YouVersion’s First National Commercial to Debut During The Bible Series

We’re thrilled to announce YouVersion’s first-ever television commercial, set to air on national television in the U.S. this Sunday evening. The spot will debut during The Bible, the dynamic new miniseries coming to you from husband-and-wife producers Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice). The Bible begins March 3 on the History channel (check local listings). The Bible App™ is the official app of The Bible, which will air on Sunday nights throughout March. Watch for it!

But before we share our commercial with the world, we wanted to give the YouVersion community a chance to see it first:

And be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming release of the Bible App, when we’ll introduce the brand-new “Videos” feature!

 


Explore Dozens of New Bible Reading Plans

We’ve just added more than 30 new Reading Plans to the Bible App!

Reading Plans are one of the best ways we’ve found to help you consistently engage with God’s Word. Simply subscribe to a plan on the topic of your choice, and each day, the Bible App shows you a passage of Scripture for that day. Choose from devotionals, topical plans, portions of the Bible, the entire Bible, and other categories. With more than 400 plans in 30 different languages, you can find something that’s just right for where you are in life.

Selected New Plans

Here are just a few of the new Reading Plans you might want to try:

The Overflow presents new video devotionals from some of today’s leading Christian artists and musicians, such as Casting Crowns, Matthew West, Rhett Walker Band, RED, Sho Baraka, and more! Various lengths

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Wisdom from Proverbs takes you through ten practical, biblical steps to help you start getting your finances in order. From trusted voice on money and business Dave Ramsey. 10 days

New City Catechism video devotional offers a series of questions and answers teaching foundational theological principles. Designed to serve both children and adults. From The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. 20 days

Selected New Categories

We’ve also added some new Reading Plan categories you might be interested in:

Focus on the Family features Reading Plans—including four brand-new ones from President Jim Daly—specifically designed to help families live out their faith based on biblical principles.

Time of Grace offers Reading Plans focused on imparting biblical principles about daily Christian life, with six new plans just added.

To check out all of YouVersion’s newest plans, visit the main Reading Plans page at Bible.com or look in the “New” category inside the Bible App.

Big Features, Updates Coming to the Bible App

Video is the newest addition to the Bible App, coming in the next release for iPhone/iPad, Android, and even at Bible.com!

“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!

YouVersion Announces 21-Day Challenge Winners of iPad minis, Prize Packs

On January 21, we invited everyone to join us for the 21-Day Challenge. Registered YouVersion community users who completed at least one day, every day, of an eligible Reading Plan from January 21 through February 10 had their names entered into a random drawing. The prizes were five iPad minis and 21 YouVersion prize packs. (Refer to original blog post for full contest rules.) The results are in, the custom 2013 badges are on their way to your inboxes, and we’re excited to announce the prize winners!*

iPad minis (Don’t forget to put the Bible App on your new iPad mini, first thing!)

Laura O.  –  John F.  –  Jim S.  –  Orlando H.  –  Abner S.

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

Chad F. (United States) Manda H. (United States)
Elisangela M. (Brazil) Amy T. (Canada)
Seth D. (Canada) Emmanuel E. (Uganda)
Lindsay C. (United States) Daniela H. (Germany)
Keith H. (United States) Lisa M. (Great Britain)
Matthew C. (United States) Eddie B. (Netherlands)
Chanell B. (United States) Jennifer G. (United States)
Paul P. (Canada) Caitlin L. (United States)
Arteida M. (Bahamas) Liliana G. (Argentina)
Kymberly K. (United States) Carla M. (United States)
Suzanne B. (United States)

 

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 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 350 Reading Plans, your next plan is already waiting for you…Thank you, everyone! Besides our lucky winners, we’d like to thank everyone else who participated in the 21-Day Challenge! If it hasn’t already, 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. Any correspondence with YouVersion must take place through the email address you used when you registered your free YouVersion account.

The Bible App Named Official App of The Bible Series

Have you ever tried to picture what Noah’s family experienced during the flood? What it looked like when Samson destroyed the temple? How it felt to be present when the wise men knelt before Jesus?

As we study God’s Word, it’s helpful to understand the context in which these events took place. The Bible series, from television’s top husband-and-wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, is the greatest visualization of the Bible we’ve ever seen. From Genesis to Revelation, this five-part series combines a powerful collection of stories with live action and truly amazing CGI.*

We’re thrilled that the Bible App has been named the official app of The Bible series. YouVersion is committed to leveraging the best of today’s and tomorrow’s technology to help people engage with God’s Word, and we think The Bible does just that. Very soon, you’ll have the opportunity to access video content from the series directly in the Bible App.

We can’t wait for you to see it! Watch The Bible series on the History Channel beginning 3-3-13. Check your local TV listings for times and keep an eye out for video in the Bible App!

*Please note that these powerful stories contain scenes that are similar to PG-13 content. We encourage you to make the best viewing decisions for your family.