AmazonSmile: 5% to TTW through Friday

Hey TTW friends,

Amazon Smile is running a promotion to help charities like TTW. Now through Friday (Nov 2), they're giving 5% of every purchase you make through smile.amazon.com to the charity of your choice. If you'd like to send that to TTW, simply go to smile.amazon.com, sign in to your Amazon account, and search for "Through the Word Inc" as your charity. Then shop away! 

Important Notes! 

• Amazon only makes the contribution if you buy on smile.amazon.com - it does not work on the normal Amazon page - so you might want to bookmark the smile page.
• The 5% promo lasts through Friday. After that it's the usual 0.5%.
• This is not a good reason to do extra or unnecessary shopping. If you're buying something on Amazon anyway - it's a great opportunity. If not, please save your money!

App Update! Journal Fix & More.

Hello TTW Friends!
Pastor Kris here to let you know that we posted a new update to the TTW app in the App Store last weekend. TTW version 2.2.2 has a fix for an issue that affected the journaling feature ("Think" page) for some users. You can get the latest update in the App Stores here:

Solution for Ongoing App Issue: We have heard from a few users that they have had ongoing trouble with the app since we launched the NIV and CSB. It has been tough to solve because it affects only a few users, but we believe that we may have found a solution for you. The issue is tricky because it seems to be related to something that iCloud or Android save in your settings - even when you delete the app. That means that your phone saves the problem even when we change the app. That makes it really difficult to get rid of. But if that's you, we came up with the following directions for you to try. I'll work on making a better version of these directions with pictures for each step, but for now you can give this a try. Also please know that you can use the web version of the app at throughtheword.org until your app is working again, and always please email us at info@throughtheword.org with any issues and we'll do our best to help!

In Christ, 

Pastor Kris

Here are the directions:

If you are having significant issues with the TTW app...

Fix for iPhone or iPad:

1. Settings > Click Apple ID (your name at the top)
2. iCloud > Turn off iCloud Drive,
3. iCloud > Turn off iCloud Backup
4. iTunes & App Store > Turn off Apps
5. iTunes & App Store > Turn off Updates
6. Uninstall TTW
7. Reinstall TTW
8. Check that TTW works.
9. Turn iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup on and Turn on Apps and Updates

Fix for Android - try these solutions in order:

1st Solution:

Quit the TTW app completely (not just press home and go back to it).

1. Press the app drawer button (usually the right button).
2. Tap the ‘X’ or Swipe right to quit TTW.
3. Press the home button and then go to reopen TTW.

2nd Solution:

Clear TTW’s App Cache and App Data

1. Clear the app’s data: Go to Settings, Tap “Apps” > Tap “TTW” > Tap “Storage” > Tap “Clear cache” and Tap “Clear data”
2. Go back to TTW App and Login.

3rd Solution:

Uninstall and Reinstall the app.

Praying for Friends in Hurricanes!

Hello TTW Friends,
  Pastor Kris here with a quick note to send our love and compassion to all our friends hit by the recent hurricanes. One of the side-effects of having a ministry that reaches people in all parts of the world is that disaster relief has become much more personal to me. When we see natural disasters on the news, I think it's a fairly common response to think quickly through your friends and family and wonder, "Do I know anyone there?" I know I do it. That's human. But recently an additional thought has crept into my response. "I wonder if any of our TTW listeners were hit?" I realize that we have friends all over the world now, and I can't help but care what happens to them, and pray that God would send His people to help. It's not always easy to care, but it's been good for my heart.

Hurricane relief in particular has been very personal to me for some time. In 2005 we were part of a relief team to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina hit. That relief work turned into a church plant, and my family moved there for five years to help. (In fact, TTW was born in Mississippi, and you'll still hear it on our original recordings). While we were in hurricane country, we witnessed firsthand the amazing work that God does through relief work, and the outpouring of love and compassion that came from God's people all over the country was just amazing. So as we pray for our friends hit by Hurricanes Michael, Florence and more, we pray with confidence, knowing that God can and will use even this for His purpose, and He will work it all for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.  Our prayers are with you.

