Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

This Weekend at Church Requel: FUMBLE!

I'm pumped for this weekend's worship service at Church Requel.  Now I admit that I'm an enthusiastic kind of guy and you expect me to say, "I'm pumped." But you will NOT want to miss this weekend.  I've spent all morning going over our plans for Sunday night at 6pm and I've been laughing and crying and joyful and singing and excited and... yeah, pumped!

What's so great about this Sunday, you ask?

Glad you asked! (Ha!) Let me give you a few "pumped up" items!  First, when we walk in the door, we get to see pictures of the CR guys having fun last weekend at Progressive Field (the Indians are done for the season, but the memories live on!) Then we get to watch a brand new welcome video by the creative geniuses at Steelehouse Media.

The worship and praise music this weekend are off the charts with "Counting on God" by Desperation Band (I love this song!!!), along with "For All You've Done" and "Came to My Rescue" by Hillsong.

We'll greet one another to the tune of the oldie but goody "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge.  (Come on.  Live a little.  One time! We've never played it before and we'll probably not do it again... but it's a party this weekend at CR!)

Steve will tell us about all the great things happening at CR.  He's also going to share a little bit about his own use of the YouVersion app for his daily Bible reading.  And we'll watch a really cool short video called "Whispers" where we hear the whispers of hundreds of people reading the Bible.  Eerily awesome!

And we're going to have a helpful and practical teaching about temptations.  Football players don't want to fumble the ball in football.  And we especially don't want to fumble the ball with our Christian faith.  By the way, the sermon opens up with another "Football Advice From Your Pastor" video segment.  (Click here for a sneak peak!)

Have I mentioned how pumped I am about this weekend at Church Requel?  Can't wait to see you there!

Video: Don't Fumble the Ball!

Here's a sneak preview of the vide we'll be playing at Church Requel this coming Sunday evening before the sermon.  Watch it!  It's only 94 seconds long.  Hey, you're a Church Requel insider right?

 

Video Sermon: Defending the Offense

What is our defense when someone's offense, or sin, comes against us?  Jesus gave us 4 very specific instructions of how we are to respond.  Just like in football, there is an order to how we respond, a 1st down, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Join me in this video study of Matthew 18:15-17.

 

Here are the resources to support this week's sermon.  You may want to download the weekend program and follow along.  Or perhaps you'd like to have a copy of my notes.  If you are a pastor or ministry leader of another church, you are most welcome to use these resources in any way that could build the kingdom of Christ.  We're on the same team!  Download any of the following:

• Weekly program without answers (PDF 4.3 MB)
• Weekly program with answers (PDF 4.3 MB)
• My personal teaching notes for "Defending the Offense" (PDF - 146 KB)
• My teaching notes in Kindle format (AZW - 15 KB)
• Teaching Notes with slides in margins (PDF - 6.4 MB), used by our tech team
• Worship Service Planning Sheet (PDF - 35 KB), for ideas to support the theme.

All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog.  Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week?  Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices.  You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast.

4 Lessons I Learned When A Block Fell On My Toe

The picture on the right is of me and my grandson, Grayden, this past Saturday at the Indians baseball game.  When I was about his age, my brother and I attempted to relocate a heavy cement block.  We dropped it along the way and it fell on my big toe, ripping my toenail off.  Here are 4 lessons I learned about life at a very early age.

Lesson #1: Life includes pain.  Sometimes a lot of it!  When that block hit my toe, PAIN hit my brain. You think a hammer on a thumb is painful?  Imagine a 5-ton cement block slamming into a big toe! (It might have weighed less than that. After all, these are the recollections of a 7-year-old boy.)  I immediately began screaming and crying and running.  I ran 3 times around the house before my mom could catch me to find out what had happened.  Life is wonderful and amazing.  However, pain is part of the package.

Lesson #2: Communicating well might avoid pain.  To this day my brother, Todd, and I disagree about who let go of that block first.  Here’s my version.  He dropped it first.  Even as a youngster I  never blamed him for dropping the block.  After all, it weighed 5 tons. (See disclaimer in #1 above.) It just would have been nice if he’d let me know he was going to drop the block. “Brother... I’m about to drop my end of this 5-ton cement block.  You might wish to remove your big toe from directly underneath said 5-ton cement block.”  Is this to much to ask?

