Posts tagged Bible Study
Back to Basics: Highlighting on iPad, iPhone
5Check back every Tuesday to see a new “Back to Basics” tip for using the Olive Tree Bible app.
One of the most popular features of our Bible apps is highlighting. While highlighting is relatively easy to do, there are some cool things you can do with highlights in our Bible apps.
Adding a Highlight
There are two different ways to highlight Scripture on your iPad or iPhone. The first is a single-verse highlight and the second is highlighting a specific block of text.
Highlighting a Single Verse
The first way to add a highlight is to tap on a verse number and select the “Highlight” option. You will see the basic color options for the highlighters. By selecting a color, voila! you have highlighted that single Bible verse.
Highlighting a single verse
Highlighting a Block of Text
The second way to highlight is to use the tap and hold function to select an amount of text, maybe a word or two, or several verses, and then tap the “highlight” option from the list.
Tap and hold to select text
One Important Note: Single-verse highlights, made by tapping on a verse number, will appear in every Bible translation that contains that Bible verse. Text selection highlights made by selecting a specific block of text are translation specific and will only appear in the Bible translation that they were created in.
Creating a Custom Highlight
If the default highlighters aren’t what you’re looking for, Olive Tree Bible apps offer the option to create your own highlight. After you have either tapped on a verse number or selected a block of text and tapped “Highlight,” instead of choosing a highlight color, tap on “More” and then tap on the “Edit” button on the top right of the pop-up. 
Select “Add Highlighter” and you will be given a broad range of options for changing the color and type of highlight you create, including creating an underline highlighter. You can name your new highlight and use it over and over again.
Managing Your Highlights
Once you have created a highlight, it will appear in your “My Stuff” folder, represented by the suitcase icon. Tap on the icon and tap “Highlights.” Select the color of highlight you want to edit or select “All Highlighters” to see all of your highlights.
If you tap on a highlight, you will be taken to that location in the main window. If you tap on the blue arrow, you can edit the title, add a tag, change the category, change the highlight color, and delete the highlight. I’ll talk more about the awesome ways to sort and organize your notes and highlights using Tags and Categories in later posts. For now, go experiment with the different highlights, create your own custom highlighter and check back with us next week to see how to organize them all.
If you have any more questions about highlighting in the Olive Tree Bible apps, let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to help you out. Head to our video page to watch highlighting in action on the different platforms, including highlighting on iPad.
Project Flying Eagle
July 3, 2012
There are always new things being discussed and planned at Olive Tree. Our newest and biggest project is what we’re calling by the code name the “Flying Eagle.” We’re not able to divulge any more details at present, but be assured that the talented and passionate Olive Tree staff is working hard to help you study God’s Word.
Here are some pictures from our company lunch today in which we discussed the details of Project Flying Eagle. As always, our lunch was delicious: sandwiches from a local sandwich shop, chips and salsa, fresh grapes, and soda (including the ever-present Mountain Dew that fuels many engineers!).
In line for food and drinks.
Candid photo!
Mark A. is excited to eat his sandwich!
Stephen J. giving a presentation to the team.
Olive Tree’s President, Drew, and his wife, Sarah.
Windows 8 Bible+ App!
June 29, 2012
With the release of Olive Tree’s newest Bible app with Microsoft’s Windows 8, we decided to interview our lead Windows 8 developer, Adam H, about the app’s new features.
Elizabeth B: What is exciting about this version of Bible+?
Adam H: With Windows 8, Microsoft is looking for a very fast and fluid experience. Our goal with this version of Bible+ is to leverage that design and have the whole experience of the app be fast, smooth, and engaging.
EB: What are your thoughts on the Windows 8 experience?
AH: I love it. Microsoft has done an incredible job of providing a cohesive experience through Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Xbox. On top of that, they’ve added features that make things work well and are fun to use.
EB: Can you give us an example?
