Home Tags Posts tagged with "YouVersion"
Tag:

YouVersion

ArticlesFeaturedNewsVideo

Christian Artist Andy Mineo Shares How The Bible Helped Him Through Dark Moments

by Le-Jovale Vallejo
written by Le-Jovale Vallejo

In this video, Andy Mineo shares his struggles with faith, what it means to follow Christ, and how Scripture got him through those difficult times.

Christian Artist Andy Mineo

Andy Mineo is a Christian hip-hop artist who is also a music executive and producer.

He was one of the artists in The Boise Harvest with Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Jordan Feliz, and the Harvest Worship Band. It was a gathering that saw a harvest of thousands of souls for Jesus.

In an exclusive interview with YouVersion, Andy revealed his journey of doubting God.

“A lot of people know me as an artist who is very open about my faith. An interesting thing is that in the last few years I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of doubt,” he said.

Andy Mineo Growing Up

He grew up in a Christian home. He went to church at a very young age and joined the youth group. “Our parents are Christians, and so being a Christian is just part of how you understand life,” he said.

But regardless of his upbringing, Andy admitted that he had doubted God.

READ: LITTLE GIRL SINGING “I AM A CHILD OF GOD” TO HER BABY SISTER REACHES THOUSANDS

“I think a lot of people have questions, doubts, and fears, and they feel like they have to work on them on their own. That’s where the idea of, “Do I trust God when I don’t see Him, when everything seems confusing? Do I trust that He’s ultimately good and has better ideas for me than I do?” he said.

Finding God

It was a confusing season, and the path wasn’t clear for Andy. But he had a desire to know God on a personal level.

“Let me just wipe everything out that I know about God and start from zero and start with the Bible. As we look through the scripture, we see David and all kinds of people just shaking their fist at God and asking questions. God wants a relationship with us and He can handle our fears, our outbursts. Or our emotions. I think that my music is an honest reflection of who I am as a person,” he said.

Because of his deep desire to know God, Andy was motivated to learn to see the world through the lens of scripture.

God’s Word

“And I think who I am as a person is deeply shaped by my relationship with God. I want the truth of the Bible to live in me in such a way that as I talk about things, as I talk about money, as I talk about sex, relationships, friendship, all those things that would be colored by the Bible. The Bible is the way I look at the world, the way I see everything is shaped by that. So, I think, my music is naturally an outcome of that,” he concluded.

Andy Mineo on Living With Doubt | YouVersion

Reference | YouVersion

Header image: Andy [YouVersion]. YouTube, 12 June 2019, https://youtu.be/8ThnotIyIC8

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
ArticlesFeaturedNewsVideo

CrossFit Athlete Rich Froning: The Importance Of Knowing Jesus For Yourself

by Le-Jovale Vallejo
written by Le-Jovale Vallejo

CrossFit champion Rich Froning shared how God’s Word became the anchor of his career and relationships.

Professional Athlete Rich Froning

The athlete, Rich Froning first played baseball in high school, then tried footbal.

He received a baseball scholarship from a community college, but quit the sport when he started working at the fire department.

Rich grew up in a Christian home, but never made the faith his own.

“I was born in Michigan. We went to church on Sunday; that’s what we did. It was more of that’s what you’re supposed to do, you know,” he said.

Rich Froning And His Journey With God

Rich admitted that he didn’t have a true understanding of his faith.

“Obviously I read the Bible and knew all the Bible stories and all that stuff but didn’t have a true understanding; I didn’t have that relationship type of faith. When I prayed or when I read, I would skim around and find the verses that applied to the situation that I was in,” he said.

READ: REV. DR. BERNICE A. KING SHARES ABOUT DEALING WITH LOSS AND GRIEF

Furthermore, he shared that his relationship with God revolved around the question, “What can You do for me?” It was constantly about asking for favors and never really focused on knowing Him. He described it as “not real faith.”

The Turning Point

Growing up with 32 cousins, Rich felt like everything was a competition and always wanted to win.

When he started doing CrossFit, he realized that he could not always win.

“And that first year of the games where I was so close to winning. You know, I put so much into who I was as a CrossFit athlete, it kind of defined who I was. Being so close to winning and so close to having that glory, it was hard for me,” he said.

