After twelve years as a Protestant pastor, Jeff returned to the Catholic Church under the guidance of Bishop Paul Dudley. His conversion story, one of the best known and inspiring stories of its kind, is chronicled in the best-selling book, My Life on the Rock.
Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives. The Great Adventure presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun. Its unique Bible Timeline learning system has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics since 1995.
Jeff received his MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.
I finally read the Bible! Actually I listened to it via Bible in a year with Fr. Mike Smitz, and I finally found GOD. NOT Jesus, but THE FATHER! I found him in the stories he wrote. I found him in the hearts of the broken men inside. I found myself too. I found us both in these pages, and it changed my life FOREVER! I bought a copy for myself and have to say reading it alone and meditating on the stories throughout the day continue to open new doors. My heart has grown because God made himself known. -no rhyme intended. My anger, judgment and harshness are melting away with each day I spend with THE WORD OF GOD. I love the Bible.
"You made us for yourself oh Lord, and my heart is restless until it rests in you." -St. Augustine "Late have I loved you." -St. Augustine
Using "The Bible in a Year" podcast, in 208 days (instead of 365) I have OFFICIALLY read the Bible front to back for the first time EVER! This bible is a gem: color coded, expressive and so easy to navigate. What an accomplishment and I'm extremely proud of myself:-)!
Awesome Bible, especially when paired with the Bible in a Year podcast with Father Mike Schmitz. went through it in about 4 months. I'm now going through it again. it's really a life changer. I think every hour I spend with this Bible in some way improves my quality of life. A great beneficial way to spend your time - can't recommend enough.
I was able to read the entire Bible- Including some “catholic books” I’d never grown up with- in 2 years- using the Bible in a Year podcast with Father Mike. I learned a lot. I was reminded of a ton. And I fell back in love with the Lord. A million stars. Completing this is one of my proudest accomplishments.
Just finished Bible In A Year with Father Mike Schmitz using this Bible. Really the only way to read it to understand the timeline of our salvation history. The Bible includes a reading plan, maps, important charts and summaries. Father Mike’s commentary each day was key for understanding, especially in some of the more challenging books.
Bible in a year. Very fun, many good insights from Fr Mike (to give just one example from very early on that has stuck with me: Pharaoh askes Moses to remove one of the plagues (frogs? Maybe), and Moses says, Ok I’ll ask the Lord when do you want that done by? And Pharaoh responds: Tomorrow. Fr Mike then jumped into: “why not right now?” Has to some sort of connection to self inflicted sin, & What sin/plague are we sick of but don’t want to give up until Tomorrow?). It was really surprisingly fun that I could feel the community even though I did it in year 2. Points were a major struggle to catch up (cough cough the Prophets cough cough). But very worth it. Worth doing it again in a future year too. Currently Fr. Mike’s magnum opus, an excellent contribution for the digital/information age in which all Catholics need to be more educated & acquainted with THEIR Bible. But for one critique……he said he’s bad at saying goodbye or figuring out how to end it: major whiff not to just play Auld Lang Syne.
I've read the Bible many times, but this was my first that included the complete 73 books, as validated by the Church. After listening to The Catechism In a Year podcast the year before, I listened to The Bible In a Year podcast the next year. I further wanted to learn more on what the Catholic Church taught regarding the Bible specifically (as Fr. Mike also provided short commentary to each day's readings on the podcast), not to mention, I was excited to listen to the Deuterocanon (what we Protestants mistakenly call the Apocrypha), as I had been curious about it for some time, even having dreams about it. Loved it! Afterwards, I re-read through them, and plan to incorporate them in my future Bible readings - to make it a complete, unedited reading (no offense, Mr. Luther, but your editing really took a lot of richness away).
An incredible year-long spiritual journey with Father Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins. Divides the Bible into 12 color-coded time periods that group salvation history into “chapters.” Identifies 14 narrative books that tell the story of Scripture from beginning to end, and places 59 supplemental books into historical context. Makes it easy to comprehend the complete story presented in the Bible.
I finally read the Bible. This version, along with the podcast, was extremely helpful. I could never get past Genesis and found myself getting stuck over and over again. If you’re curious and don’t know where to start- the gospel according to Luke is incredibly insightful.
It’s always been a goal of mine to read the entire Bible. I found it to be fascinating. Reading the book in its entirety, increased my faith and devotion.