Now you can use the Bible App to watch and share Bible video content, generously provided by YouVersion partners. You’ll find clips from the History channel miniseries The Bible, which made a big splash during it’s premiere last night. You will also find  The Lumo Project from Big Book Media and Toy Gun Productions, as well as JESUS, the Jesus Film Media movie about Jesus’ life that’s already been shown more than 6 billion times worldwide!

At YouVersion, we’re constantly looking for new ways to help you engage with God’s Word. We believe Videos will help people connect with the Bible by letting them visually experience stories and concepts from the Bible—even if reading isn’t your favorite thing. Sharing video clips will also present new opportunities for you to invite discussion about your faith. And all video content is linked directly to the passages that inspired it, so you can jump straight to the original source!

To check out the Bible App’s new Videos feature, first make sure you have the most recent version of the Bible App on your iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) or Android device*. Then simply go to the Bible App’s main menu and select “Videos.”(Wi-Fi access recommended for the best experience.) You can even see the new Videos feature on Bible.com!

*The latest version of the Bible App for Android (4.2) is currently only available in the Google Play store. This version will make it’s way to Amazon and other Android markets around the world later this week.

“Videos” will be on the Bible App’s main menu, right alongside the tools you already love, like Reading Plans and Bookmarks. Watch high-quality clips from brand-new miniseries The Bible, the world-renowned JESUS movie, and The Lumo Project. Engage with God’s Word in new ways, as video brings Bible stories and concepts to life for you. And of course, sharing videos will also mean more opportunities to share your faith with others.

Another exciting update coming to the Bible App for iPhone in our next release: Full support for the iPhone 5’s larger display. Ever since the iPhone 5’s introduction, the YouVersion iOS community has been asking when the Bible App would support it. It’s here!

Please let your friends know about these exciting new Bible App features on Facebook and Twitter. And watch for release announcements, so you can be the first to get the new update as soon as it’s available for your device!

(By the way, did you know that you can get this same YouVersion Bible reading experience — along with all your notes and stored information — at Bible.com? Try it!)

Bible Plans in the Reader. While previous versions of YouVersion.com displayed your Plans in a separate Reading Plan view—with limited functionality—now it shows them in the main Bible Reader panel, with complete access to Bible text, highlights, sharing, and anything else you might need.

Enhanced Bible Reader Settings. Speaking of Bible Reader functionality, you have more options than ever for customizing your reading. Just click the gear icon at the top of the Bible Reader panel. You could already choose your font face and size. Now you can also show or hide Footnotes, Highlights, and Cross References. It’s easy!

Search as you type Book/Chapter. To switch books or chapters, click the current book name. Then just start typing whatever you’re looking for, and YouVersion.com immediately narrows your choices for you!

Search as you type Version. Just like book/chapter, when you click your current version, start typing the name, abbreviation, or language of any version you want, and your choices will begin to narrow. If you know the version you want to switch to, now you can get there with little or no scrolling.

Smarter search. Type a reference into Search—say, Ephesians 2—and Search takes you directly there.

Better linking. If you click on a link to a specific passage or type it into Search—let’s say, Romans 8:37-39—YouVersion.com jumps you straight to the first verse in that passage (rather than to the beginning of the chapter)…even selecting it for you!

Faster Parallel Load. Even in the first release of YouVersion.com, clicking the Parallel button at the top of the Bible Reader panel displayed two Bible versions side-by-side. We’ve tweaked this feature to make the primary version you’re studying load even faster.

Publisher Details. YouVersion can only offer hundreds of Bible versions—in dozens of languages—through the generous partnership of Bible publishers. Now it’s easier than ever to find out more about your favorite Bible versions. At the bottom of the Bible Reader panel, click “Learn More” to see links to publishers’ websites, other versions available from this same publisher, and copyright details.

Ask your friends to try out YouVersion and Bible.com. Always 100% free, it’s now better than ever. It’s our pleasure to keep improving your Bible reading experiences with YouVersion, no matter how you choose to connect!

The Christmas Story Tracker is a fun live map we created to watch the world read about the birth of Jesus. When someone uses the Bible App to read a verse about the Christmas story, the map lights a star on their country. A counter at the top right shows the total number of readings from the YouVersion community since December 1.

Whether you’re reading a Christmas Bible Plan or just a verse about Jesus’ birth, you’ll light up a star on the map and add to the running tally. And it’s easy to get your friends in on the fun: look for the Facebook and Twitter icons.

What are you waiting for…go check out christmas.youversion.com!

The Overflow has graciously partnered with YouVersion to provide Video Plans from six popular Christian recording artists. Spend time with Scripture as you enjoy insight from gifted teachers, speakers, and now—musicians!

