GodFocus App: Really Connect With God
The Problem: Distraction & "Christian Checkboxes" vs. Real Connection with God
Consume more Christian Content. Go to church. Read your Bible. Pray. Join a small group. Serve.
I did all of those things, but I was still left empty, lonely, and distracted. As a believer in Jesus, I battled bad habits and addiction for 18 years, and I wondered why. It was because two critical factors were missing: a daily, direct, and interactive Time Alone With God (TAWG), and the biblically-based, relational skills to actually connect with Him.
Today, finding that connection is harder than ever. If the enemy can’t destroy you, he will digitally distract you. I struggled before I even had a smartphone—now, our phones are robbing us (especially the next generation) of the one thing that matters most.
The Origin: Why I Built This
During my sabbatical in 2025, God put it on my heart to help solve this problem. Over my 19 years in full-time ministry, I’ve helped people practice the relational truths from the Bible that brought me freedom. I looked for an app that could help people practice these relational truths daily. There are lots of great Christian content apps out there, but I couldn't find one that helps you practice this daily, direct, and interactive time alone with God.
So, as a non-technical founder, I decided to build it and I asked God for help.
The Solution: A Guided "Middle Path"
We are often trapped between two extremes: Religious Consumption (endless checklists and reading plans that fill the head but leave the heart empty) and Unguided Isolation (the idea that you just sit in silence without any direction). Both are difficult paths to discover and practice that relational knowing that Jesus often talked about and practiced (Matt. 7:23; John 17:3).
GodFocus is the guided "Middle Path"—a digital "Off Switch" for the world. Modeled after Jesus’s own rhythm of finding a solitary place (Mark 1:35), GodFocus teaches you the actual relational skills needed for your daily Time Alone With God. We start with four core relational building blocks to guide your sessions, backed by both scripture and cognitive science:
- Speak (Pour Out): Psalm 62:8, 1 Peter 5:7. Trade rote prayers for raw honesty. Put your emotional struggles into words and physically calm your brain's fear center.
- Rest & Listen (Trust Bond): Psalm 46:10, John 10:27. Guided timers that cultivate silence, quieting the brain's anxiety networks and tuning your mind to the trusted, loving Voice of Jesus.
- Reflect (Meaningful Processing): Joshua 1:8, Romans 12:2. Move beyond just reading the Bible for information or knowledge. Meditate on God's word to hear what God is saying to you personally. Renew your mind and rewire your neurological architecture for peace.
- Apply (Transform): 1 John 4:19, 2 Cor. 5:14-15. Sustainable habit change driven by experiencing God's love, not religious guilt.
What the App does and will do better in the future:
- Distraction Blocking: Do not disturb, blocking apps, and lock your phone so you can focus.
- Grace-Based UX: Instead of performance metrics, we simply track your relational "Pulse" (spiritual health).
- Guided Relational Sessions: Walk step-by-step through a real conversation/experience with God (additional sessions coming soon (e.g. purpose)
- Secure Journaling: A very secure, private space to save your honest thoughts with searchable tags.
The Vision & Scale: Our goal is 1 Million users by December 2027. I will leverage my existing network: Friends, family and supporters (500), my YouTube Channel @whylivetoday (780 subscribers), and the Navigators (3K leaders around the world).
How You Can Help...
As a non-technical founder, I need God's help, and I need yours. Here are the four ways you can partner with me:
- Pray: This is the most important thing. Pray for the project and that I find the right technical partner.
- Share: Send this page to person or a group who needs a digital sanctuary.
- Give: We are raising $15,000* to transition GodFocus from a private web prototype into a fully secure, quality app available globally before the end of 2026. GodFocus is under the Why Live Today LLC. NOTE: GodFocus operates as a financially separate entity under the Why Live Today LLC. Your gifts to this crowdfunding campaign are NOT tax-deductible.
- Try it and give feedback: Click this link to see our new webpage (https://godfocus.io/) and then click "start session" on that page to use the app or just click this link to start using it (https://app.godfocus.io/auth). Please leave critical & positive feedback in the menu. It helps us immensely with our launch!
The Roadmap & Budget ($15,000)*
Based on research and direct quotes from tech developers, here is how the funds will be used:
| Phase | Cost | Purpose |
| Foundation | $1,500 | Legal setup (LLC) costs and initial developer/team recruiting |
| Operations | $2,000 | Founder stipend to allow focus on community, collaboration, development, launch, etc. |
| Development | $2,500 | Feature acceleration, bug fixes, and implementing user feedback. |
| Security/Store | $4,000 | Store integration (Solana/Google/Apple) and Row Level Security. |
| Maintenance | $5,000 | Developer retainer for stability and updates through 2026 |
Kingdom Impact: Fighting Human Trafficking
Lord willing, as this app generates revenue, a portion of the proceeds will be given to organizations fighting human trafficking. Specifically, we aim to fund organizations that free the victims and catch the criminals (like the Human Trafficking Institute).
Let's build this sanctuary together. Keep praying, and I'll keep you updated on what God does!
Advisory Board
To ensure GodFocus remains true to its mission and operates with integrity, I am forming an independent Advisory Board. Composed of seasoned leaders, trusted mentors, and strategic advisors, this board provides essential spiritual accountability and operational wisdom to guide the app's ongoing development and growth.
About the Founder
Bret Marshall has served with The Navigators for 19 years, discipling soldiers and students on military bases and college campuses. Part of his discipleship has been helping men navigate struggles with sexual sin and addiction, which are often fueled by the mobile phone. His life's work is helping people find freedom and fulfilment through a daily, direct, interactive relationship with Jesus (John 17:3).
Financial Disclosure: Funds raised here are for Why Live Today LLC and GodFocus (DBA) and are strictly NOT tax-deductible gifts to The Navigators.
* Please note: The timeline, launch dates, and budget allocations are projections and may shift based on development needs, operational requirements, platform approval processes, user feedback and other factors we can't foresee.
My Channel - Why Live Today on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whylivetoday
Thank you,
Bret Marshall
Why Live Today LLC - DBA GodFocus
email: godfocus@whylivetoday.com
