How to Use Audio Books

Did you know that we have thousands of audio books available for purchase? You can find most of your favorite Christian author’s books in our store. In this post, we’ll explain how audio books work in the app (and why you would never want to listen any other way!). Then, we’ll cover what genres of audio books we offer, giving a few examples along the way.

How to Use Audio Books in the Olive Tree Bible App

First things first — how to use audio books. We’ll cover everything you need to know!

Finding Your Audio Books in the Library

The first step to using an audio book is opening it! To do so, open the library. It’s the icon at the top of the app with three books.

Boom, library is opened. But maybe you only see books, and no audio. There is a way to toggle between your books, your audio, and all your books and audio. Simply tap the top of the window where there is a down arrow. A filter will expand like so:

Downloading or Streaming Audio Books

Next, you need to choose how you will listen to your audio book. If you were to tap the audio book right here and now, you would begin streaming — granted, you need an Internet connection for this.

If you’ve known us long, you know that we are dedicated to making sure you can read or listen anytime, anywhere. Because of that mission, you can also choose to download your audio books. It’s really simple.

Audiobooks have a green arrow next to them. Simply tap the arrow to download the book!

SPEEDING THINGS UP & MORE

Next, at the bottom of the player, there are three buttons: volume, speed, and connect. They are all rather straightforward options!

Tapping the volume icon will allow you to adjust the volume. Then, tapping speed will allow you to slow down or speed up the audio.

Lastly, the connect button lets you share the audio with other nearby devices—like a bluetooth speaker or your car’s stereo system.

BOOKMARKS

You can leave a bookmark by tapping the bookmark icon on the right-side of the player, between the title and the Bible text.

Then, view your bookmarks by tapping the menu in the top-right corner. This feature allows you to revisit a spot easily.

SLEEP TIMER

In that same menu in the top-right, you can access the sleep timer. We learned that some people prefer to listen to audio while they fall asleep. And since your unconscious self can’t turn the audio off, we can do it for you. Just select how much time you’d like to have pass before we call it quits — or choose to listen until the end of the chapter.

DRIVE MODE (MOBILE ONLY)

Lastly, here’s how you use drive mode!

Make sure the Olive Tree Bible App is open on a mobile device. Then, tap the “Driving” icon at the bottom of the audio player.

AUDIO BOOK GENRES

Audio books are just what you would expect audio books to be… with a few extra-special features. First, you can either download or stream these from your device. You can add bookmarks to your favorite spots you want to return to. And lastly, you can do other things in the app while you listen or even leave the app entirely — the audio will keep playing.

POPULAR BOOKS

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

“Two things are for sure. One is: you have a soul. The other is: if you don’t look after this one you won’t be issued a replacement.

Bestselling author John Ortberg writes another classic that will help readers discover their soul and take their relationship with God to the next level.”

Grace Revealed by Jerry Sittser

“Twenty years ago, Jerry Sittser lost his daughter, wife, and mother in a car accident. He chronicled that tragic experience in A Grace Disguised, a book that has become a classic on the topic of grief and loss.

Now he asks: How do we live meaningfully, even fruitfully, in this world and at the same time long for heaven? How do we respond to the paradox of being a new creature in Christ even though we don’t always feel or act like one? How can we trust God is involved in our story when our circumstances seem to say he isn’t?”

Unashamed by Christine Caine

“In Unashamed, Christine reveals the often-hidden consequences of shame—in her own life and the lives of so many Christian women—and invites you to join her in moving from a shame-filled to a shame-free life.”

[and the audio study, a recording of Christine talking through applying key points of the book]

DEVOTIONALS

What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?: A 30 Day Devotional by Laura Story

“What if the trials of this life are mercies in disguise? 30 devotions by Laura Story, whose Grammy Award-winning song “Blessings” has inspired millions. Empowering messages about heartache, healing, and grace.”

God in the Dark: 31 Devotions to Let the Light Back In by Sarah Van Diest

“These letters were originally written as encouragement to a friend when the darkness began to overtake his path. Each day for 22 days, a letter arrived with one of the eight-verse sections from Psalm 119 along with a small thought to bring light and hope and to be a reminder that we do not fight our battles alone. When these devotions were augmented by nine on the subject of experiencing God in the dark, a 31-day devotional was created.”

Jesus Always by Sarah Young

“Enjoy these joy-filled reminders daily with this beautifully recorded audio devotional. Featuring multi-voice narration and musical scoring, these devotions will intimately and gently connect you with Jesus. Also includes full scripture readings for each day in addition to guided reflection and prayer thoughts.”

LECTURES

Survey of the New Testament: Audio Lectures by Robert Gundry

“These audio lectures are a unique learning experience. Unlike a traditional audiobook’s direct narration of a book’s text, A Survey of the New Testament: Audio Lectures includes high quality live-recordings of college-level lectures that cover the important points from each subject as well as relevant material from other sources.”

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Audio Lectures by Craig L. Blomberg

“Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Audio Lectures, provides a full seminary-level overview of biblical hermeneutics. Biblical scholars William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard cover:

• the history of biblical interpretation,
• current discussions about finding meaning in written texts,
• the formation of the biblical canon and the task of translating Scripture,
• guidelines for reading biblical poetry and prose,
• identification of the various genres of the Old and New Testaments,
• and insights for understanding and applying Scripture today.”

Historical Theology: Audio Lectures by Gregg Allison

“In Historical Theology: Audio Lectures, Gregg Allison offers students the opportunity to study the historical development of theology by a topical-chronological arrangement, setting out the history one doctrine at a time. This approach allows students to concentrate on one tenet of Christianity and its formulation in the early church, through the Middle Ages, Reformation, and post-Reformation era, and into the modern period.”

Interested in learning more about audio lectures? Sweet! We have a post on audio lectures that goes so much more in-depth. Check it out!

EDUCATIONAL

Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

“Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields.

Strobel challenges them with questions like, How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?”

Book on Leadership by John MacArthur

“Author John MacArthur writes on more than 60 traits every leader needs. These elements of character form the framework from which MacArthur details the qualifications and responsibilities of effective leaders, no matter if they are full-time staff members or Christians seeking to serve God at church, home, work, and with friends.”

The Meaning of Marriage Audio Study by Timothy Keller

“According to the Bible, all of these modern-day assumptions miss what marriage is all about. In this audio study, Timothy Keller, along with Kathy, his wife of forty years, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealizes nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful.”

SEE MORE AUDIO BOOK GENRES

Wondering what else we have? Visit our website to see all the new audio books and Bibles we have to offer.