Welcome to Barzel, a community of men who value God, family, work and training. It starts with the first social network built to improve a man's life with Christian values.
Barzel means iron in Hebrew, and the name comes from Proverbs 27:17: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
This idea is not ours. It has been around for centuries
No man sustains a routine on his own for very long. Priests, pastors and business leaders have been saying this for hundreds of years, each from his own place. Barzel did not create this idea; we simply brought an ancient truth to your phone screen. You draw closer to God, train and keep your habits together with your friends, and everyone helps each other.
No one lives alone. No one sins alone. No one is saved alone.Benedict XVISpe Salvi, 48, 2007Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.Dietrich BonhoefferLutheran pastor, Life Together, 1939The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.John WesleyPastor, founder of Methodism, 1739Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people.Steve JobsFounder of Apple, 2003 interviewIt is better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you will drift in that direction.Warren BuffettInvestor, Berkshire Hathaway
Quotes as published in English. Portraits under free licenses, credits in the footer.
The order
God, family, work and training. In that order, every day
Unlike the networks that trap you in an endless feed, Barzel exists to develop you: in faith, at home, at work and in training. There are three things, and they go together.
Read the whole Bible, with plans personalized to your routine, for free
Build groups with your friends to track reading, workouts, prayer and every habit that develops you
Track your weekly consistency score and see how to improve
The Word30 reading plansHabitshome and workGroupsby inviteWorkoutbody and health
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01 · The Word
The first thing you read in the morning
A Bible verse and a short reflection, written for a grown man, straight to the point and with direct application. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it comes with a practical action to carry out by nightfall. Each man receives the 365 in his own order, so each one arrives at the group with a different verse, and the conversation goes further.
Coffee ritualHold the coffee pot for three seconds. The mug fills and the Word opens.
Reflection and actionThe reflection never starts by repeating the verse. It tells you what to do with it today.
JournalWrite down what God told you. It saves on its own, and only you see it.
Today's actionSend a brother a message asking him to tell you one truth you need to hear.
02 · The Bible
Read the whole Bible, with plans personalized to your routine
All 66 books in the app, and thirty plans personalized to your routine: from James in five days to the Bible in a year. Each day tells you up front how many minutes it will take, and the plan moves forward with your reading, never with the calendar. A tight week does not reset anything. And it is all free.
Thirty plansJames in five days, the Gospels, the Prophets, the Bible in a year or in ninety days. Up to three at the same time.
Read and highlightThe whole Bible in the Berean Standard Bible. Highlight the verse that stayed with you and take it to your journal. The narrated audio is in Portuguese for now.
The group planThe whole group reads the same plan, and the reading already marks the check-in. Everyone sees who read today.
Build groups with your friends to track reading, workouts, prayer and every habit that develops you
You create the group, send the link and agree on the habits, the points and the deadline. Each man marks his check-in for the day and the wall shows who showed up. Personal habits stay with you alone; in the group, everyone sees everyone. And one tap is enough to sharpen a friend.
One-tap check-inPhoto or video proof only if the group wants it. Ranking by challenge points.
SharpenBarzel's form of recognition. Whoever receives it gets the alert: "@brother sharpened you. Iron sharpens iron."
Group streakConsecutive days with everyone caught up. If just one man misses, it goes back to zero for everyone.
Brothers of IronThe whole group caught up for 30 days straight. @pedro.hs sharpened you
04 · Consistency
Track your weekly consistency score and see how to improve
From Monday to Sunday, Barzel measures five pillars and gives back a score from zero to one hundred: Word, reading, practical action, personal habits and group. The score shows the pillar that weighed the most, so you know where to push the following week. Tap the days alongside and watch the number respond: it is the same math the app does.
ProgressEach point is a single day. Days, weeks and months on the same chart.
Seventeen milestonesFive tracks: Word, reading, check-ins, brotherhood and journey. A milestone is earned with consecutive weeks, not with one good day.
