FaithLens User Guide

Everything you need to know about using FaithLens

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How FaithLens Works

FaithLens connects current news with Scripture to help you see the world through the lens of faith. Here's how it works:

  1. News Collection: We gather news from your local area (city, region, and country) every day.
  2. AI Analysis: Our AI analyzes each article to find meaningful stories suitable for Christian reflection.
  3. Scripture Matching: We identify a Bible verse that relates to the news story's themes.
  4. Reflection Generation: A personalized Christian reflection is created based on your preferences.
  5. Daily Delivery: Your reflection is ready each day, connecting faith with current events.

Tip: Local, National, Global, and Space Reflections

FaithLens offers four types of reflections:

You can switch between Local, National, Global, and Space views on the Today's Reflection page. Each type has its own preferences: in My Account → Preferences you can set a separate format, tone, and news type for Local, National, Global, and Space reflections. The badges on each reflection (e.g. Personal, Encouraging, Community, or 🪐 Space) match the preferences you chose for that type.

Understanding Badges

Badges help you quickly identify information about each reflection. The same badge labels (e.g. Personal, Encouraging, Justice Focused, Community) appear on Today's Reflection and in My Reflections so you can see at a glance which format, tone, and news type each reflection used. Here's what each badge type means:

Format Badges

These indicate the style of reflection:

Personal
Individual devotional style
Family
Suitable for family discussion
Small Group
Designed for group study
Sermon
Starter for sermon prep

Tone Badges

These show the emotional approach of the reflection:

Encouraging
Uplifting and positive
Hopeful
Focus on hope and future
Reflective
Thoughtful and contemplative
Justice Focused
Emphasizes social justice

News Type Badges

These indicate the category of the news article. Categories are shown in plain language (e.g. Human Rights, Community, Exploration). Each reflection type (Local, National, Global, Space) uses its own set of categories—see News Categories below.

Community
Local community stories
Health
Health-related news
Education
Schools and learning
Politics
Political news
Business
Business and economy
Crime
Crime and safety
Sports
Sports stories
Other
Other categories

News Type Fallback

If no articles match your preferred news type, FaithLens finds the best available article from another category. When this happens, the badge shows both types (e.g. Politics (Community) means your preference was Politics but the article used was Community).

Location Badges

These show where the news originated:

Thunder Bay
News from your city
Thunder Bay (Toronto)
Regional news (source city in parentheses)

Completion Status Badges

These track your engagement with reflections:

✓ Read
You've read this reflection
✓ Shared
You've shared via email
✓ Devotional
Completed devotional items
✓ Action
Completed call to action

Reflection Types

Local Reflections

Local reflections are personalized based on your city and region. They focus on news stories happening in your community, helping you engage with local events through a faith perspective.

Regional Fallback

If there isn't enough news from your specific city, FaithLens may include articles from nearby regional cities to ensure you always have a meaningful reflection. When this happens, you'll see the regional city noted in the location badge.

National Reflections

National reflections focus on news happening across your country. All users in the same country receive the same national reflection each day, creating a shared experience for the Christian community within your nation.

Country Flag

The National tab displays your country's flag (e.g., 🇨🇦 for Canada, 🇺🇸 for USA) so you can easily identify it. National reflections use news sources specific to your country.

Global Reflections

Global reflections focus on worldwide news that affects the broader Christian community. These are generated daily and are the same for all users, providing shared reflection on major global events.

Space Reflections

Space reflections are based on outer space and astronomy news—NASA missions, discoveries, telescope findings, and events that inspire wonder at creation. They are generated daily and shared by all users, with a 🪐 Space badge so you can spot them on Today's Reflection and in My Reflections. You can set format, tone, and news type for Space in My Account → Preferences → Space Reflection Preferences.

Reflection Formats

Choose the format that best fits how you want to engage with the reflection:

🙏

Personal Devotional

Perfect for individual quiet time. Focuses on personal application and spiritual growth. Available on all subscription tiers.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Family Reflection

Designed for family devotions. Uses accessible language and includes discussion questions suitable for all ages. Available on Seeker tier and above.

👥

Small Group Discussion

Structured for small group Bible studies. Includes discussion questions and group activities. Available on Lightbearer tier.

🎤

Sermon Starter

Provides deeper theological content for sermon preparation. Includes detailed exegesis and application points. Available on Lightbearer tier.

Reflection Tones

Tones affect the emotional approach and emphasis of your reflection:

☀️

Encouraging

Uplifting and positive. Focuses on God's goodness, hope, and encouragement in difficult circumstances. Available on all tiers.

🌅

Hopeful

Emphasizes hope and God's promises for the future. Helps find light in challenging news. Available on Seeker tier and above.

💭

Reflective

Thoughtful and contemplative. Encourages deeper meditation and personal examination. Available on Lightbearer tier.

⚖️

Justice Focused

Emphasizes social justice, advocacy, and responding to injustice with biblical principles. Available on Lightbearer tier.

News Categories

You can set your preferred news category in My Account → Preferences. Each reflection type (Local, National, Global, Space) has its own set of categories. FaithLens will prioritize articles from your chosen category; if none match on a given day, we use the best available alternative.

Local reflections use categories such as: Community (Free/Seeker), Health, Education, Politics, Business, Crime, Sports, Other (Lightbearer).

National reflections use categories such as: Politics, Economy, Society, Disaster & Crisis, Health, Education, Other.

Global reflections use categories such as: Conflict, Climate & Environment, Economy & Trade, Human Rights, Diplomacy, Health, Other.

Space reflections use categories such as: Exploration, Science, Astronomy, Technology, Human Spaceflight, Other.

Free and Seeker tiers get one category per reflection type: Community for Local, Society for National, Human Rights for Global, Exploration for Space. Lightbearer subscribers can choose any news category for each type.

Tip: Setting Your Preferences

Go to My Account → Preferences and use the dropdowns under Local, National, Global, and Space Reflection Preferences to set format, tone, and news type for each. Category names in the app are shown in plain language (e.g. Human Rights, Disaster & Crisis).

Subscription Tiers

FaithLens offers three subscription levels to match your needs:

Free

$0 forever
  • Daily reflections on Local, National, Global, and Space news
  • Preview of each reflection (full text requires upgrade)
  • Personal Devotional style—for individual quiet time
  • Encouraging style only—uplifting and hopeful
  • One news topic per tab: Community (Local), Society (National), Human Rights (Global), Exploration (Space)

Seeker

$3 /month or $30/year
  • Everything in Free tier
  • Full reflection—complete text, no preview limit
  • Family Reflection style—for devotions with family
  • Hopeful style—emphasizes hope and resilience
  • Same one-topic-per-tab as Free (upgrade for all topics)

Lightbearer

$5 /month or $50/year
  • Everything in Seeker
  • All reflection styles—Personal, Family, Small Group, Sermon
  • All styles—Encouraging, Hopeful, Reflective, Justice-focused
  • Prayer prompts, reflection questions & practical ways to respond
  • Choose any news topic per tab—Health, Politics, Business, etc.

App Features

Today's Reflection

Your main view for the current day's reflection. You can switch between Local, National, Global, and Space tabs; each uses the preferences you set for that type. Includes:

My Reflections

Browse your history of past reflections. You can:

Sharing Reflections

Share reflections with others via email:

My Account

Manage your profile and preferences:

Tracking Your Progress

My Growth

The My Growth page helps you track your spiritual engagement over time:

Completion Tracking

Each reflection tracks four types of engagement:

Tip: Building a Streak

Visit FaithLens daily to build your reading streak! You'll see a notification when you're on a streak, and your My Growth page will track your longest streak.