But because of that, he started seeking the Lord. He wanted to know what He was missing.

On Rich’s journey to know God, he realized that it is all about Jesus.

“When I started realizing and reading about Jesus and the things that He did and the things that He said, I was like, “I’m going to be okay whether I win or not. That’s not what defines me as a person. It’s my faith; it’s what Jesus did for me,” he said.

Watch his whole testimony here:

Rich Froning: Powered by Scripture — A YouVersion Story

Reference | YouVersion

Header image: Rich Froning [YouVersion]. YouTube, 23 October 2019, https://youtu.be/TtaDpL4rXLM

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
ArticlesFeaturedNewsVideo

Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King Shares About Dealing With Loss And Grief

by Le-Jovale Vallejo
written by Le-Jovale Vallejo

As the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King discussed how the Bible’s power impacted her life while she was growing up.

Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King

Being the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., she experienced what servant leadership really meant. She grew up watching her parents give their lives for others.

“I grew up in a household where serving others was not only spoken about but it was lived out. The scripture that was shared mostly in our household was: “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26, ESV).

Her mother and father lived lives of servanthood.

The Role Model Of Bernice A. King

“My mother invoked that quite often as an example of who my father was. It was always about thinking outside of yourself. People would rather see a sermon than hear a sermon,” she said.

She also shared that her mother had a huge influence on who she is now. She saw how the Word of God was lived out through her mother’s life. That was when the Word of God became her anchor as well.

READ: MERCY CULTURE WORSHIP LEADER SHARES WHY SHE DOESN’T LEAD WORSHIP EVERY WEEK

“On a day-to-day basis and especially in the area of service and forgiveness, she was able to transcend the pain and still extend a hand and a heart to those individuals. And just living with that, it gripped me,” she said.

Loss And Grief

When she experienced one loss after another, Rev. Bernice turned to the Word of God.

“I had to struggle for years with all of the anger that I had. I started developing hate for the white people because I felt like, you know, they killed my father. Some of that is because I am still grieving. The first loss, the second loss, the third loss, and several other losses,” she said.

But the Word of God stands true!

“There is a world that operates outside of this natural world that we all live in and see. That’s real. It’s more real than this world we’re in. When you operate out of scripture, out of God’s word, He’s obligated to honor it. His word will not return void…. There’s power in believing and lining yourself up with God’s word. That’s the most important thing about social justice today. It needs to be aligned with the Word of God,” she concluded.

A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King: His Word Does Not Return Void

Reference | YouVersion

Header image: Bernice A. King [YouVersion]. 17 January 2019, https://youtu.be/6xw6PLwtjGU

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
ArticlesFeaturedNewsVideo

‘Destiny’s Child’ Michelle Williams Shares How She Overcame Depression

by Le-Jovale Vallejo
written by Le-Jovale Vallejo

One of the former members of Destiny’s Child, Michelle Williams, shared a time when she struggled with depression and how she overcame it.

‘Destiny’s Child’ Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is a celebrated singer and actress. She was first known as one of the members of ‘Destiny’s Child’ with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. Later in her career, she chose to go solo and worked her way into the world of independent films.

The Grammy-award-winning singer has also been vocal about her faith. In fact, she credited the Word of God for helping her out of depression.

It was during the time when she was in her early teens that Michelle started noticing that something about her emotions wasn’t right.

“From the age of nine to the time I graduated high school, there were days that were dark. There were days that I could not get out of bed. Days I didn’t want to get out of bed,” she said.

‘Destiny’s Child’, Michelle Williams, In Overcoming Depression

Michelle was too young to understand that she was depressed, even at the height of her career. But most days, she just wanted to end her life.

“Feeling very low and helpless or just wanting to die. And you know, I didn’t care where I went, waiting for life to be over. I experienced some things, saw some things, even in childhood and even in adulthood that I should have never, never ever gone through. I felt so much shame,” she said.

READ: DR. CHARLES STANLEY ONCE SHARED A STEP BY STEP PLAN FOR MAKING WISE DECISIONS

Even though she knew that praying, worshiping, and reading the Bible could help her, she didn’t have the energy to do it. It was as if life itself had been taken out of her…and nobody knew.

