On My LipsThe Bible Study App

Why I built it

I created this app to solve my own problem. Existing Bible apps felt too busy or clunky, creating distractions instead of enabling focus at the exact moment I was trying to read. Even more important, I wanted to be able to read through the Bible in a year, without distractions. I also wanted a tool to help me memorise Scripture: the word hidden in my heart, always on my lips. To recite it off the cuff, I'd need to know it by heart first.

App walkthrough

The app carries me through the year-long M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, with a "Lectio" reading interface, that is, no verse numbers, no clutter, just the text, plus verse memorisation practice to keep the word on my lips.

How it was built

I built almost all of it vibecoding, pairing with coding agents. I started with Codex, then moved across models and tools (OpenCode, Claude Code) switching whenever something felt off, and learned that the agent matters less than the clarity of the instructions you give it.

I initially built it as a React Native app, then switched to Flutter. Working on this helped me see the power of Flutter: the Flutter version is more fluid, and easier to navigate and fix.

The hardest part was getting the API versions of the NLT and ESV translations to load and read correctly, especially for the Lectio interface, where I wanted seamless reading without focusing on verse numbers. This was very difficult with React, but it worked seamlessly with Flutter. I don't fully understand why yet, but it was a moment of joy to see it work well.

What's next

I'm still testing the app and I've submitted it to the Apple App Store.