Tag Archive - YouVersion

100 Days

April 6, 2011 in Church Life with 0 Comments

Today I completed The Essential 100 reading plan which I started on YouVersion at the beginning of the year.

I mention this not at all out of pride or conceit, but to encourage. If I can do it, I know you can to! Trust me, I am not a fast reader or someone who reads dozens of books a year.

As I shared during the interview with Pastor Eric during our “No Comprendo” series, YouVersion makes finding a reading plan that works for you very easy. There are plans that cover the entire Bible and ones that are topical (like anger, marriage, finances) as well as ones that for youth.  YouVersion is web-based and available not only on your computer but on as an app or in mobile web format on all major mobile devices so you can have access to it at any time.

The Bible isn’t just some holy book that “religious people” carry around to show off or beat people over the head with. It is a book of life and hope for all of us. It is how God speaks to us and shares his message with us. There will be parts we don’t understand, but that is okay – we need to start and let the Spirit guide us!

How about you? Have you tried a reading plan yet? Are you ready to try one now? I would love to hear what you have tried or are thinking about trying. You can leave comments here!

Reading Plans

January 9, 2011 in Church Life with 0 Comments

The start of a new year is a great time to start making the Bible a part of your daily life, if it’s not already. Thanks to the YouVersion.com Team at LifeChurch.tv who have made an extensive list (50+) of reading plans available.  With both web-based and mobile apps available you can also do your reading wherever and whenever it is most convenient for you. You will also stay synchronized with your progress across each device.

God’s Word brings power, healing, direction, and freedom.

Most people who have a great relationship with God read the Bible consistently. Spending time in Scripture each day gives you the opportunity to hear from Him in a unique way.

Following a reading plan helps you stay on track with your Bible reading goals. Pick one (or several) and then fine tune it to match your schedule.

Last year I read through Chronological Bible using the Message version. It was my second time through the entire Bible and I did it all online, either on the computer or on my phone. It is actually very doable, just 15-20 minutes a day is all it takes!

If you’d like to try a different Bible reading app besides the one YouVersion offers, they have a great list of those too!  Which app you use isn’t the point. Finding one you like and getting engaged with God’s message is!

If you’d like a good overview plan without committing to the entire Bible, try The Essential 100 Challenge.  I’d love to hear in the comments which plan you try!

There’s an App for That

January 7, 2011 in Church Life with 0 Comments

At Fellowship Church, we are in the middle of a 3-part series called “There’s An App For That“.   Naturally, that theme appeals to me.   Whether you are an Apple fan, or more recently Android and Blackberry, the face of technology has been forever changed by the clever concept of mini-apps (applications) for your your smart phone or other mobile devices.   The marketing is brilliant, whatever your need, there’s an app for that.  It appeals to us, it’s easy to get and it’s at a very low cost or even free.

In this series we are looking at how there is also an app (solution) for many of life’s tougher problems.  Everyone has trails, struggles, and pain at times in there life. Have you ever been ashamed of past mistakes?   Have you ever doubted God’s fairness?  Do you ever wonder how you are going to make it financially? How do you deal with it?  Where do you go?  Ignoring them or pretending they don’t exist is not a good solution.  During this series we will be discovering the different apps that God has given to us to deal with life’s dilemmas.

I’m also excited about a new app that we are rolling out in church during this series – the Bible app by YouVersion.com.  Using the Live Events feature, attendees can follow along with the message outline, take part in survey polls, take notes, and submit prayer requests.  I’m excited to see how we can continue to make the experience interactive and engaging as we continue to redefine church.

“In Case You Missed It” Friday

April 30, 2010 in In The News with 0 Comments

I thought I’d try something new this week, which if I like it enough, I may continue in future weeks as well.  Since it’s the end of the week and information seems to flow faster and faster around the interwebs these days, I thought I’d try to summarize and share a quick list of some things I found interesting this week which you may have missed.

So, here are this weeks links in no particular order.

