February 2012 - YouVersion

2012-02-292012-02-28

UK Program “The BigBible Project” Creating Conversation, Building Community

With Lent now officially upon us, there seems no better time to take up a Bible reading challenge. One way to do that is to get involved with a great initiative like #BigRead12, a Lent Bible reading program from Durham University’s Big Bible Project.

The Big Read 2012 encourages Christians to meet together in house groups to engage with the Bible, knowing that there are others reading the same text at the same time, all over the world. (In 2011, the program had visitors from all sides of the globe.)

The house group material, freely downloadable from the website, offers conversation starters to examine how the realities of the Bible can transform lives. This year, The Big Read focuses on the third book of Tom Wright’s series Lent for Everyone, looking at Mark.

The Big Read team is encouraging people to share the conversations that arise: Tweet about their ideas (using the hashtag #BigRead12), join the Big Read 2012 group on Facebook, and comment on the blog entries that will be appearing throughout.

The Big Read’s coordinator, Dr. Bex Lewis, told us how she first got going with her own daily reading habits:

“I started to build up proper daily reading habits whilst working for Oak Hall (a UK Christian Holiday camp), as I had a number of speakers whose actions were clearly soaked in Biblical thinking…. It took me 3.5 years, but I read the Bible from cover to cover. I don’t want to equate it with ‘positive thinking’, but it helps me see where God is in everything that goes on in my life.

“I love the fact that I can read the Bible wherever I am these days, mixing between the Bible App from YouVersion, WordLive, and other tools for daily Bible readings, and using the Bible App as my Bible in church (whilst tweeting bits of the sermon!). I read far more of it than I ever used to!”

For more details, or to get involved with the #BigRead12, check out the Big Bible Project website.

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2012-02-272012-02-27

YouVersion Announces 21-Day Challenge Winners of iPad 2, Kindle Fire

YouVersion’s 21-Day Challenge

At the beginning of February, we invited everyone to join us for the 21-Day Challenge. Registered YouVersion community users who completed every scheduled day of an eligible Reading Plan from February 1 through February 21 had their names entered into a random drawing. The prizes were an iPad 2, a Kindle Fire, or a special pack of YouVersion stickers and T-Shirt. (Refer to original blog post for full contest rules.) The results are in, and we’re excited to announce the winners!*

iPad 2. Jovanna L. – Congratulations, Jovanna!
(Don’t forget to put the Bible App on your new iPad, first thing!)

Kindle Fire. Nikita G. – Enjoy your Kindle Fire, Nikita!
(Remember: You can get the Bible App on your Kindle Fire, too!)

YouVersion T-Shirt and Sticker Pack. Congratulations to these 21 users:
	Tracy V. (United States)	Randolph P. (Bahamas)
	Debi O. (Germany)	Andrew B. (United States)
	Lorraine C. (Canada)	Len S. (The Philippines)
	Steven D. (United States)	Roxie H. (United States)
	Bryan M. (Great Britain)	Pamela B. (United States)
	Warren R. (United States)	Laura E. (United States)
	James B. (United States)	Sarah B. (United States)
	Jake L. (United States)	Hannes B. (Great Britain)
	Virginia M. (United States)	Teresa R. (United States)
	Veri N. (The Netherlands)	Hazel S. (United States)
	Stephen W. (United States)

YouVersion’s 21-Day Challenge Badge

Thank you, everyone! Besides our lucky winners, we’d like to thank everyone else who participated in the 21-Day Challenge! You can view your 21-Day Challenge badge on your YouVersion profile.

We hope that joining us for the challenge during these last 3 weeks helped you firmly establish your own daily Bible reading habit. But even more important, we hope this time brought you closer to God as you spent time with Him each day in His Word. And now, even though the challenge is over, there’s no reason to stop! With more than 200 Reading Plans, your next plan is already waiting for you…

^*Winners can expect to receive prizes within the next 7–10 business days. Any correspondence with YouVersion must take place through the email address you used when you registered your free YouVersion account.

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2012-02-20

Worldwide YouVersion Community, Now More than 40 Million Strong, Making the Most of Lent

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
—Romans 8:5

During Lent, traditionally observed for the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, followers of Christ all around the world sacrifice things important to them, intentionally drawing themselves away from desires driven by their five senses. Lent helps us become more focused on the spiritual part of ourselves, preparing our hearts to genuinely experience the passion of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross. Lent draws us closer to God through purposeful prayer, self-denial, repentance, giving, and time in the Bible:

Prayer. We thank God for reaching out to transform us, and we ask for direction and insight. Consider asking God to help you see people the way He sees them.
Self-denial. Fasting means food, but we may also give up certain activities we enjoy. What things do you think about most? Food? Coffee? Sweets? Social media? Television and entertainment? Commit to go without at least one between now and Easter.
Repentance. When our thoughts drift to ourselves, that’s our cue to connect with God, asking Him to show us our weaknesses and sins. We ask Him to forgive us and change our hearts.
Giving. We freely offer whatever we have to those in need. It could be money contributed to worthy charities, our time, our talents. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter. Visit the elderly. Write letters of prayer and encouragement to orphans. Give intentionally to people who can’t repay you.
Scripture Reading. YouVersion has 5 Reading Plans specifically designed to help you center your life on God and His Word during this special time of reflection and purpose:

