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Prepare for Easter: Share in God’s Word with Friends

Preparing for EasterPeople around the world will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday, April 20. Traditionally, many individuals use Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, as a time to reflect and repent. During this time, we choose to actively prepare our hearts to receive the gift Jesus gave us through the Cross.

Consider making the Bible an intentional part of your day—every day—between now and Easter Sunday. The most important things in our lives are worth sharing with friends and family, so ask some of your favorite people to join you in seeking God through His Word. Make time each day to check in with each other. Talk about what you’re reading and encourage each other, spurring one another on toward Christ.

Each of these Bible plans were developed specifically to help get us all into the spirit of Lent. Pick one that works for you:

Lent For Everyone is a devotional featuring a daily reading from Matthew and inspirational words for reflection from renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. From SPCK Publishing. 53 days

40 Days of Lent chronologically traces Jesus’ last week on earth, through the New Testament gospel accounts. The seven Sundays are days of rest, according to tradition. From Journey Church. 47 days

Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: Mosaic brings together quotes, readings, and Scripture to focus your mind on Christ. From Tyndale House Publishers. 46 days

ReThink Life: 40 Day Devotional presents Scripture, key thoughts, and prayer to challenge you to “rethink” seven important areas in your life. From ReThink. 40 days

Hillsong: 40 Days of Revival reveals attributes from history’s greatest revivals — presence, prayer, purity, power, personal sacrifice, and praise — to help you know God and His ways. From Hillsong. 40 days

The 40-Day New Testament Challenge leads you through the entire New Testament in just 40 days, taking off Sundays as traditional days of rest. From Margaret Feinberg. 40 days

Whether you prefer listening or reading, of course you’ll find plenty more Bible plans to choose from at https://www.bible.com/reading-plans.

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Plans Explore Love from God’s Perspective

Around this time of year, one topic seems to dominate thoughts and conversation throughout our culture: Love. As you might expect, the Bible actually offers a lot of insight on this subject. Here are just a few Plans that can help you understand God’s love, both for you and for those around you:

  • The Gift of God’s Love Learn how our modern perspective of romantic, worldly love is different from God’s sincere, enduring, perfect love. 13 days
  • Falling In Love Again With Your Lord In this exploration of Psalm 63, dive deep into what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… and to be loved by Him. 10 days
  • Marriage: A Lifelong Journey Building a lasting relationship is hard work, but that effort reveals treasures all throughout your life together. 7 days
  • Love and Marriage Intended for married couples (or those who want to marry), each day features Scripture and quick thoughts designed to initiate discussion and prayer. 5 days

Plans in Action

Engaging daily with the Bible can change your life:

“Thank you for such a wonderful app! Reading ‘21 days of Powerful Breakthroughs’ and ‘Made to Crave,’ I’m overwhelmed with what I’ve gained from both!” —Karen H.

During just the first 36 days of 2014, the YouVersion community completed more than 1 million Plans! Come see for yourself what the excitement is all about. You can find Plans about love and relationships — and so much more — right now at www.bible.com/reading-plans?category=topical.

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The 21-Day Challenge: A Fresh Start

21 Day Challenge 512You’ve shared with us time and time again that reading the Bible is important to you. It’s something you want to do daily, a goal you set for yourself each year. We also know this is that time of year when life happens…you wake up late and miss your morning reading, someone in your house gets sick, or you lose momentum in Leviticus.

YouVersion loves to help you follow through on your good intentions—read the Bible. So for the third year, we’re kicking off the 21-Day Challenge to encourage you to keep up (or get back on track) with your daily Bible habit!

It only takes three weeks of consistent behavior—just 21 days—to establish (or reestablish) a habit. To help cheer you on, from January 21 through February 10, if you complete the day’s selections from at least one Bible Plan each day, you’ll get a special 21-Day Challenge badge on your YouVersion profile. Also…

You’ll also be entered to win one of

5 iPad minis, 5 Nexus 7 tablets, or 21 YouVersion prize packs!*

Here’s how it works:

  • If you don’t already have a free YouVersion account, sign up for one.

  • Complete each scheduled day of any YouVersion Bible Plan or combination of Bible Plans, starting January 21 through February 10.

  • If you are subscribed to more than one Bible Plan, you only need to complete 21 consecutive days for one of them. (But feel free to read as much as you’d like).

  • Listening to audio versions counts, as long as you mark off the reading for the day.

  • Whether you read, listen, or sign up to receive your Plan by email, be sure that every passage for each day’s reading is checked off as completed.

  • Don’t miss or skip any days!

  • 10 winners will be selected through a random drawing from the pool of eligible participants. Available prizes are 5 Apple iPad minis and 5 Google Nexus 7 tablets.

*ATTENTION: INTERNATIONAL USERSUnfortunately, since YouVersion cannot ship iPad minis and Nexus 7 tablets outside of the U.S., we will select 21 additional International winners. (All of the other rules will still apply.) Each International winner will receive a prize pack that includes a YouVersion T-shirt, a YouVersion sticker pack, and other fun YouVersion memorabilia. 

