A Peek Behind the Curtain - Wrinkly Scripture Memorization

We're digging deeper into the Wrinkly app, created by Christian developer Ryan O'Dowd, giving you a look behind the scenes.

Welcome to a brand new series called A Peek Behind the Curtain, where faith.tools partners with app builders of your favorite apps to give you a look behind the scenes. You may know the app, but you might not know the stories behind the app.

Today we're digging deeper into the Wrinkly Scripture memorization app, created by Ryan O'Dowd. At the time of writing this, Wrinkly users have spent over 3,859 hours reviewing more than 747.8k verses!

The Interview

What is the story of Wrinkly? How did it come to be?

Growing up in the church, I was involved in a lot of groups where there were many opportunities to memorize Scripture. However, in college and after graduation, memorizing Bible verses requires more intentionality, so a friend and I challenged each other to memorize some passages in 2022. We quickly realized that reading before bed or listening in the car--while great--would not be sufficient to accomplish the goals we had set out to achieve; there was a need for something more engaging and interactive to drive intentional time in Scripture and to aid in committing the verses to memory. And so, Wrinkly was born!

— Ryan O'Dowd

What's one challenge that you overcame when working on Wrinkly? Or, when it felt like quitting, what helped you stay the course?

Positive feedback from users is incredibly encouraging. If Wrinkly helps even just a few people spend more time in the Bible, that's a huge win! Learning about licensing Bible texts was a challenge to figure out initially, but knowing that Wrinkly was helping lots of people memorize Bible verses kept development going strong.

— Ryan O'Dowd

Anywhere you recognize God's hand throughout the journey of creating Wrinkly?

Everywhere! I'm grateful for the gifts God has blessed me with, including the passions for Scripture, software development, creating, learning, and entrepreneurship. It is very cool to see all of those passions converge in a single calling.

— Ryan O'Dowd

If you could give advice to someone who's wanting to build an app or tool for Christians, what advice would you give?

Pray without ceasing and surround yourself with Christ-centered mentors who can speak into your work. Our work should first be for the purpose of advancing God's Kingdom, so this is good advice for building apps/tools and also for life in general. Expect setbacks, but if you know it's something God is calling you to, keep working at it!

— Ryan O'Dowd

Pause and Reflect

Choose a question to reflect on:

• Q: What stood out to me in this interview and why?

• Q: In what ways can I create a more intentional space, both digitally and physically, to enhance my scripture memorization and overall spiritual practices?

• Q: What specific scriptures have I felt called to memorize, and how do these passages reflect my current spiritual journey or challenges?

We'd like to thank Ryan for taking time to give you a Peek Behind the Curtain. I hope this encourages Christians who develop, design, and build apps to lean on the Lord's guidance when building and to get advice from wise Christ-centered mentors who can speak truth and direction in the process.