AH: Sure! The Share Charm, which debuts with Windows 8, enables apps to connect not only to the Windows operating system but also to each other. For example, when I’m reading a Bible passage in Bible+, I can bring up the Share Charm and am presented with a list of other apps that interact with that verse, such as Facebook and Twitter. This Share Charm feature is entirely dependent on the apps that the individual user has installed on Windows 8, giving users a lot of flexibility in customizing their experience.
EB: What would you say are the top highlights of the app, Adam?
AH: A major highlight to me is the fast experience of the app. Reading, searching, the verse chooser…they’re all incredible. Searching is still unbelievably cool to me. It’s accessible from anywhere through the Search Charm, and provides an amazing scope of search results, from a broad view of your whole library to a detailed look at individual books. Within a Bible, results are grouped by each book, and can easily be filtered by section, like the Gospels or Prophets. On top of that, searching is fast.
EB: What distinguishes the Windows 8 Bible+ from Windows 7 BibleReader?
AH: The experience around our Windows 8 app is about beauty and simplicity with a focus on the reading experience and speed. We’re excited for the future features and development that we will add to the Bible+ Windows 8 app.
EB: What was the most enjoyable part for you of creating this new app for Windows 8?
AH: I think the most enjoyable part was seeing how Microsoft made it easy for developers to do what they wanted in order to provide the experience our users want. I’m really looking forward to seeing how all apps can leverage Windows 8 features to create an awesome user experience.
EB: Anything else you want to add, Adam?
AH: I’m sure I have a tendency toward a starry-eyed view of this app, and not just because of my part in creating it. I genuinely feel that it’s a joy to use. My prayer is that it can help someone connect with God’s Word in a way they never have before.
Download the Windows 8 Release Preview here to check out the Windows 8 Bible app for yourself!
Learning How to Study the Bible
0June 21, 2012
by Cherylyn
in Bible Study Articles
Reading and studying the Bible are important disciplines for all Christians, but the concept of Bible study can be more elusive. In Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods, Warren starts out by saying, “I have discovered that most Christians sincerely want to study their Bibles on their own, but they just don’t know how.”
There are many classes, books and seminars full of theories and methods to teach you how to study the Bible. I took a class in seminary called Principles of Inductive Bible Study, and to this day I can hear the professor’s voice in my head. Every day the professor would ask, “What’s the first step in inductive Bible study?” and as a class we had to respond in unison, “Observation!” Then he would ask, “What question do we ask in the first step of Inductive Bible Study” and in unison we would again respond, “What does the text say?!” Often he would repeat these questions over and over until he felt we responded enthusiastically enough. He drilled into us what he believed to be the right steps for inductive Bible study, but his was just one out of a multitude of Bible study methods.
I’d recommend taking a look at How to Read the Bible Book by Book and How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart as good introductory Bible study resources. Learn To Study The Bible by Andy Deane, and Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul are also helpful for picking up good Bible study tools and habits. Study Bibles, like the NIV Study Bible can provide notes, cross references and other insights into the text to help you in your Bible study. I have several study Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries and other resources that I consult when studying a particular passage of Scripture. However, don’t get too bogged down with study books and miss out on the truths you can glean from digging into the text on your own.
Here are some things I do when studying the Bible (don’t worry; I won’t make you memorize these!):
Context, Context, Context
I start by looking for the historical context: the author, style of writing, time period, audience and the historical background that surrounds the text. I then focus on the biblical context. I read the previous and subsequent chapters to get a full picture of the passage. Finally, I look for how the passage is applicable to my life.
Absorb It
I like to read the passage through three times. I write down repeated words or phrases, metaphors, similes, exclamations or anything that stands out. If anything reminds me of another passage I’ll look it up and compare. I like to pick out a couple of the repeated words and phrases for a quick word study, looking for other places those words are used in Scripture using my Strong’s Bible.
Retain It
I like to re-write the passage of Scripture in my own words, taking into account all of the work I’ve done up to this point. I then summarize my study in three sentences or less. I’m terrible at memorizing Scripture, but I’ve found that re-writing the passage in my own words helps me to recall the verse, even if it isn’t exact.
