Christianity

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Tracking your progress…

Posted by David Ward on 12/02/2014
Posted in: Personal thoughts, Prayer and liturgy, Software, Solitude and silence, Spirituality. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Journalling is a great way to keep track of your spiritual life. Things that stand out to you, prayer requests, God’s answers and patterns that have developed over time quickly fill the journal. I used to keep a paper journal, in a nice notebook, but nowadays I use and app, that’s always with me for both recording and reference.  Some people find it is a great way to actually frame daily prayers of intercession, and to be able to see how God answers over time.

Journaling appI currently use an app called Journaling, which looks good, is versatile and is universal to both devices I own. It can be bought for a small fee, syncs across both my devices and is also backed up on Google Drive, so I always have access to the things I’ve written and it is easy to look back at entries made over time.

dailybookI have also used apps called DailyBook  and  Chronicle, which have many similar features, but for my money aren’tChronicle quite as ‘usable’ as Journaling. Frankly, there are lots and lots of journalling apps, many of which offer free trials before you invest in the full feature set of a paid for app.

Find one that works for you…

Prayer List apps…

Posted by David Ward on 03/02/2014
Posted in: Prayer and liturgy, Software, Spirituality. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Prayer mate...a versatile prayer list app

I’ve looked at a lot of ‘prayer list’ type apps, and Prayermate, a universal app for all iDevices is a firm favourite.

I like the way that it’s possible to arrange your prayer reminders under categories, attach pdf files (Prayer letters etc) and images and decide how many of each category you want to be reminded to pray about each day. It’s also possible to subscribe to a growing number of prayer feeds (indeed, your church/organisation can set up a feed for those who use the app). For those who like liturgical prayers it’s possible to add your favourites…in a way, this app provides a way to have a very personal Daily Office if you wish, which I think is a great feature.

Each day, the app presents you with a different set of ‘index cards’ and you simply swipe between them as you spend time in prayer.

The app is free and is also available for your Android device. I’ve corresponded with the apps designer, Andy Geers, and found him to be really helpful. His personal blog is worth a look (have a look at the item about Christians and technology), and you can find out more about Prayermate here. Makes impressive reading!

You may also be interested in PrayerPartner...

I have also used Laridian’s PrayerPartner, which is a sort of companion app to the Laridian Bible app reviewed earlier. It’s a solid, useful app but not, in my estimation quite as good as Prayermate. You have to pay for it and it only runs on the iPhone as far as I can see. More information here.

Meeting God through Bible devotional apps…

Posted by David Ward on 25/01/2014
Posted in: Bible, Personal thoughts, Software, Spirituality, Theology. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Today I want to write about two apps that I use/have used as devotional aids to Bible reading. Both of them are universal apps…one is free and the other is available for a small charge.

Bible in One Year

Bible in One Year

The Bible in One Year app is produced by Alpha/Holy Trinity Brompton. It is possible to buy a print version of the Alpha One Year Bible, and the app seems to have been developed largely as a vehicle for a commentary on each days selection of readings by Nicky and Pippa Gumble (NG average 6 pages, PG averages 1 paragraph!!). The commentary is also available on the HTB website.

The days readings…from Psalms/Proverbs, the NT and the OT are also included, making the app a stand alone devotional aid. I’ve been using it since the beginning of the year and have found it to be a very useful resource, with some insightful commentary too. This app is free…what’s stopping you…

WordLive

WordLive

WordLive is a great app, which I used last year for a daily devotion. It is published by Scripture Union and comes for a small cost, but the money is ploughed back into SUs work, so it is genuinely a kind of donation. There is allso a WordLive website, with other useful resources and approaches to devotional Bible reading.

What you get is a complete package…preparation, Bible passage (read or audio)…commentary…response…take it further…passages for Bible in One Year…Podcast of the days devotional…2 worship songs.

Because it is a universal app it is very portable, making it ideal for use almost anywhere and at any time…a brilliant resource.