The Turning Point

Because of its ease of access, Michelle got a hold of a Bible app YouVersion.

“I think the last turning point for me was I’ve always had the Bible app. So what I would do is make sure that every day I was getting up, having to walk all the way to the kitchen because I needed to get out of bed. And the first thing that I would do in the mornings is put praise and worship on, and I would be in the Word and writing things down. And everything that I needed to hear was right there,” she said.

Slowly, little by little, Michelle was able to keep going.

“I would say my love for God’s word is really what keeps me, sustains me… You know, we look everywhere else; you could do all the self-help books and all the relationship books. But you better get that Bible to know what He says for you.

“I would hate to say that I’ve been Christian all these years and had those moments. But I do thank God for His grace and His healing and restoring. God’s word is what continues to sustain me and keep me,” she concluded.

Michelle Williams: A Story of Faith

Reference | YouVersion

Header image: Michelle Williams [YouVersion]. 25 August 2018, https://youtu.be/84f2qEY_EcU

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Featured

YouVersion Announces The Bible App’s Most Shared Bible Verse For The Year 2022

by Rhoda Gayle
written by Rhoda Gayle

YouVersion announced the Bible mobile application’s most shared Bible verse for the year 2022.

YouVersion

The Bible app revealed that Isaiah 41:10 was the platform’s most shared Bible verse for this year. The verse highlights God’s protection, provision, and comfort. It is a verse that speaks to almost everyone’s needs as they faced this tough year.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10

The same verse has also previously hit the top spot in the Bible app for the year 2020. A difficult year for everyone as the pandemic broke out, instilling fear and uncertainties about what is ahead. Bobby Gruenewald, founder, and CEO of YouVersion expressed his thoughts as to why he thinks that specific Bible verse became popular.

“The popularity of this verse speaks to our desire to be reminded that even when we feel like we’re alone in our struggles, we’re not,” he said in an interview with CBN News. “As this verse says, God is our strength, and He’s always with us.”

Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 has been highlighted and bookmarked more than 2 billion times on the mobile Bible application. It was also found to be most popular in several countries including Argentina, France, Germany, and the United States.

YouVersion also saw an increase in Bible engagement activities worldwide. The Ukrainian-language Bible also saw a major increase in engagement in many countries. At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, searches for keywords like “war,” “fear,” and “anxiety” became popular. But the most searched word during that time in the Ukrainian language was “love.”

“These families are going through something most of us can’t imagine. In the middle of what’s likely the most difficult time of their lives, they’re turning to the Bible for comfort, peace, and hope,” Bobby said. “It’s an honor that we get to be a part of making God’s Word available to His people in their greatest moments of need.”

Read also: FOX NEWS’ HARRIS FAULKNER IS ON ‘DIVINE ASSIGNMENT’

Grow closer to God daily by getting exclusive video teachings on God Today!
Read God’s Word For You Today directly from your phone. Download the Daily Word app now on Google Play and Appstore
Reference: Christian Headlines

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
ArticlesFeatured

Canadian Atheist Downloads Bible App To Disprove Dad’s Faith But Got Transformed Instead

by Christa
written by Christa

A Canadian atheist tried to refute his dad’s faith, so he downloaded a Bible app to find errors in it. Instead, he was drawn in by Jesus and got transformed.

Canadian Atheist

YouVersion Bible App creator and founder Bobby Gruenewald told Billy Hallowell of FaithWire about Scott, the atheist’s fantastic conversion. “He downloaded the [YouVersion] Bible app in an effort to refute his father, who was a Christian,” Bobby said. “He wanted to basically say, ‘Look, I read the Bible, and I’m going to show you why what you believe is wrong.'”

But what turned out was a lovely transformation of a lost son to a child of God. “[Scott] began to see God’s voice in Scripture,” Bobby continued.

“God literally used him reading the Bible app in an effort to try and disprove his father’s religion to lead him into a relationship with Jesus. It just shows the transformational power of scripture.”

Today, Scott has become a believer and follower of Christ.

YouVersion Bible App

Scott’s story is only one of the millions Bobby and his team have heard. God has used the YouVersion Bible app to reveal Himself to His lost children and has led many to a relationship with Christ.