Each plan brings you video with accompanying devotional text and Bible reading. No matter what your learning style, video devotionals are a great way for you to study God’s Word. Enjoy brand-new content from artists like:

Lecrae – Accompanying the release of his latest album, Gravity, Lecrae has put together a reading plan that takes you into his world, sharing the gospel of salvation and grace. (Also features KB and Derek Minor.) 8 days

Newsboys – Highlighting tracks from their 2011 release, God’s Not Dead, this exclusive plan dives into God’s Word, exploring content from some of the Newsboys’ favorite worship songs, including “Mighty to Save,” “I Am Second,” and the title track. 7 days

Tenth Avenue North – Digging into their album, The Struggle, singer Mike Donehey explains devotional truth behind the title track. Deeper in, you’ll find daily readings for “Don’t Stop the Madness,” “Losing,” and five more Tenth Avenue North songs from the album. 7 days

for KING & COUNTRY - Named one of Billboard Magazine’s “Artists to Watch” in 2012, for KING & COUNTRY put together a devotional that breaks down seven songs from their debut album Crave, including “Proof of Your Love.” 7 days

Dara Maclean - With seven songs from her debut album, You Got My Attention, Dara Maclean offers you an in-depth look at her passion for Jesus, revealing the heart behind tracks like “Suitcases,” “Yours Forever,” and “Free.” 7 days

Hawk Nelson - Showcasing songs from their album Crazy Love, this devotional delves into the verses behind Hawk Nelson’s “We Can Change The World,” “Done Holding On,” and the title track. 7 days

While the video portion of these plans is available now exclusively on iPhone, Android, and at YouVersion.com (and coming soon to iPad!), you can access the text portion on any mobile device where you use your plans. Try one now! They’re easy to find in the New Plans category. And whether you’re watching a video devotional, listening to an audio Bible, or checking out one of our Featured Plans, we hope all of these Plans help you continue engaging with the Bible!

Now everybody can find the same simple, ad-free experience already loved by millions—at the Internet’s best domain for the Bible! We’re happy to welcome everyone who’s already part of the Bible.com community, as well as the many people searching for God’s Word online.

Bible.com now provides the same rich Bible experience as YouVersion.com and the Bible App:

• Read the Bible: Instantly select from nearly 300 versions (including audio!), compare versions side by side, and choose the font and display size.
• Study the Bible: Easily add notes, bookmarks, and highlights to personalize and learn from your interaction with Scripture.
• Subscribe to Reading Plans: Cover the whole Bible, focus on a specific topic you’re interested in, or read a rich devotional from a gifted teacher. Choose your favorite plan, and each day, a fresh Bible selection will be ready and waiting for you.
• Sync with the Bible App: All of your bookmarks, notes, plans, and progress now sync between the Bible App, YouVersion.com, and Bible.com.
• Enjoy the Bible in many languages: Not only can you select a Bible in any of 140 languages, you can even choose to display the site’s menus and buttons in your choice of 30 languages.

Together, Bible.com and YouVersion now offer a simple, unified Bible experience that keeps Scripture always within easy reach. Whether you searching for “Bible” in an app store or, now, online, you’re always just one short click away from engaging with God’s Word.

Best of all, welcoming Bible.com into our worldwide YouVersion community introduces even more opportunities for you to help people find their way around and enjoy a meaningful Bible experience. Won’t you join us?

If you haven’t yet tried out the shiny new YouVersion.com, we’d encourage you to go have a look. Besides tools that Bible App users will recognize right away—and its simpler new interface—YouVersion.com has introduced some new features designed specifically to offer you the best Bible-reading experience possible. Here are just a few of the new enhancements we think you’re going to love:

Full Screen Mode. With just one click, you can expand YouVersion.com to cover your entire screen, making the most of your screen real estate. Especially when you’re reading, full screen mode is one of the most comfortable ways you can experience the Bible on an electronic device.

Customizable Fonts. For some time now, the Bible App has offered the ability to select from different typefaces to find the one that’s easiest for you to read. The relaunch of YouVersion.com now brings this same convenience to your desktop. You can also adjust font size up or down, whether it’s to make the words so large they’re crystal clear, or to fit as many words as possible on your screen.

Parallel Reading. Switching to Parallel Reading Mode displays two different Bible versions side by side, letting you easily compare them to each other as you read. Great for deeper Bible study, parallel reading can help you more thoroughly understand what you’re reading.

Please visit YouVersion.com today and explore. And to get the most from your experience, we recommend that you register for your free YouVersion account. We’d love to hear your thoughts about YouVersion.com’s redesign. Please come share your Bible-reading experiences with us on Facebook and Twitter. And be sure to let your friends know about this great new resource!

You’ll find YouVersion.com has a much cleaner interface, even as it offers many of the features you’ve grown accustomed to in the Bible App:

Bookmarks. Bookmarks are a great way to track and organize passages you want to return to again and again, whether for sharing, memorizing, or reminding yourself of God’s promises. Of course, YouVersion.com already offered Bookmarks, but now they’re much more similar to those in the Bible App.

Highlights. While Bookmarks excel at giving you a place to store your thoughts and helping you keep organized, Highlights are great at drawing your attention back to passages visually. Just as in the Bible App, Highlights let you choose from a variety of colors that suit your purposes (or your mood).

Audio Bibles. Now all of the same audio Bibles you’ve already been enjoying through the Bible App (depending on your device) can take advantage of the fast network connection streaming to your desktop. Make God’s Word the soundtrack to your life while you work. Or even use it to help you absorb more as you read along. Just find the version you want and click play.

And these are just the beginning. We’ll share more tomorrow about some of the other features we think you’ll enjoy at the all-new YouVersion.com. But don’t wait for us! Go to YouVersion.com and check it out for yourself. We want to hear from you. We’ll be bringing you even more new updates and exciting features in the coming weeks, and we’d love for you to let us know what you think on Facebook and Twitter.