The Maxwell Leadership Bible

So the first thing to notice is that this is NOT a study bible. You will not find footnotes explaining the text. As a leadership bible, what you will find are mini-articles on leadership, referred to as the 21 laws of leadership & the 21 qualities of leadership as well as leadership profiles on different leaders throughout the Bible. There are book introductions that introduce each book of the Bible from the perspective of leadership, God's leadership as well as human leadership. There is also a reference table at the beginning of each book that highlights the leadership shown in that book as well as who it is shown by.  At the back of the Bible, there is a glossary to show exactly where you can find the 21 laws of leadership, the 21 qualities of leadership, and the profiles in leadership.

I think those in a place of leadership or coming into a place of leadership will greatly benefit from the extras in this Bible, I will say I wish there were cross-references included for every verse as it would help in relating the different passages on leadership a lot easier. It is a bit heavy, my husband's exact words when I handed it to him. But the font makes the weight worth it. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Artisan Collection Bible

I expected so much more from this Bible. The only thing to set this journaling Bible apart from the many others is the music note artwork that shows up on the page edges when the Bible is laid flat. Other than that there is no additional artwork found inside the Bible to prompt you to create artwork. There is the standard center column with lined margins.  The exterior cloth over board handprinted artwork is beautiful enough and definitely will catch your eye. There's just so much more that could be in this Bible that just isn't there.

However, if you're in the market for a beautiful note-taking bible, this is PERFECT. It's low fuss without the artwork to distract you from taking notes. There's also additional notes space in the back of the Bible. There are two bookmark ribbons, which is also a great bonus as most Bibles have only 1. It's also (in my opinion) small enough to take with you to church. It is apart of the Journal the Word series of bibles.

{FYI: I received this Bible from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Before I go: New 3 week FREE Bible Study

Pre-registration for Sarah Koontz' Fall Bible Study is now open and I could not be more excited! 

I was able to review the study early, and it is awesome. For me, it reads like an in-depth devotional. However, I've always been one of those meat and potatoes type of girls. It definitely reignited my love for John 14. So this is good for getting in some focused reading when I only have 10-15 minutes to spare. Something to remember is that while John is one with the Gospels, it differs from the other gospels in that John seeks to get his audience to see Jesus as one who loves us infinitely. There are some teachings of Jesus you find in John that you can't quite get the same anywhere else in the Gospels and THAT is one of the many things that Sarah focuses on in this study. This study focuses specifically on John 14-17.

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▪        It will help you get to know Jesus Christ better and authentically share your faith with others.

The study starts on October 15, but you'll want to pre-register today! Everyone who signs up early will be entered for a chance to win a beautiful handpainted Bible from Wheat and Honey Co. Visit LivingbyDesign.org/Jesus for all the info & to sign up. 

Everyday Holy

So the title of this devotional is what drew me to it. Prior to this book, I'd never heard of the author. I guess I came to this book with my expectations a little too high. With the title that it has, I expected more Scripture. However, this devotional is very personalized to the author's encounters and experiences in life. It does start with a bible verse and that's all the Scripture you get for that devotional. Everything else is an experience of the author's where she saw God in her circumstances. In some way each day's verse is to relate to that day's devotion and her encounter. It would have been awesome to at least add a prayer prompt in response to the devotional, where the reader could pray themselves through similar situations.

There are 100 devotions, so that's about 3-4 months (depending on if you include the weekends). It's hardback with a nice ribbon marker. It does have a very luxurious feel to it.  The devotions are anywhere from 2-3 pages long and there's a wide range of topics but there is no topical index or table contents to help you navigate in case you're looking for encouragement in a specific area. There's a mix of translations for the verses, although NIV is the main translation used.

All in all, it's a decent devotional. Not my favorite and I will likely pass it on to someone else who may be in need or would like to have a devotional.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Journal the Word Reference Bible, NIV

So this Bible came last week (one of two that came for review). And I was SO thrilled. Why? One is it is a journaling bible but more because it is a reference journaling Bible. This is quite rare. Usually, most bibles do not have cross-references in them like so. The last couple of study bibles I received did not have cross-references. And for good studying, you NEED cross-references. Why? Because it allows the Bible to speak for itself and be its own commentary.

As you can see it is actually quite thick. So I do not recommend this become a Bible to tote around with you because it is heavy. There's also a ribbon marker. 

