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Video Devotionals Launch in the Bible App

You may know that YouVersion already offers hundreds of versions you can read in many languages, along with audio Bibles you can listen to as you’re doing other things. Now we’re also adding video devotionals you can watch on your mobile device and at 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!

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Categories Help Bible Readers Discover Exciting New YouVersion Plans

We’re pleased today to announce two new categories that can help you discover your next favorite plan. Our “Featured” category lists popular and relevant plans you might not have discovered yet, while our “New” category displays plans we’ve recently added. And besides these new categories, we’ve also added several new Reading Plans for you:

From Pastor Mark Jeske and Time of Grace:

Money Matters. Gain insights and wisdom from Scripture about God’s view of money in this daily devotional. 30 days

Happily Ever After. Whether you’re married, or you want to be, or even if you’ve been married before, you’ll enjoy listening to God’s words about this sacred institution. 31 days

Here I Am. Learn how you can use the Psalms daily to express your needs, pains, and thanks to the Lord. 31 days

Teach Pray Plan. Find inspiration every day with meaningful help from the Bible for a deeper, richer prayer life. 32 days

There Is Hope. Direct from the source, read God’s words of comfort and love especially for you. 35 days

Fathers and Mothers Devotion. Discover encouragement and hope for how you can lead—and love—your family the way that God intended. 31 days

From Pastor Jack Hayford:

Praise In the Presence of God. Learn how the power of praise can positively shape your life by continually pointing you to God and His promises. 1 year

Celebrate! These daily devotionals help you grow in power and wisdom as you discover the life of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word. 1 year

From The American Bible Challenge:

The American Bible Challenge – Week 1. Daily Bible study designed to correspond with the new TV show “The American Bible Challenge” on GSN. 7 days

The American Bible Challenge – Week 2. Daily Bible study designed to correspond with the new TV show “The American Bible Challenge” on GSN. 7 days

That’s a lot, but it’s still not everything! If you or someone you know reads Korean, we’ve added four great new devotionals for them. And we also added our 70th Spanish plan! Be sure you let your friends know what YouVersion has for them.

Plans are one of the best ways we know of to engage with the Bible. Just pick a category and sign up for a plan that interests you, and the Bible App will bring you something to read, watch, or listen to each day. Plans are great at helping you learn what God’s Word has to say about specific topics. We even offer plans that cover portions of the Bible (like the New Testament or Paul’s letters to churches), or even to read through the entire thing!

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New at YouVersion.com and in the Bible App: Afrikaans and Czech

The Bible App™ now in Afrikaans and CzechWe recently launched two new languages, Afrikaans and Czech, inside the Bible App and at YouVersion.com. Together with British English, that means we’ve now launched nineteen different languages! Besides being able to choose from Bible versions in each of these languages, now you can select one of these languages for all of your menus, controls, and screen text—even find reading plans in each language. All you have to do is set the language on your device to the one you want, or select it from within your Bible App Settings. And at YouVersion.com, just choose from the list of languages at the bottom right. If you have friends who speak Afrikaans or Czech, please share this exciting news with them and on Facebook and Twitter.

Afrikaans

We’re pleased to offer Afrikaans on the Bible App for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), BlackBerry, and Java, and of course at YouVersion.com. We now have 14 reading plans in Afrikaans, as well as five different Bible versions. Three of those Bibles, Bybel vir almal (ABD07), the 1933/1953 Translation (AFR53), and Afrikaans 1983 Translation (AFR83) are generously provided by the Bible Society of South Africa. The other two, Die Boodskap (DB) and Nuwe Lewende Vertaling (NLV), are provided by key YouVersion partner Christelike Uitgewersmaatskappy.

Czech

You can now choose Czech for your Bible App for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), Android, and Bada, and at our website, YouVersion.com. We offer three Czech Bible versions: the classic Bible Kralická 1613 (CSBKR) and two popular modern versions, Bible 21 (B21) and Slovo na cestu (SNC). We’ve even added 25 reading plans in Czech!

