At West Ridge, our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. We believe a fully devoted follower of Christ is on a journey; learning to love God with their heart, soul, mind, and strength; seeking to grow in their faith in Christ, discovering and using the ministry gift God has given them to serve others, and seeking to share the eternal, life-giving hope of Christ with those in their lives. As a disciple of Jesus, there are some basic spiritual disciplines that we can regularly practice in this journey. One of those crucial practices is learning to know and trust God’s Word. Our hope and desire is that this journal will help you to develop the habit of engaging in the scriptures using the H.E.A.R. study method. We believe this method is a valuable tool, whether you are opening the Bible for the first time or have studied it for years.

The acronym H.E.A.R. stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply and Respond. Each of these four steps will guide your Bible study in a way that creates an atmosphere to hear God speak. As you set aside time daily to study God’s Word, you will be reading to H.E.A.R. from God.

What Journal Should I Use?
 We suggest that you use your own personal journal or use our digital H.E.A.R. Journal.

How Do I Know What Passages To Read?
Daily suggested reading plans are available on the West Ridge App (under the Bible Tab) or find free topical reading plans at Bible.com.

After reading your daily scripture passage you will:

   (H) – HIGHLIGHT: Underline, highlight or copy the main verse or two that stood out to you from daily Bible reading.

   (E) – EXPLAIN: Write two or three sentences in your own words describing what the text means.

   (A) – APPLY: How is the Lord leading you to live out the text in your daily life?

   (R) – RESPOND: Write out a next step or prayer in response to what you’ve heard through God’s Word.

Example HEAR Journal Entry