Why Do Thousands of People Keep Coming Back to the Virtual Jesus Challenge?
Every year we offer 6 different start dates for the Jesus virtual challenge, along with extra add-ons and a junior Jesus challenge. And after every single challenge, I hear the same thing: “When’s the next one?” 🤩
Many people sign up for the next Jesus challenge immediately. Others say they’re continuing to walk and read the Bible every day on their own. First-time participants become repeat veterans, sending it to their friends and family. Before long they’re talking about their third or fourth virtual Jesus challenge!
Seeing this trend growing consistently, I was encouraged, but also kind of curious. 🤔
What specifically kept resonating with everyone who signed up?
What experiences kept drawing them back to commit to another 40 days?
So I put on my nerd glasses and did some good old-fashioned research! 🤓
I read through hundreds of participant reviews, not specifically looking for the most emotional stories, but looking for patterns that could answer this question. I wanted to see people’s honest reflections about their experience with the Jesus virtual challenge.
Written by hundreds of total strangers of different ages, backgrounds, and seasons of life, all of these stories were real, simple, human, and relatable. They all described a remarkably similar experience, like they’d each stumbled upon the same hidden, long-lost treasure independently and now tried to describe it in their own words. 💎
Here are the themes that showed up consistently throughout these stories. 👇
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The Virtual Jesus Challenge Creates a Sustainable Daily Rhythm
I honestly expected to find a lot of stories about huge life transformation or big spiritual breakthroughs. And I certainly read some of those (so exciting!), but that wasn’t the most common theme. 😯
Most people talked about their humble, normal day-to-day routine. As they participated in the Jesus challenge, they discovered a powerful daily habit they did not want to let go of, whether physical, spiritual, emotional, or a combination of all three.
I read many more comments like these as participants discovered the value of daily habits:
“The Forty Forty Challenge has been a huge blessing and got me back into God’s Word daily.”
– Sharon
“I have been journaling each day, and the journaling has been rewarding.”
– Dona
“The virtual Jesus challenge was very helpful getting back into a routine of physical exercise, prayer, and reflection.”
– Constance W.
“The perfect motivation to add movement to my day while diving into the Word! And it has created a daily habit!”
– Brittany
“This has been a wonderful way to get closer to God and His Word. I recommend this to everyone.”
– Thelma M.
“The Jesus challenge was a fulfilling and spiritual way to practice my faith during the 40 days of Lent in addition to my traditional Lenten activities. It helped to keep me on track and accountable each day.”
– Mary Y.
“The challenges really help me keep Jesus in my life daily. I went through a spell of not feeling anything, yet, Jesus was still there in the silence. I’m running the race. Not going to give up.”
– Gloria K.
Surprisingly, none of them focused on crossing the finish line, Day 40. They were excited about building a new lifestyle they wanted to continue. ⏩
Their words point to continuity. It’s not hype, not motivational, it’s just functional and down to earth.
We see this continuity play out in the small decisions, little commitments, private moments where deep, lasting change takes root and sweetens the fruit. 🍇
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They Don’t Want the Virtual Jesus Challenge to End
I was genuinely shocked to find this as such a common theme!
I can’t tell you the amount of times I read “I can’t wait for the next one!” 😂
But then I noticed that many participants didn’t even wait for “the next one” at all, they just signed up immediately for the next Jesus challenge and kept right on going! 💨
Kay M. said:
“I finished each day with the Forty Forty challenge. What a lovely way to bookend my day! I even found that I was sleeping better than I have in such a long time. I enjoyed it so much that I went ahead and jumped on board for the Psalms challenge afterwards.”
Mary E.W. and her teen daughter said:
“We will keep on walking and are going through Romans now because of the time we had in Acts!”
Amy V. shared:
“This was my first challenge. I joined the Acts Challenge to bring myself closer to Jesus through the Lenten season. I’ve since signed up for the Psalms Challenge and plan to take part in next year’s challenge as well.”
“I’m so glad that I started on this journey with God. I am almost finished with Acts, and ready to start with Psalms.”
– Stephanie
“I am currently doing the Psalm Challenge and reading the other books on my own. It was also a great way to motivate me to move more.”
– Monique S.
And THEN I noticed repeat veterans showing up for more!
“Awesome experience! I look forward to the next one. I am redoing the Jesus challenge Gospel of John for the second time right now.”
– Hal H.
“This is our second year doing the Forty Forty Challenge. We started last year as a way to get healthy. It truly felt like walking with Jesus. Can't wait for next year!”
– Lucy D.
The more reviews I read, the more it became clear that people were ALREADY looking forward to walking with Jesus TOMORROW! 😍
The Jesus virtual challenge is their launching pad, not the destination. And these people can’t wait to launch themselves off it again and again. 🥹
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They Look Forward to Spending Time With God
As I kept reading reviews, another pattern emerged: people talked about genuinely enjoying their time with God.
Mark D.C wrote:
“I love these challenges. The challenge gives you something to look forward to. For me it was always my quiet time with Jesus.”
Tina S reflected:
“The daily time outside listening to God’s word and to Christian music was beyond description. I felt such a connection to the Lord.”
These weren’t the only ones by far. I saw dozens more like these:
“It made me realize just how important God is to me and my family. I feel closer to God, and I’m excited to keep going with my daily talks and prayers with our Lord.”
– Louisa L.
“It was a wonderful journey of time with the Lord and soul healing.”
– Amy W.
“I really enjoyed growing my faith and learning more from the Bible. As someone that had never even opened one, this really changed my life.”
– Monique S.
“What amazing time spent with Him and getting into His Word. What a way to start your day in His Word. I'm going to be doing more.”
– Sheila A.O.
