How to Use rfrmd.com

Getting Started

Welcome to rfrmd.com! This site is a free tool designed to help you read the Bible, follow a daily reading plan, and explore Reformed theology all from one place. Everything on this site is completely free to use, and you do not need to create an account or log in.

The best part is that rfrmd.com works just as well offline as it does online. Once you visit the site, it saves itself to your device automatically. This means you can read your Bible without an internet connection, which is especially helpful when you are traveling or want to set your phone aside from WiFi.

How to Open the Site

Simply go to rfrmd.com in your web browser on any device. You can use a computer, tablet, or phone. The site adjusts automatically to fit your screen size, so it works great on any device. If you want even easier access, you can install rfrmd.com as an app directly on your home screen, which we will explain below.

The Navigation Bar

At the top of every page, you will see a navigation bar with links to all the main features. The navigation includes links to the Bible Reader, Daily Reading plan, Prayer Guide, Library, and other helpful pages. On mobile phones, tap the menu button (three horizontal lines) to see all the navigation options.

The main features are: Daily Reading (M'Cheyne reading plan), Prayer Guide (Psalm prayers), Bible (the full Bible Reader), and Library (Reformed theology articles). You can jump between these at any time using the navigation bar at the top.

Installing rfrmd.com as an App on Your Phone

Installing rfrmd.com as an app makes it feel like a regular app on your phone, even though it is still just the website. This gives you the best offline experience and puts rfrmd right on your home screen.

On iPhone:

On Android:

Bible Reader

The Bible Reader is where you can read any Bible passage you want. You have access to three complete Bible translations: the English Standard Version (ESV), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV). You can read the whole Bible, jump to any book, search for specific passages, take notes, and adjust the text size.

Opening the Bible Reader

Tap "Bible" in the navigation bar at the top, or go to the rfrmd.com home page and tap the "Bible" button. The Bible will open to the last chapter you were reading, or to Genesis if this is your first time.

Choosing a Book

When you open the Bible Reader, you will see the name of the current book at the top and the chapter number next to it. To see a list of all the books in the Bible, tap the book name. A menu will open showing all 66 books organized in two groups: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).

You can also use the compact color-coded view if you prefer. Instead of long book names, you will see colored boxes with book abbreviations. This view is very handy if you are looking for a book quickly. Tap any book to jump to it.

Choosing a Chapter

Once you choose a book, you will see a list of chapters in that book. Tap the chapter number you want to read. If a book has only one chapter (like Obadiah or Philemon), the reader will open directly to that chapter.

Reading a Chapter

When you open a chapter, you will see the verses displayed clearly. Each verse starts with its verse number. Section headings (like "The Flood" in Genesis or "The Feeding of the Five Thousand" in the Gospels) appear in a different style to help organize the text and show you where major thoughts begin. The text is formatted in paragraphs to match how the original authors wrote, which makes reading more natural and helps you understand the flow of ideas.

Navigating Between Chapters

At the bottom of the chapter, you will see navigation buttons. The "Previous" button takes you to the previous chapter, and "Next" takes you to the next chapter. There is also an "All Books" button that lets you jump to a different book without scrolling through the chapter list. You can also use the arrow buttons at the top of the page if you prefer.

Changing Translations

You can switch between three Bible translations. A button near the top of the reader shows which translation you are currently reading. Tap it to see your options:

The English Standard Version (ESV) is a word-for-word translation that is faithful to the original languages while being readable in modern English. However, the ESV requires an internet connection to load the text. The King James Version (KJV) is a classic, more formal translation from 1611. It works completely offline. The American Standard Version (ASV) is from 1901 and is known for being very accurate to the original Hebrew and Greek. It also works completely offline.

If you are offline and try to read the ESV, the Bible Reader will tell you that you need an internet connection. Just switch to KJV or ASV, and you will be able to read immediately. The site remembers which translation you prefer and will default to that translation the next time you visit.

Searching the Bible

You can search the Bible for any word or phrase you remember. Look for the search button (a magnifying glass icon) in the Bible Reader. Tap it to open the search box. Type in the word or phrase you are looking for, and the Bible Reader will search for matches. You can search by verse reference (like "John 3:16"), by topic (like "faith" or "love"), or by a phrase you remember.

