Category: News

This is the second post in a four-part series.

In our always-on, constantly connected world, you see people on all kinds of social media platforms who have hundreds and hundreds of friends or followers. Many people even count their online “friendships” in the thousands. But let’s be honest: we all know most of those aren’t real friendships. True relationship only happens when we’re known…through trust, real transparency, and vulnerability.

You probably know the Bible App has great tools to quickly, easily share whatever you’re reading and learning. You can share verses, Bible Plans, and more on Facebook, Twitter, SMS (texts), and email. And you do: sharing more than 250,000 passages every single day. While sharing on social media platforms is a great way to use the Bible App to reach out, sometimes it’s so noisy there that it’s hard just to have an earnest back-and-forth conversation with close friends.

To address this problem, Bible App 5 limits the number of friendships you can form within the app to 150. Several studies have suggested that, realistically, most people only have the capacity to maintain that many real relationships. Limiting your YouVersion friendships to people you know well fosters an environment for honest conversations and shared discoveries among trusted friends.

As you read, bookmark, and highlight Scripture, those interactions create opportunities for conversations about the Bible with your friends. So wrestle with those passages you don’t understand. Ask sincere questions. Share meaningful discussion. Allow your friends to speak into your time in Scripture so you can better learn and discover together.

We designed Bible App 5 specifically to help you draw closer to God through His Word. We sincerely hope you’ll find it to be a tool that’s equipping you to truly love Him more, with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

 Update your app or download Bible App 5 for Android or iOS today.

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sirma.mobile.bible.android

App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible/id282935706?mt=8

In a full-page ad in yesterday’s New York Times, the makers of the new epic film Noah recommend you read the biblical account of Noah’s story in the Bible App. We couldn’t agree more!

Read Noah’s story in Genesis at bible.com or in the Bible App. 

With the abundance of Bible-related movies and television shows over the past year, Hollywood seems to be realizing something the YouVersion community already knows: all over the world, this generation is excited about engaging with the Bible.

The Noah movie, starring Russell Crowe, opens worldwide on Friday. But you don’t have to wait. You can read (or listen to) the original story right now in the Bible App—in about nine minutes.

On January 21, we invited everyone to join us for the 21-Day Challenge. Registered YouVersion community users who completed each scheduled day of any YouVersion Bible Plan or combination of Plans from January 21 through February 10 had their names entered into a random drawing. The prizes being awarded are five iPad minis, five Nexus 7 tablets, and 21 YouVersion prize packs. (Refer to original blog post for full contest rules.) The results are in, the custom 2014 badges are on their way to your inboxes, and we’re excited to announce the prize winners!*

iPad minis & Nexus 7s (Don’t forget to install the Bible App, first thing!)

Judy B. – Larry B. – Eric E. – Yashica K. – Nana M.

Tomika G. – Ed H. – Stephanie S. – Elaine W. – Weston S.

YouVersion T-Shirt and Sticker Pack. Congratulations to these 21 users:

We hope that joining us for the challenge during these last 3 weeks helped you firmly establish your own daily Bible reading habit. More importantly, we hope this time brought you closer to God as you enjoyed spending 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 600 Reading Plans, your next plan is already waiting for you. Besides our lucky winners, we’d like to thank everyone else who participated in the 21-Day Challenge! If it hasn’t already posted, your special 21-Day Challenge badge should show up on your YouVersion profile sometime during the next week.

*Winners can expect to receive prizes within the next 7–10 business days. All correspondence with YouVersion to confirm winners’ shipping address will take place through the email address used when you registered your free YouVersion account.