Do you have steps for Bible study that you follow? Is there a resource that you find especially helpful for your study? Let us know by leaving us a comment.
Bible Handbook: A Companion for Reading Plan
June 8, 2012
We’re a week into the Olive Tree Summer Bible Reading Plan, and we’ve been reading the stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the striking account of the power of God in the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
These stories remind us that our individual stories fit into God’s overarching plan of redemption. Our intention with the Reading Plan is to throw you headlong into the full biblical narrative. The authors of the Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook also want to bring your story in line with God’s story.
An excellent companion to the Olive Tree Bible Reading Plan, the Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook is split into three sections:
- The first section explores the Bible’s organization, explains the basics of each book of the Bible, and gives a cultural and historical framework for the Old and New Testaments.
- The second section deals with the inspiration of Scripture and the steps taken to bring Scripture into the form we know it today. Topics explored in this section include the New Testament canon, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Bible translation, and more.
- The third section of the Handbook addresses how we use and understand the Bible, including information about literary features in the Bible, archeology in the Bible, and issues of authorship.
Screenshot from Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook in BibleReader
There is something new for every student of Scripture. This invaluable resource will give you a broader and deeper understanding of the historical and cultural roots of God’s Word. At the same time, the Word of God transcends time and space in its message. Yesterday, today and forever, the Good News is that God in Christ “proclaim(s) good news to the poor…, liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
Download the Olive Tree Summer Bible Reading Plan today for free here by logging into your Olive Tree account. After today, the Reading Plan will be sold for 99 cents.
Resource Guide: My Personal Research Assistant
Many people love reading and studying the Bible on our Bible+ and BibleReader apps, but have yet to unlock the full potential of the app by using the Resource Guide. Are you one of them? If so, read on to discover the power that is waiting for you inside the Resource Guide.
As you read along in your Bible, the Resource Guide within BibleReader follows you, looking in your library for any information that is relevant to your reading. This happens, as one of my co-workers puts it, “automagically.” You don’t have to go flipping through the books in your library to find a certain article of search for that note you took on the sermon last week. The Resource Guide does the work for you.
Your Very Own Research Assistant
I like to think of the Resource Guide as my personal research assistant. As I’m reading about Paul’s first missionary journey in Acts 13, my research assistant has a map of Paul’s journey, cross references to passages in Paul’s letters written to the churches he founded on the journey, charts that give an overview of Paul’s life, and all sorts of other goodies open for me. I didn’t have to do anything, in fact, I didn’t even have to ask. All of the work was already done for me by my personal research assistant, the Resource Guide.
Completely Customizable
The Resource Guide is set up to display information for you, but if you don’t like the configuration, no worries. You can pick and choose which resources to display in the Resource Guide. You can also move the sections around so that you see the information you are most interested in first.
Endless Pathways for Study
I’ve been using the Resource Guide for almost a year now, and my study of the Bible has greatly benefited. I no longer have days where I read the Bible with glazed eyes, hardly registering the words in front of me. With the Resource Guide open, I am drawn to topics, people and places in the text that open new pathways for my study. As I read in Nehemiah, I can select topics from patriotism, to Persia, and my Bible study takes off with maps, charts, articles, cross references and so much more.
I’ve gotten so excited about what the Resource Guide can do for you that I’ve forgotten to tell you how to get to it. The Resource Guide lives in the split window of your BibleReader app. On your mobile devices tap the double bar to pull open the split window and on your PC or Mac click on the arrow icon on the top right of your screen to pull open the split window.
We also have some helpful videos that show you how to use the Resource Guide on your device. Click on the links below watch these videos and be prepared to have your Bible study transformed.
Resource Guide Videos
Resource Guide on iPad Resource Guide on Mac (Windows version is almost identical to this)
Resource Guide on iPhone Resource Guide on Android
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