What is Paul's Handkerchief?

Paul's Handkerchief is Bible study with a difference — going word-by-word through Scripture to reclaim the Ancient Near East context, romance, and mystery that modern translations often leave behind.

What is the cover-to-cover Bible Challenge?

Few people who start reading the Bible ever finish it. The cover-to-cover challenge is for those ready to break that cycle — reading the entire Bible at their own pace, backed by community and tools built to make finishing not just possible, but inevitable. You will also get a certificate to celebrate your achievement.

Bible Cafe isn't just Bible study — it's a personal, intimate conversation with Him. Think less classroom, more kitchen table. It combines the original Coffee with Jesus experience with activities like quizzes, crosswords, journaling and more, all designed to let the Word shape your heart, not just your head.

What is the F.O.G. Bible Project?

Most English Bibles can't carry the full weight of what's in the original Hebrew and Greek. The F.O.G. Bible Project exists to change that — three new translations built publicly (a Study Bible, a Reader's Bible, and F.O.G Jr. for younger readers), plus a word-by-word renewal of Strong's Concordance restoring the depths most translations leave behind. It is Jean Paul's lifelong work, unfolding in public — and you're invited in.

Jean Paul Joseph is the lead editor of the F.O.G. Bible Project. He works from a personal encounter with Jesus first, then draws on the scholarship of respected Jewish and Christian scholars — because the church was Jewish before it was anything else, and those roots change everything about how you read Scripture.

How do I get started?

Create your account, pick a Bible translation and a reading style that fits you, and you're in. From there, the app tracks your progress and helps keep you showing up — day after day, chapter after chapter.

What's the difference between the Café stamp and the Bible stamp?

Every day has two primary stamps to earn. The Bible stamp is awarded when you read at least one chapter of Scripture. The Café stamp is awarded when you complete any one Café activity — Coffee with Jesus, a Word Study, a Memory Verse, a Quiz, or a Crossword.

What is the Bible Immersion Bonus?

Complete all six activities in a single day — your Bible chapter plus all five Café experiences — and you earn the Immersion Bonus: 555 XP, the highest single-day reward on the platform. It's designed for days when you want to go deep, not just check in.

How does the 6-Track reading system work?

The 6-Track system reads up to six chapters a day across different sections of Scripture simultaneously — an adaptation of Professor Grant Horner's method, designed to keep you in multiple parts of the Bible at once for deeper immersion. It's meant for reading six chapters a day ideally to complete one full cycle every eight months. If you choose this option, aim for at least two or three chapters a day.

How do XP and ranks work?

Every activity earns you XP, which advances you through seven Hebrew ranks: Talmid, Mechoker, Maskil, Sofer, Moreh, Chacham, and Zaken — each one a real biblical title for someone who goes deeper into the Word. Beyond Zaken, five gem tiers await: Pearl, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Diamond.

How do I earn my Certificate of Completion?

Your Certificate is earned by finishing the Cover-to-Cover Bible Challenge — reading every chapter of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. When you reach the last page, your certificate is generated automatically. Members receive it digitally; patrons will have it mailed to their door.

What is the leaderboard and can I turn it off?

The leaderboard lets you compare XP progress with friends and fellow members — a little friendly accountability for those who want it. If you'd rather keep your journey personal, you can turn it off entirely in your profile settings. Either way, your ranks and XP are yours regardless.

Coffee with Jesus

From the desk of: Jean Paul Joseph

If you have read my story you know that coffee with Jesus is incredibly dear to me. It's not just a nice thought or sentiment— it actually happened—and my life was never the same again.

And as Peter once said, "He is no respecter of persons"—so I want you to have your own Coffee with Jesus experience too. That's why this experience was created here on Paul's Handkerchief.

It has been life-changing for me, and I pray, in the mighty name of Jesus, that it's life changing for you too.

But I'm writing today to make more heart behind it clearer, because it's not my intention to create another religious ritual—some rote system for prescribing the practice of the Presence. I don't believe in many of the "do this, then that, and this is guaranteed to happen" kind of approaches when it comes to connecting with the deeply personal Holy One.

This matters to me because one thing I know about Him is that He relates personally to His children—but sometimes a starting point helps us practice the presence, as brother Lawrence spoke of. The idea here is for you to make your own space with Him, in His mercies that are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

So I want to walk you through what's available here, and the heart and logic behind it, so you can make Coffee with Jesus truly your own.