Thanks to You…

YouVersion makes God’s Word available to as many people as we can, no matter what language they prefer. But we don’t have enough people resources to translate the Bible App’s tools and resources into every language. That vision is only made possible by an incredible worldwide community of translation volunteers—people just like you. These amazing YouVersion friends are passionate about using their gifts to see the Bible shared with the world. And of course, we never stop working to make the Bible App even better, so there’s always translation to do. If you can volunteer to translate into Afrikaans or Czech (or other languages), we’d love to hear from you. Please join us. You’ll be helping people all over the planet fall in love with God’s Word.

We asked a couple of our key volunteers in Afrikaans and Czech to tell you what it feels like to share their talents to help YouVersion reach the world. Here’s what they had to say:

Czech Language Volunteer Radek C.

“My dream and motivation is letting the Bible engage as many Czechs as possible, even though our country is called atheistic. I simply love being involved in projects which have a greater mission and impact than we can ever imagine. I have been a YouVersion volunteer for about one and a half years now. Volunteering was a new step into the world of the Bible, and the community simply engaged and connected me with new people. Even more than before, I feel now that God wants to use me in many various ways I can’t imagine now, but I put all of my trust into His hands and look forward to what’s next.”

—Radek Ć., Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

 

Afrikaans Language Volunteer Christo D.“I have been SO blessed through the use of the Bible App that I wanted to join such a great project as YouVersion! Becoming a member of the Afrikaans translation team was the next logical step for me to help further God’s kingdom.”

—Christo D., London, United Kingdom

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Listening for God’s Voice in the Bible

We have a listening problem.

We are bombarded by images and headlines and tweets that link us to other tweets. A cacophony of street noise, radio noise and white noise fills the gaps. And even when are getting that rare reprieve, we are busy remembering appointments and checklists and that one thing that will make or break dinner tonight.

But when was the last time you drowned out the noise long enough to wonder, “How am I doing? Am I getting closer to where I want to go?”

God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)

He revealed His power in the wind and earthquake and fire, but His instruction came in a hushed tone. With all the voices and devices clamoring for our attention, it’s no wonder we can feel disconnected from our Creator.

So how do we live the life we always wanted?

We need wisdom. A lot of it. And good habits. Most of all, we need to take our cues from the One who made us—and everything else. (Psalm 24:1)

We need to let His Word wash over us daily. In a confusing world, we need the voice of the God who parted the Red Sea and knocked down Jericho and Goliath. We need the voice that raised Jesus.

And that voice is found in the Bible, the Word of God. YouVersion reading plans here to help you make Scripture a part of your daily life. They are portable, so you can read them on your phone, tablet, computer, or even receive them via email. Some last three days and others go a full 365. Complete a study on joy, a 10-day plan that takes you through the book of John, or any of the hundreds of plans available.

Life is short and full of voices clamoring for our attention. Start a plan today so that His voice, that gentle whisper, is the soundtrack for a life well lived.

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God’s Word Shapes Our Lives

As Christ-followers we recognize how important it is to know—and live—God’s Word. We also recognize how difficult that can be sometimes. Scripture is full of tough commands:

  • Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31)
  • Take up your cross and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
  • Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
  • Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. (James 1:19)

Fortunately, as we study the Bible and begin to internalize it more and more, one of God’s promises comes to life:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2

In other words, as we spend time in conversation with God through the study of Scripture, we experience transformation: change that compels us—and equips us—to actually live the words. We’re encouraged to hear how YouVersion is making the Bible more accessible to people across the world, allowing them to connect with God’s Word and experience that transformation.

“Love driving home and being able to just listen to the Bible. It’s refreshing to hear, and it brings new light.”
– Ronnie

“I love my @YouVersion reading plans. I find myself so happy and excited to read. I’ve also found my life to be more calm and understanding.”
– Tiffy

“Thank you for the Bible in 1 Year plan! It got me into a great habit, and it’s strengthening my relationship with God.”
– Emily

“I thank God for this resource. It has allowed me to study and hear The Word more often and more clearly. I am truly growing through using @YouVersion.”
– Ingrid

What about you? Are you working through a YouVersion Reading Plan that’s affecting your worldview? Have people noticed a change in you since you’ve been engaged more with God’s Word? We would love to hear your story!