The search results show you the verse reference and a short bit of the text around your search term. You can narrow your search to the Old Testament only or the New Testament only if you want to search in a specific part of the Bible. Tap any result to jump to that verse, and your search term will be highlighted in yellow on the page so you can find it quickly.

Poetic Psalms Formatting

The Psalms are poetry, and they work best when they look like poetry. The Poetic Psalms toggle displays the Psalms with their poetic structure preserved, so you can see the rhythm and parallel lines that the original author intended. This helps you understand the meaning more clearly. The toggle can be turned on or off at any time, and you will notice the difference immediately. Many people find that reading the Psalms in poetic format makes them easier to pray and meditate on.

Adjusting Font Size

If the text is too small or too large for you, you can adjust it. Look for the font size controls, usually shown with an "A" with a plus or minus sign next to it. You can increase the size to make reading easier on your eyes, or decrease it if you want to see more text at once. The site remembers your preferred size and will use it the next time you visit.

Remembering Your Place

When you turn on the "Remember Bible Position" setting, the Bible Reader remembers the exact chapter and verse you were reading. When you come back to rfrmd.com later, it will open right to that same spot. If you turn this setting off, the Bible will always open to Genesis chapter 1 when you first arrive.

Quick Lookup Bar

At the bottom of the Bible Reader, you will notice a horizontal strip of buttons showing recent Bible chapters you have looked at. This is called the Quick Lookup Bar. It is a convenient way to jump back to a chapter you just read without having to navigate through the menus again.

How the Quick Lookup Bar Works

As you read the Bible, rfrmd.com automatically adds each chapter you visit to this quick reference bar. If you read John 3, then Romans 8, then Genesis 1, those three chapters will appear as colored pills (small rounded buttons) at the bottom. You can tap any pill to jump directly back to that chapter.

Pinning a Chapter

Sometimes you want to keep certain chapters easily accessible even if you move on to reading other parts of the Bible. You can pin a chapter to the Quick Lookup Bar so it stays there. Look for a pushpin icon or a "+" button while you are reading a chapter. Tap it to pin that chapter. It will stay in the quick reference bar until you decide to unpin it.

If you want to add a chapter to your quick references but you are not currently reading it, you can also tap the "+" button on the Quick Lookup Bar itself. This will show you a book list, and you can select the chapter you want to add without having to navigate there first.

Unpinning a Chapter

If you no longer want a chapter in your quick references, tap and hold the pill for that chapter (or look for a button near it) and select the option to remove it. Or simply tap the "x" or removal button that appears when you interact with the pill.

Enabling and Disabling the Quick Lookup Bar

You can turn the Quick Lookup Bar on or off using the "Quick Ref" button in your site settings. Some people love having quick access to frequently used chapters, while others prefer a cleaner view. The choice is yours.

When the Quick Lookup Bar Is Helpful

The Quick Lookup Bar is especially useful when you are following along with a sermon and the pastor is jumping between different passages. Instead of searching for each new passage, you can tap it in the quick bar. It is also helpful when you are cross-referencing, where you read a verse and then want to look up a related passage mentioned in your notes.

Taking Notes

rfrmd.com lets you take notes on verses and chapters. Your notes are saved right on your device, so they are private and always available. You can take as many notes as you want at no cost.

Taking a Verse Note

While reading the Bible, tap the verse number for any verse where you want to add a note. A popup will appear with a text box where you can type your thoughts. Write whatever is meaningful to you. When you are finished, tap the Save button or press Enter. Your note will be saved, and you will see a small yellow dot appear next to that verse number, showing that it has a note attached.

The Yellow Note Indicator

Whenever you see a small yellow dot next to a verse number, it means you have a note on that verse. You can tap the verse number again to see your note, edit it, or delete it. This helps you quickly spot verses you have written about as you read.

Taking a Chapter Note

You can also take a note that applies to the whole chapter instead of a specific verse. Look for the Notes panel on the side or at the top of the page, and you will see a freeform text area where you can type any general thoughts about the chapter you are reading. This is useful for noting the main theme of the chapter, a prayer you want to remember, or just your overall response to what you read.

