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Okay, so this blog will be a little different than my usual... but I thought I'd get a little "geek" on you :). In this technology-flooded world we live in, every day seems to introduce some new way to accomplish a task that you previously would have handled in a different, less efficient manner. The new solutions generally enable you to get the job done faster, more conveniently, easier, etc. Example... we used to have big books of CDs that we'd put in the car, then dig through them (while driving) to switch CDs in our Discman, which of course had the tape cassette adapter hooked up to run it through the car speakers. Now, we use iPods and put all of our CDs on one small object giving easy access to your favorite music whenever and wherever you want!
Now, we are starting to also see changes with book reading. With the Kindle and the iPad, people are moving towards digital books with many built in features that you'd never get from the paper version... search features, built in dictionary, etc. Not only do you have this for regular books, but also for the most important book... the Bible.
There have been digital versions of the Bible available for many years on products such as a Pocket PC, but there are definite improvements since even then. I wanted to bring an awareness to any of you reading that don't already know... there are full Bibles available FOR FREE for your smartphone, iPad, etc. What's great about this is that you get multiple translations of the Bible all together, with searching capabilities, reading plans, and lots of other great features. There is an outfit called YouVersion that provides what I believe is the best solution and features. Here are some of the features you'd have access to:
- 41 translations (including 22 different languages). This includes NLT, NIV, The Message, etc.
- Choose from over 20 different reading plans where you can help keep track of your reading, have a plan and follow it.
- Search the whole Bible to find that verse you are looking for... to find verses on specific topics or including specific words.
- Easily navigate from book to book, chapters, etc
- Email a selected passage to a friend... post it on Twitter or Facebook.
- Apps available for: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Palm
You can also setup a YouVersion account (free) through your app or online at YouVersion.com. Post your "contributions", which would be your thoughts or comments on whatever you read that day. Share with others... follow what other people are reading and saying, etc. There are groups that you can join, such as churches. There is a new group setup for Church52 at http://www.youversion.com/groups/church52. We will be utilizing this as a point of connection and are considering running live "events", where you can get Bible verses and such fed straight to your phone to help you follow along with the message being preached in a service.
Anyway, the main reason I wanted to bring attention to all of this is simple... it is a help to me with my personal Bible reading and devotion time. Maybe it will be for you as well. EVERYONE (I believe) struggles with staying consistent with their Bible reading and prayer times. This is too important to just ignore. The solution is to find what works for you and then stick with it. For me, it means go digital. Maybe not for you, but as we all grow more and more accustomed to a digital world, it makes sense to do some Bible reading in the same manner. Wherever I am, I have full access to all mainstream Bible translations... can check the status of my current reading plan that I'm using... etc. For someone like me that is always connected to some piece of technology, this really works and I've been more consistent in my reading since locking into these digital Bible solutions.
You may be reading this and thinking you could never read the Bible without the physical, leather-bound version in your hand. But in reality... where is your leather-bound Bible? How dusty is it? Maybe having the Bible on your cell phone, which is probably always near by, would help you to improve the consistency of your Bible reading. If this is something you struggle with, give this a try. Of course, you can do digital and leather both if you want :). Just make sure you get into the Word one way or another!
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perry meade
