Entrepreneur Creates 'If-Then' Science-Inspired Journal to Help Busy Christians Complete Daily Bible Reading
A West African entrepreneur is launching a new Bible journal employing the science of "if-then planning" to help busy Christians in a culture of distractions solidify their Bible-reading habits and quiet times.
Yed Anikpo, a 38-year old Ivory Coast native and father of three who is now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told The Christian Post on Wednesday that as a serial entrepreneur and creative type, he's always looking for ways to be more productive.
"About a year ago I stumbled across Dr. Peter Gollwitzer's work on implementation intentions, or "if-then" planning. Over 100 studies have shown that deciding in advance when and where one will take specific actions to reach one's goal can double or triple their chances of success," he said.
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Around the same time, Anikpo asked his approximately 20,000 Christian email subscribers what was their No.1 frustration when it comes to their engagement with Scripture. An overwhelming majority responded that they did not have enough time to read and meditate on God's Word every day because life is so busy, which comports with a 2017 Barna survey on the subject.
"So I thought: Why not apply this science of "if-then" planning to the most important goal anyone can have, namely, reading and meditating on Scripture."
Together with his audience they decided to create a journal, called the SCRIBE journal, to make it easy for people to internalize the Bible. The journal comes with a two-year Bible reading plan and offers a daily layout of features, which is a modified version of the SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer) Bible study method.
Anikpo launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding effort in February to raise $10,000 to make the journal and soon exceeded his fundraising goal. With a few days left in the campaign he has raised over $26,000 in support for the project.
"Life is busy. Between work, kids, school, and all the distractions around us and on our phones, it can sometimes feel impossible. As a result, our relationships are negatively affected because we are not taking advantage of the means God uses to grow us in Christlikeness," a narrator in the Kickstarter video explains.
"We feel as though we are letting God down. We become disappointed in ourselves, feel anxious and sometimes alone. This further makes us feel disconnected from the One who gave us eternal life."
The daily layout for each day includes scripture, space to write observations, how to apply the scripture, a section to write a resolution and prayer, and a memory verse with gratitude, plan and a daily tracking bar. Writing all these things out help seal them in long-term memory, a Princeton University study has shown, the Kickstarter video explains.
Ankipo told CP that it's just not true that people don't have time to read the Bible "because we all find the time to do the things that matter to us most."
"The real issue is that of motivation, not so much a lack of time. That's why I turned to motivational scientists to see how we could leverage their science for the service of Christ's Church. The world we live in is God's world and so is the science that explains it."
He has used a prototype of his invention for his own devotions.
"In light of the moral decline in the world and in this country today, it is easy for Christians to think that the way to solve this is more social conservatism and activism by Christians." Anikpo added.
"Those things are true and good but the ultimate solution is to be found in Scripture, in Christians growing in grace as a result of their exposure to God's Word. That in turn will make us willing to do whatever it takes to glorify God in all we do despite what the world throws at us," he concluded.