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3 Ways to Make the Bible a Daily Focus this Year

Happy New Year! God is constantly in the process of making “new creations” (2 Cor. 5:17). But in certain seasons—like the coming of a New Year—we tend to be more aware of His renewals than at other times.

As you consider goals and resolutions for 2014, here are three simple ways you can make the Bible a daily part of your life:

  1. Find your #Verse2014. Choose one verse that you can focus on throughout 2014. Invite it into your life, display it, and share it with people you know.
  2. Commit to a Bible Plan. This has helped so many in our community make God’s Word a daily part of their life. Sign up for a short, 20- or 30-day devotional. Build your confidence by completing your first plan. Then come back for another. We’ve included a list below of some of our favorite starters.
  3. Share the Word. Invite family and friends to read with you. Help them get the Bible App, show them how to sign up for the plan you’re using, then discuss what you’ve read. Inspire others by sharing what you’re reading in emails, texts, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. God’s Word comes alive in community (Heb. 4:12).

Plans to Get You Started:

My Utmost For His Highest This special edition of Oswald Chambers’ timeless, widely read devotionals now includes Chambers’ personal prayers. From Discovery House Publishers. 30 days

Our Daily Bread In just a few minutes each day, inspiring stories point you toward God through biblical wisdom. 30 days

Day By Day With Billy Graham Daily Scripture, insight, encouragement, and practical application from Billy Graham’s sermons and writings. 366 days

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Wisdom from Proverbs Learn practical, biblical principles for understanding and managing money. 10 days

Made to Crave: 21 Day Challenge Scripture and devotionals equip you with spiritual principles for your physical health. 21 days

How To Maximise Your Life Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston shares biblical truths for building meaningful relationships and healthy life balance. 31 days

Toward A Fearless New Year Pastor John Piper teaches from the Scriptures how knowing God’s greatness chases away fear. 7 days

How To Be Rich Pastor Andy Stanley shows what God’s Word actually says about how to be truly rich according to God’s economy. 10 days

The One Year® Bible Reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs for about 15 minutes a day, read through the entire Bible in 365 days. 1 year

Chronological Read the entire Bible in 365 days, with its historical events appearing in the order they occurred. 1 year

Here’s where you can find hundreds more Plans to start that daily habit of seeking God through His Word in 2014: bible.com/reading-plans.

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#Verse2014 & Bible Plans for the New Year

A new year brings fresh focus and intentionality. As we dream, plan, and set goals, many of us create lists. But what if you stopped at just one item? We can find incredible clarity and power in simplicity, so as a community we’re trying something new: choosing one Bible verse as our personal focus for 2014.

#Verse2014

Find Your #Verse2014. A promise to reflect on. A different way of thinking. A new discipline. Through prayer and reflection, choose one verse that captures what you’re seeking in 2014.

Make Your Verse Visible. Display your #Verse2014 where you’ll see it every day: a bathroom mirror, in your car, your laptop’s desktop background—even on your phone’s home screen.

Share Your #Verse2014. Tell your family and friends about your verse and why you chose it. Share it from the Bible App, or via email or text. Post it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And use the hashtag #Verse2014, so others can see it, too.

Spend Time in Many Verses. Your #Verse2014 is a focal point for the year, but the vastness of God’s love can’t be boiled down to a single verse. Instead, use it as a springboard to dig deeper into the Bible and your faith as you continue to pursue God’s Word throughout the year.

Need some inspiration for your verse? See the YouVersion Community’s 2013 verse of the year along with other popular passages in this infographic.

Plans to Start Your Year Off Right

The following Bible Plans have helped hundreds of thousands remain connected to God’s Word. Try signing up for just one to start. Then, roll into another one as soon as you’re finished to keep your daily habit going.

Made to Crave: 21 Day Challenge Scripture and devotionals equip you with spiritual principles for your physical health. 21 days

Soul Detox Learn from God’s Word how to neutralize the influences that can negatively impact your faith journey. 35 days

From This Day Forward Explore five biblical principles for a healthy marriage through Scripture, prayer, discussion, and activities. 33 days

Experiencing God’s Renewal Daily devotional and Scriptures share what it truly means to become “a new creation in Christ.” 5 days

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Wisdom from Proverbs Learn practical, biblical principles for understanding and managing money. 10 days

The One Year® Bible Reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs for about 15 minutes a day, read through the entire Bible in 365 days. 1 year

Chronological Read the entire Bible in 365 days, with its historical events appearing in the order they occurred. 1 year

Life Application Study Bible® Devotion Daily devotions and a Bible verse help you apply the Bible to your life. 1 year

In addition to these, YouVersion has recently added many new Bible Plans—so many, in fact, that we now offer more than 600! From topical studies to whole-Bible Plans, you’ll find plenty of options that will help you connect daily with God’s Word in the new year. Get started at bible.com/reading-plans.