Opening the Notes Panel

The Notes panel can usually be opened from the chapter navigation menu. Look for a "Notes" button or icon. When you tap it, the Notes panel will open, and you will see a text area where you can type chapter notes. The panel will stay open as you read, so you can jot things down without closing it between notes.

Editing and Deleting Notes

To edit a note, open it again (by tapping the verse number or opening the Notes panel) and simply change the text. To delete a note, look for a delete button or option in the note itself. A confirmation might appear to make sure you want to delete it. Once you delete a note, it is gone for good, so be careful with that button.

Browsing All Your Notes

You can see all the notes you have taken across the entire Bible. Look for a "My Notes" button in the navigation or settings area. When you tap it, you will see a complete outline of every note you have written, organized by book and chapter. This is helpful if you want to review your personal reflections without having to navigate to each chapter individually. You can tap any note in the outline to jump to that verse in the Bible Reader.

Exporting Your Notes

If you want to save a backup of all your notes or move them to another device, you can export them. In the My Notes view, look for an "Export" button. When you tap it, your notes will be saved as a plain text or JSON file (the exact format depends on your device). You can save this file to your computer, email it to yourself, or store it in cloud storage as a backup.

Importing Notes

If you have previously exported notes from rfrmd.com, you can import them back in. When you open rfrmd.com on a new device or after clearing your data, look for an "Import" option in the My Notes area. You will be asked to select the notes file you want to restore. The import feature is smart enough to merge your new notes with any existing notes you already have, so you will not lose anything.

Each note remembers which Bible translation was being used when you created it, so your notes are associated with the version you were reading. This information is visible in the My Notes view if you want to check it.

M'Cheyne Daily Reading Plan

The M'Cheyne Daily Reading Plan is a structured plan that takes you through the entire Bible in one year. It is organized so that you read four chapters each day from different parts of the Bible. This approach, developed by Robert Murray M'Cheyne, helps you read through Scripture in a balanced way and discover how different books of the Bible connect.

Understanding the Reading Plan

Each day includes four short readings: one from the Old Testament historical books, one from the poetic books (Psalms and Job), one from the prophetic books, and one from the New Testament. By reading from multiple parts of the Bible each day, you get variety and see how God's story unfolds across different genres and time periods.

Family Worship and Personal Devotion

The readings are organized in two groupings. Family Worship readings are designed to be appropriate and meaningful when read aloud with children, while Personal Devotion readings are the standard M'Cheyne selections. Both cover the same material over a year, just with different chapter selections on some days. Choose whichever grouping fits your situation.

Opening Today's Reading

Tap "Daily Reading" in the navigation bar. You will immediately see today's four chapters listed. Each one shows the book, chapter, and a small button to open it. Tap any of the four chapters to read it in the Bible Reader. When you are done reading that chapter, you can tap the navigation buttons to move to the next or previous chapter in the reading, or you can go back to the reading list to open a different day's chapter.

Navigating to Different Dates

You can read today's passages, or jump to a different day. Use the arrow buttons at the top to move forward or backward one day at a time. You can also tap the "Today" button to jump straight back to today's reading from any other day. Some devices will show a date picker where you can tap a specific date to jump directly to that day's reading.

Changing Your Translation

The M'Cheyne plan works with all three Bible translations (ESV, KJV, and ASV). A button at the top shows which translation you are currently using. Tap it to switch to a different one. The plan will remember your preference.

Reading Streaks

A reading streak tracks consecutive days of completed readings. Each day's four chapters have a checkbox next to them. When you finish reading a chapter (or when you want to mark it as read), you can check the box. If you check off all four chapters for the day, the day is marked as complete. The site tracks how many consecutive days you have completed. If you miss a day, the streak resets.

Streaks are meant to encourage consistency and can be a helpful way to stay accountable to your reading habit. However, if you miss a day for a good reason (travel, illness, or life circumstances), you can manually mark days as read to keep your streak going. Streaks are tracked on your device only and are not shared with anyone.

Toggling Streak Display

If you want to see your reading streaks, there is a toggle in the Site Settings to display them. You can turn the streak counter on or off depending on whether you find it helpful or distracting. Either way, the site is still tracking which days you have read, so turning the display off does not erase your progress.