At the same time, we know that the God's help so often comes in the form of God's people showing up to make a difference. Teams of relief workers are there now, and they need more. And they need financial support! Following are links to organizations that we support and that we saw do amazing work after Katrina years ago, and who continue to respond effectively to disasters around the world. We encourage and endorse your support for them - and they provide amazing opportunities to volunteer. If ever you see news of disaster and question what God is doing - I would strongly encourage you to volunteer and show up before you answer that question. You may be amazed at what you see when God's people show up and bring compassion and real help. For those of you hit personally, we love you and we pray for you, and we trust that God is sending help!

http://www.calvarydisasterrelief.org
https://www.samaritanspurse.org

In Christ,
Pastor Kris

Images borrowed from Samaritan's Purse - use link above.

Update! New fix for app issue!

Hello again friends. We have an update, and hopefully a fix for your app issues. We're so sorry for the recent frustration, but we have a fix in place and we need your help to test it out and let us know if it's working. For many of you, the app should be working fine. If your app is not working properly, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app for the fix to kick in. So please try the following and let us know if it's working:

Try #1: Close & Reopen the App: That may be enough to get it working again.

Try #2: Delete & Reinstall the App: Even if you tried this before today, please try again. Here's a step by step:
 - Open your phone to the home screen where you see the TTW app.
 - Hold your finger on the TTW app icon until an X appears in the corner. Tap X to delete/uninstall.
 - Open the App Store and find "Through the Word"
 - Tap "Get" or "Install"

Test it & Let Us Know: After you reinstall, give the app a try and let us know if it worked. Contact us at info@throughtheword.org to tell us.

If it's still not working: Please email to let us know exactly what isn't working and what kind of device you are using. We will continue to work on a fix until it's working for everyone. In the meantime, you can use the web-app at throughtheword.org on your mobile or laptop.

Thanks so much for your patience and help!
In Christ, Pastor Kris


PS. If you're wondering what the problem was (and you like technical jargon) - we just switched the app to a new Bible API on Friday so that we can add more Bible translations on the same API. There was a query limit on the new API, and we didn't see it. So the app worked great in testing, but when we launched we passed the limit quickly and it shut down our access to the Bible server. Always another adventure.

Problems with the App Update?

Hello TTW friends!
We've had some reports of issues with the new app update on some devices. If you're having troubles, first I want to apologize for any frustration you've experienced. So sorry. We're working on a solution now and hope to have that out soon. Strangely, the issues did not appear in the test version, but popped up soon after release - but only on some devices. While we work on a fix, we want to make sure that you can continue your daily Bible habit. If you're not having issues, then you're all set! If you are having issues, here are a few options:

1. Use the web-app: open throughtheword.org on your mobile or laptop, login to your account, and you can access all the features of the regular app. Any time you have trouble on the app, the web-app is there for backup!

2. Try deleting and reinstalling the TTW app: This worked for some users experiencing issues. Just delete the old app (hold your finger on the TTW app until you see an X, then tap the X), then go to the App Store, search Through the Word, and tap Get to reinstall. You'll have to log in again, and all your saved data will be there.

3. Get the TTW app on another device: If you have a tablet or other phone you can use, try TTW on that one. You can login to the same account you normally use if you use the same email and password.

So those are your options. We will continue to work as quickly as we can to get a fix and solution into the App Store, and I will make an announcement here in TTW News. Thanks so much for you patience with us. See you in the Word!

In Christ,
Pastor Kris

App Update!! NIV, CSB & Bug Fixes!

Hello TTW friends!
Pastor Kris here. I can't even tell you how excited I am to make this announcement. Big news. Really big. Like super big!!

Okay, maybe that's overstating. But it's big. I know, you're saying "Just get to the news already!" Alright, alright. Maybe I just wanted to give you a little build up because I've literally been looking forward to this announcement for six years. And at long last, here it is...
TTW just added the NIV and CSB translations! 
We finally have options! And even better, the new translations both come with high quality audio Bibles. Can you tell I'm excited?

Along with the new Bible translations, you should also see several performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that recently cropped up on some devices. So...

To get the updates:
1. Open the App Store on your device.
Apple App Store Link
Google Play Store Link
2. Tap update!

That's the big news. If you're wondering why it took so long, it's an even longer story - about copyrights, licensing, software APIs, and all the crazy stuff that goes into running a Bible app. But we made it! And there's more to come. We'll be adding more translations and more improvements on the app - but one step at a time. So go get the update, and let us know what you think. And if you like TTW, please post a review in the App Store - those mean a lot to us!

