I am a book man. More specifically I am a physical book man. Do not get me wrong, I think e-readers and other digital books can be amazing resources for those who need a compact way to carry their library with them. My good friend Justin is getting ready to move to Cote d’Ivoire to teach Bible and train pastors and will not be able to take a theological library with him, so I thank God that he will be able to take most of his books on his Kindle. I just prefer physical books, and since I do not foresee any life or ministry situations that would require a portable library in the near future, I will stick with good old paper and ink.

Having said that, I must also comment that I am an dedicated Accordance user and since I purchased the relevant language resources from Accordance a few years ago, I have not not open my physical copies of BDAG, NIDNT, TDNT, Spicq, Louw and Nida, HALOT, NIDOTTE, BDB or TWOT. They had been sitting on my self collecting dust for two years without any use. So I finally broke down and sold them. Some of the profits from those sales went to pay for a new iPad, which I absolutely love. I have spent the last few weeks setting up my iPad and finding all the apps that will make it function almost like a proxy for my MacBook. At this point, I rarely ever need to take my MacBook off my desk at home. Below are my favorite apps with a little description of how I use each. If you are also an iPad user, please let me know if you have found any other apps that are useful for readers, writers or Bible and theology teachers and students.

1. Accordance Bible Software – Simple enough. Whatever you have on your Accordance desktop can go anywhere with you on the iPad. This is probably the app I use most. This app is really what sealed the deal for me to buy the iPad. *Also works on iPhone.

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2. Dropbox – This is one of the best apps out there, not only for the iPad, but for all computers. With Dropbox you can set up a folder on your computer that automatically syncs all the files in it with any other device (computer, iPad, iPhone, or web). Anytime to make a change anywhere it automatically makes the same changes to the file everywhere else it exists. I know there are other cloud programs that do this, but Dropbox is the best. *Also works on iPhone.

3. Documents to Go – DtG can sync with you Dropbox account so you can work on all your documents on your iPad or iPhone. If you use Microsoft Office for Mac like I do this app is the best way to read, edit and create Office files on the iPad. With Dropbox, there is almost nothing I do on my Macbook that I cannot do on my iPad. This means that most of the time, my Macbook stays at home and I can just take my iPad to school to use in teaching. *Also works on iPhone.

4. ReadingPlan – This is a great app for Bible readers. It automatically syncs Bible reading plans for daily reading. You can choose from a couple dozen plans already in the app or create your own. This app could be very useful to anyone who has difficulty keeping with a Bible reading program or wants to try a read through the Bible in a year plan for the first time. *Also works on iPhone.

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5. Christian Creeds and Reformed Confessions – This app includes the great creeds of the Church (Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian) and the great confessions of the Reformed tradition (Belgic, Heidelberg, Dort, Westminster). I use this app daily as my wife and I work to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism in our devotional time . *Also works on iPhone.

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6. Fighter Verses – This app from Desiring God has absolutely revolutionized by approach to Bible memorization. I have found that most “memory verses” we learn in evangelicalism are taken out of context and although we may use them to express truth, we usually use them differently than the author intended. This app gets you to memorize large chunks Scripture at a time. It uses repetition and games to memorize and even has a special section for kids. *Also works on iPhone.

7. GoodReader – This is the best PDF reader and marker I have found. This app allows me to do all the marking in different colors that I do for my visual textual analyses of original language exegetical work. I also use it for reading journal articles that are available in PDF. If you read a lot of PDFs and want to mark them up, this app will be perfect.

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8. Dragon Dictation – This app records whatever you say and transfers it into text. Now I do not use this app all that much, I often say I think better with my fingers than with my lips, but when I am driving in the car and get an idea that I do not want to forget, I can use this app and send myself a text email of what said. It is usually pretty mistake free. *Also works on iPhone.

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9. Kindle – As I already said, I am physical book guy, but having the Kindle app allows me to have some books with me all the time, especially those free and really low priced classics available from Amazon. Right now I have the works of Wodehouse to entertain me if I am waiting for something as well as R. C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God (free), Scot McKnight’s The King Jesus Gospel, and Douglas Bond’s Hostage Lands. If you do not mind reading books off a screen then his might be the best thing about the iPad for you. *Also works on iPhone.

10. Netflix – I hate TV. It kills your brain and most of it is trash, but from time to time I do like a good movie, especially a good documentary or movie/series based on classic literature. There are tons of documentaries and classic literature films on Netflix so my family subscribes. *Also works on iPhone.