Lesson #3: Consider Plan B. Perhaps carrying a 5-ton cement block was not the brightest plan I’ve ever come up with.  Perhaps moving the block to the side of the house would not have given us the height we needed to step up to the roof anyway.  Perhaps there was another plan that would have worked better.  My first idea is not always my best idea.  Think things through a little better.

Lesson #4: Painful experiences can still bring joy.  While at the emergency room having my toenail removed, another excursion in pain (see #1 above), my dad showed up from work.  He did not come empty handed.  He brought me a new book: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.  And he brought my brother the book, Tom Sawyer.  While we were in the hospital, Dad wrote a paragraph in the front of both books.  I’ve read that book a dozen times since always remembering that special moment when Dad came bearing gifts.

What painful experience are you going through today? The 5-ton cement block falling on my big toe was not the only painful experience of my life. It was just the first I clearly remember. Each pain-filled moment brings back these four lessons to my mind, especially the lesson about joy.  “Where is the gift in this pain I’m experiencing today?” Ask this question the next time a 5-ton cement block falls on your life and see if there might be some joy waiting for you!

Review Part 8: YouVersion Bookmarks, Part Two

Yesterday I wrote about the simplicity of YouVersion bookmarks.  This simplicity is a mixture of "K.I.S.S." and "It just works."  The folks at Lockheed Skunk Works and Apple would be so proud.  

Simplicity is reason #1 of why YouVersion's bookmarks are so darn addicting. Today I'd like to discuss the other two reasons:  #2 - These bookmarks are functional;  #3 - They fill a great need.

A second reason why bookmarking has achieved such a colossal response from users is that it is functional.  While you can simply bookmark a reference verse and store it away for future use, you can also raise your bookmark to the next level by giving it a title and a label.  This makes it so much easier later on to come back and recognize the reason you bookmarked the verse in the first place.  The labels make it easy to categorize groups of verses within any particular theme.  When combined with the Search function (we'll talk about that in future posts), this becomes a powerful Bible study aid.

 
Quite honestly though, I believe the reason why bookmarking has become so phenomenally successful is because of the great need that both new and experienced Bible students feel for an easy to remember pointer.  Like the GPS Navigation program remembers addresses so you can quickly pop in where you want to drive, the YouVersion bookmark helps people pre-route their future course in Bible study.  

Let me illustrate with a real-life example.  One of the ladies in my church, who is most excited about her YouVersion Bible app, tells me she loves the bookmark function.  (Actually it's her second favorite feature.  What's her favorite feature, you ask?  Big Fonts!)  When I asked her how she used the bookmarks here's what she told me:

I used the bookmarks the other day when I was preparing for our Bible Study. I bookmarked all the passages we would be talking about that night so that if I wanted to refer back....I had just those passages available to me.... 

Sermon Notes: Defending the Offense

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say! For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Want to listen as you read?  Here's the audio from Sunday:

Defending the Offense Audio Sermon

Sunday Night Football Part 2: Defending the Offense 09.25.11

Scripture:  Matthew 18:15-17 ESV

Video: “Pastor Mark on Defense” [1:30]

Intro:  In football, defense is always response.  The offense runs a play and the defense responds.  However, the D always has plays of its own.  Sometimes its geared up for the pass play.  Sometimes - like on the goal line - the D puts a bunch of lineman to defend against the run.

Today we’re going to learn about 4 defensive plays that Jesus taught us in Matthew 18.  These 4 plays should be learned by every Christ-follower.  What do you do when someone wrongs you?

 Our Christian bookshelves are filled with relationship advice.  In three little verses Jesus lays down our strategy for handling conflicts and confrontations.  Just like in football, consider these 4 plays as the 4 downs.  There’s a proper order to this.  First things first!

 But before we get to the 4 defensive plays, we need to know the objective of our D.  The football defense always wants to get the ball back for its offense - preferably without the offense scoring any points!

Objective of our Christian Defense: _RESTORATION_.

This is so important.  We can miss this point if not reminded. When we are in a battle with another Christ-follower, when they’ve wronged us in some way - Our goal is NOT to prove we are right and they are wrong.  Our objective is to find common ground, our aim is restoration.

“Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

This is so different than we are accustomed to thinking.  There is a very natural instinct within us when we are hurt to hurt back.  We want someone else to feel the same pain they have caused us.  However we are instructed that we should restore GENTLY!