In Christ,
Pastor Kris



P.S. (a few notes):

• Issues on the new app? If you have issues, email info@throughtheword.org and we'll do all we can to fix it.
• What happened to the ESV? To add the new translations, we had to temporarily remove the ESV - but it's coming back. Long story short - when we added the NIV & CSB, we had to change our API (now provided by DBL), and our ESV license is still in process for updating. And lots of other TLA's (three-letter-acronyms) were involved. If that sounded like nonsense to you, just be glad you don't have to deal with it every day!
• Will TTW be adding KJV, NLT, or others? We plan to add a few more translations as we are able to get the licensing for them. It's a lot more work than you would think.
• What's the NIV? The New International Version of the Bible is an outstanding translation in clear and understandable English, published by Biblica. It is the translation that I read from most often in my audio guides (along with the ESV).  Link to Biblica's Summary of the NIV
• What's the CSB? The Christian Standard Bible is an accurate and balanced translation published by LifeWay, and is recently becoming a new favorite of mine to read. LifeWay link on the CSB
• I heard there was some controversy about the NIV. Yes, there was some controversy in 2011 when the NIV updated their translation so that references to "men" or "brothers" were more clearly made to "people" or "brothers and sisters." The CSB and others have made similar updates. While I understand both sides of this debate, I support the updates as accurate to the original intent and meaning of the Bible text. The update was about changes to English language today, not changes to the original Bible (in the past, the English word "man" often meant human or mankind, where today it is more commonly used to refer to a male human). Here are a couple links to helpful comments on the matter: Christianity Today Article on Gender Inclusivity, and here's a Snopes article on verses "not in" the NIV.

App Update & Fix On the Way

Hello TTW Friends!
Over the last week we've had a multiple reports of issues on the app. We're working quickly to determine the cause, which we believe may be related to recent updates to both iOS and Android operating system software. We hope to get fixes to all of you ASAP, so please watch the App Store for updates. In the mean time, there are a couple things you can try.

1. Try deleting the app from your device, and reloading from the App Store. This has worked for most of our users reporting issues. You'll have to log in again, but your journals and progress will be saved.

2. If you can't get the app to work, you open throughtheword.org on your mobile or laptop, and login to your account there.

Hopefully that will solve your problems for now, and we'll launch the fix as soon as it's ready. The update will also have new Bible translations, including the NIV and CSB, with improved Bible audio.  Please pray for us as we continue to make improvements and fixes on the app.  Thanks!

In Christ,
Pastor Kris

Last Day for T-Shirt Orders!

Hello TTW Friends -
September has passed and we are closing out our TTW T-shirt giveaway. To make sure that everyone has a chance to get their t-shirt order in, we're giving you up through Tuesday, October 2nd at Noon PST to get your order in. So get your orders in now! This will be our only T-shirt giveaway this year, so this is your chance. You can order as many as you like - for friends and family too! We just ask that you help us cover the costs in your donation (our cost is about $12 per shirt). If you donated but forgot to submit your t-shirt request, please get that in now.

How to get your TTW T-shirt:

Step 1: Make a donation of any amount at mogiv.com/ttw.

Step 2: Click here to order your shirt size and color.

That's it. Thanks so much for helping us reach the world - through the Word!

In Christ,
Pastor Kris  = )

FAQ:

Can I order more than one? Yes! Just use the same order form a second time, etc. You don't have to donate twice, but if possible please cover the costs in your donation. The shirts cost us about $12 to purchase and mail.

When will shirts be sent? Late October. We're saving costs by waiting until October 1 for requests to be in before we order and print, plus a few weeks to print and mail. Thanks for your patience!

What if I already give monthly? Of course you get a shirt! We depend on our monthly donors - you guys make this possible! Just use the link in Step 2 above to order.

Can I get a t-shirt outside the USA? Yes! We love our listeners all over the world. Shipping will cost us about ten US dollars, so if possible please cover that in your donation.

What sizes & styles? We have youth, men's (standard) and women's (v-neck) XS to 3XL.  Some colors and sizes may be limited.

Questions? Email info@throughtheword.org.