Psalm Prayer Guide

The Psalm Prayer Guide takes you through all 150 Psalms over the course of a month, with five Psalms each day. This is a traditional method of prayer that was popularized by Donald Whitney. Praying through the Psalms helps you connect with the full range of human emotion before God: joy, sorrow, anger, trust, and everything in between.

How the Psalm Prayer Guide Works

The five Psalms each day follow a pattern: Psalm from the first 30, Psalm from the second 30, Psalm from the third 30, Psalm from the fourth 30, and finally a Psalm from the final set. Over thirty days, you will read all 150 Psalms. The next month, you start over at Psalm 1. This monthly rhythm lets you meditate on the Psalms deeply and come back to the same Psalms month after month as God speaks through them to you in new ways at different seasons of your life.

Opening Today's Psalms

Tap "Prayer Guide" in the navigation. You will see today's five Psalms listed with their numbers and a button to open each one. Tap the number of the Psalm you want to read, and it will open in the Bible Reader. You can read them all at once or spread them throughout your day, whatever works best for you.

Navigating Between Psalms

You can read the five Psalms in any order. The reader shows you navigation buttons to move to the next or previous Psalm. You can also go back to the Prayer Guide page and tap a different Psalm number to jump to it.

Navigating to Different Dates

Just like the Daily Reading plan, you can navigate forward and backward through days using arrow buttons, jump to today, or select a specific date. This lets you read ahead if you want, or go back and reread past Psalms.

Changing Translations

The Prayer Guide works with all three Bible translations. Tap the translation button at the top to switch between ESV, KJV, and ASV. Remember that the ESV requires an internet connection, while KJV and ASV work offline.

The Library

The Library is a collection of articles on Reformed theology and Christian living. All the articles are written from a Reformed perspective and cover topics like grace, predestination, the Trinity, church government, and many other subjects. You can read these articles for deeper learning about what the Bible teaches and what the Reformed tradition has understood about God and His Word.

How Articles Are Organized

Articles in the Library are organized by topic in sections. When you open the Library, you will see a list of section headers. For example, you might see sections like "Doctrine," "Church Life," "Christian Living," and so on. Each section contains multiple articles on related topics.

Opening and Closing Sections

Tap any section header to expand it and see the articles inside. Tap it again to collapse the section and hide the articles. This keeps the Library organized so you can focus on the topics you are interested in without seeing everything at once.

Open All and Close All

You will see buttons at the top of the Library that say "Open All" and "Close All." Tap "Open All" to expand every section and see every article at once. This is useful if you want to browse everything or search for an article. Tap "Close All" to collapse all sections back to their headers.

Searching for Articles

There is a search box at the top of the Library. Type a word or phrase to find articles related to that topic. The search looks through article titles and the content inside the articles. When you search, the results show the matching articles with a small snippet of text showing where your search term appears. This helps you quickly find what you are looking for without manually opening sections.

The matching articles are highlighted or displayed with special styling so you can see them easily. When you click on a search result to open an article, the matching text on that page will be highlighted in yellow, making it simple to spot the information you were searching for.

Favoriting Articles

If you find an article that is particularly helpful or that you want to come back to, you can favorite it. Tap the star icon next to the article title to add it to your favorites. Favorited articles are marked with a filled star so you can tell at a glance which ones you have saved. You can tap the star again to unfavorite an article and remove it from your favorites list.

The Reformed Biblical Compendium

The Reformed Biblical Compendium is a special collection of shorter, condensed explanations of Reformed theology terms and concepts. Rather than reading full articles, you get quick references that explain doctrine clearly and concisely. You can search the Compendium just like you search the main Library, and it is a helpful resource for getting a quick definition or understanding of a theological concept.

Site Settings

rfrmd.com has several settings that you can adjust to personalize the site to your preferences. All the settings are located on the About page in the Site Settings section.

Finding the Settings

Tap "About" in the navigation bar. On the About page, you will find a section labeled "Site Settings" with several toggles and options. This is where you control how rfrmd.com behaves and looks.

Changing Your Default Landing Page

By default, when you open rfrmd.com, it shows you the home page. But if you want to open directly to a particular feature every time, you can change this. In the Site Settings, you will see a dropdown menu or selection for "Default Landing Page." Choose which page you want to see first when you arrive at rfrmd.com. Your options include the Daily Reading plan, the Prayer Guide, the Bible Reader, and the Library. Once you choose, rfrmd.com will open directly to that page next time.

