Ok, I'll go first...

[B_Mar]

Hi everyone! I'm glad to be in on the ground floor of this forum and have a chance to see the exciting developments in The Word software. I've only been using The Word for a few weeks, and it has completely changed my Bible study habits. I love it!

I have had a few thoughts about features I'd like to see. Some of them may already be in the works, I don't know. But I think it would be wonderful to have the option of scheduled readings such as:
- Daily Devotionals like Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" and Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest" (I believe those are both free in the public domain). It might even be nice to cross-link the devotionals to the Scriptures that they reference.
- A "Read through the Bible in a year" schedule which, when selected, can actually present the day's readings all in one place (for example: a selection from the OT, and the NT, plus a few verses from Psalms and Proverbs for each day).
- I believe that Mr. Stergiou already plans to add commentaries and Strong's numbers, which sounds very nice to me.

Thanks for giving me a chance to make suggestions. This is wonderful software and I hope it will touch many lives.

[MrSteve]

I have also only been using the program for a short while. The choice of versions is good and the easy parallel set up are the things that sold me. I like the note function and find it much easier in sermon & teaching preperation...

[csterg]

Hello B_Mar,
welcome to the online forums and thank you for your suggestions. Let me explain first that the new version of the program is close to a beta and that there are many new things in there.

Daiily devotionals is a fairly simple function and i think it can be added. Since the new version has commentaries, dictionaries, etc, a daily devotional is just another (quite similar) type of module that is organized by calendar date.
Before i implement a new feature for the program, the first thing I do is try to think/imagine/explore all the possible little functions associated with it. Then, i write them in a list and try to decide which ones should be implemented and which would make little meaning or would appeal to vey few people, so i reject them. I think that ideas from you and others, even on little details, are always very important.

The "Read through the Bible in a year" is also a wonderful idea and i think it is not very hard to do either. I have seen similar functions around but most of them seem to divide the calendar year in days (or weeks) and break down the scriptue in 365 pieces. But what you proposed is more interesting: you propose to combine some verses from OT and NT for each day. What else do you have in mind for this?

About commentaries and Strongs: they are already in place with interesting features. Just patience is needed.

Costas

[B_Mar]

The program that I have on my Palm is called "Daily Reader," and it's from Laridian Software www.laridian.com . They offer several different read-the-Bible-through schedules to choose from. My favorite is like the one I described earlier. Sometimes I get bogged down if all I'm reading is Old Testament, especially when it's a bunch of "begats" and so forth. I'm not disparaging any part of the Bible, but still, some parts are admittedly easier to read and learn from than others. So I like having selections from both Old and New, plus a couple of verses from Psalms and Proverbs.

Today's readings are:
Ps. 63:1-67:7 (Right now the OT readings come from the Psalms, in addition to having the regular Psalm and Proverb readings)
1 Cor. 11:23 - 12:11
Ps. 102:1 - 5
Pr 19:22 - 24

I have no idea whether schedules can be copyrighted or not. You might want to look into Laridian's software. For Handheld Bible programs, it's hard to beat their "My Bible" package, which includes the "Daily Reader" program. They have multiple translations, parallel capability, commentaries available, highlighting, the ability to add notes, and tons of other features. (No, I'm not on their payroll ) The package isn't free, but it's reasonably priced for all that it offers.

[B_Mar]

The "Daily Reader" program is also where I get my daily Spurgeon and Chambers readings (among others). One thing that is lacking is the ability to highlight and take notes on the devotionals as I can in the regular Bible program. I think that would be a great feature to have.

[B_Mar]

My ten-year-old son suggested that he would like to have separate user accounts for the program, so he can make his own notations and keep them separate from mine. User accounts would be a practical part of any daily reading program too, I would think.

Blessings,
Betsy

[csterg]

My ten-year-old son suggested that he would like to have separate user accounts for the program, so he can make his own notations and keep them separate from mine. User accounts would be a practical part of any daily reading program too, I would think.

Blessings,
Betsy

Hello Betsy,
this is a good idea. It is already there in the new version (beta coming soon). Of course, this requires a different user account (in Windows XP) for example.

By the way: it is wonderful to know that your 10 year old son shows this interest in the Word of God, and even more in studying it in depth and making his own anottations.
Costas

[B_Mar]

My ten-year-old son suggested that he would like to have separate user accounts for the program, so he can make his own notations and keep them separate from mine. User accounts would be a practical part of any daily reading program too, I would think.

Blessings,
Betsy

Hello Betsy,
this is a good idea. It is already there in the new version (beta coming soon). Of course, this requires a different user account (in Windows XP) for example.

By the way: it is wonderful to know that your 10 year old son shows this interest in the Word of God, and even more in studying it in depth and making his own anottations.
Costas

I'm so glad that this feature is coming. Thank you!
Yes, Nathanael is by far my most spiritually sensitive child. He is also my oldest. I'm hoping the others will come along. Nathanael has Asperger's Syndrome and ADD, so he faces many challenges. My 8-year-old, Phillip, has Autism, ADD, and Bipolar Disorder, so needless to say he has lots of challenges, too. 6-year-old Andrew may have some special needs as well, but if he does they are minor. I am trusting God that all of this has a purpose and will work out for good.

[csterg]

I'm so glad that this feature is coming. Thank you!
Yes, Nathanael is by far my most spiritually sensitive child. He is also my oldest. I'm hoping the others will come along. Nathanael has Asperger's Syndrome and ADD, so he faces many challenges. My 8-year-old, Phillip, has Autism, ADD, and Bipolar Disorder, so needless to say he has lots of challenges, too. 6-year-old Andrew may have some special needs as well, but if he does they are minor. I am trusting God that all of this has a purpose and will work out for good.

How wonderful and edifying to hear that you are able to cope with these situations with peace in your heart. This should teach some things to many people (including myself) for whom God has made it easier to come along.
Costas