My Favorite Bible Apps

Smartphones seem to have taken over our culture.  We are often warned about the dangers of cell phones: distractions when driving (or even walking), the decline of social interactions, and the lack of mental focus to name a few.  However, smartphones can be a tool when used properly  Here are some apps that will help you learn more about God from His Word.

Devotionals:

Our Daily Bread

Many are familiar with the Our Daily Bread daily devotional that you can get in the mail or pick up at many churches.  However, you can now listen to it on your phone through their app available from Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire.  I love that you can listen to this instead of just read it.  And the corresponding Bible passage can be opened up through a link to BibleGateway.com in the app.  Some of the great features include setting up daily reminders, opening it directly to today's devotional, and changing to one of many languages.  You can also follow Our Daily Bread on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  I like following them on Facebook because the devotional will pop in my newsfeed later in the day to remind me what I read.

Keys for Kids

Keys for Kids is like the Our Daily Bread app but specifically geared toward children.  The same print devotions that your kid can order through the mail can be listened to or read in the app.  While it doesn't have all of the features (no daily reminder or direct links to the Bible passages), it does also have Live Stream of Keys for Kids Radio and On Demand listening of Keys for Kids Radio programs.  It is also available from Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire and several other methods like podcasts and social media.  I like following Keys for Kids on Facebook so that I can see what my son listened to that morning.  Here is my full review of the Keys for Kids app.

Bibles:

Bible apps are great because you can have a Bible right in your pocket at all times.  If you've never used an integrated Hebrew/Greek dictionary is great to understand what the English word is trying to translate and can even show you all of the other instances the Hebrew or Greek word was used in the Bible.  Also, if you are trying to find a verse, the search feature is awesome.  You can add personal notes and sometimes tags that will sync across other devices linked to your account.  You can purchase additional resources and carry your entire library of commentaries and study notes in your phone or tablet.  I use my Bible apps all the time.

Bible Study with Accordance

I have used several Bible apps and this one is very good.  This app is free and it includes some free resources like an ESV with an integrated Strongs Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary, and some maps.  If you want to add on other resources like other translations, commentaries, atlases, and study Bible notes, you will have to purchase them.  You can also purchase software for Windows or Mac which can access the same resources from your account.  This app is great for the free ESV with Strong's alone.  

Bible by Olive Tree

This is my Bible app of choice (though Accordance was a very close second).  With this free app you can download many Bible translations for free (and some other dictionaries and commentaries), but you will have to purchase ones that have the integrated Strong's concordances.  Unlike Accordance, the software for Windows and Mac are also free.  In addition to most of the features that Accordance has, this app also lets you tag your notes so you can find them by topic.

YouVersion Bible

YouVersion is a very popular Bible app.  The app is free and you can access all of the Bible translations for free as well when you are online.  Most of the Bible translations are available to download as well.  This app is very different from the other Bible apps in that it is not focused on other resources like commentaries, Hebrew/Greek dictionaries, and atlases.  It only has the Bible itself along with the ability to highlight and add notes.  However, it does have free audio for about 15 different translations including ESV, KJV, NASB, and NLT.  If you like to listen to your Bible, this app would be great for you! 

Kids Bible Apps:

Bible App For Kids

The Bible App for Kids is made by Life.Church, the same people who made the YouVersion Bible App.  This is basically a story Bible for Kids in an app version.  It has audio that will read the words if desired.  You can also touch part of the illustrations to see animations and find gems or questions.  Each of the 41 stories can be downloaded onto your phone (and can be individually deleted to add other stories).  It's even available in quite a few languages... all for free.  You can also find free videos, coloring pages, printable booklets, and parent guides on their website for each story.

Slugs and Bugs

My daughter loves Slugs and Bugs and she loves listening to their music on this app.  It has videos of some of her favorite silly songs as well as some Bible verse songs.  Five of their videos are available for free and you can upgrade to download 22 more.  There are also games to help you memorize Bible verses and a matching game.  This free app is only available for Apple products.

Bible Memorization:

Fighter Verses

Fighter Verses is a Bible memorization program used in John Piper's Bethlehem Baptist Church.  It is basically annual sets of verses for Christians to memorize.  The purpose is to arm Christians (especially children) with God's Word so that they can be prepared to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12).  This app lets you keep track of which verses you have memorized and you can review them through several different methods (all similar to fill in the blank). Each review method has 5 levels to practice.  If you are looking to memorize the Bible and would like direction on what verses to memorize and how to review them, the low price of this app is well worth the investment.

What is your favorite Bible app?  Let me know in the comments below.

Keys For Kids Devotional Review

My son has a really awesome Sunday School teacher.  They do a lot of hands on activities.  They even made a topographic map of Paul's missionary journeys out of salt dough!!  Yes, I realize how blessed our family is.  A few years ago she gave my son a mail subscription to Keys for Kids daily devotional because she wanted to make sure he was getting into the Bible every day.  My son loved it and would read all of the stories.  I even had to make sure that he only did that day so that he would have something new to read tomorrow.

Then, he noticed in one mailing that they had an app.  Like most kids, my son loves anything electronic (though we have limits on his electronic time) and was thrilled to try out the app.  He loved reading or listening to the daily devotional on his iPod instead of reading it in the booklet, but the app was a little glitchy, often closing out before he got the chance to finish reading it.  When I contacted Keys for Kids, they said that they already had a new app in the works and it would be a few months before it was available.  So we went back to the mail version until the new app was completed.

However, recently they released their new app available for both Android and Apple.  It is very similar to the old app but without the glitches.  

What We Love About the Keys For Kids App:

• It has a daily devotional each day with a story that kids will enjoy and teaches them a lesson. Each devotional also has a few Bible verse references to look up and read, a key verse that is written out, a key message for the day, and a way for the kids to apply the key message.  You can read it or you can listen to it.  The devotional takes less than five minutes but gives your child something from the Bible to think about every day.

• You can live stream Keys for Kids Radio.  It has lots of great Christian music.  Some of the songs are geared directly towards kids and other Christian songs that everyone will enjoy.  It also has radio programs like Red Rock Mysteries, Down Gilead Lane, The Pond, Jungle Jam, and Adventures in Odyssey.  Check out the program schedule here.

• You can also listen to the current episode of Down Gilead Lane, Red Rock Mysteries, The Pond, Paws & Tales, Kids Corner, We Kids, and Karen & Kids anytime you want.  If you like these programs but the program schedule doesn't fit yours, then this is perfect for your family.

What We Change About the Keys for Kids App:

We LOVE the newly updated app and I LOVE that my son is reading God's Word daily.  It is becoming part of his daily routine.  The only thing I would improve would be making the Bible verse references hyperlinks so that the kids are more likely to actually read them.  Also, having a default setting that would decide what you want the app to do when you open (play the audio daily devotional, just open the daily devotional without playing the audio, or just opening to the main menu...) would be a great option.

Other Ways to Get Keys for Kids:

Plus you can follow Keys for Kids on Facebook or Keys for Kids of Twitter where they share both the kids daily devotional and a parent minute (you can listen or read or listen and read at the same time).  It's a great way for parents to see what their kids are reading.

If you love the idea of a daily devotional for your child but don't have a smartphone or tablet, then you can check them out at their website.  The daily devotionals are available 14 different ways, from mail subscription to email and e-readers to podcasts.