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Galatians 6:1 ESV

Gently doesn’t mean weakly.  Rather it’s power under control.  It’s power from the Holy Spirit Himself - beyond our human instincts.  That’s why there is the double reference to “spirit.”  Those who are spiritual are those who are well connected to God’s Spirit and allow Him control when we would otherwise be out of control.

All too often we’re ready to write someone off who has betrayed us.  However our objective in restoration is always to bring them back.

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back. James 5:19 MSG

Remember this as we work our way through these 4 defensive plays.  Just like the defense in football wants to get the ball back, our objective is always to get our brother or our sister back.  Our goal - even when we separate - is to restore back to a relationship of love with God and with one another.  This isn’t easy.  That’s why Jesus clearly laid out this 4-step, or 4-down scenario.   Let’s look at each closely.

Review Part 7: YouVersion Bookmarks, Part One

Bookmarks.  You know what those are, right?  It's the little ribbon that helps you save your place in your physical Bible.  Most Bibles have one bookmark.  Really fancy, expensive ones might have 2. When it comes to the YouVersion bookmark (and with apologies to the 1988 Oldsmobile commerical), this isn't your father's bookmark!  This past June, YouVersion's blog posted this infographic stating that registered YouVersion readers had already posted over 20 million bookmarks!  

This amazing stat doesn't begin to express the enormity of this bookmarking phenomenon because these 20 million bookmarks are only from the registered users, which as of this past June totaled just over a million.  The number of downloaded YV apps approached 22 million at this same time (June, 2011.) This tells me the vast majority of people who download their Bible app don't register it.  They aren't required to do so.  Therefore, the number of bookmarks could be more than 400 million!  That's about a hundred million more Bible bookmarks than the number of people who live in the U.S.!

According to the good folks at YouVersion, one person has bookmarked his or her Bible over 40 thousand times. Since there are only about 31,000 total verses in the Bible, some of these verses must be bookmarked multiple times! What is it about the YouVersion bookmark that it so addictive?

Simplicity. Functionality, Need.  These 3 factors make the YV bookmark something that is used every day by thousands of users.  Let's talk about each in turn, and maybe along the way help you find how YV bookmarks could be helpful to you too.

Adding a bookmark to your YouVersion mobile Bible is ridiculously simple.  On my Android phone I simply long-press a verse that I'm reading that I think I might want to remember.  Two things happen simultaneously,  First the verse is temporarily highlighted.  Second a pop-up dialog box lifts up from the bottom of my screen with 5 choices, the first of which is to bookmark.  You have the option to give the bookmark a title and a label, but you don't need to do that.  Just save and you're done!  Easy. Simple.  Brilliant!

I use an Android phone like the one above on the left.  The Blackberry and iPhone work very similarly. Because the operating system is different, each one has a different way of getting to the same end result. In all 3 cases, YouVersion has kept creating bookmarks a simple and easy thing to do.  If you'd like to watch how to make a bookmark in your mobile Bible, YouVersion has posted some great short YouTube videos.  Check out your particular flavor of smartphone:

• Creating Notes and Bookmarks on Android
• Creating Notes and Bookmarks on Blackberry
• Creating Notes and Bookmarks on iPhone

This post has grown a tad long for our purposes, so we'll wrap it up tomorrow with a discussion of both the functionality and the need Bible users have for this bookmark function.  Come back to hear a real-life example of someone new to the Bible who uses the bookmark functions all the time!

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One

Audio Sermon: Defending the Offense

What is our defense when someone's offense, or sin, comes against us?  Jesus gave us 4 very specific instructions of how we are to respond.  Just like in football, there is an order to how we respond, a 1st down, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Join me in this audio study of Matthew 18:15-17.

110925Defense

Subscribe to this audio podcast!  It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.

Library Card Comes to Kindle for Pierce Family Club

Every week so often I update our family members on their Kindle books.  We each keep our own Kindle, but we share an Amazon account together.  I keep track of who buys what.  The cool part is that we can share the books with one another.  Not only does it save us money, but it gives us something to enjoy with one another.  Here is this week's email.