The Sanctuary Environment

The first thing I'd do is choose your background video. There are a number of presets already, but I encourage you to choose Custom, where you can add a link from YouTube or any other video or image. This becomes your own sanctuary background for all cafe experiences like Coffee with Jesus or Memorize Scripture.

The other place you'll see media I've set up is in step 3, Worship—pure scripture set to song, imagining Jesus revealing the Lord's Prayer to His disciples as a melody. I wrote this version of the words myself, and I love the line:

'From whisper to proclamation—Father let your Kingdom come!'

I imagine Jesus shouting it with all His passion. But you might prefer to simply say the Lord's Prayer, or have another song version you love—make it yours.

In fact, just today, as I was writing this, I listened to my version alongside Jenn Johnson's power ballad and was so moved imagining Jesus and His Kingdom come, that it's part of why I'm writing this now: I want Coffee with Jesus to become as special to you as it is to me.

So let's continue with the guide.

Step by Step

Each step at its core—is an invitation for conversation and communion with God.

Step 1: Prepare your Heart

The first step may seem simple, but it's so important. Make this a moment with Him. Grab that cuppa and find the best spot in your house. Put your headphones on if your background video has sound, and treat it like you're actually about to meet with Him. Build your expectation, clear away distraction, and slow your breathing—"Prepare your Heart," as the step says. After doing this countless times now, I can guarantee that if you prioritize Him, He will meet you here in some shape or form.

Step 2: Thanksgiving

No step in Coffee with Jesus is superfluous, and thanksgiving, as David said, is how we enter His courts. So we begin here—thinking of just one thing, however small, that we can thank Him for. That simple start can open up an avalanche of gratitude, as you think back over His past graces and forward to His future ones.

Step 3: Worship

Now that we've entered His courts with thanksgiving, we move up a level: worship, as Jesus taught us, where the very first line of His prayer is 'Our Father—hallowed be Your Name!'

That's a mic drop moment. We get to ponder that this incredible God—who speaks, and galaxies and seraphim spring into being—is our Father, my Father, and I get to spend time with Him now because of what Jesus did and is doing for me.

Its breathtaking, its beautiful, and that's just the first line of the prayer! Feel free to sing ir, recite ir or listen to a version of your choosing—Spotify works great—while you're on this step. Again, my heart here isn't to dictate what you should be doing or listening to, but for you to make this time your own. Enjoy!

You'll also see the line "Now give thanks for His body and blood as you come before the throne." This is an invitation to communion too, and I often take it during this step—pausing right there in His presence to remember what that body and that blood actually cost, and to receive it again with thanks.

Step 4: Breathe

We began slowing our breathing in Step 1, and now we focus on it fully. The Hebrew word for Spirit is Ruach , which also means wind or breath. For me, this step is where I consciously welcome Him—imagining myself breathing Him in as Jesus breathes Him out to us (see John 20:22), filling every fibre of my being, while I exhale out anything not of Him.

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I'm basically saying to Him, "I want! I need! So much more of You, my Lord—and I want absolutely nothing that isn't of You, as I breathe it out." That's me, but I'm sure He will give you something personal here too, so this becomes more than just a breathing technique you do daily.

Step 5: Invite Holy Spirit

If we hadn't already, this is where we make a point of welcoming our wonderful Friend and Counsellor—the Revealer of heavenly truths and secrets known only to the Father—Holy Spirit (see John 16:13-15 and 1 Corinthians 2:10-11)

This is arguably one of the most important steps in the whole process: beginning to see Holy Spirit not as some ethereal force, but as the very essence of our Father, burning within our own spirit too. I love Him! And I hope this simple step begins the process of you falling more and more in love with Him as well. And relying on Him more, for example in the next step.

Step 6: Choose Your Manna

This is where you choose, or are surprised by, the verse you'll focus on for this experience. You can search for a particular verse, or click Surprise and it will show you one of your own bookmarked verses (70% chance) or a featured verse at random, so it's truly a heavenly surprise. If you like one of the surprise verses you haven't seen before you can click the bookmark emoji to add it your bookmarks—then you'll be more likely to see it again.

