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2014 Scripture Impact Award Goes to LifeChurch.tv Pastor

On September 27, at a special ceremony at LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma City, Bob Creson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wycliffe Bible Translators, presented the 2014 Scripture Impact Award to Bobby Gruenewald, pastor and innovation leader at LifeChurch.tv. The award recognizes the work Bobby and the YouVersion team have done to  contribute to Scripture engagement and to bring an end to Bible illiteracy. Here’s video from that event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyI5VMqPNQ&feature=youtu.be

Wycliffe created the Scripture Impact Award in 2003 to honor the late Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, in celebration of his love for the Lord and the Scriptures. Past recipients have included Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Luis Palau, Cynthia and Chuck Swindoll, Drs. Lois and Tony Evans, Caroline and Bunker Hunt, and  Dr. Barry Black.

To celebrate the Scripture Impact Award, LifeChurch.tv developed The Impact of Scripture Bible Plan, which Wycliffe translated for YouVersion into five additional languages: Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Now installed on more than 155 million unique devices, the Bible App is what it is today only because millions of people all over the world use it every day to engage with the Bible—and with each other. Translators have dedicated much of their lives to bringing God’s Word to life in different languages. Bible societies and publishers have generously offered their translations to the worldwide YouVersion community. And people just like you volunteer to translate Bible Plans and the Bible App’s interface into the language of their hearts, so that others can share in its joy.

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Now Playing in the Bible App: NASB Audio

Now, for the first time ever, the Bible App is offering an audio version of the NASB! This crisp, clear audio Bible was recorded to feel like a close friend reading God’s Word to you. Listen to the NASB anywhere you use the Bible App, all thanks to the generosity of The Lockman Foundation and AudioBibleDownloads.com.

NASB now offers an audio versionTo start listening to your NASB, from anywhere in the Bible Reader:

  • Tap the Bible version abbreviation at the top.
    Note: Speaker icons indicate versions that offer audio.
  • Tap NASB. The Reader displays again, now with NASB selected.
  • Tap the speaker icon at the bottom.
  • Tap the play button.

Tip: Since audio Bibles are streamed—and not stored directly on your device—they’re best experienced over a Wi-Fi connection. If you don’t have Wi-Fi available when you listen, be aware of your plan’s data limits and restrictions.

 

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1,000 Bible Versions: See the Bigger Picture

If you use the Bible App, then you’re an important part of a global milestone:

YouVersion now offers more than 1,000 Bible versions,
in more than 700 languages.

Imagine millions of people all over the world, gathering together in unity around God’s Word. But even that offers just a glimpse of all that this milestone could mean. So we’ve put together this special infographic for you, to help give context for this genuinely historic event:

See what 1000 Bible versions could mean (infographic)

The 1,000th version is Deftera Lfida Dzratawi (XEDNT), the first digital translation of the New Testament into Hdi (pronounced huh-DEE). Read on our blog about how its translators discovered a lost Hdi word that perfectly describes God’s love!

 

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And the 1,000th Bible Version is…

The YouVersion community has now reached a truly global milestone: The Bible App just added its 1,000th Bible version! With Bibles available in more than 700 languages, that means that millions of people are now reading God’s Word in the language of their hearts, together.

Version number 1,000 is Deftera Lfida Dzratawi (XEDNT), the first digital translation of the New Testament into Hdi (pronounced huh-DEE), a language spoken mostly in Cameroon and neighboring Nigeria. Generously provided to the YouVersion community by Wycliffe, this Bible’s translation is an incredible story of perseverance and love decades in the making…

Completed Deftera Lfida Dzratawi NT, delivered to Hdi in late 2013

The Deftera Lfida Dzratawi is Living and Active

A seed planted. In the 1970’s, John† was a Christian from the Mafa language group who felt God calling him to move his family to live among the Hdi people in the mountains of Cameroon. Together, John and his family lived out his vision to learn Hdi and to share the Gospel with its people, eventually leading a small group of 12- and 13-year-old boys to a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The faithful continue watering. In 1987, Beth Gathman and Cindy Langermann came to live among the Hdi people, hoping to lay the groundwork for an eventual Hdi language Bible. By that time, two of the boys from John’s original small group, Philip† and Steven†, had grown into young men. These first generation Hdi Christians taught Beth and Cindy how to speak the language, then continued working with them to analyze and document its various structures.