Dear Dad, Jillian, Tim, Jessica, Dave, Jennifer, Mike, Nancy, Patty and Cheryl:

The picture on the right is of Jillian with her brand spankin new Kindle 3 WiFi.  Sadly her Kindle 2 met its demise while she was babysitting.  The K2 sat helpless next to a glass of milk and Jillian's young client.  This quote direct from Kindle Heaven: "I could see my life flash before my eyes as I laid there looking up at that tall glass of cow juice. It was like a bad dream.  I couldn't mooove!"

So much has happened in our family book club as well as with Kindle over the last 12 days since I last wrote to you.  First, let's quickly update some key stats for the Pierce Family Kindle Library.  We've added 18 eBooks and one Audible book to our archives.  You can check them out below.  We are now up to 833 eBooks and 110 Audible titles.

Library Lending for Kindle is Now Available! Before we look at the new books in our archives, we should review the big news this past week.  We've been waiting for this moment - especially Jonathan on Grayden's behalf.  It will now be possible to borrow books from your local library and read them on your Kindles!  According to Amazon more than 11,000 libraries are participating.  All good news.  

The few negatives I have heard about is that there sometimes is only one copy of a title in Kindle format with a long line of waiting patrons.  You may not be able to get the latest release and read it right away.  But then that's always been the case with libraries, right?  

The way it will work is that you will need your local library card and your Kindle Account information to borrow a book.  It will then be placed in our archives for whatever lending period the library will allow.  (These lending periods differ from library to library.)  You will then need to let me know so that I can go into our Manage Your Kindle account page and forward the book to your Kindle.  The next time you turn on your WiFi on your Kindle (doesn't work over 3G), your book will be waiting for you.  Cool!  

I haven't had time this week to try this out yet. However, I have collected the most important news releases and commentary and put them in one place for you (and me later) to read.  Here are the top reads on the new Kindle Library Lending Feature from this past week:

• The official Library Lending Page from Amazon.  All the details are here.
• The official HELP page for Library Lending from Amazon.  Even more details.
• Where and how to find libraries from the Kindle World Blog.
• The 8 Biggest Advantages of Library Lending from Beyond Black Friday.
• Personal experiences of borrowing books by Bufo Calvin, from I Love My Kindle.
• Finally this week's Kindle Chronicles Podcast - audio discussion by Len Edgerly

Big News From Amazon Next Week! Amazon has invited many bloggers and tech writers to NYC for a press conference next Wednesday.  Speculation is great that they will talk about their new Kindle tablet.  I hope we also hear about their plans for a new e-Ink reader as well.  This could be the banner week Grayden has been waiting for.  He has over $100 collected for his new Kindle.  My 7-year-old grandson has been waiting for 2 things: Library Lending and the new Kindle.  Inside of a 7-day period of time he may have received all the news he's been wating for! 

This Weekend at CR: Defending the Offense

Hey everyone!  We have an awesome service planned for Sunday night.  One of my new Twitter friends, the pastor of Revolution Church in Greenville, SC, described their worship service this weekend as being OFF THE CHAIN! I don't know if we'll break our chain or not, but Church Requel should enjoy another awesome worship experience Sunday evening.

Here's what's happening.  We'll continue our Sunday Night Football sermon series with a discussion of "Defending the Offense."  Specifically we'll study the 4 defensive plays given to us by Christ in Matthew 18:15-17, when someone sins against us.  Really good advice!  Really specific advice!  We often get it wrong.  We'll get it right Sunday night!

Here are three ways you can prepare yourself and your friends for this weekend at CR.  First take 90 seconds and watch this video!  It's fun and short.  And it's sendable!  Tell your friends to check it out and then invite them to come with you.  

Second, check out our new LIVE EVENT on your Bible app.  You'll need a smart phone and the free YouVersion Bible app.  Inside the app click on the LIVE EVENT icon and type in our zip code or the name Requel.  Everything you'll need - Bible verses, outline, space for your reflections - all of it is prepared and ready to go!  This is also a great opportunity to tell your friends about the cool things happening at your church!

Third - Wear your favorite football uniform Sunday night! We had a lot of fun with all the jerseys last week.  Let's do it up even better this weekend!

I look forward to seeing all of you Sunday night at 6PM!  - Pastor Mark

P.S. Did a friend send this to you?  Here's directions to our church.

P.P.S. I've written 6 articles this week on the blog about the YouVersion Bible app for your smart phone.  You should definitely check them out!