  • Facebook Chat can now be integrated with your AIM or Tokbox chat clients.  I don’t know about you, but I have always thought the idea of Facebook Chat was a solid one and made sense, but the interface was clunky and tied to the Facebook webpage. Now you can still chat with your FB friends and not have to worry about having to keep you FB website visible to do so.
  • Google Maps Goes 3D – A feature that was previously available in the downloadable Google Earth app is now available on online users as well.  Very cool. (Note: Google Chrome Browser & Google Earth Plugin are required)
  • Do you work on multiple computers? Looking for an easy way to keep track of synchronize your home & office and not mess with USB thumb drives to move files areoun?  Three great solutions include Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Docs.  Check out this overview.
  • The floppy disk is officially dead – RIP – I’m starting to feel even older now.  I can remember when the 3.5 floppy replaced the 5 1/4 disks.
  • How to Get Confidence from God – A great post from Donald Miller this week.   How do you get yours?
  • Noah’s Ark (possibly) Found – If this turns out to be true it is the biggest story of our life time.  Do you think it will matter or cause anyone to suddenly find faith in God?
  • More and more schools are turning to Google Apps for their collaboration solutions.  Why would any non-profit not take advantage of this robust free tool set?
  • If you know me, you know I am an avid user of social media, but here are 6 good reasons why you should avoid it!
  • There has been a lot of news this past week about the announcements and changes Facebook made at the F8 conference.   What you may not have heard is this report on how Facebook CEO doesn’t really believe in privacy anyway.
  • If you have tried YouVersion, you’ll be happy to hear they now have a Reading Plan Calendar to help you read through Bible.  Earlier this year they released a major upgrade to the reading plans and now you can track your progress more visibly.
  • Carlos Whittaker released is first full length CD “Ragamuffin Soul“.  This is a great worship set that I’m sure that we will be singing in churches for years to come.

  • Lala is shutting down – The online streaming music service will be shut down on May 31.  I think this stinks as I’m a big fan of lala but apparently Apple (who bought them a few months ago), has other plans.  There is talk and rumor of an iTunes.com site that will be based on the technology that Apple acquired through their purchase.  I can only hope so.

That’s my highlights for this week.  Let me know what you think!

Nexus One Giveaway – Mobile – YouVersion.com: Online Bible

February 17, 2010 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Giveaway Details

Over the next four weeks we’ll be giving away a few highly coveted YouVersion T-shirts, a bunch of nifty YouVersion stickers, and the big grand prize…an unlocked Nexus One phone engraved with “www.YouVersion.com”.

Drawing Dates:

  • February 24 – T-Shirt giveaway
  • March 3 – T-Shirt giveaway
  • March 10 – T-Shirt giveaway
  • March 17 – Nexus One giveaway
via youversion.com

Wow – yet another reason to check out YouVersion if you haven’t already! Just click on the link above and follow the steps!

How to use the reading plan widget on YouVersion.com

February 8, 2010 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

via support.youversion.com

Here is a great tip from Scott Magdalein on how to use the YouVersion reading plan widget right from the main YouVersion page.

Have you tried a reading plan yet? There are many to choose from and you can start any time!

(email subscribers: click on title link to view video)

YouVersion – Blog – NEW YouVersion Bible App for Java Phones!

February 5, 2010 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

How to Download

The easiest way to download the YouVersion Bible app for Java is to visit http://youversion.com/download from your Java-enabled mobile phone. From there you’ll be taken to the Java application store where you’ll be able to download the right version for your phone.

via blog.youversion.com

Now you don’t need a “smart phone” to have the YouVersion Bible app! You could always access the mobile website with any phone that has a mobile web data plan, but now you can have a native app that is installed right on your phone! Read the full post (click on link above) and try the download.

Got a Plan?

January 2, 2010 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Just in time for this New Year, I’m excited to see that the team from LifeChurch.tv has made some great enhancements to the online Bible – YouVersion.com.  I have enjoyed the many features of YouVersion in the past, such as the online journal, but now they have added over 20 reading plans to make it even easier for us to stay in God’s Word more regularly.  

This past year, for the first time ever, I was able to go through the entire Bible by using a Chronological Bible.  So this year, I’m going to try it again, only this time using the online reading plan found in YouVersion.  You can customize the settings to pick how long you want you plan to be and track your progress.  Read more about the features and plans but most importantly – get started!  Let’s encourage one another in 2010 and share what and how God speaks to us!

Celebrating One Billion Minutes – YouVersion.com: Online Bible

December 10, 2009 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

That’s 19 centuries, 16.7 Million Hours

One by one, drawing closer
to God,reading his word…
Seeking answers, gaining hope,
absorbing wisdom…finding peace.

To our YouVersion users, thank you for making this milestone happen. You’ve read the Bible in airports, the tube, coffee shops, church services, and countless points between.

Your passion for God’s word is inspiring!

via youversion.com

Congratulations to the Digerati Team at LifeChurch.tv! Have you tried it yet? http://YouVersion.com