“I really enjoyed spending time in the book of Acts and getting closer in my walk with the Lord.”
– Vicky B.
“I enjoyed walking every day & listening to nature. It did give me a chance to be closer to God. I am continuing my walk & journaling.”
– Toni K.
I quickly realized these people were not describing another item checked off their to-do list. Somewhere along the way, spending this dedicated time with Jesus turned into one of the best parts of their day, one they genuinely looked forward to. 🥳
No one said they had to perform or force themselves into a certain spiritual or emotional state. They just described enjoying being WITH Him. 😌
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The Virtual Jesus Challenge Fits Into Real Life
The reviews came from people in completely different seasons of life, all finding ways to make the virtual Jesus challenge their own. I was surprised by the diversity of life situations represented. 🤩
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Someone recovering from surgery shared: 🩼
“This challenge helped to jumpstart the next level in recovery for me after finishing physical therapy after my ruptured achilles surgery. Not only has it helped to grow stronger physically but spiritually as well.”
– Kay R.
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Dwayne W. took the challenge on a cruise! 🚢
“I went on a cruise and used the ship's walking track when we were out to sea. Great experience.”
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Lixa thought she wouldn’t have enough time. ⏰
“Walking a mile everyday pushed me to challenge myself to 2 miles now I never thought I had enough time to include it in my day but I definitely do.”
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A runner shared: 🏃
“Absolutely loved doing this challenge, growing my faith in God & growing my strength in running!”
– Sarah H.
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One participant took the challenge on her travels. 🚂
“This journal is perfect for on the go. I do a bit of traveling and it’s nice to tuck it away in the bag with my bible and take it with you.”
– Susie S.
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Another motivated her husband. 👫
“I love getting outside and doing the 1 mile walk. I do 20 minutes, and my husband also gets out and walks for 20 minutes.”
– Sheila A.O.
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Lou M. shared: 🧓
“Being 72, this was just what I needed to improve my spiritual and physical well-being.”
As you can see, there’s no “right way” to do the virtual Jesus challenge. People live their real lives, and Jesus meets them there!
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“Small” Changes Compound
I didn’t find very dramatic language. People kept describing small changes to their daily lives that ended up making a significant difference. 📈
Kay R. shared:
“I even found that I was sleeping better than I have in such a long time.”
Brenda B. said:
“I have put God first, then family, and then job and friends. It makes a difference.”
So many other stories reflected these “small” changes:
“The Jesus challenge helped me with my mental health, physical health and emotional wellbeing. There were days that I felt like giving up but Jesus was with me in every step of the day.”
– Angie G
“I feel 100 times better physically and spiritually.”
– Patricia H.
“Instant conversation starter and helps me talk to people about Jesus!”
– Calen L.
“It helped me jumpstart my reading and understanding of the Bible!”
– Kathy P.
“The Jesus challenge brought a lot of peace into my life. I will definitely do it again.”
– Anabel F.
“I learned so much and walked over 100 miles. I was able to talk about God so many times while I was walking.”
– Shea
Very few people described one massive, life-altering moment. They shared about sleep, movement, conversations about Jesus, feeling more at peace.
These may sound like small things, but when they keep happening day after day, it changes your whole lifestyle! 🔋
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They Invite Other People Into the Virtual Jesus Challenge
This one made me smile. 😊
As participants grew to love the Jesus challenge themselves, many naturally brought other people along. Their experience overflowed onto the people around them, and God uses that for His Kingdom work!
S.R. shared:
“I am doing this with my daughter. It's been great so far!”
Michelle D. reflected:
“It was great to go on walks as a family and share everything on our hearts and get different perspectives on God, Bible stories, and life. We are definitely planning on another one.”
Shea C. said:
“I would like to thank my son Zackary, he was such a big accountability partner.”
Others brought along or made new friends in the Jesus challenge:
“Myself and three friends did this challenge, and we loved it!”
– Kimberly V.
“I’ve already told people about it, and they are excited to join in one of the next ones.”
– Hilary S.
“I love the accountability group and everyone's comments. We have celebrated people's new jobs and prayed for those who have lost a close one. We do not know each other...in person! But we know our fears, our anxieties, as well as our dreams and wishes. It is a daily celebration as God's children.”
– Carol D.
“The accountability group was a great support in sharing with other participants in the challenge.”
– Constance W.
“Loved the support and accountability through the Facebook page! I'll definitely do this again!”
– Kerrin D.
“This is a great way to read the Bible more and share with my friends.”
– Rebecca H.
When people hear “community” within the Jesus challenge, they often think of the Facebook accountability group. (Which is an incredible group, btw!) But the community developed through this challenge is SO much more than the Facebook group. 🫂
When we walk with God, it naturally overflows onto the people around us.
One walk turns into a heart-level conversation.
One participant becomes two.
A family starts walking together every day.
A Facebook group full of strangers who pray for each other.
What a beautiful picture of God’s Kingdom! 💐
So… Why Do Thousands Keep Signing up for the Virtual Jesus Challenge?
Well, you’ve seen the stories, and it doesn’t look like there’s just one answer.
Here’s what we discovered:
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They found sustainable daily habits building them up spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
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They didn’t want to return to life without these habits.
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They began looking forward to spending time with Jesus.
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They could participate in the Jesus challenge in their real, busy lives.
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Small, important habits slowly began changing their everyday lives.
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They found a natural, easy on-ramp to create healthy community.
This kind of lifestyle might sound unattainable and out of reach. But we just saw how truly attainable and real this can be. THOUSANDS of people have experienced it! And so can you. 🫶
If you’ve been thinking about joining the Jesus virtual challenge, we’d love to have you join us and find out what God has in store for your own forty-day journey (and beyond!) I’m excited to see what your review will say. ☺️