Review Part 6: YouVersion - Reading The Bible

I've written 5 parts to my review of the YouVersion app and haven't yet talked about reading the Bible! That's always the danger... getting so involved in the technology about the Bible that we forget to actually read the Bible.  Duh! Let's correct that today.

The YouVersion app has a remarkably intuitive reading interface.  I use the Android version on my phone (pictured on the left) as well as the iPad version.  Each different version of the app has a slightly different way of going about this same function.  I'll describe the Android app here. However everything I will talk about here will be available to you also, even if you don't use the Android operating system. 

When you first click on the Bible app icon, YouVersion opens to its main menu.  The first thing you'll see is "Bible" in the top left hand corner of the main menu.  Click on the Bible icon and you'll see a screen that looks like the one on the left.

Along the top of the Bible Reader, you'll see three things: a drop down box on the top left-hand corner, the book of the Bible and chapter that you're currently reading, and your current version of the Bible in the top right-hand corner.  Tap on any of these three menu items to change them.  Let's talk about each one individually.

PreSermon Video: Defending the Offense

Today we recorded three pre-sermon videos for the next three weekend services.  Church Requel's current sermon theme is Sunday Night Football.  Our sermon focus is entirely from the Bible.  This weekend our study is Matthew 18:15-17.  There's no reason not to have a little creative fun introducing the topic!  Check out this week's 90-second video! (Thanks Jon, Dave and Jessica for your help today!)

 

Review Part 5: YouVersion - The Miracle of Versions

When you think of miracles, what do you think about?  Great healings? Abundant food? Space travel? Crying statues?  I suggest that the smart phone you hold in your hand may be the greatest miracle! The YouVersion app, easily downloaded for free onto your mobile device, is a miracle unimaginable in the history of Christianity. 

Let's go back to the early 400s.  Latin has become the central language of the church.  The books of the Old Testament, most of which had been originally written in Hebrew, had for centuries been translated into Greek.  The New Testament also was originally written in Greek.  By the early 5th century a new version was needed for the language of the day.  Jerome translated the Bible into Latin - what is now known as the Vulgate.  He wasn't the first to do this, but he was the first to go back to the original Hebrew language for the Old Testament. This was controversial with Christians of Jerome's day, because the Greek translation (The Septuagint) had been considered to be inspired.  Despite this controversy the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible served as the primary text for more than a thousand years.

Enter John Wycliffe in 1382, an advocate for translating the Vulgate Bible into the common English tongue.  Wycliffe thought that English people should be able to read the Word of God in English!  Hear the cries of his enemies: "The jewel of the clergy has become the toy of the laity." Wycliffe was declared a heretic in 1415.  All his books and translations were burned.  Not satisfied with the fact that Wycliffe had already died, the Council of Constance ordered his remains exhumed and burned them along with all his written work.

John Tyndale was the first to translate the Bible into English from the original Hebrew and Greek languages and not from the Latin Vulgate.  Combined with the advent of the printing press the Tyndale Bible was mass produced... and mass destroyed by both the state and the church! Tyndale wrote much of his translation while running for his life.  He was eventually imprisoned, strangled, and then - though already dead - his body was burned.  His body's ashes were added to the ashes of his Bibles.

These stories of the great miracles of Bible translations are too many for this modest blog post. Each translation was hard fought and often cost the lives of the translators.  These men had one thing in common: their belief that the Word of God should be available for all men in all languages.  It's hard for us to imagine today, but at one time the Bible was chained to the table in the church so that it could not be taken and read by just anyone not properly trained to understand it.

Stop and marvel at the gadget you hold in your hand.  You thought it was just a smart phone.  Sure, it will make a phone call for you.  You can send a text or an email.  You can check up on the news of the day or watch a Netflix movie.  You could even read this Church Requel blog post!

The BIG DEAL in mobile communications is that you hold God's Word in your hand!   Any time you want - without any thought to personal risk against you or your family - you can read or listen to your Bible.  AND you can choose any one of 25 English versions and/or 44 different languages.   That adds up to "miracle" in my book!

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One

Review Part 4: YouVersion - Personalize Your Settings

Have you ever shopped for a Bible and discovered just how difficult it is to find the right combination of features? You want a skinny Bible? You might have to squint your eyes. You want a Bible with large print and all the notes? How strong are your biceps?  Want to read it at night? Better pick up a book light too!

