Tara-Leigh Cobble’s zeal for Biblical literacy is at the heart of everything she creates. Her goal is to help people read, understand, and love Scripture. Her daily podcast, “The Bible Recap”, guides listeners through a chronological one-year Bible reading plan. The podcast has more than 330 million downloads and reached #1 on the Apple Podcasts charts in all categories. She created and leads D-Group International, which has grown into an international network of 300+ weekly Bible studies that meet in homes, churches, and online. She also writes and hosts a daily radio show called “The God Shot” and leads trips to Israel to study the Bible on-site. Her book “The Bible Recap” and Bible study “He’s Where the Joy Is” are outlets for understanding Scripture as a whole and the Trinity in particular.

What led you to create “The Bible Recap”? Where did the idea come from?

Most Christians have tried to read the whole Bible, and many have failed repeatedly. I was one of those people. I just couldn’t understand what I was reading, which made me not even want to try anymore. And that made me feel like I was either a stupid Christian or a bad Christian.

But when a pastor friend offered to answer my questions along the way, I finally began to grasp the overarching storyline of Scripture. God revealed His character and His personality to me through what I was reading, and I fell in love with Him and His Word! I couldn’t get enough!

After ten trips through Scripture, I walked one friend through her first trip, answering her questions along the way. And when she succeeded, that’s when the idea came to scale this to help as many people as possible!

“The Bible Recap” is one of the most popular podcasts today, with 380 million downloads, 124,000 YouTube subscribers, and episodes consistently topping charts of most listened-to shows. How do you explain its popularity? What need is it meeting for your listeners?

Many Christians who’ve failed to read Scripture don’t have a desire problem; they have a comprehension problem. They need someone beside them who knows the whole story—answering their questions and cheering them on. I think it also helps that the episodes are short—about eight minutes long each—and that I’m not a scholar. I speak in layman’s terms. I break things down in ways that are easy for anyone to understand.

For instance, when we’re reading about the design of the Temple and the dimensions are all in cubits, I say something like, “Wow, cubits? I don’t even know the metric system, much less the cubit system. But if it helps, I did the math, and the Temple is approximately half the size of a Chick-fil-A.”

Why is your show’s ministry important to you?

We live in the most Scripture-saturated society in the history of the universe, yet we are also the most Scripture-starved. Many Christians—myself included—have been content to settle for a second-hand relationship with God. We’ve given up on knowing Him first-hand—from reading His Word and listening to what He has to say about Himself. We want other people to tell us who He is.

But no one gets intimacy through a second-hand relationship. There’s so much depth and texture and joy available for each of us when we lean in and get to know God personally. When we outsource our relationship with God, we miss out on the richest benefits He has to offer us!

What has been your favorite part of doing “The Bible Recap”?

The stories of listeners and viewers and readers—from all ages and backgrounds, various ethnicities and affiliations—telling me how they’ve finally found sheer delight in God in ways they never knew possible. Whether they were far from God, or they sat in the second pew every Sunday for fifty years, they’re finally coming to love Him with their whole hearts—simply from reading and understanding His Word.

Doing a daily Bible reading plan can be such a challenge for so many Christians. What advice do you have for getting started and sticking with it?

We are built to love stories, and the Bible has a storyline. So I encourage everyone to read the Bible chronologically, which is not the order it’s laid out (it’s laid out like a library—in sections—not like a timeline). Choose a section—either the whole Bible or the New Testament—and use a chronological plan to walk you through it. Don’t do it alone (I’d love to be your guide through this process). And when you do it imperfectly—when you miss a day or five—don’t give up. Every day that you’re in God’s Word, you’re right on time!

What is your favorite way of engaging with Scripture in your daily life?

I’m an auditory learner, so I love to “read with my ears” and hear the Word, but I do notice different things when I read with my eyes, so I try to do both. I start my day by listening to the Bible in an app, and then I’ll often sit down and read it with my eyes. Sometimes, I’ll do those two things simultaneously. By the way, listening isn’t “cheating”. For most people across history, that is how they engaged with Scripture—by hearing it read aloud.

What verses have been most influential in your life and why?

“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30 KJV). This is my life verse. You can forget my name—I don’t care. But if you remember what you learned about God in His Word, that’s what matters to me. I also love Psalm 145:17, which says, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all His works” (ESV). He isn’t just doing what’s right; He’s doing what’s kind. What a gift that our God is like that!

What’s next for you and “The Bible Recap”?

Two big things come to mind. First, we’re about to launch the second product in our children’s line, The Bible Recap for Kids—and we’ve got a lot more in the pipeline for kids! My hope is that children everywhere will grow up with TBR, learning to read, understand, and love God’s Word for themselves at a young age!

Second, we’re four studies into our forty-study deep dive on every book of the Bible. We started with the Gospels, and we’re currently moving through the New Testament. This will take my team a decade to complete, but we’re really excited about the opportunity to pivot beyond helping people merely read the Bible into helping them study the Bible!  

This article was originally titled “Podcasting the Word: The Bible Series Captivating Millions” in the January 2025 issue of The War Cry.