Two weeks or so ago, I wrote a post about some new things I’ll be trying this year. One of those things was the She Reads Truth (SRT) subscription box. The SRT reading plan is a community reading. It’s an act of corporate worship, going to Scripture every day with purpose, knowing that you are joining thousands of others to read the same words on the same day. Cool idea, right? You don’t have to order the books or buy anything at all to join in with the readings. Just go to the website or get the app, and each day’s community reading will be there. I just really love the entire concept.
The SRT Bible, which is my daily carry right now, and the SRT Subscription Box are just optional things if you’re looking to try out something new.
Anyway, I promised to show you what comes in these boxes and then give you my honest impressions about whatever they send me. The first box I received came in December, and that book was for a reading plan in Genesis. It arrived about two weeks before the plan started (on January 6), and I posted several pictures of the book because I was so impressed with it. I’m still doing my daily readings from this one.
The Genesis book is beautiful, and the paper takes all kinds of ink without issue. I’ve used a fountain pen (medium nib) to write my name in the book with Heart of Darkness black ink. That ink soaks through everything I’ve ever used it on except for card stock, but it didn’t soak through the SRT study book paper. That really impressed me. Whatever coating they’ve got on this paper, it works. It can handle your crafty creativity. I’ve also used ballpoints, felt tips, and highlighters with no ink bleed.
The second box arrived today, and its contents are a little different, so I’m excited to show it to you. It contained the study book for Philippians (pictured at the top) and a bunch of extras. The SRT community reading plan for this book will start in February, so you still have plenty of time to get in on this one.
Everything in these boxes is beautiful. The book, the cards, and the extras from the Philippians box just beg to be handled and written in and read. The study book itself has some really cool features in it for study. It contains the entire text of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, of course, and all of the supplemental passages that are part of the daily readings. The book is divided up into days so all of the readings are in order, grouped together. At the end of each day’s reading, there is space for note-taking. Each week ends with some comprehension questions, and there are study helps (timelines, reading tips, organized lists, etc.) scattered throughout the book in logical places. There are also small memorization cards in the back of the book on a cleanly perforated tear-out.
The absolutely best bit–for me, at least–is this tiny leaflet containing the entire text of Philippians. It has no versification (chapter and verse numbering). It has no footnotes and no commentary. It’s just the letter. There is something very special about reading one of Paul’s epistles this way, and the emotion of it sort of threw me off guard. It was a standalone letter when Paul wrote it, but we never consume it that way. We read it by flipping through a 1,500-page book. Something about having this letter as a standalone document feels very natural and very right. I held the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, and it looked like a letter. That was deeply moving, and I didn’t expect it to be. Maybe not everyone will have that response, but I certainly did. It was really something.
Well done, She Reads Truth team! The letter leaflet was a stroke of genius, and I will treasure it.
I Love This as a Subscription Box
I honestly didn’t know whether I’d actually spend time with these study books. They’re beautiful, and I knew they would be, but I love my actual Bible. I like holding it and sitting with it draped across my lap as I read and study. I really half-expected that I would not use these books at all, and I was prepared to cancel my subscription if that happened. I’m not into wasting money, and we’re short on shelf space in this house as it is. So far, however, these books really have been useful, and they really are so gorgeous that you just want to touch them and sit down with them.
I always say that there’s no law against having fun in bible study. Well, there’s no law against admiring a lovely bible study book, either. The switch to using these for my daily reading time has been seamless. The books have generous space for note-taking, and they are a sensory treat that really could help get people into a daily Scripture habit. They have not replaced my Bible at all, and I don’t see myself using them for deep study. For a reading plan, however, they’re just the thing.
Don’t forget that She Reads Truth has a counterpart for the brothers among us. He Reads Truth also has an app, study books, a Bible, and a subscription box. Men need to read God’s Word, too.
For less than most people pay for sub boxes of cosmetics, pet supplies, or cleaning products, you can get a box like this every month. Everyone loves getting a package in the mail, and I think this kind of program might help a lot of people establish a lasting daily Scripture habit.
These study books will work beautifully used solo or in a group format…at any time of year. If you prefer to use the books on a different timetable than the SRT plans, that’s entirely up to you. I highly recommend She Reads Truth. Their reading plans, their app, their Bibles, their study books, and their subscription service are all top notch. A passion for the Bible and for getting women to read it every day is truly the calling they’re trying to serve, and it’s plain to see in everything SRT makes.
