Top 5 post from April 2016
Olive tree Bible App
What Bible App do you use?
In 2015 I started using the Bible app called “Olivetree” or “Bible+” consistently in my bible reading. Currently I run the app both on my phone and tablet that are both android based. Currently (March 2016), I have found the pc version of the program not as strong on my laptop, it often will crash.
You get a ESV version of the bible for free when you download the app. Somehow I got a NLT free but do not remember how. For other translations you will have to pay.
It took me a little time to pick up the interface, but I now am able to get around more quickly in the app. For example it took me a little bit of time to understand the different icons.
I would recommend Bible+ app to anyone looking for something more than just a bible reader.
Here are a few things I have come to like over the last months about the Olivetree Bible App
Split screen – This is a big one for many. At first it took me a little time to understand how to use it. At times I find I do not need it. However, other times it’s nice to be able to have two translations up together or even two different bible passages together. The latter is helpful when listening to someone give a bible teaching.
Interface is still a simple layout- It did take me a little bit of time to get it figured out. However any app will and I have come to appreciate the interface.
Sync across different devices – Today this is a must for any app. I have the app on my phone, tablet and laptop. This is useful for notes I make and bible reading plans. The PC version I have found a little shaky.
Does not have to be connected to the internet. I do not have a data plan and so I am not always online. What happens is you can download the bible, books (they also sell books), notes, etc. to each device. Once it is there you are good. If you add a note, the next time you get online, you just sync and it will update.
More then just a bible reading app. I see with this app great options for deeper bible study. By deeper I mean more bible information collected in one space. Of course you would need to buy some features. They also have a large number of other books that you could run and read within the app.
What about you?
What bible apps do you use?
What bible app you use comes down to personal style, and what others may be using in the community you are part of. Each one has pros and cons.
Looking for a review on other bible Apps? Check out this review by churchmag
For my purposes Olivetree seems to serve well. What do you use? Create your own user feedback survey
Bible reading tip #9 – Soap
Bible reading is a discipine that is hard for many people. One of the reasons to stay with it, is because of its value in helping the reader understand God and his or her self.
Today’s bible reading tip comes from Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion
Here is a summary:
S- Scripture
This is typically done with small portions of scripture. Read the passage you are reading that day. What verse (s) stand out to you? Write those down.
O- Observation
Write down what the verse is saying to you. There is no rule here on how many sentences, but try to be clear. You could add observations on the passage, but if something stands out, focus on that verse or verses.
A – Application
Ask yourself to make an application to your life. Wayne Cordeiro asks, “How will you be different today because of what you have just read?” I would add what does this tell you about yourself and who God is?
P- Prayer
Write down something you are asking God to help you with.
There are many systems on engaging the bible. Perhaps this one can help you reengage for a season in a fresh way. Finding a system will increase your engagement of the bible. Remember little steps over time will take you a long way.
4 Reasons Why Evernote can help your Bible Study
Ever sat and listened to a speaker and taken notes, only to misplace them?
Have you ever been part of a smaller group, or master group, where you are reading/studying something together and are looking for a place to keep your notes? Have you ever been doing your own bible study and have notes all over the place?
I used to have so many little pieces of paper shoved in my bible from insights I picked up from various locations. Then they would fall out and everything would be completely disorganized. I have found that Evernote can help with all this.
[sh_quote]Evernote is a great tool to help with your Bible Study.[/sh_quote]
In 2013, I decided to do a personal trail run with a software called Evernote . Evernote is a free note-taking software and for most people all you will need is the free version. They do offer an upgrade that is not too much, which I upgraded to about a year after my trail run, but it is not necessary for everyone. Evernote works on multiple devices and you can sync your notes across each device.
There are many uses for Evernote, one great perk being note-taking for bible studies, or notes when listening to a sermon.
Here are four ways Evernote can help you take your bible study to the next level.
1. One place
You can keep all of those thoughts and notes together. For a long time I had so many little notes jammed in my bible that they would fall out and I would lose them. Evernote lets me keep my notes in one place.
2. Organized
You can create several different notebooks in what they call “stacks”. This lets you have notebooks inside notebooks. The advantage of this is you could have a stack notebook called “sermons”. Then in there, you could have a notebook called “2016 sermons”. Then inside of that notebook, you create notes. Then on Sunday, or whenever you are listening to a sermon, you open this up and create a note in the notebook for that day. You tag and give it a title and it is there for you. You could even create a notebook stack called “bible study” and in there have notebooks for each book of the bible or even themes.
3. Recall
Let’s say you are talking with someone or studying and want to recall some information. You can search for words and find your notes. Evernote has a tagging feature that makes searching even easier. I strongly suggest using descriptive tags that will easily narrow down what you are looking for. Another help for the recall is good notebook organizing.
4. Mobile
This has become one of the greatest reasons why I love this program — I can use it on my phone wherever I am. Then when I am home, I can sync it on my wi-fi. I can then bring it up on my laptop and use my notes however I want.
Evernote can be a great tool to help take your bible studying to the next level. If you do not have Evernote, it is free and you can follow this link to sign up and download.
Bible reading tip #8 Let it challenge your view of God
The bible reveals who God is.
Growing up there was a little saying that went like this, “The bible is, “Basic Instructions before leaving earth.”” Now there are a number of things wrong with that saying as well as a few good things. However, it shaped my view of the scripture, and in a way closed me a little to its power.
One negative was in viewing the bible as a means to know how to act. It definitely does reveal a lifestyle for God’s people, but what is the motivation? At times, I would read the bible to know how to act. Then ever so slightly I began to believe that God will accept me if I act a certain way.
However, the gospel is about a God who loved me before I was a following him. The gospel calls us to holiness, but only after Jesus has my heart. The gospel reveals that my motivation for living a holy life does not come out of the need to be accepted. Jesus is already there. It comes out of who God is, what he has done and who I am in Christ. By the way, fulfillment in Christ deals with our need for acceptance.
What if as you read scripture you change the lens a little? What if it has less to do about how you should act, and points us to what to believe and how to think? For example, I obey because of who Jesus is, and not in order to be accepted.
Please hear me, I believe there is a lifestyle that Jesus calls us to. We cannot just go live how we want. I do believe that to follow Jesus means one limits his or her life. Then, in this limitation a wholeness is experienced, or we are on the way to experiencing it. The scriptures do reveal a lifestyle that is expected of a child of God. For example, one aspect is living a generous life. However, the motive is based on who God is and who I am in him. Often one is not living the gospel life because there is something they are not believing to be true about Jesus.
As you read the scriptures, let it challenge you about who you believe God is? What if you let scripture challenge how you think? Our actions come out of what we believe.
Jesus said to a group, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside all will be clean” (Matthew 23:26).
There is a sense here that this group of Pharisees’ motivation was all wrong. There was a wrong belief which resulted in destructive behaviour. There was a wrong understanding of who God was and the life he was calling them to.
What if the scriptures are directing us on how to think? How we think or what we believe will drive how we act. We will not see the fruit Jesus speaks about if our thinking or belief does not align with who he is and who we are in him.
Therefore, as you are reading the bible, ask these questions:
How is this passage challenging my belief about who God is?
If this is true about God, then how does this direct how I live? What is my motivation for that?