Scott Bland, another 'Bible on iPod' convert…

"My experience as a busy believer, husband, entrepreneur, and now Dad, was and is a lack of quality time with God.  I knew when I accepted Christ almost six years ago that I’d need to start reading the Bible with some frequency; finding the right time to do that was another thing altogether.  Creativity with mp3 technology became the answer for this believer hands down.

My wife bought me an i-Pod for Christmas three years ago, and God used this gift to answer a need in my life, namely more quality time with Him.  Soon after receiving my i-Pod, I stumbled across the gospel stories narrated by Michael W. Smith.  I immediately purchased them and downloaded all four and began to consume them daily.  My first reaction was a bit of a guilty feeling, thinking I might be cheating by listening to the Bible instead of reading it.  Once my Pastor assured me that this was perfectly acceptable, I was full speed ahead onto true, palpable growth with God.  By the way, it was equally as calming to find out that during the period in which the Old and New Testaments were being written, the culture was an oral one.  This is to say that there were not many copies of the written Word floating around, unlike today, so people depended on a Rabbi’s narration of the scriptures to hear God's words.  The benefit of a technologically-driven age such as ours can still be discovered as I have myself experienced.

God has successfully used my now complete version of the Bible on mp3 to speak all kinds of growth into my life.  I was recently asked if I’d ever heard God speak to me, to which I replied absolutely, on a daily basis.  This is not only true verbally, but spiritually as well.  As I listen to His spoken Word, God reveals plans he has for me, as well as corrections and counsel, and wisdom for others He’s put intentionally in my path.

My current lifestyle is an extremely busy one, likely just like yours.  The requirements on my 24-hour day seem to increase by the moment.  At any given time, I’m trying to juggle which responsibilities are most important at that time, and which I am going to have to intentionally neglect due to a lack of enough hours in my day.  My relationship with God is by far the most important thing to me, so finding time to fit the scriptures in  must be important as well.  It takes some creativity, a little discipline, and a desire to be closer with the One whom created us all, but in return comes a contentment with pure joy that nothing else has come close to duplicating."

 
The iPod is about to evolve again.   iWear from Icuity is a 4-oz "videoshade" that produces a high-resolution picture on a virtual 44-inch screen.  So why listen to the Bible when you may be able to watch it on your own private self-contained screen?   

The answer involves the user's multi-tasking ability.  Using an audio only iPod without the distraction of video is often to the advantace of the listener.   The hands-free / eyes-free multi-tasking it facilitatues provides one of its primary values.  Nevertheless, no doubt there will be times when iWear is preferable.  It currently retails for about $300.