Summary every MondayYour week by email, with the score and the pillar that weighed the most.
You run a business and raise children, but you cannot sustain ten minutes of reading five days in a row. Willpower does not explain it. Every commitment no one holds you to is the first to fall, and yours with God is usually exactly the one no one holds you to. Four studies explain why, with the source of each one, and what each one became inside the app.
76% VERSUS 43%
Those who wrote down their goal and sent a weekly report to a friend accomplished 76% of what they set out to do. Those who only thought about the goal, 43%.
Gail Matthews, Dominican University of California, 2015.
Here, the group check-in is seen by everyone, and every Monday the week's summary arrives.
4 DAYS A WEEK
Those who read the Bible four or more days a week report 30% less loneliness, 32% less anger and 40% less bitterness. Below four days, the difference practically disappears.
Center for Bible Engagement, survey of more than 40,000 people, 2009.
Here, one verse a day with a reflection, and your streak always in view at the top of the screen.
66 DAYS
That is the median time for a repeated behavior to become automatic. A single slip along the way did not hurt anyone's result. What hurts is giving up after it.
Lally and colleagues, European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010.
Here, the 66-day milestone, and one miss a month that does not reset your streak.
43% OF THE DAY
Almost half of what you do in a day is repetition: same time, same place, almost without thinking. A habit attaches to a trigger. Depending on a decision every day is what wears you out.
Wood, Quinn and Kashy, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002.
Here, the coffee ritual, tied to the coffee you already drink every morning.
The daily ritual
Hold the coffee pot. The coffee serves the Word
Try it right here: hold the coffee pot on the phone screen for three seconds. The mug fills, the verse of the day opens with a short reflection, and your streak goes up. Let go early and the coffee goes back. It is the same gesture you make in the app, every morning.
1.Pour the coffee
The trigger is the coffee you already drink every morning. Hold the coffee pot and the coffee falls into the mug.
Hold here
2.Read the Word
A Bible verse and a reflection written for the grown man, with direct application.
3.Check in with your friends
Habits and group check-in in one tap. Whoever showed up, you sharpen. At the end of the week, a number from zero to one hundred.
The scene is a real recording of the app. The gesture is the same.
Workout
The body is also a responsibility
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The body is the tool that carries the other three fronts. Sunday worship, the child in your arms, the whole work week, everything goes through it, and a tool no one takes care of breaks before its time. On Barzel, training comes in as a habit, with a streak, a calendar and a group that notices when you disappear.
150 MIN A WEEK
That is the minimum of moderate physical activity the World Health Organization recommends for an adult. Half an hour, five times. Five half-hour walks cover it. Three runs with your friends are already more than half.
WHO, guidelines on physical activity, 2020.
Everything inside
All of this already comes in the app
All of it is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Verse of the dayDaily reflectionPractical action mon · wed · friCoffee ritualJournal only you see itWhole Bible 66 books30 reading plansMinutes per day before you startUp to 3 plans at onceVerse highlightingNarrated audio in PortugueseGroup planPersonal habitsStreak per habitMonthly calendarConsistency groupsInvite by linkChallenge deadline 21, 30, 90 daysProof photo optionalRankingVerse of the dayDaily reflectionPractical action mon · wed · friCoffee ritualJournal only you see itWhole Bible 66 books30 reading plansMinutes per day before you startUp to 3 plans at onceVerse highlightingNarrated audio in PortugueseGroup planPersonal habitsStreak per habitMonthly calendarConsistency groupsInvite by linkChallenge deadline 21, 30, 90 daysProof photo optionalRanking
Group wallCommentsSharpenGroup streakChallenge podiumConsistency 0 to 100Progress days, weeks, months17 milestones 5 tracksRanks Raw Iron to SteelWeekly summary by emailGroup wallCommentsSharpenGroup streakChallenge podiumConsistency 0 to 100Progress days, weeks, months17 milestones 5 tracksRanks Raw Iron to SteelWeekly summary by email
365
verses, each with its own reflection and practical action. A whole year without repeating.