Show Release Notes

rfrmd.com is updated regularly with new features and improvements. When a new version is released, a notification can appear to tell you what changed. If you want to see these update notifications, toggle "Show Release Notes" on. If you prefer not to see them, turn it off.

Show Reading Streaks

Reading streaks in the M'Cheyne Daily Reading plan can be motivating or distracting depending on your personality. Use the "Show Reading Streaks" toggle to turn the streak counter on or off. If you turn it off, the site still tracks your reading, but you will not see the streak numbers.

Poetic Psalms

As mentioned in the Bible Reader section, the Psalms can be displayed as poetry to show their original structure. You can toggle this setting on or off at any time. With it on, the Psalms display with line breaks and indentation that show the poetic form. With it off, the Psalms appear in regular paragraph style.

Reader Font Size

Adjust the default font size for Bible reading. This affects the size of the text in the Bible Reader, Daily Reading plan, and Prayer Guide. You can choose from several sizes: extra small, small, medium (the default), large, or extra large. The site remembers your preference and applies it every time you visit.

Remember Bible Position

When you turn on "Remember Bible Position," the Bible Reader saves the exact chapter and verse you were reading and returns to that spot when you come back. If you turn this off, the Bible always opens to Genesis chapter 1. This setting is helpful if you want to pick up where you left off, or you can turn it off if you prefer a fresh start each time.

Clearing the Site Cache

rfrmd.com stores a copy of itself on your device so it can work offline. Over time, this cached data can take up some space on your device. There is a button in the Site Settings to "Clear Cache." Tapping this button removes the offline copy and forces the site to download a fresh copy the next time you visit online.

Clearing the cache does NOT erase your notes, your reading progress, your favorited articles, or any other personal data. It only removes the offline copy of the site itself. You should clear the cache if something seems stuck or broken with the site, or if you want to free up space on your device. After clearing, make sure to visit rfrmd.com while online so it can save itself to your device again.

Working Offline

One of the best features of rfrmd.com is that it works without an internet connection. This is possible because the site saves itself to your device automatically.

How Offline Works

The first time you visit rfrmd.com online, the entire site (all pages, all articles, the Library, the tools) gets saved to your phone or computer's local storage. This is called a "cache." Every time you visit again, rfrmd.com uses this cached copy, which means it loads instantly even if you are offline. If the site is updated with new features or new articles, your device will download the latest version the next time you are online.

Which Translations Work Offline

The King James Version and American Standard Version are stored on your device, so they work perfectly offline. The English Standard Version, however, comes from an external service each time you load it, so it requires an internet connection. If you want to read offline, make sure to use KJV or ASV.

What Works Without Internet

Everything on rfrmd.com works without internet except for loading the ESV Bible text. Your notes are stored on your device, so they are always accessible. The Daily Reading plan, Prayer Guide, Library, and all site features work seamlessly offline. Your reading streaks, favorited articles, and all personal data are stored locally and will work whether you are online or offline.

Installing as an App for Best Offline Experience

If you install rfrmd.com as an app on your phone (as explained in the Getting Started section), the offline experience is even better. The app version is more reliable and takes up less battery and data. We strongly recommend installing the app if you plan to use rfrmd.com offline regularly.

Troubleshooting: When Things Look Wrong

Because rfrmd.com saves a copy of itself to your device, there are rare occasions when the saved copy gets out of sync with the latest version. You might see missing content, a blank area where books should appear, or features that do not work as expected. Here is what to do, starting with the simplest fix and working up to the most thorough.

Step 1: Use "Clear & Reload" in Site Settings. Go to the About page, scroll to Site Settings, and tap "Clear & Reload." This wipes the cached files and forces a fresh download. Your notes, favorites, streaks, and personal settings are not affected. As a safety measure, the site will automatically download a backup of your Bible notes as a JSON file before clearing, so you always have a copy. You can re-import this file later using the Import button in the Bible Reader's My Notes panel. This fixes most issues.

