Hit a billion by thinking of one; People Want Psalms (and a Break from their Phones); Bible Sales Ascendent
3 Things this week and a poem
I'm heading to the celebration event in Oklahoma as YouVersion marks it's 1 billionth download for Global Bible Month.
I've helped create content for the app for a number of years, bringing plans through Unveil and starting to, through Compassion.
How incredible to celebrate the enduring nature of scripture with people all over the world!
The power of this platform is incredible and the reach is huge. Something I admire most is that it's available for free!
The tech stack is truly inspiring. If you ever used it to read a scripture, sign up for a devotional Plan, or share a verse with a friend, then you know. If you haven't yet, you should, and you likely will.
To mark the moment, on this week's 3 Things, I'm highlighting 3 links that feature scripture.
Hit a billion by thinking of one
Relevant has a great write up about how YouVersion’s founding vision started at Chicago's O'Hare airport (where I'm flying through on a flight that's currently late).
An unexpected inclusion in the Apple store when it launched, set the app up for success.
On day one, there were only about 200 free apps on the platform. The Bible App found itself among them almost by accident — and by the end of the first weekend, 83,000 people had installed it. For Gruenewald, who had only been trying to build something to help himself, it was the first sign that the need was far bigger than he imagined.
It’s a fascinating read that gives a glimpse at the heart of the app and how God uses little things. What an encouraging reminder, Frodo.
People Want Psalms and a Break from their Phones
The irony, of course is that people mostly engage the platform on their phones. Over at Unveil, we recently dropped a few new plans, including a 30-Day plan to fit into the 30-Day challenge.
Our recent plan Put Down Your Phone, Write Out a Psalm, which originated through my adventure subscribing Psalm 119, has been our most subscribed Plan so far.
It invites readers to disconnect from tech and write out Psalm 119. In the first month, more than 10,000 subscribed to the Plan.
How cool! I think that's so fun that encouraging people to go analog and low tech on such a hi-tech platform has resonated.
Other popular plans we've dropped include our recent Stand For Truth, Like Daniel and His Friends, to coincide with the release of Daniel, our Christmas Plans which get pick up each year, and our Breath of Life Plan, about the three breaths of God that shaped humanity.
Bible Sales Ascendent
The charts keep rising. Sales keep climbing. People keep reading. Imagine if St. Paul got a nickel for every sale or reading of the New Testament? LOL. He truly has stored up for himself some treasures in heaven. That’s one question that will be fun to ask him in glory, if he ever imagined he’d be so widely read through the centuries.
Despite all other print book sales being down 1% (believe me I know, I just released an Advent book 😂 ), sales of the Bible are up 11%. Take that, hopelessness!
Publishing insiders are calling this the “golden age in Bible publishing.” Who would have thought?
This is a significant moment. If you’re a Bible reader, you’re in good company. If you’re not, you might want to get on board with this hot, old global best-seller and see what it’s all about!
Poem
Here’s a stream of consciousness poem that I wrote some time ago and brought to life during my poem Pandemic creative adventure (in which I released a poem each day for 80 days of the lockdown… which became so extended in Canada I had to cap the effort 😇).
It felt right to share in this moment as there’s so much attention on scripture, and one little way I want to join in on the fun through verse.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
