Lectio 365
Apple/Android
Free

Lectio 365 aims to help you ‘pray the Bible every day’ and has quickly established itself as one of the most popular Christian apps in the UK since its launch at Advent 2019. Its name and format is inspired by the ancient practice of meditating on Scripture, Lectio Divina (Latin for ‘divine reading’).

Each day there is a morning reflection, following four stages, P.R.A.Y: Pause; Rejoice with a Psalm and Reflect on Scripture; Ask for God’s help; Yield to His will. Each day’s reflection appears as a written text, but is also offered read aloud by the author, with an accompanying instrumental soundtrack. There are certain prayers and phrases that appear everyday to structure the reflection. The recording takes no more than 10 minutes. 

Created by Pete Greig and 24-7 Prayer, all the Lectio 365 reflections are written by 24-7 Prayer team members or guests. Generally there is an author/theme for the week and apparently these focus on 24-7 Prayer’s six core values: prayer, mission, justice, creativity, hospitality and learning. In the short time I’ve listened, I’ve found these engaging, encouraging and accessible. Naturally with an app like this, I guess much will depend on the writers. To my knowledge, the reflections rarely work through a Bible book over an extended period, but are more thematic. I’ve got friends who are avid fans, friends who dip in and out (especially when they’re ‘on the go’ and value a spoken reflection), and friends who’ve found it ‘hit and miss’.

Since April 2021, there is also a daily Night Prayer reflection, based on the Examen pattern of prayer. This has a contemplative feel and has four elements: Reflect; Rejoice; Repent; Rest. 

Lectio 265 is an incredible resource, especially given it is free. The desire to help busy people create ‘holy rhythms’, and the prayerful spirit in which Scripture is approached, make it a real gift. As with many apps, the reflections can be downloaded in advance and reminder notifications can also be set. I especially love Greig’s opening prayer, used at the beginning of each morning reflection: ‘As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly; to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.’

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A version of this article was first published here in the June 2021 Issue of Evangelicals Now and is shared here with permission. EN is a monthly newspaper published in print and online, offering a biblical perspective on current issues and insight on what’s happening with God’s people worldwide. Online subscription is just £10 p/a with print & online combined for just £18. Order a free sample or subscribe here.

Live From Rest:
Apple/Android
Free

Blaise Pascal famously said: ‘All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone’

Into this frantic and addictive restlessness, the Live from Rest app offers an invitation to the practice of Biblical meditation ‘rooted in the way of Jesus’. As the app slogan puts it: ‘In a world obsessed with doing, we are discovering the ancient art of being’.

In essence the app allows you to customise a range of spoken-word meditations, with a variety of themes, backing tracks and lengths. Father and son duo Steve and Joshua Luke Smith say they created the app because ‘they needed it’. Instinctively we can find ourselves busily rushing through life to get to rest, rather than living from rest. Their burden is to help Christians ‘find and maintain a place of peace’ by discovering the ‘rhythm of rest God always intended you to have’.

I’m sure Live from Rest offers something that many readers won’t be used to. Whilst the creators are unashamed about the ‘up front’ role Scripture plays in the meditations, it is intentionally not a ‘study-based’ approach to the Bible. Passages are read out in the context of a themed reflection, and then gently explored in dulcet tones, perhaps with calming synths or birdsong in the background.

Often the meditations will also reference breathing and body positions, with a recognition that we are embodied creatures. I know evangelical friends who have found this holistic focus both refreshing and rewarding. These are bitesize and accessible and could be done on a commute, a lunch-break, or while a toddler naps.

Steve Smith is a medical doctor specialising in addiction, and one of the strengths of the meditations is the collection on ‘freedom’. There are meditations on battling shame, pornography and lust, anger, and over-eating. These include prayers of confession and repentance; the language is often framed as choosing truth and ‘breaking agreement’ with lies.

A minor quibble was that once you download the app, you have to share your email address before you can access it. As someone keen to trial the app, this rather put me off and didn’t feel too restful a welcome!

A lot of wisdom, expertise and skill has gone into the app, and it is now all available for free. Pastorally, my instinct is that, as a part of someone’s devotional practice, Live from Rest will undoubtedly holistically enrich a Christian’s life.

The Live From Rest website is here.

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A version of this article was first published here in the May 2021 Issue of Evangelicals Now and is shared here with permission. EN is a monthly newspaper published in print and online, offering a biblical perspective on current issues and insight on what’s happening with God’s people worldwide. Online subscription is just £10 p/a with print & online combined for just £18. Order a free sample or subscribe here.

That’ll Preach…

Langham Preaching:
Apple/Android
Free

An App for a Vision

Founded by John Stott, the vision of Langham Partnership (LP) is ‘to see churches in the majority world equipped for mission and growing to maturity in Christ through the ministry of pastors and leaders who believe, teach and live by the word of God’. A key means of implementing this vision is ‘equipping local pastors to teach the Bible’ – and this app is a tool birthed for that end.

In particular, the Langham Preaching app was designed for three reasons: i) to help preachers prepare sermons; ii) to help local preaching training groups (or ‘clubs’ in LP terminology) share their sermon outlines; iii) to allow preachers from all over the world to connect.

Teach to Preach

After creating a free account, a simple menu highlights key features, including ‘Sermons’. Essentially here users create a file for each sermon they are preparing. Upon entering the Bible passage, four preparation steps are shown: Passage Study; Passage Structure; Sermon Application; Sermon Structure.  As users work through each of these stages, there is a simple grid/form to work through.

For example, in ‘Passage Study’ users are encouraged to note down literature type, author, audience, etc. In ‘Passage Structure’, users make notes on the verses and identify the passage’s ‘Heartbeat’. ‘Sermon Application’ encourages consideration of the congregation, its challenges, relevant illustrations, before ‘Sermon Structure’ unsurprisingly allows a framework to be crafted.

An ‘Outline’ button automatically then selects some of the information entered in those four stages and presents it altogether, giving a helpful and simple overview of the sermon so far. This can then be easily shared with the user’s ‘Preaching club’, and a ‘Chat’ feature allows interaction with club members.

A Tool for Teams

Shearsby Mupfudzapake, a pastor in South Africa and Langham Preaching’s movement coordinator for SA, said, “We are grateful for such a useful tool. The App helps me to organise my thoughts, as per bible passages, leading into well-crafted sermon outlines.”

The LP model involves week-long annual preaching seminars alongside community-based local ‘preaching clubs’. It’s clearly within this model that the app is designed to excel, rather than as a stand-alone input. 

However, the app is certainly of benefit to UK-based preachers. Forcing oneself to work through these stages develops and sustains a healthy pattern of sermon pattern. But it also invites preaching to be collaborative as they share progress: the ‘Chat’ and ‘Clubs’ feature could easily be utilised by a church’s preaching team or a cohort of ministry apprentices on a regional training course.   

Multi-lingual versions of the app are currently in development and readers can give via Langham’s Seedbed project.

More info on Langham Preaching here.

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A version of this article was first published here in the April 2021 Issue of Evangelicals Now and is shared here with permission. EN is a monthly newspaper published in print and online, offering a biblical perspective on current issues and insight on what’s happening with God’s people worldwide. Online subscription is just £10 p/a with print & online combined for just £18. Order a free sample or subscribe here.