Step 2: Close and reopen the app completely. If you installed rfrmd.com as a home screen app (PWA), the app can hold onto old files even after a cache clear. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the app switcher, then swipe the rfrmd.com app up and off the screen to close it. Then reopen it. On Android, open the recent apps view and swipe rfrmd.com away, then reopen it.

Step 3: Remove and reinstall the app. If closing and reopening does not help, the most reliable fix is to remove the app from your home screen entirely and add it again. On iPhone, long-press the rfrmd.com icon, tap "Remove App" (or "Delete Bookmark"), confirm, and then visit rfrmd.com in Safari and re-add it to your home screen using the Share button. On Android, long-press the icon, tap "Uninstall" or "Remove," then visit rfrmd.com in Chrome and reinstall using the three-dot menu. This forces a completely fresh start. Your notes and settings are tied to your browser, not the app icon, so they should still be there after reinstalling. However, if you want to be safe, export your notes first (from the My Notes panel in the Bible Reader) before removing the app.

Step 4: Clear browser site data (last resort). If none of the above works, you can clear all site data for rfrmd.com in your browser settings. On iPhone Safari, go to Settings, then Safari, then Advanced, then Website Data, find rfrmd.com, and tap Delete. On Chrome (Android or desktop), go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Site Settings, find rfrmd.com, and tap "Clear data." This removes everything, including your notes and settings, so export your notes first if you have any you want to keep.

After any of these steps, make sure you are connected to the internet so the site can download a fresh copy of all its files.

Getting Help and Reporting Bugs

If you have questions about how to use rfrmd.com or if something is not working, there are several ways to get help.

The Help Button

On every page of rfrmd.com, you will see a question mark icon (?) usually in the header or navigation area. Tap this to access the help section. This page (the one you are reading) is accessible from the help button. There is also information about your site version and some quick troubleshooting tips.

This Guide

You are reading it! This guide explains every feature of rfrmd.com in plain language. If you are unsure how to do something, search this page for the relevant section and read through the steps. The table of contents at the top makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

Finding Your Version Number

At the bottom of every page on rfrmd.com, you will see a small line that shows the version number, like "rfrmd.com v3.5.1." If you need to report a bug, include this version number in your report. It helps the developer understand which version of the site you were using when you encountered the problem.

Reporting Bugs or Requesting Features

Found a bug or have a great idea for a new feature? You can report it on GitHub, which is where rfrmd.com is developed and maintained. Look for a "Report a Bug" link on the About page or at the bottom of pages. This link takes you to a GitHub issues page where you can describe the problem or suggest a feature. You do not need a GitHub account to view issues, but you will need one to create a new issue report (creating an account is free).

What to Include in a Bug Report

When you report a bug, include as much detail as possible. Include your site version number (found at the bottom of the page), the device and browser you are using (iPhone with Safari, Android with Chrome, etc.), what you were trying to do when the bug happened, what you expected to happen, and what actually happened instead. The more specific you are, the easier it is for the developer to find and fix the problem.

Privacy

Your privacy is important. Here is exactly what rfrmd.com does and does not do with your data.

No Tracking or Advertising

rfrmd.com does not track you. There is no analytics software, no cookies for advertising, and no third-party trackers. The site does not know who you are, what pages you visit, or what you search for. Every visit is completely anonymous from the site's perspective.

All Data Stays on Your Device

Your notes, your reading history, your favorite articles, your reading streaks, and all other personal data are stored on your device only. This data never leaves your phone or computer. It is not sent to a server somewhere, it is not backed up to the cloud, and no one else can see it. The only exception is if you choose to export your notes, which puts them in a file you can save or share.

No Accounts or Logins

rfrmd.com does not require you to create an account, log in, or provide any personal information. You do not need an email address, a password, or even a username. Simply open the site and start using it immediately.

The ESV API Connection

The only external connection rfrmd.com makes is to load the ESV Bible text. When you read the ESV, the site requests the verses you are reading from the ESV API (application programming interface). This is a technical service that provides the Bible text. The ESV service may log basic technical information (like your IP address) as part of normal website operations, but rfrmd.com itself does not send your personal information to them or track what you read.

If you value maximum privacy, simply use the KJV or ASV, which are stored on your device and require no external connections at all.

~ john

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