30 PLANS
to read the Bible, personalized to your routine: from James in five days to the whole Bible in a year.
0
ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases. Everything you saw here is free.
5.0
on the App Store
Who uses it
What the men say
Public reviews on the App Store, translated from Portuguese.
"Great for staying consistent"
A simple, good-looking and very useful app for building and keeping good habits day to day. The dynamic makes the routine more motivating, especially in groups with friends.
"Outstanding"
Helping me stay consistent in every area of life!
"Excellent"
A mix of social network and habit tracker, I really liked the experience!
What it costs
All of this is
Free.
No subscription, no ads, no in-app purchases. Create your account in one minute and tomorrow's verse will already be waiting with your coffee.
The app is ready and in closed testing on Google Play. The store only releases it to everyone after a group of testers uses it for 14 days straight. Whoever joins now opens the door for the others.
Do everything on your Android phone, signed in with the same Gmail you use on the Play Store.
Open the testers group and tap "Join group". If you see a permission message, sign in to your Gmail and open the link again.
Open the test link and tap "Become a tester".
On the same page, tap "Download it on Google Play" and install Barzel.
Create your account and open the app every day for 14 days straight: pour the coffee, read the verse and check off a habit. Do not uninstall it or leave the group during this time.
Found something odd or have an idea? Send it through "Report or suggest", on the Profile tab.
Barzel is a community of Christian men. The app, with the social network, the Bible and the groups, is its first door. The mission is bigger: to walk with a man on every front where he needs help, always on the same principle. Iron sharpens iron.
TodayThe social network, the Bible and consistency groupsWhat you download now: the Word every day, the habits that build you and friends who notice when you disappear.
In the worksAnswers for the struggles of the Christian manMarriage and children, work and money, body and mind, purity and purpose. Every new step grows out of what the community lives and asks for.
The directionTo stand beside a man in every area of lifeNo man grows alone. Barzel wants to be the place where he finds direction, company and accountability in everything that matters.
Before you download
What men ask
Is Barzel just an app?
No. Barzel is a community of Christian men, and the app with the social network is where it begins. Over time, the aim is to meet every struggle of the Christian man, always in the same order: God, family, work and training.
How much time does this take each day?
Two minutes in the morning cover the verse and the reflection. Marking a habit or a check-in takes one tap. The practical action, three times a week, you carry out in real life, away from the phone.
Do I need to already be in the habit of reading the Bible?
No. Start with the verse of the day and its reflection, which takes two minutes. When you want to go further, the whole Bible is in the app to read, with plans personalized to your routine: the shortest one takes five days.
Does Barzel belong to a church or denomination?
No. In English, the verse of the day and the complete Bible in the app use the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain; in Portuguese, the Bíblia Livre, a freely licensed translation. The reflection is practical, with no specific church doctrine and no request for offerings.
Is it really free?
Yes. Today the app is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases. It was born for a group of friends and grows by invitation.
Do I have to post photos in the groups?
Only if your group decides so. Whoever creates the group chooses whether the proof photo is required or optional. Personal habits have no photos, and no one but you sees them.
What if I miss a day?
One miss a month does not break your streak in the Word, because the app already counts on it. On the second miss in the same month the streak starts over, and the week's score shows which pillar you lost on. The app does not preach a sermon about it.
I have Android. Can I use it?
Not directly through the store yet. The app is ready and in closed testing on Google Play, so the path today is to join the testers group: it takes one minute, you install from Google Play the same day and help open the app for everyone.
Who sees my journal and my data?
The journal and personal habits are yours alone. In the group, the other members see your check-ins and the photos you choose to send. You can block anyone, report content and delete your account in the app itself, with everything erased.
Iron sharpens iron
Tomorrow morning, the coffee comes with the Word
One verse read, a friend who notices when you disappear and an honest number on Sunday night. Start there.