Words of Jesus During Passion Week. In parallel passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, read what Jesus said during the week before His crucifixion. From Glo Bible. 12 days
Lent For Everyone. Each day features a selection from Matthew, followed by reflections from renowned New Testament scholar N.T. (Tom) Wright. From SPCK. 53 days
40 Days of Lent. This 47-day plan walks chronologically through the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last week of earthly ministry, with each Sunday offering a day of rest. From Journey Church. 47 days
Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: Mosaic. Designed to help you focus on Christ, this 46-day devotional includes Scripture and quotes and readings from Christians worldwide. From Holy Bible: Mosaic. 46 days
The Story of Easter. Relive the last week of Jesus’ life on earth through fulfilled prophecies, intimate prayer, deep discussions, symbolic acts, and world-changing events. From LifeChurch.tv. 7 days

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
—Galatians 5:22–24

What combination of these five—prayer, self-denial, repentance, giving, and Scripture reading—will you commit to for Lent this year?

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2012-02-142012-02-14

Two Reading Plans for Valentine’s Day—One for Couples, One for Singles

If you’re married, Valentine’s Day offers a natural opportunity to reconnect as a couple. And if you’re single, especially around this time of year, it’s worthwhile to remind yourself about what the promises of God’s love mean in your life. Today we’re profiling two special Reading Plans to help you make the most of the relationships in your life:

For Married Couples…

Love and Marriage. 5 days. Available in the Bible App™ under both “Topical” and “Devotional.” Each day’s covers a little of what the Bible says about marriage, then offers follow-up thoughts and activities you can do together to help you center your relationship around God’s Word. Consider taking your Love and Marriage experience even further by trying some or all of the following:

After reading, allow time to pray together. Ask God to show you how you can apply to your relationship the things you’re discovering.
Find another couple—or even a small group of couples—and schedule time together to discuss what you’re changing based on the Love and Marriage plan.
Don’t stop! When your Love and Marriage plan ends, together choose another Reading Plan that you can do as a couple each day.

For Singles…

What is Love? 16 days. Available in the Bible App under “Topical.” Each day presents a passage of Scripture dealing with some aspect of love, then continues with leading questions to take you deeper into what that means in your life. Consider taking your What Is Love? experience even further with one or more of the following:

Share your insights on each day’s reading on Facebook or Twitter, and ask your friends to add their thoughts.
Coordinate a What Is Love? reading group with trusted friends. Plan to get together at specific times during the 16 days to discuss what you’ve been reading and thinking.
Consider your next steps. YouVersion has more than 200 Reading Plans you can choose from to keep you grounded in God’s Word every day.

The YouVersion community wants to help as many people as possible connect with God’s Word. Please be sure to tell your friends and family about the Bible App and Reading Plans.

2012-02-092012-02-09

Great News for Polish Speakers and Readers: All of YouVersion Now in Polish!

App Biblia z YouVersion już dostępna w polskich Polish is the thirteenth language launch across the entire YouVersion experience, brought to the YouVersion community once again by passionate volunteers. Besides English, all of YouVersion.com and the Bible App’s interfaces and tools are also available in Norwegian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, and Swedish. Here’s what Polish speakers and readers can enjoy in their language:

Polish Interface. Set your device’s default language to Polish, and the Bible App’s menus, buttons, and controls will display in Polish. (Newer releases on some platforms will even let you select Polish directly in your Bible App Settings.)

Polish Emails and Blog Posts. At the top right of our English language blog, select Polski—or just go directly to the Polish version—to read blog posts in Polish. For updates and other YouVersion communication in Polish, sign up for a free YouVersion account and adjust your Settings to Polski.

Technical Support in Polish. Visit the Polish version of our Support site for help with the Bible App. And if you contact us in Polish, you can receive answers to your questions in Polish.

Bible translations in Polish. Check the Versions list inside the Bible App under Polski, or visit the Versions page at YouVersion.com. You’ll find the Słowo Życia (PSZ), an easy-reading contemporary translation, generously provided by Biblica. Or perhaps you’d prefer the Uwspółcześniona Biblia Gdańska (PUBG-POL) from the Gate of Hope Foundation, an updated, modern language version of the classic Biblia Gdańska (PBG).

The massive task of translating YouVersion’s tools into other languages only happens through the tireless efforts of a worldwide community of volunteers. We sincerely cannot thank them enough for all the ways they serve the rest of us. And if you can help with either Polish or translation into a variety of other languages, whether it’s technical support, responding to requests on Facebook and Twitter, or even helping translate interfaces, we could really use your help! We asked Team Leader Sebastian about his experience helping to translate the Bible App into Polish. Here’s what he had to say:

“When I started using YouVersion, I was really glad to find such an advanced application designed to help people engage with God’s Word. I started using YouVersion in English, but after a little while it just struck me, that so many people in Poland wouldn’t be able to use it only because they don’t know English. I saw the need, and I decided to do something about it. Now I can suggest using YouVersion to all my Polish friends, not only to English-speaking ones. Thank you to every team member for giving generously of your time—despite different challenges and hardships—to help Polish people get closer to God’s Word and, in this way, closer to God.”
—Sebastian F., Warsaw, Poland

Welcome to YouVersion! We’re so excited to invite Polish speakers and readers into our global YouVersion community. And we’d love for you to start connecting with other YouVersion members on Facebook and Twitter. If you have friends whose preferred language is Polish, please be sure to share the good news with them!