None of these are issues when you own the YouVersion app.  When you read your Bible in your YouVersion app, you have lots of ways to make it work just right for YOU! Maybe that's why it's called YOUversion?

Font Size and Shape. Most of these preferences can be set within the Settings menu, which we talked about yesterday. Here you can set the font (Sans, Serif, or Monospace), text size (from very small to very large.)  I love how the text size is set by a slider rather than trying to guess a number.  Setting the text size is a great blessing on many fronts. Do you have 20/20 vision and hate turning pages?  You could read Philemon in only two pages on the smallest font setting.  Or maybe you're on the top side of the eye chart.  Set the font to the largest size and you see two just verses at a time - but you won't be squinting!  

One note about using the slider for your font size.  Usually you can see the fonts of the text change as you move the slider.  However, when you get to the large and extra large font sizes, it looks like the font in your Bible isn't getting larger.  Be patient.  It may take your mobile device a little longer to process the larger fonts. Experiment with the fonts and find the smallest font you're comfortable with. Then move it up a notch.  That should be about the right size.  Remember - you can change this font size any time you want.

Show Notes... Or Not.  Many versions have text notes available.  These are not the extensive notes you may find in the Study Bibles.  These are the textual notes from the committee responsibile for the final translation.  For example, there will sometimes be a note about a particular word with an alternative that could have been used.  You have the choice to show these notes within your Bible or not.  Personally I love to see the notes.  But some people find them distracting and would rather just read without having to stop to check the footnotes.  It's YOUR choice.  Check the box in the settings and the notes will show.  Uncheck the box and the notes don't show.

Are you a rightie... or a leftie?  Left handed people sometimes feel like the world has conspired against them.  YouVersion is optimized for right-handed folks.  However, if you are a leftie there is a box you can uncheck in the settings. It's called "Navigation."  Now all those little menu options that used to be on the right hand of the screen magically show up on the left!

Low Lights or High Beams?  You may choose whether you'd prefer to have black text on a white background or white text on a black background.  Supposedly the latter is better in low light conditions.  The next time you're reading your YouVersion Bible in bed after dark, you might want to check out the low light option.  Not only do I like this setting, but I also turn down the brightness on my screen.  I find there is much less eye strain this way.

Setup Your Account. You also have the option in the Settings menu to setup your YouVersion account.  I wrote two days ago that you needed to do this when you downloaded the app onto your mobile device.  This was incorrect and I have changed the original post.  You have the choice of being a misanthropic hermit, who loves to read your YouVersion Bible by yourself with no one else ever knowing. OR you may choose to be the gregarious social butterfly and connect to other people with your YouVersion account. It's your choice!  One more thing about social connections - if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, this would be the place in the menu to make network associations as well.

Manage Offline Versions. We will begin talking about all your choices of Bible versions tomorrow. There are 25 English versions and there are 44 different languages available.  That combines to make a total of 144 choices!  All of them are available to you whenever you are connected to the Internet.  But what about the next time you're in the middle of Nowheresville... or on an airplane... or out of the country, and you want to read your YouVersion Bible?  This is where you set one or more versions to be downloaded to your device so you always have the opportunity to read your Bible.

Next Post: Versions, Versions, and More Versions! Speaking of Bible versions, tomorrow we'll talk about some of the different options you have and how to know which one is right for you.  Hmmm... this may take more than one post to cover.  Stay tuned!

Do you have any special settings you find works well for you?  Click on the comments below and share your ideas.  I'd love to hear what's working for you... and so would our readers!

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One

Video Sermon: Christian Two-A-Days

Even professional athletes at the top of their game need discipline.  In this first video sermon in the Sunday Night Football series, we consider the Bible's admonition to run the race to win.  Join me in this video sermon as we study 1 Cor. 9:24-27.

 

Here are the resources to support this week's sermon.  You may want to download the weekend program and follow along.  Or perhaps you'd like to have a copy of my notes.  If you are a pastor or ministry leader of another church, you are most welcome to use these resources in any way that could build the kingdom of Christ.  We're on the same team!  Download any of the following:

• Program without answers (PDF - 1.3MB)
• Program with answers (PDF - 1.3MB)
• Christian Two-A-Days TEACHING NOTES (PDF - 155KB)
• Christian Two-A-Days notes in KINDLE format (AZW - 15KB), read on your Kindle!
• Sermon Notes with graphics in margins (PDF - 5.9MB), used by our tech team
• CR Worship Planning Sheet (PDF - 35KB), for ideas of how we supported theme

All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog.  Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week?  Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices.  You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast.

