About Hearth Above
Why this app exists
I made Hearth Above so that people could come to know God’s heart through Scripture. Knowing what happened in a story matters, but it comes second. What I hope for most is that, chapter by chapter, we see who God is from what He says and does, and bring it home to our own lives.
It is meant for people who are still learning how to read the Bible, and for anyone who wants to slow down and read it with care. The studies speak to you directly, the way a believer who loves God and loves you might sit beside you and read.
The app is free, with no ads, and I pay for it myself. That is also why the studies are written once and given to you finished, rather than made fresh by an AI chat each time you ask. You can read how in How the studies are made.
How this started
I am not a pastor or a Bible scholar. I have no theology degree, and I am not especially well read. I am someone who wants to study the Bible and know God more.
This is how I study the Bible with my cousin. We read a chapter, and we use an AI as a study helper: it walks us through the setting, what the words mean, and how the chapter connects to the rest of Scripture. It does not replace reading the Bible. It helps us read it more carefully. I found it really helpful.
Hearth Above is that same way of studying, written down one chapter at a time, so that others can try it too. If it helps you the way it has helped me, I am glad.
The name
The word Above in our name points to a Greek word, ἄνωθεν (anōthen), which means “from above.” John uses it here:
The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
We want to be honest about one thing. In John 3:3, Jesus uses the same word, and it can mean “again” or “from above.” The Berean Standard Bible reads it as “again”:
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Other translations read it as “from above,” and readers have understood it both ways. We do not settle that here. We keep the word because “from above” is exactly where we hope the warmth of the Bible comes from.
The hearth
A hearth is where a fire is kept, and where people gather to be warmed. We picture God’s fire coming from above to warm the heart. Two friends walking to Emmaus felt it when Jesus opened the Scriptures to them:
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
That is what we hope for each chapter: a little time by the fire with God’s Word.
Get in touch
Questions, thanks, or a mistake you have found? Write to [email protected].