Seasons and Cycles in your Bible Study

Listening to a podcast by Justin Maxwell for CHI Conversations* raised an interesting question. He was talking about how we all have cycles and mood changes in our lives that affect our interaction with software: the lunch time at the gym, the afternoon doldrums. Based on his previous work with Mint, there were big differences in people’s interactions around paydays, when there’s both a large inflow of money and a lot of bills to be paid. College students tend to break up more frequently before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Which leads to the question: what are your cycles and moods with respect to Bible study (whether via software or print)? For most of my life i’ve considered morning the optimum time for personal Bible reading: my mind is fresh, and i can take those thoughts with me into the day. Sunday morning (and maybe Wednesday Night Bible Study for the churches that still have them) are obvious times of higher activity. What about Saturday morning compared to weekday mornings: more or less usage? More Bible reading during Lent?

In the digital age, Bible search engines and programs that talk to the cloud have the potential to identify some of these variations. For example, someone associated with one of the large Bible search sites told me they saw a spike in usage in the late hours of Saturday night (pastors preparing their sermons?). We’ve seen some similar upticks in various websites operated by Logos, though i haven’t been able to do a careful analysis.

So i’d be interested to learn more about the cycles, moods, and seasonal fluctuations of Bible reading and study. I’m interested in your own personal reflections, but even more in any studies or data you might be aware of.

*“CHI Conversations covers Computer/Human Interaction, including design, human factors, cognitive psychology, social science, and more.”