Skip to main content

A New Bible For Families

Yesterday, I received a new Bible written for families.  It is called the Hands-On Bible (NLT).  My feelings about this Bible are a little complicated.  I love the Bible extras, activities, and comments that are added in.  But, the NLT is not the translation of the Bible I usually choose to read.


I think that often we can choose a Bible by one of two ways:
#1 First, choose the translation, and then #2 choose which publication of that Bible (ie. study bible, large print, children's, etc.)
or
#1 Choose the Bible you like the most based on the comments and features of that edition, without putting primary importance on which translation it is.


If I were simply choosing a Bible to read as a family, without concern about which translation it is, then I would definitely choose this one.  I really liked the activities and ideas of how to convey different ideas to your kids.  I would say that this Bible is good for families with children ages 5-12.  This is a very contemporary take on how to connect kids to the Bible and more importantly God yet also understand the time in which the people in the Bible lived.


Quick, or maybe not so quick tangent...
Contemporary and modern are two interesting words.  In my last post, I used the phrase "culturally relevant".  Many people want and believe the Bible should be "culturally relevant".  My opinion is that it's okay for the extras to be "modern" or "culturally relevant", but that the Word is the Word.  It is God who does the saving, not us!  Changing a few words in a translation to make it more comfortable for someone to read (like gender neutral language) isn't going to save them.  Eventually, they will get to the hard parts about sin--which you just can't sugar coat.  I realized after I'd written that phrase that I needed to clarify where I stand on on the "cultural relevancy" of some Bible translations.  I get very concerned that we are catering to people and what they want to hear--essentially we are tickling people's ears because we think that then they will make a decision for Christ.  BUT, that is a dangerous line of thinking because it is so easy to get caught thinking it is our efforts and what we do that saves people.  It's not.  It's just not.  It's God's deal and not ours.


Which leads into my thoughts about contemporary language...
I read a review of a book on manners this weekend by someone who gave a book 0 stars because the person said that we're not in the 1950s anymore.  No, it's not the 1950s, but I do want my kids to speak properly and have good manners.  This is one of the little ways that homeschooling affects us as a family. 
Our language at home that we use and read is more like what people consider "proper English".  We don't use a lot of sarcasm or slang at home.  I remember when I was teaching middle school how different the way the kids and teachers spoke was from how I speak at home now with my kids.  


The language in many of the comments and side notes in this Bible that I'm reviewing is very "modern".  Here's an example from one of the things to think about:  "Adam and Eve messed up big time by disobeying.  Then they tried to hide from God.  Duh!"  but later in the same note... "God didn't need fingerprints to bust Adam and Eve.  God sees everything.  But God wants to forgive us--that's why he sent Jesus.  When we believe in jesus and tell God we're sorry, he'll wash away our sins!"  from p. 7 Hands-On Bible (NLT).


On one hand, I like the simplicity of the explanation--it's great for kids!  But, on the other hand, we just don't talk like that.  We don't say "Duh!" and I suppose that in our family we just aren't as casual about how we talk about the Bible.


But, that same note had a great, quick activity in which kids put their fingerprints on a white piece of paper.  There's a great comment about how our fingerprints are on everything.  Eventhough they can't be seen, they are there.  (paraphrase from pg. 7) and then it leads into the second part of the comment I quoted above.  I think it's an awesome connection for kids!  It's an easy way to do an activity with them and make an impression on them to help them understand about Adam and Eve.  There are so many simple activities in this Bible like this one and that's why I do like it a lot!


This Bible is one of those books that I think would be wonderful for a lot of families.  I think you'd really enjoy it and get a lot out of the extras--they would help build memories and start discussions.  If you're looking for a Bible to give a family with new believers or with young children as an outreach, I think this is a great Bible to give!


Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Tyndale Publishing for review.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story.  My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard.  Am I questioning too much?  Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way.  But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them.   Recently, I read a book that troubled me.  The book I finished reading was  Guiltless Living  by Ginger Hubbard.  When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...
Post a Comment
Read more

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...
1 comment
Read more

Listening to the Bible

The Word of Promise (Bible on CD) I have been reading the Bible for as long as I can remember. I remember being given a Good News Bible when I was in third grade. When I was 14, my great grandmother gave me a copy of the Living Bible. When I went to college, I began to read the NIV and held onto a thin paperback copy for 4 years that I wrote all over. After I graduated from college, I really wanted a nice NIV study Bible and I saved up to buy one. I have held onto it ever since. Last year, I found a tiny ESV leatherbound Bible on clearance and it is now the one I carry with me in my purse. Interestingly enough, after all these years of reading the Bible, I have never listened to it on CD. I've often considered it. I've listened to lots of teaching on CD from Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, and others, but I've never actually listened to the Word on CD. Two weeks ago, I received a copy of the Word of Promise Bible on CD. I opened it up with excitement ...
Post a Comment
Read more