XV: the Bible in 15

If you’re anything like me, setting aside a time to read God’s word each day is an inexplicable challenge. I want to, but it keeps getting squeezed out by less important things. But let me ask you this: do you have any points in your day where you have just 15 minutes spare? Sitting on a bus, waiting in a queue, stealing a quiet moment while kids eat lunch?

We’ve designed something to help us engage with God on a daily basis (since in general we’re pretty patchy in that regard). It’ll fit perfectly into that 15 minute slot. I’ve been using it throughout the development period and I’ve found it to be really useful in keeping up a habit of Bible reading. In partnership with the Bible Society, Matthias Media has created a framework of guided reading of the Bible. The main framework is available online, and in more detail with lots of extra stuff as well as a free app for iPhone and iPad (it supports the new iPhone 5 and iOS 6 too).

The new XV app helps you do two things: zoom out and see the magnificence of the ‘big picture’ of the Bible’s story, and then zoom in to focus on the life-changing detail.

You’ll start with a zoomed-out introductory overview of the story of the Bible in 15 stages, from creation through to new creation. It’s a whirlwind tour of the big breathtaking picture of creation, the fall and the history of God’s dealings with Israel, the promise of restoration, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and what is still to come—the whole story, with all its ups and downs, and with the certainty of God’s promise shining through.

This will give you a framework for the next phase of using the app: zooming in to study the detail of God’s word—understanding it better because of your new sense of how it fits in the big story.

To zoom in, we’ve got Bible passages for you to read—for 15 minutes a day—focused on particular sections of the Bible, or certain themes, with questions to help you understand the passage, things to ponder, and ideas to prompt your prayers. Each of these readings will help you get to know God better, and add to your zoomed-out overview of the Bible’s story.

There are some free readings to get you started, and you can unlock many more readings through in-app purchases of extra modules. These modules cover the majority of the Daily Reading Bible series within the app itself, so there’s more than enough readings available to keep your Bible reading going for a long, long time.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab the app, get reading, tweet what you’re reading using the #25words tag—but most importantly, reflect and dwell on and prayerfully respond to hearing God’s voice.