And this week, YouVersion has reached a milestone with 500 million installs.

“We just really feel blessed to be a part of something that God’s done. It’s a hundred percent something God’s done. It’s pretty clear that it’s not something we would be able to do on our own,” Bobby shared.

His team has seen an increase in the number of Bible reading over the years, proving wrong today’s issue that biblical faith is somehow dying.

“The Bible’s alive. We see people turning to His word in huge numbers.”

Statistics showed that Bible reading raised to 21% in 2021 compared to 2020. The growth rose significantly during the pandemic when people turned to God’s word in times of uncertainty.

With the trend today, I believe God is really setting something up that will shake the world. Revival is coming to all generations.

Reference: CBN News

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
YouVersion Goal
Articles

YouVersion Sets Goal To Make Entire ‘Bible’ Available In Every Language

by Christel Berns
written by Christel Berns

“YouVersion” Bible application sets a goal to make the entire electronic Bible available in every language by 2033—about 95 percent worldwide.

God-Size Goal Of YouVersion

In an interview with Premier Christian News, YouVersion founder Bobby Gruenewald shared how many people worldwide haven’t yet read the Bible in their native tongue. And for that reason, the founder saw it as an opportunity to desire God-sized goals.

YouVersion Goal

Photo | YouVersion

Bobby stated that there are over 6,000 languages worldwide. However, although we’ve had the Bible in English, “we take it for granted that there are still many people and thousands of languages that actually have no access to Scripture at all.” He further remarked, “no scripture in their heart language.”

2033 Goal

Hence, “YouVersion” decided to set an impossible goal of translating the Bible to over 95 percent of languages by 2033.

“We think it’s possible in most of our lifetimes here by 2033,” the founder noted. “To be able to see God’s word translated into 100 percent of the languages. To see the New Testament available in 99.96 percent of the languages available. And the whole Bible, the entire Bible, translated in 95 percent of the languages. Which is just really a goal that seemed impossible.”

Christians Team Up

With this plan, YouVersion is teaming up with “IllumiNations,” a Bible translation organization. They also partnered with other Christian organizations like “American Bible Society, Biblica, Deaf Bible Society, Lutheran Bible Translators, Seed Company, SIL International, United Bible Societies, The Word for the World, Pioneer Bible Translators, and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.”

“This is a big, audacious, and aggressive goal, but this is a God-centered plan that has brought so much unity and faith,” Bobby said in an interview with CP. “And when there is great unity and faith, God answers.”

Bobby launched the YouVersion platform in 2008. Since then, the Bible app has been installed on more than 490 million devices, according to CBN News.

Today, its growth continues to spike, especially breaking the record last year during the pandemic.

Reference: CBN News

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

Another Milestone Reached As YouVersion Bible App Now Offers 1,500 Available Languages

by Christa
written by Christa

The popular Bible mobile app, YouVersion, now offers 1,500 available languages for Bible readers. This marks another milestone in spreading the Word of God to all nations.

1,500 available languages

According to Premier Christian News, the number of available languages of the Bible has increased for the last decade. In 2012, 100 languages were reached. By 2014, it has grown steadily to 500 and by 2016, the 1,000 language threshold was reached. And just last month, the faith community has achieved the 1,500 milestone.

YouVersion Bible App and Wycliffe partnership

The accomplishment has more to do with YouVersion and Wycliffe’s collaboration. The Wycliffe Bible Translators have been working on translating the Scripture for more than 75 years. They have helped millions of people around the world in readig the Bible in their own language. Today, they welcomed the online platform to reach many people as possible.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe, believes the digital media is “crucial” for spreading God’s Word. He said, “We hear many reports of people coming to faith in Jesus as they read or listen to the Scriptures online or on their phones in their own language. And we make translations widely available to enable this.”

Peter Brassington, who works with Wycliffe, is also delighted over the increase of the Bible translation work. He stated, “Wycliffe’s vision, working in partnership with others, is to enable everyone to have access to God’s Word in the language that speaks to them best.”

He continued, “Increasingly in this world, that includes making God’s Word available not just through print but also digitally.”

