How Photos could be the Best Bible Illustrations: Idea #40
User-generated content introduces a lot more variety and creativity than the clip art images of past decades. Now with social media and mobile apps, it’s become easier to add a quote, like a Bible verse, to a photo image taken with the built-in camera on a smartphone. 2 free mobile apps make the connection for photography and Bible verses: the Bible app and Parallel Bible.
The very popular Bible app by YouVersion (that you can download at free.bible) had added the Verse Images function in March 2015. By April 2015, more than 1.8 million verse images had been created! This excerpt from Now Available: Choose Your Own Photos for Verse Images —
Verse Image is one of the most popular features in YouVersion history, with more than 1.8 million already created since it launched. Hopefully you’ve already been enjoying making your own Verse Images, turning Bible verses into inspirational art that you can share with your community of friends. Today we’re pleased to announce that with the newest release of the Bible App, now you can select your own photos as backgrounds for your Verse Images!
The Parallel Bible describes its app as “the world’s first social, visual Bible.” It was featured in TIME magazine as “Like Instagram, But for the Bible” —
A new app lets people share inspirational images online, but instead of trending hashtags they can peg them to their favorite Bible verses. ...
Instead, users sign into a virtual fellowship, uploading their own photos and videos and tagging them with related verses, searching Scripture to see other users’ photos and sharing stories in small groups or on their own news feeds.
“What we want for the Bible is to turn it back into a big table where everyone feels like they can be welcome,” co-founder Andrew Breitenberg says. “If you are a human being, you qualify—you don’t have to be a Christian to read the Bible.”
And recently, photographer Dave Adamson (@aussiedave) published “Open In Case of Emergency” at bibleinphotos.com as a free ebook with “14 days of hope-filled Bible devotions for when the storms of life are out of control.” Dave described how he was “putting my photography together with some inspirational stories/lessons for a while now on Instagram. Well, over the past few weeks I’ve put some into an ebook to help you get through those times when life sucks. It’s totally FREE.”
You can also follow along his daily creative Bible devos at instagram.com/bibleinphotos — “They say a picture is worth 1000 words ... so as a pastor and photographer I’m teaching the Bible daily through original photography.”
Found these 7 good places to find inspiring and encouraging Bible verses with photographic images (listed in no particular order and I’m sure there are more out there somewhere):
- facebook.com/BibleVerses :: Bible verse images - like the page “to receive an encouraging Bible verse in your news feed.”
- facebook.com/TheDailyBible :: Daily Bible verses to get you through the day, from American Bible Society.
- facebook.com/VerseFirst :: Helping young people connect with God each day, handcrafted by SGM Lifewords
- instagram.com/daily_bibleverses :: Daily Bible Verses Just sharing great photos.
- LightfortheDay.com :: “daily encouragement from the light of God’s Word. We publish a calendar-style photograph with words from the Bible each day of the week. The website is designed to be used as a homepage…”
- todaysbibleverse.com :: “Today’s Bible Verse images will inspire you daily, and are also a great way to share God’s Word and encourage your friends.”
- flickr.com/groups/bibleverses/ is a Flickr group with over 6000 photos.
Know of other great collections of photos and the Bible? Please share in a comment.
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This article is part of the blog series, 66 Ideas for .BIBLE Domain Names, with practical ideas for using .BIBLE domain names. Individuals and organizations can now register .BIBLE domain names that are more shareable, memorable, and meaningful at any accredited registrar.