Adding Scripture to Your Shows: Bible Integration Tutorial

Mia Loha

Mia Loha

— 4 min read
Adding Scripture to Your Shows: Bible Integration Tutorial
Photo by Aaron Burden / Unsplash

Star's built-in Bible support lets you seamlessly incorporate scripture readings into your shows. This tutorial covers finding verses, adding them to shows, and presenting scripture beautifully.

Time required: 10 minutes

What You'll Learn

  • Navigating the Bible browser
  • Searching for specific references
  • Adding scripture to shows
  • Formatting and presenting scripture
  • Working with multiple translations

Prerequisites

  • An existing show (or create one as you go)
  • Basic familiarity with Star

Part 1: Accessing the Bible

Finding the Bible Browser

Look for:

  • Bible in the main navigation
  • Scripture section
  • Books or References area
  • Add Entry → Scripture in a show

Bible Browser Layout

The browser typically shows:

  • Book list: Genesis through Revelation
  • Chapter navigation: Select a chapter
  • Verse display: Read the text
  • Search: Find specific references

Part 2: Browsing Books

  1. Open the Bible browser
  2. Scroll through the book list
  3. Tap a book name (e.g., "Psalms")
  4. Select a chapter (e.g., "23")
  5. Verses display

Book Organization

Books appear in canonical order:

  • Old Testament: Genesis → Malachi
  • New Testament: Matthew → Revelation

Some versions group by category:

  • Pentateuch
  • History
  • Poetry/Wisdom
  • Prophets
  • Gospels
  • Epistles

Favorite Books

If available:

  1. Find a book you reference often
  2. Tap the star/heart/favorite icon
  3. Access favorites for quick navigation

Part 3: Searching for References

Know exactly what you want? Search directly:

  1. Open the search bar
  2. Type a reference: John 3:16
  3. Results show the verse(s)
  4. Tap to view

Reference Formats

Star recognizes various formats:

  • John 3:16 - Single verse
  • John 3:16-18 - Verse range
  • John 3:16-4:3 - Range across chapters
  • Ps 23 or Psalm 23 - Full chapter
  • 1 Cor 13 - Books with numbers
  • 1Cor13 - Condensed format (usually works)

Don't know the reference? Search by content:

  1. Type keywords: love one another
  2. Results show verses containing those words
  3. Browse to find the one you want

Common References Quick Access

Star may offer quick access to popular verses:

  • The Lord's Prayer
  • Psalm 23
  • John 3:16
  • Romans 8:28
  • Jeremiah 29:11

Part 4: Adding Scripture to Shows

Method 1: From Show Entry

  1. Open your show
  2. Tap Add Entry
  3. Select Scripture or Bible
  4. Enter the reference: Romans 12:1-2
  5. Preview the text
  6. Tap Add to Show

Method 2: From Bible Browser

  1. Navigate to the passage in the browser
  2. Select the verses you want
  3. Tap Add to Show or Use in Show
  4. Select which show to add to
  5. Confirm

Method 3: Quick Reference Entry

  1. Tap Add Entry → Scripture
  2. Type directly: Ephesians 2:8-9
  3. Star auto-parses and fetches the text
  4. Add to show

Verse Selection

For longer passages, you may need to:

  1. Go to the starting verse
  2. Select/highlight the range
  3. Or enter the full range in the reference field

Part 5: Scripture Entry Options

Reference Display

Configure how the reference appears:

  • Full: "The Gospel According to John, Chapter 3, Verse 16"
  • Standard: "John 3:16"
  • Abbreviated: "Jn 3:16"
  • Hidden: Display verse text only

Translation Selection

If multiple translations are available:

  1. Open the scripture entry
  2. Find Translation or Version
  3. Select your preferred translation
  4. Text updates accordingly

Common translations:

  • NIV (New International Version)
  • ESV (English Standard Version)
  • KJV (King James Version)
  • NASB (New American Standard)
  • NLT (New Living Translation)

Verse Numbers

Toggle verse numbers in the display:

  • Show: "16 For God so loved..."
  • Hide: "For God so loved..."

Choose based on whether readers need to follow along in their own Bibles.

Part 6: Presenting Scripture

In Presentation Mode

Scripture entries display like other entries:

  • Full-screen text
  • Your design settings applied
  • Navigate forward/back as usual

Formatting Considerations

Scripture may need different formatting than lyrics:

  • Longer text: Consider smaller font to fit
  • Multiple verses: Clear line breaks between
  • Verse numbers: Help readers follow

Design Override for Scripture

Consider a distinct look for scripture:

  1. Open the scripture entry
  2. Go to Design → Override
  3. Set scripture-specific styling:
    • Parchment or classic background
    • Serif font for traditional feel
    • Slightly different text color

This visually distinguishes scripture from songs.

Part 7: Common Use Cases

Responsive Reading

Create a call-and-response scripture reading:

  1. Add the full passage as scripture entry
  2. In notes, indicate which parts are Leader/Congregation
  3. Or: Create multiple entries for each section

Alternative: Create section entries with the formatted responsive text if Star's scripture entry doesn't support this directly.

Scripture Between Songs

Place scripture as a transition:

  1. Song 1
  2. Scripture entry (thematically connected)
  3. Song 2

The scripture provides reflection space and thematic continuity.

Sermon Text

Add the sermon passage to the show:

  1. Create entry for sermon scripture
  2. The reference displays during the message
  3. Congregation can follow along

Benediction

Closing blessing from scripture:

  1. Add scripture entry at the end
  2. Configure display for the blessing text
  3. Present as the closing element

Part 8: Working with Multiple Languages

If Multi-Language is Available

Star may support various Bible languages:

  • English
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
  • French
  • Korean
  • And others

Selecting Language

  1. In Bible browser or settings
  2. Find Language option
  3. Select desired language
  4. Browse/search in that language

Side-by-Side (if supported)

Some shows may support parallel display:

  • English on one side
  • Spanish on the other

Check your Star version for availability.

Part 9: Tips and Best Practices

Verify the Text

Before the event:

  • Read through the scripture entry
  • Verify it matches your intended passage
  • Check for any parsing errors

Keep it Readable

For projection:

  • Long passages may need multiple entries
  • Consider breaking at natural points (paragraph breaks)
  • Adjust font size for the full text to be visible

Thematic Connections

Build shows around scripture themes:

  1. Start with the scripture theme
  2. Select songs that reinforce it
  3. Add the scripture entry in a natural place

Save Common References

If you use certain scriptures often:

  • Keep them in a "template" show
  • Copy entries between shows
  • Or note favorite references for quick access

Quick Reference

Reference Format Examples

Format Result
John 3:16 Single verse
John 3:16-21 Verse range
Psalm 23 Full chapter
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Range with book number
Gen 1:1-2:3 Cross-chapter range

Common Worship Scriptures

  • Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepherd)
  • Psalm 100 (Make a joyful noise)
  • Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord)
  • John 3:16-17 (For God so loved)
  • Romans 8:28 (All things work together)
  • Philippians 4:4-7 (Rejoice in the Lord)

Troubleshooting

Can't find a book

  • Check spelling
  • Try alternate names (Song of Solomon / Song of Songs)
  • Use abbreviations (Gen, Ex, Lev)

Reference not parsing

  • Use standard format: Book Chapter:Verse
  • Add space after book name
  • Check for typos

Wrong translation

  • Verify translation setting
  • May be set at app or show level
  • Reset to preferred translation

Next Steps

Scripture integrated. Now:

  • Plan thematic services around scripture passages
  • Create scripture-song pairings for continuity
  • Explore full Bible book readings for deeper engagement

Read more