User Puts Passion in Action

Check out what one of our friends sent us this week:

Dave Sears, who pastors ConnectingPoints.tv in Saginaw, Michigan, contacted us and let us know he’d like to promote YouVersion.com on some upcoming billboard space he had reserved. Working with our team, they created this ad which will be seen by thousands of people as they drive the busiest road in Saginaw. Dave said, “We are praying that God will use this board to draw more people to Him in our community!”

A huge thanks goes out to Dave for his passion in spreading the word about YouVersion!

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A (late) Christmas Gift for iPhone/iPod users

If you have the YouVersion Bible app installed on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you can now download the NLT (New Living Translation) to your phone to use when you are offline (no coverage, airplane, etc) –for FREE. We have had the NLT available on YouVersion for several months, but like many of the licensed translations, it has not been available to download and store on your phone/iPod. But, you will want to be sure to download it soon as it will only be available to download for 90 days. Thank you to the Tyndale House Foundation for their generosity in making it available.

You can find out more details about how to download the NLT or other translations (including the KJV, NKJV, NCV, The Message, God’s Word, and NET Bible) to your phone on the YouVersion blog.

Tags: iPhone, iPod, NLT

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New Bible Reading Plans

If you’re looking for ways to encourage your church to read the Bible more this year, we’ve got some great new tools available at YouVersion.com. We just launched more than 20 free Bible reading plans, which are available on the website as well as all mobile platforms. Here are a few highlights:

• You can customize each plan by making it shorter or longer.
• Easily track where you are by checking off each day’s reading. We’ll also show you how far along you are with a percentage of completion.
• Your online and mobile accounts will synchronize your information, including your plan and your progress.
• If you’ve created a group for your church on YouVersion, you can select a plan to be associated with your group.
• Soon, you’ll be able to build a support system by opting in for accountability emails to you and/or a friend.

We hope these new reading plans help you and your church engage with Scripture in 2010!

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One Billion Minutes

I’ve been so excited to see this huge milestone getting closer, and just this week we finally reached it:

People have spent one billion minutes reading the Bible on YouVersion.com with their mobile devices!

It is incredible to think of people all over the globe, phone in hand, reading the Bible…on iPhones, BlackBerrys, and Android phones…in their choice of 41 translations and 21 languages…all engaged in God’s word.

Thanks to all of you who have been a part of those billion minutes.  We’d love for you to take a moment and celebrate with us at http://onebillionminutes.com.

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New offline version for the Bible App

When we first released the YouVersion Bible App for the iPhone, many of you asked if we could make translations available offline. Over the past year, we’ve been working with several different publishers who are making this possible. And I’m excited to let you know about the latest…

The Message is now available offline!

Now you can enjoy The Message when you’re in the air, on the subway, in remote areas, or anywhere else you don’t have a connection.

If you need help downloading this translation for offline use, the YouVersion blog will walk you through the process. And don’t forget that several other versions are available offline also, including the New Century Version, New King James Version, New English Translation, God’s Word Translation, and more.

A big thanks goes out to NavPress for their generosity in giving people even better access to the Bible!

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YouVersion Live in the Local Church

After the recent launch of YouVersion Live, it’s been great to see how many churches are already integrating it into their weekend services. You can see some examples of the events churches have created on the YouVersion blog.

Many are introducing it as “interactive talk notes,” or an “electronic bulletin” since that seems to be an easy concept for people to latch on to. At LifeChurch.tv, we’re sticking with a simple description as well: “To follow along with today’s message on your mobile device, go to http://youversion.com/lifechurchtv.”

I believe we’re in the very early stages of how YouVersion Live will be leveraged in the local church. I’m really looking forward to seeing the creative ideas and uses that come from churches around the world.

I’d love to hear some of the ways you’re using it or planning to in the future.

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YouVersion Live is here!

Today is a very, very good day. YouVersion Live officially launched just moments ago! In case you haven’t heard us mention it before, YouVersion Live is a new addition to YouVersion.com and it offers a brand new, free way to interact with live events on almost any mobile device.

I’m so excited that you can now dive in and start exploring all the different ways you’ll be able to use it. We’ve created a demo event that will allow you to try it out and get a sense for how it works. Just open up the Bible App on your mobile device, select the “Live” icon from the dock at the bottom, and you’ll see it as an available event.

As part of rolling out YouVersion Live, we’re also introducing a Groups feature to YouVersion.com. You can read about how it all works together on the YouVersion blog.

It’s hard for me to stop thinking of the many applications that are possible for churches, ministries, and organizations, but I really can’t wait to see it in the wild. I know you guys will come up with some very creative ideas to bring a new level of interaction to your weekend services, youth events, conferences, Bible studies, and more.

As with any new resource like this, it’s not the technology that provides the wow factor—that comes when people become more engaged with Scripture and experience God’s truth in a way that stays with them.

Go give it a try, and then let us know what you come up with!

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The Latest on YouVersion Live

As we’re working on getting YouVersion Live ready to launch this October, we hit a pretty cool milestone for YouVersion.

More than two million people have installed YouVersion on their mobile device.

It’s great to see how many people are already engaging with Scripture on their phones, and we’re excited about the ways YouVersion Live will bring them helpful content and interactivity during live events like church services and conferences.

If you want to know more about YouVersion Live and how you can use it, stop by our webinar this week.

YouVersion Live Webinar, Wednesday September 23 at 2:00-3:00 CDT. Join us at http://www.youversion.com/live.

We’ll walk you through this new addition to YouVersion and the different ways it can work for communicators and users.

Hope to see you there!

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