Review Part 3: YouVersion - Getting Started

You've heard from a friend about this great new Bible app called YouVersion and you've downloaded it.  Now what?

You'll want to setup YouVersion on your mobile device so it's quickly available to you.  Find the app in your list of apps and then move the app icon to one of your main menu screens. 

When you open the YouVersion app you will see a main menu screen something like this photo of my Evo phone running Android OS.  When you see all the choices in the main menu, you'll know there's alot more here than any single Bible.  Let's take a quick look at our choices in the menu.

The top left icon is your link to your preferred Bible. Press it and you'll be taken to your last read location of the Bible. We'll talk a great deal about versions in the next couple of posts.  Here's a quick preview: You have 140 different versions available to you!!! There are 25 different English Bibles plus there are 44 different languages available currently.  YouVersion is the ultimate parallel Bible!

You'll also see a bookmark icon on the main menu.  Bookmarks are a great way to remember favorite passages and to memorize Scripture.  You'll also find a "Plans" link.  YouVersion has 150+ different plans, with options for customization and support to help you stay on track with a reading plan. This is a great way to make the Bible part of your daily life.

The 4th icon is the "Live" button, which gives you the opportunity to input your location (try your zip code.)  Unless you live in a large metropolitan area, or have a particularly tech savvy pastor, you may not find a live event in your immediate area.  Expand your search by typing in the name of your state - in my case, Ohio - to see examples of live events using YouVersion.

The 5th icon is the "Note" button.  Here you will have the chance to see your notes.  YouVersion gives you the opportunity to store your own notes AND ALSO gives you the chance to link to other resources connected to your reading.  This is powerful as we'll discover together soon.  These same notes can be viewed or entered on the YouVersion.com website, using your account.  Finally, you'll find the "Settings" button.  Press the settings button and you'll find several ways to personalize your reading and Bible Study experience.  We'll talk more about these settings tomorrow.

One final note.  This is the main menu for the Android version of YouVersion. Your YouVersion mobile app may look different in IOS, Blackberry, or Windows.  For example on my iPad - using IOS - the Bible immediately opens with all these other pieces of the software in different menu locations.  The important thing is to know that there are many resources here to assist you in your Bible reading and study. I plan on discussing each one in a different post!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, when I'll give you some hints on setting up your preferences in the YouVersion Bible app so it will really be Your Version of YouVersion!

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One

Review Part 2: YouVersion - Download The App

There are so many things I want to write about when it comes to the awesome Bible app known as YouVersion.  Before we talk about reading the different versions, or listening to the audios, or highlighting, sharing notes, making new friends in the community... before we talk about any of these great advantages, we must first get the app on your mobile device!

The first thing you need to know is that this is an app.  It's understandable that for some this might sound confusing.  After all most people think of The Bible as a book.  I was talking to my good friend and waitress, Sonnie, this morning about YouVersion. (She read the first installment.)  She asked me how to get YouVersion on her shiny, new Droid Incredible 2.  Don't look for this Bible app in any bookstore!

Go to the app store for your device and type in "Bible."  (The App Store is the "Market" in Android land.) Many different apps and versions will show up.  The one you want is usually the one that is tops on the list.  If you have any doubts, you want the one by LifeChurch.tv - these are the terrific folks who make this available for free!

From there follow the directions.  (I know.  Easy for me to say, right?)  Most of the download process is a matter of signing up for an account and filling in the required blanks.  (See UPDATE below.)  Some of my more cynical readers, who have been raised with Milton Friedman's view that there's no such thing as a free lunch, may cry "Aha! - They just want my info so they can try to sell me stuff."  

Not to worry.  I've had my account for over a year and can tell you that the good folks at YouVersion are respectful of your info.  They will only email you the things you sign up for - and you can always cancel any email notifications you set up.  And everything from them is 100% FREE!  (Sorry Milton.)