When Beth and Cindy moved on to other careers in 1995, Lee and Tammi Bramlett moved their family to Cameroon to continue the work. And Philip and Steven were right there to welcome them, determined to help see the translation through, so that the nearly 45,000 Hdi speakers in Cameroon and Nigeria could  have a Bible that was truly their own.

In Hdi: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)

The harvest realized. Translators completed the Hdi text in partnership with SIL International and the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy, and in September 2012, the Deftera Lfida Dzratawi was typeset. After printing and shipping, the final XEDNT was joyfully delivered to the Hdi people in a special dedication ceremony in December 2013.

Hdi hold the NT, translated into their own language, for the 1st time

A New Kind of Love

The Hdi people deeply value humility, hospitality, and love. But the Hdi who assisted in the translation were surprised to discover a new way to apply a word that was known but rarely used. Hdi had a word for love, dvi, that means you once felt love for someone, but that love had faded over time. Hdi also had another, more common word for love, dva, that means you love someone because they do things for you. But when the Hdi reexamined a word seldom used in their language, dvu, which means to love someone unconditionally, no matter who they are or what they do, they discovered a whole new way they could apply it to their lives: recognizing it as the way that God loves them. Now the Hdi are convinced that dvu has the power to transform their entire culture.

Hdi reach toward the Deftera Lfida Dzratawi as they pray at its dedication

†Names changed to protect the privacy of these individuals.

Did you know…

  • 87% of Christians with Internet access can read or listen to the Bible in their own language on the Bible App?
  • The Bible App offers text in more languages than any other app?
  • If you stacked 1,000 Bibles on top of each other, they’d be as tall as Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue?

See the full infographic…

Click to see more

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YouVersion Introduces the Jesus Calling Bible Plan

Ever since its publication in October 2004, millions of people from all over the world have been enjoying Jesus Calling, the bestselling book from author Sarah Young. Today, in partnership with Sarah and with HarperCollins, the book’s publisher, we’re excited to introduce a very special Jesus Calling Bible Plan to the YouVersion community. In this exclusive special guest post, Sarah shares her reflections with you on writing Jesus Calling:

JC-980x1200Writing Jesus Calling was an integral part of my quest to grow closer to my living Lord and Savior. Actually, writing is something I have enjoyed for most of my life. I’ve filled up many journals with my thoughts and prayers. However, the journals that became Jesus Calling were different. These writings came out of my intense longing to experience Jesus’ presence in my daily life. So I started getting up early to spend time alone with the Lord before my family woke up. Equipped with pen, paper, Scripture, and coffee, I delighted in this time of seeking God’s face and gaining His perspective on my life. I found it more personal to write from the voice of Jesus speaking to me. This was private journaling, not intended for the eyes of other people.

Our amazing God, the God of surprises, had other ideas. Three years after I began this new type of journaling, my perspective changed dramatically during a spiritual retreat. I was asked the thought-provoking question: “What is Jesus calling you to right now?” Immediately, I knew the answer—write for publication. I was journaling my responses, so I committed myself in writing to this challenging adventure. Eventually, over many years, I came to realize that my “private” journaling was actually for the eyes of many other people—millions of readers!

I’m delighted to have this opportunity to partner with YouVersion through the Bible App. So many people are on the go, and the Bible App—the largest digital Bible provider—helps people spend time with the Lord every day, in the midst of their busy lives. I think one reason Jesus Calling has resonated with millions of people is that it’s a daily reminder of Jesus’ constant presence with us, regardless of where we are or what we’re experiencing. He offers us not only His presence, but also His peace—in good times, in hard times, at all times. The Jesus Calling Bible Plan is simple and accessible; it’s an easy way to start a daily habit that has already blessed so many people around the world.

I’m very thankful for the Bible App. I believe that Christians need to be spiritually nourished by reading the Bible frequently and absorbing its life-giving “nutrients.” On the Jesus Calling Facebook page, I’ve been excited to read people’s stories about how spending time in Scripture and reading Jesus Calling has helped them find their way through difficult circumstances. The Bible App incorporates technology into everyday life in the best way, making God’s Word so conveniently accessible to users—literally at their fingertips!

—Sarah Young