New Year . . . New Tools!

Need to break out of your old routine? Or help in establishing a new one? Here are some fresh ideas for using technology to assist your 2015 resolution to "redeem the time!"

• Read The Bible Regularly!

There are a variety of plans and schedules on the Internet to encourage you to read through the Bible in a year. The easiest is to just commit to start in Genesis and read for 15 minutes a day. Most readers will finish in less than twelve months.  ~  Another option is to use a chronological Bible. While we don’t offer a chronological Bible for sale, you can find a free reading schedule online by searching for “chronological Bible schedule.”  ~  You can read through the Scriptures on almost any tablet, phone, or computer using Amazon Kindle. You’ll likely do most of your reading on a tablet or computer, but a useful feature when reading a Kindle book is that you can open it on your phone in spare moments and the book will save your place between multiple devices. Go to thebereancall.org/help/kindle for more information.

• Pick Up A New Daily Devotional!

One of the hidden gems in our bookstore is Waiting on God by Andrew Murray (read an excerpt in this issue).  ~  And of course, TBC’s own Apples of Gold offers 366 daily quotes selected by staff from the writings of Dave Hunt. You can find these and other devotional resources on page 14 of this newsletter, or online at: thebereancall.com/collections/devotional

• God’s Word: You Can Take It With You!

One outstanding benefit of technology for Bereans is the enormous selection of apps (programmed “applications”) that can help us better “search the Scriptures daily” for meditation and memorization. Try out this free app for starters, or search online (with discernment) to find one that’s perfect for your needs:  ~  Tens of millions of people are using the Bible App™ to make God’s Word a part of their daily lives, in more than 700 languages. Download the free app and access your bookmarks, notes, and reading plans from anywhere. Enjoy hundreds of versions, including audio, all on your mobile device. Available for iPhone / iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire, online, and more: www.bible.com/app

• Go Deeper With A FREE Online Study Help!

Let your computer do the “heavy lifting” by using an online study tool to compare versions or search Strong’s Concordance. One of the free helps used frequently by TBC staff is blueletterbible.org where you can not only search and read a variety of translations, but you can easily lookup English words and phrases in the original Hebrew and Greek languages, check word usage and frequency, get definitions, find useful cross-references, and much more.

• Jumpstart Your Day With Powerful, Portable Podcasts!

Subscribing to a podcast allows you to listen to free audio when you want and where you want on your phone, tablet, iPod, or computer.  ~  There is a huge variety of edifying audio programs available by podcast. Most are updated weekly or more often. The podcast is downloaded to your device automatically and you can listen to it any time you want.  ~  TBC’s own weekly radio program, Search the Scriptures 24/7, is available as a podcast. You can find other valuable (and free) resources online like audio Bibles, sermons, and Bible commentaries. Go to thebereancall .org/help/podcasts for more information.