Today I signed up for YouVersion.com at the suggestion of a friend. It happened to be my second such suggestion recently, so I thought I would check it out. I had already downloaded the Android app for the my phone, which I was using as a Bible resource, when I found out I could be using both the online and mobile apps for my Bible Reading Plan. 
After browsing the many different reading plans I found one that is very similar to the one I have posted here from CBN.com. The primary difference I have found between the plan I am currently on and the plan I signed up for (by BlueLetterBible.org) on YouVersion only has the user read from the New Testament once every couple days or so instead of every day. This method requires the reader to read an entire chapter at a time instead of breaking up the longer chapters over a couple of days at a time. I actually kind of like this better since it keeps you in the flow of the chapter instead of breaking it up. I usually end up reading ahead (or catching up) when the chapters in the reading plan are broken up.
Top Features of YouVersion
There are several things I really like about YouVersion, including the following:
- Mobile App – The integration of the reading plans and Bible versions with the Mobile app is fantastic. Not only does the mobile phone sync your reading plan with the site, but there is access to many different translations, reading plans, a great Bible search, and the ability to share with most social networking sites.
- Community – There is a very active community on YouVersion that allows bookmarking of your favorite passages, groups, contributions, tags, and YouVersion Live. Live is a way of being able to participate in live events in real time. You can follow along with message outlines, take notes, look up verses, vote on polls, ask questions, and again – all from your mobile phone!
- Reading Plans – YouVersion offers many different Bible Reading plans, some original YouVersions, some from other places on the web (like the one I found from BlueLetterBible.org). There has been major emphasis placed on easy of use, and simplicity. They even have a progress meeter and an accountability feature you can turn on and off.
There are a couple things that I found a bit difficult. In setting up my Bible reading plan I was able to pick my start and end dates – this wasn't the problem. What I found a little more difficult was updating all of the reading I have already done. If you are changing or merging reading plans YouVersion is able to keep your progress meeter accurate. However, since I started a reading plan offline I had to go in an update every day, no biggie, until I had to click complete on every chapter of every day for over 60+ days! This could have been much easier. In addition, there isn't a simple way to print our the Bible reading plan you are working on. If you are using a Bible reading plan that was done by someone else (for instance the one I picked from BlueLetterBible) I was able to click on the plan, then click on the plans website, find the plan, and print the pdf. However, this may not always be the case. Overall I think that YouVersion is a great tool for Bible reading plans and it eliminates obstacles that prevent us from becoming successful in completing them. Let's face it, many times we have don't have our Bibles with us, but we almost always have our phones. The ability to keep up to date on our reading plans on the go is the key. The ability to interact with other users is a huge plus. I would encourage you to check out YouVersion, especially if you are on a Bible Reading plan or are interested in trying one out. While your there you can view my profile and friend me and we will go on this journey together.
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