When added together with other platforms such as Faith comes from hearing or Global.bible, the available languages totals to more than 1,900.

James added, “These are very encouraging figures and the work of the Bible translation is accelerating. However, Wycliffe continues to press on for the one in five who currently do not have the Bible in the language that they understand best.”

ALSO READ: Remote Tribe That Once Killed Missionaries Gladly Receives Bible In Their Own Language
0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

YouVersion Bible Plan Got Over 1 Million Subscriptions On New Year’s Day

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

YouVersion Bible App’s Bible Plan garnered over 1 million new subscriptions on the first day of the year 2019! The new subscriptions on the first of January represents a 62% increase from last year.

YouVersion Bible App

Launched in 2008, YouVersion is a downloadable Bible app for smartphones that offers a wide range of languages and versions.

TheBible Plan subscription allows YouVersion users to pair daily verses from the Bible with audio, video or devotional content. These plans are available in more than 50 languages.

YouVersion’s Founder

Founder, Bobby Gruenewald, said in an interview that the app’s overall mission is to make access to scripture easier.

“We’ve added several features focused on developing a habit of reading or listening to the Bible every day,” he said.

“We’re encouraged to see Bible Plan subscriptions continue to increase year after year, and we’re so grateful for our partners who make their content available on the Bible App.”

YouVersion’s Bible Plan

Over 13,000 different Bible plans are being offered in about 1,000 languages.

“Starting a Bible Plan is one of the best ways to build a discipline of daily Bible reading within the app. In the last year, we’ve added hundreds of new content partnerships, resulting in more than 2,500 new Bible Plans in 2018,” Gruenewald continued.

“Our hope is that by leveraging all the features offered in the Bible App, [YouVersion users] develop a love for engaging with the Bible daily. So they can begin to recognize God’s presence in their everyday lives.”

Article written by Rhoda Gayle.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

YouVersion Reports The Most Popular Bible Verse Of 2018 And It’s Not John 3:16

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

The ever popular Bible app, YouVersion celebrates its 10th anniversary this month and as part of the celebrations has announced its most popular verse of the year.

The most shared, bookmarked, and highlighted verse by YouVersion community members around the world this year is Isaiah 41:10:

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

“This year’s data shows people worldwide are continuing to turn to the Bible in search of comfort, encouragement, and hope,” said Bobby Gruenewald, pastor, innovation leader for Life.Church and YouVersion founder. “We’re humbled that a decade after its release, people continue to use the YouVersion Bible App in record numbers to connect with God’s Word.”

“Many of us grew up with the ability to read the Bible, but countless people around the world don’t have that privilege. That’s why we’re passionate about making the Bible available in more languages through the app,” said Pastor Bobby. “We’re eternally grateful to the generous publishers and Bible societies who’ve joined us in the mission of increasing worldwide access and engagement with the Scriptures.”

The YouVersion Bible App has been installed on more than 350 million devices worldwide, and it’s continually increasing. Bible reading via the app is on the rise across several continents with more than 1,800 versions in more than 1,250 languages. Bible engagement in Japan saw year-on-year growth of 104 percent with the addition of a new Japanese Bible version within the app.

“This generation is on pace to become the most Bible-engaged generation ever and we believe the Church should keep investing in new technologies to help adults and children connect with the Bible,” he said. “We’re honored to be a part of how God is reaching people around the globe through His Word and we’re eager to see how Bible-engaged people make a difference in this world for decades to come.”

Click for more info about YouVersion community’s Bible engagement in 2018

About YouVersion

Created by Life.Church, YouVersion is on a mission to help people engage with the Bible. The team designs and builds experiences that make it easy for people to integrate God’s Word into their daily lives. Since 2008, the Bible App has offered a free Bible experience that can be accessed on smartphones, browsers, voice platforms, and more. The Bible App for Kids launched in 2013 and engages children with Bible stories of an age-appropriate level. The newest app, Bible Lens, analyzes objects in photos, finds the most relevant Bible verse to match, and automatically creates beautiful, shareable artwork. Click for more information about YouVersion.

This article is compiled by Le-Jovale Vallejo.

SOURCE: YouVersion

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail

GET YOUR DAILY
DEVOTIONAL