consistent is that I set myself a goal,” Faith said. “I’m not a super goal-oriented person, but this was one goal that I really wanted to do.”
Faith’s first encounter with the Chronological Bible was through a digital reading plan in 2020. At the time she had a 5-year-old son and a newborn daughter at home, so sometimes, reading from a hard copy was difficult and she would instead listen on the Bible app.
“I spent a lot of time nursing, so I would be listening to the reading while I was nursing her,” Faith said. “And honestly, I comprehended so much more in that season listening versus reading.”
This flexibility gave her permission to meet God in the chaos of everyday life. As a mother of young children, Faith discovered that spiritual disciplines don’t always fit neatly into quiet morning routines or dedicated study hours. Sometimes they happen in snippets—five minutes here, 10 minutes there—squeezed between nap times and school drop-offs.
“I feel like people get stuck on the idea that it has to be the written Word, but there’s nothing in the Bible that says that,” Faith said. “Above all, I think God’s going to honor the heart of a person that wants to draw near to Him. Think about all the people throughout Scripture that didn’t have a written Bible—they listened to it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
In the years since then, Faith has explored different chronological plans, including The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble, discovering not only new insights but also a growing appreciation for the arc of God’s relentless love.
“One of the biggest things to me is just seeing the overarching theme of how God loves people,” Faith said. “He’s constantly trying to draw close to them.”
This realization has extended into how she parents her children. When discipline feels repetitive and change seems slow, Faith remembers how God handles His own people—how He gives warning after warning, chance after chance.
“How many times did God tell people?” Faith said. “How many times has God told me? God gives so many chances, and that makes me think, ‘OK, I probably need to be giving my kids more chances too.’”
For Faith, it isn’t about raising kids who can recite Bible trivia. It’s about cultivating consistency and heart-level connection. And that starts now—not when her children are adults, but while they’re still under her roof, growing and stumbling and learning what it looks like to walk with God.
“What I really desire, for myself and my family, is that it’s not just a bunch of facts, that you’ve actually grown deeper in your relationship with the Lord and your understanding,” Faith said. “I told them, ‘I don’t want you to be in your 30s establishing your consistency with reading the Bible.’”
Watching her sons take ownership, whether by setting personal goals like reading the whole Bible or by simply joining in because the family is doing it, has given Faith a quiet but persistent hope.
“While I don’t always see a lot of personal change in my boys yet, what I do see from them is consistency,” Faith said. “And I love that.”
As her oldest, Zachary, edges closer to adulthood, Faith finds herself echoing the prayer of many Christian parents—that her children wouldn’t walk away from the faith once they leave home.
“I so badly don’t want my kids to be the kids that grow up in church, hit college age, and turn away from the Lord,” Faith said.
Although Faith knows she can’t control the outcome of her children’s faith, she knows God honors the time, the effort, and the intention that they put in.
“When you seek the Lord, He’ll give you the desires of your heart,” Faith said. “He desires to be close to us, so if we’re literally doing what He wants us to do, He’s going to honor that.”
Faith’s journey with the Chronological Bible has changed her not just as a reader of Scripture, but as a mother, a mentor, and a follower of Christ. She sees more clearly now the patience of God, the waiting seasons, and the small daily choices that shape a life of faith. And that’s the legacy she hopes to leave—not a perfect record of Bible reading, but a family that knows and desires the heart of God.
If you’ve fallen behind in your readings or have yet to start the Chronological Bible journey, don’t worry! Pick up a Bible and jump right in. Visit bellevue.org/bible to learn more.