If you haven’t noticed lately, computers have become as essential as our smartphones, and perhaps just shy of bottled water in our everyday lives.
Most of us over 40 no longer rely on a daily newspaper to get our news and we’re less likely to leaf through a “how to” manual, preferring instead to go on YouTube and have someone demonstrate, usually in real time, how to assemble, repair, clean, paint and save money by doing-it-yourself.
There are apps instructing us how to workout, how to get medical advice, and how to invest our money. Now there is an app on how to interact with God, thanks to a Christian Computer Developer named Dave Pillow. He saw a need to bring the gospel to life through an app he created called, appropriately enough, The Video Bible.
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Pillow explained why he felt there was a need to transform written scripture into a video Bible.
“We have a heart for the Church around the world. We have a heart for the Lord, and we felt called to this,” Pillow explained. “I think we want people to know Jesus better and that God loves them. We saw there was a need, and so we wanted to give people better access to God’s Word.”
Although no release date has been set, Pillow says that The Video Bible will be available as an app soon.
Pillow continued; “My neighbor said when you get older, it’s harder to concentrate. So, it’s helping her,” he explained. “This resonates with everyone. I think that in a video-driven world, it gives people the chance to engage the Bible in the way they address the media.”
According to recent data, there are over 75 million Americans within the United States, roughly 20% of the entire population, that struggles daily with reading. There are over 35 million suffering from dyslexia, coupled with an additional 54 million seniors having difficulty reading because of declining vision, brought about by macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes and other age-related issues.
“When your brain processes things differently, it’s hard to read the world. People with learning disabilities are often seen differently,” Pillow said. “God wanted them to see and interact with the world in a different way, and they should have the ability to engage and read God’s plan in His Word just like anyone else.”
Adding; “We have gotten overwhelmingly positive reactions on YouTube and on the website,” he continued. “I think when it becomes an app, it will grow even more communities of believers because people can come together and listen and watch together on phones and other devices.”
The app has received support from a variety of religious groups and organizations including Biblica, YouVersion and The Gospel Coalition, all of whom provide the gospel in various languages.
Biblica will provide the New International Version of the Bible in several languages for The Video Bible once the app becomes available to the general public. The app will be available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese.
“The Lord laid this on my heart, and my friends helped me with it. We have a host of artists and theologians and pastors that will work to make this happen. It’s a joint effort,” said Pillow. “I definitely love Jesus. I’m more about the relationship with Him more than anything.”
Pillow, like many before him, was introduced to God, amid a painful experience suffering from a severe brain condition. While in the hospital he felt a sudden connection to God, instructing him to use his computer skills and create a video Bible platform. At first, Pillow (reconnected with his Christian faith), wondered if he could do what God called him to create.
“I was dwelling in my weakness because I thought it wouldn’t work and that people wouldn’t help me. I was like Moses. And in every objection I made, the Lord showed me it’s possible,” Pillow recounted. “I would say that making this platform come to life has grown my faith, and it continues to grow my faith because the Lord chooses ‘the weak to shame the shameful things of this world and foolish things of this world.”
Although the app isn’t yet available, people can DuckDuckGo (or Google) The Video Bible and connect to the website for more information.
This story syndicated with permission from My Faith News