This is what the average page looks like. It is a single column with ample writing space. And there's a single column that shows verse by verse cross-references. The pages are thin but not so thin that my gel pens (I use these instead of highlighters) bleed through.

This is the back of the packaging so you can get an idea of all of the other resources in it. For example, the dictionary-concordance feature is really nice, of course not quite as comprehensive as having a completely separate book for it but still good enough. Also, as you can see this is a red letter Bible (words of Jesus speaking are printed in red). And I love the elastic closure as it allows me to leave a thin notepad with my Bible without losing it.

All in all. 2 thumbs up. Literally one of the most resourceful journaling Bibles that I've had the pleasure of coming across. 

FYI: I received this Bible from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.

NIV Journal the Word Bible for Teens

This is what the Bible looks like. Absolutely stunning!

So, the first thing I noticed is just how beautiful this Bible is. It's gold leather with colourful flowers on the front. The font is black and pink (writing prompts). Its a single column journaling Bible with writing prompts. I look at those prompts more like thinking points because while it makes me reflect on the Scripture on that page, it also makes me want to cross-reference (unfortunately this Bible does not contain cross-references). I also like that it is made to lay flat, which is awesome for taking notes in it.  There is a short subject index in the back, but no concordance, dictionary, or maps.

I think this is good for devotion time when you want to just read and journal what you're reading. It's quite pretty and would make an awesome gift for any woman, young or older, she'll appreciate it. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the "for teens" portion of the name of the Bible because it is literally just feminine and made to get you to think as you read. Anyone could appreciate it. 

My daughter (10 yr old) likes that it is pretty but she's more taken with a different journaling Bible that has illustrations in it, so she can colour in it.

All in all... This book gets two thumbs up!

{FYI: I received a copy of this Bible from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

The Woman's Study Bible NIV

Sounds like I am reviewing the same bible again, right?

Well, I am and I am not. 

 (Left is NKJV and Right is NIV)

Technically the same book yet a different translation. I was really looking forward to doing this for the comparison. See this bible is the exact same as this one. Same publisher, same editors. Same nice sized concordance and index as well. Same maps in the back (could be a few more maps but I can always Google for more).

So I wanted to see if there would be any difference between two and what I've found is that the section headers are different. For example Genesis 1: (NIV) The fall (more simple) and (NKJV) The temptation and fall of man (more in-depth). 

 (Left is NKJV, Right is NIV. Also you can see that the footnotes are actually fairly generous.)

All of the charts are identical, the design is nearly identical except where one is pink the other is blue. I attribute that as well to one being mere hardback and the other cloth over board. Both are equally beautiful. Equal in size. They have identical footnotes, quotes, book introductions, and articles. Both are also red letter Bibles (Jesus' words are in red letters). 

{The preface to each bible is different as well, which can be expected.}

Another thing I looked for was translation manuscript differences. If you ever researched what was the difference in translations, it often comes down to the manuscript used and if the translation is word for word or thought for thought or paraphrase (i.e. the Message Bible translation). NKJV falls between being a word for word and a thought for thought translations whereas NIV falls as a true thought for thought translation.

In Mark 7:24, NKJV says Tyre and Sidon whereas NIV says merely Sidon with a footnote that early manuscripts say Tyre and Sidon. So I noticed that the editors of this Bible want to make sure that readers have access to what the manuscripts that they used but also to know that there may be some discrepancies.

Another difference in translations is Mark 7:6-7. 

 (Top is NIV, bottom is NKJV)

I think these are really nice study bibles. And a preference of translation I think is more of a personal choice than to say one is better than the other. Some people may feel one is better for them than the other. And the goal is to get into God's Word. Now granted I generally stay away from the paraphrase Bibles. We do have a couple NIrV Bibles since they are created with children in mind and make it easier for our littles to grasp the Word.

I do recommend this as a Woman's study Bible. As the quotes and articles are unparalleled and are often the encouragement we as women could use. Plus its absolutely beautiful. Who doesn't like a beautiful study Bible? The footnotes are fairly generous (although not as extensive as a Life Application Bible) and the font is readable, even without my glasses (much better than my Life Application Bible). 

I plan to use this one a bit more as I am more comfortable studying from the NIV than the NKJV and I could definitely use the encouragement that it offers.  There are many articles on marriage and family life. As a wife and mom, there's always room for improvement.


{FYI: I received this Bible from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.}