Pop a Verse

A spiritual AI chat app built with React Native + Expo. Explore six Christian themes and chat with an AI trained to guide users through faith-based conversations.

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🌟 Inspiration

As a Christian and a developer, I wanted to create something that reflects both my faith and my interest in AI. So many AI chatbots are general-purpose or entertainment-focused—but very few provide a safe, spiritual space where people can turn to reflect, grow, and feel heard in alignment with Christian values. That’s where Pop-A-Verse was born.

I envisioned an app that could echo the comfort and guidance of Scripture, while harnessing the power of modern AI. Whether someone is struggling with forgiveness, searching for hope, or simply wants to deepen their faith through conversation—Pop-A-Verse offers that experience.

🧠 What I Learned

Throughout the project, I learned how to:

  • Integrate OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 API with custom system prompts for faith-based interactions
  • Build clean and interactive UI in React Native using Expo Go
  • Filter and steer AI behavior toward specific topics (like faith, repentance, or endurance)
  • Debug mobile functionality and test it across different devices
  • Focus on intentional UX design that reflects a calm, reverent atmosphere

🛠️ How I Built It

  • Frontend: Created using React Native in VS Code, styled with dynamic components and animated theme toggles
  • Backend AI: Connected to OpenAI's GPT-3.5 API with contextually locked system messages to ensure faith-based responses
  • Testing: Ran live tests using Expo Go for fast iteration and preview on both iOS and Android devices
  • Themes: Designed 6 spiritual themes—each changes the tone and focus of the AI’s responses, while keeping it rooted in Christian doctrine

⚠️ Challenges I Faced

  • Prompt tuning was a major challenge—I had to carefully shape the AI’s responses to ensure it wouldn't drift into unrelated or inappropriate topics.
  • Building an intuitive UI/UX without clutter was tough. I had to find the right balance between design and simplicity, especially for a spiritual experience.
  • Dealing with Expo build quirks and QR preview bugs slowed down testing at times, but I learned how to troubleshoot with the development client and hot reloading.

🙌 Final Thoughts

Pop-A-Verse is more than just a hackathon project—it's a testament to faith-driven creativity. I hope it can spark meaningful moments for anyone seeking encouragement, clarity, or reflection through God-centered AI conversations.

“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” — Matthew 18:20

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