A note on bookmarks: in the Bible Reader, click a verse number and a tab will show. Click the bookmark icon to see your bookmarking options. You can customize these with text characters or emojis to suit you, and they'll always appear in the Bible Reader and in experiences like Coffee with Jesus.

Taking a moment to add bookmarks will enrich your Coffee with Jesus and Bible study experience, so I encourage you to do so as you read through the cover-to-cover Bible Challenge.

Step 7: Your Verse

You're now presented with the primary version of your verse, to focus on. The key is to read it slowly, focusing on each word, mindful that Holy Spirit is hovering to reveal something new, something you may have never noticed before. Often He'll make one word literally jump off the page, and that's where a wonderful conversation begins. Try to treat it like the first time you're seeing the verse—which can be hard with some of the more iconic ones, which is why we have step 8.

Step 8: Another version of Your verse

You'll see the verse again, this time in your secondary version (see Tips below). And if your physical Bible is a different version again, that's a third one for you to draw on. I can't tell you how many times Holy Spirit has spoken to me simply through reading a verse in another version—which is why this step is here.

Step 9: Memorize

Now comes a powerful but fun challenge: memorizing the verse in your primary Bible version. This step uses a proven process for embedding Scripture more deeply into your long-term memory. I encourage you to give it a go, but you can skip it any time by swiping on mobile or clicking the next arrow.

Step 10: Be Still

My dad's favorite scripture was Psalm 46:10:

Be still and know that I AM God.

This step is a homage to that—and a chance to reconnect with Him in stillness, after all the cerebral activity of memorizing a verse.

You'll enjoy 30 seconds of stillness, and like a muscle you train, you'll get better and better at simply being still and resting in Him. It's so important, and it's one of the spiritual disciplines popularized by Richard Foster's 1978 classic, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth.

Step 11: Journal

There's power in putting something into your own words. This step lets you journal, either privately or publicly (public is the default—see Tips below), and your entry will be there to reflect on every time you click that verse again in the Bible Reader.

It's all part of building a wonderful personal history with the Word, one you can enjoy for a lifetime. It's completely optional, so if you don't feel like journaling today, just click "Skip & Finish" to move to the final screen.

Step 12: Completion

Once you click "Post to Journal" or "Skip & Finish," you'll see the finish screen, congratulating you on taking time to have a Coffee with Jesus. From there, click the close button—and, if you're taking part in the leaderboard with friends, refresh the page first and watch your XP go up.

XP Points

Coffee with Jesus is one of the best ways to earn XP (Experience Points) outside of the cover-to-cover Bible Challenge.

Here's the points breakdown

Completing a coffee with Jesus: 150 XP
Memorizing a verse: 25 XP
Journalling: 150 XP (journalling usually is 25 XP, but here it's bumped up)

Possible total: 325 XP on offer. Think Lamentations 3:25

Yahweh is good to those who wait for Him;
to the one who earnestly seeks Him.

If you're not participating in leaderboards (on by default here) XP still matters—it's how you climb in rank, which you can see by clicking the 'Club Stats' card in your Cafe Club dashboard.

Other useful tips & suggestions

A reminder to choose a custom background or video that makes Coffee with Jesus your own.
I've found that using a physical Bible alongside your chosen digital version is powerful.
You can change your primary and secondary Bible versions at any time, outside the Coffee with Jesus experience, by clicking the circular pen icon at the bottom right of pages, then the gear icon for Settings. Scroll down (on mobile) and you'll see "Translations" to choose from.
When journaling, click the lock icon (instead of the globe icon) if you want to make your entry private.
If the surprise verse isn't the one, just click back to "Choose Your Manna" and pick another. You can also search for a specific verse, filtering by Old or New Testament, if you're looking for one with a particular word or phrase in mind.
If a familiar verse feels too familiar to really hear, try reading it in a translation further from your usual one—The Message or Amplified can jolt something loose.
The first few times, 30 seconds of stillness can feel surprisingly long. That's normal—stay with it, it gets easier the more you practice.
Coffee with Jesus is designed for at least once a day—you'll earn a badge for showing up daily, and our highest-XP badge (555 points) is for completing all six experiences in a day: Coffee with Jesus, reading a chapter, memorizing a verse, the crossword, the quiz, and a word study.

The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the Word of our God will stand forever

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