Still, you may wonder why you need to sign up for an account.  Isn't this just about reading the Bible? Actually, you'll find out there's more available to you - which is one of the reasons this is such a great app and why you should run - not walk - to get this downloaded ASAP! Signing up for an account allows you to save your settings, notes, and bookmarks, to use reading plans, to earn badges and to engage in community with YouVersion friends. We'll get to all of that in later posts.

Here's your assignment for today.  Download the YouVersion app to your device. Get your account started.  Start exploring - there's lots of rooms off the main hall.  Check them out.  Open the doors.  If you already have the YouVersion app on your mobile device, congratulations!  Go to the head of the class. While you're there, find someone else who doesn't have YouVersion installed yet and help get them started.  

Tomorrow - What's the deal with all the versions? 

UPDATE: I was wrong when I wrote that most of the download process requires you to sign up for an account.  This morning (9/20/11) my wife downloaded the app to her Android phone and did not need to sign up for an account.  You can get access to the Bible reader and many other functions without signing up for a YouVersion account.  However, in order to take full advantage of all the features - keeping your notes, highlights and connecting with other users - you will want to sign up for a free account.  More on this coming up in future posts. - Mark

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One

Sermon Notes: Christian Two A Days

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say! For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Want to listen as you read?  Here's the audio from yesterday:

110918ChristianTwoADays

Sunday Night Football Part 1: Christian Two-A-Days 09.18.11

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV

Video: “Georgia Tech Summer Training” [1:47]

Intro:  Mention “two-a-days” to most people and they just stare at you.  Mention “two-a-days” to anyone who has ever played football and they will roll their eyes and groan.  For three weeks every August the football team has a practice early in the morning until noon.  They will break for lunch and then come back and have another full practice again in the hot afternoon sun.  It’s brutal.  It’s beyond reasonable.  And it’s essential for a winning football season.

(Story of my first two-a-days in 8th grade.)

It doesn’t matter what level of football we’re talking about: high school, college or professional.  They all have this in common.  The better shape they are in at the beginning of two-a-days, the better they will handle it.  The better two-a-days go, the better the season will go.  Professional athletes and 8th graders alike all suffer through two-a-days.

 What does this have to do with you and your life as a Christ-follower?  Just like the football player needs the discipline of two-a-days for a successful season, the Christ-follower needs discipline to follow Christ well and to help others in their journey.  This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 9.  Everyone struggles with being in shape - spiritually, emotionally, physically.  The Bible gives us 4 motivations...

Audio Sermon: Christian Two A Days

Even professional athletes at the top of their game need discipline.  In this first sermon in the Sunday Night Football sermon series, we consider the Bible's admonition to run the race to win.  Join me in this audio version of this talk as we study 1 Cor. 9:24-27.

110918ChristianTwoADays

Subscribe to this audio podcast!  It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.

Review Part 1: YouVersion Intro

Come to any Church Requel teaching session, and when I ask people to open their Bibles, many folks whip out their smart phones and iPads.  Am I a terrible teacher?  Would people rather be checking their email, weather or sports scores?  Or is something else going on?

Most in our congregation are opening their Bibles on their mobile device.  Almost all are using the Bible application named YouVersion, available online and for almost every imaginable mobile device, including the iPad, the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows phone.  YouVersion is absolutely free!  It is now installed on over 20 million devices with more than a hundred different Bible versions available in many different languages. 

Over the next several weeks I will be doing an extensive, multi-part review of the YouVersion Bible application.  We're going to examine the basics of YouVersion, the how-to stuff so you know how the app works.  We're also going to look at this from both the congregant's point of view and the pastor's point of view.  Why is it so important for you to know about and use regularly the Bible app?  What is the consequence for you as a disciple of Christ?  What is the significance for your friends?  And if you're another pastor, we'll talk about why it's vital that you too should be focused on getting your congregation hooked into YouVersion.

Check back every day.  We'll have something new for you.  Also I encourage you to use the comment section below to ask questions and to share your own story.   I'd love to see some dialog!

Here's your first chance for feedback.  Do you use YouVersion?  Why?  What do you like about it? 

Have you missed any of the other YouVersion Review posts?  Here are your quick links:

• Read Part 1:  Intro
• Read Part 2:  Downloading
• Read Part 3:  Getting Started
• Read Part 4:  Personalize Your Settings
• Read Part 5:  The Miracle of Versions
• Read Part 6:  Reading the Bible
• Read Part 7:  Bookmarks, Part One