Category: NLT Resources

Forward from The One Year Pray for Life Bible

by Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

I am truly excited that you are joining me in using The One Year Pray for Life Bible, especially during this incredible season of opportunity in the Kingdom of Christ. When I look across our broken land and consider the heartbreaking needs around the globe, I am invigorated as never before to pray—to discipline myself to pray for life over the next twelve months and to use the Bible as my prayer guide.

As an aging quadriplegic and a Christ follower for over sixty years, I have witnessed a gradual eroding of the precious safeguards that protect the weak and vulnerable. Whether in America or in the darkest corners of the least-developed nations, a ferocious battle is being waged against all life. Who are the casualties of this war? The baby in Africa left to starve to death because his disability is considered a curse on the family. The clinically depressed teenager in Europe who qualifies for state-sanctioned, doctor-assisted death. The elderly woman in an unlicensed nursing home who suffers from loneliness and abuse. The preborn little girl who is aborted for the simple reason that her mother preferred a son. I am not being an alarmist, nor am I exaggerating facts. A culture of death is advancing throughout the earth and is threatening lives—young and old.

Look across the world and you will find that wherever there exists a famine of God’s Word, all life is at risk. You can see why I am so glad you have chosen to use The One Year Pray for Life Bible. We desperately need to pursue earnest worship of the Creator of life and sincere intercession on behalf of those who bear his image—every single human. Yes, works of mercy and justice are necessary, but prayer is the primary work in this battle. As Oswald Chambers wrote, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.”

Will You Be an Eleazar?

Let me tell you a Bible story. Eleazar was a great warrior who stood alongside the three mighty men of David. During a fierce battle against the Philistines, Israel’s army gave up and fled, but Eleazar “killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory” (2 Samuel 23:10). The king was impressed that Eleazar ke

pt his heroic grasp on his sword and bravely fought on while others ran away. This exceptional warrior did not cower before the enemy; instead, he put his strength into his sword and rushed into battle with victory on his mind. Because of his noble courage and persistence, God smiled and gave his people a great victory—all because of one brave warrior.

I envision you as a modern-day Eleazar. Our land is teeming with strong and ruthless enemies that war against life. God is calling you to battle on behalf of preborn children in danger of being aborted; families who are breaking apart; depressed teenagers; at-risk children; the homeless; the elderly and medically fragile; and those struggling against addiction, disease,
and loneliness. These people have a target on their backs. Because they are also created in the image of God, they are in the adversary’s crosshairs—especially so because they are weak and vulnerable. These people are in need of earnest prayer support. They are being assaulted by overwhelming enemies such as euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, abortion, and suicide. Pandemic can now be added to the national woes that threaten to overwhelm the vulnerable in our society. Consider how the coronavirus festered and left serious mental health challenges in its wake, not to mention fear and debilitating anxiety.

You are a modern-day Eleazar who will battle against these foes in our land, using prayer as a powerful weapon. You are the mighty warrior who will grasp the Sword of the Spirit—that
is, the Word of God—in your hand. And with God’s Word, you will not run away from the fray; you will overcome our enemy as you weave Scripture into your prayers by reading and praying through The One Year Pray for Life Bible.

This special edition of God’s Word is designed for prayer warriors who long to champion the cause for life. It is filled with hundreds of prayer prompts and other resources to help you pray
as God would want you to pray, whether your prayers are for aging seniors, despairing teens, fractured families, people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, children at risk, or young ones still in the womb. The heart of God is turned toward these precious ones whose lives are at risk because of the dark forces rising against them.

The Bible is the best prayer book you will ever possess. When we pray using the Sword of the Spirit, our praises and intercessions carry weight before God’s throne. The Bible is full of language that you can infuse into your prayers, enriching each petition and intercession with an eternal perspective. The Bible is the key to finding God’s will when we pray against the enemies in our land. Great themes abound—God’s holiness, wisdom, faithfulness, sovereignty, love, and mercy—all of which beautify our praises, adorn our intercessions, embroider our petitions, and give bulk and significance to every supplication as we pray for life throughout our land.

Why This Bible Is Critical in the Battle for Life
We all want greater faith in prayer, but how do we gain greater faith? Romans 10:17 provides the answer: “Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” When you employ the Word of God in your prayers, your faith will grow—you will believe that God will accomplish great things through your intercessions. You will possess a greater authority in prayer, and your prayers will be large in their scope and importance.

It is wise to keep an open Bible before you as you pray. After all, the Bible underscores two things that God honors above all else: his name and his Word. “I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1). “Your promises [your words] are backed by all the honor of your name” (Psalm 138:2). When we bring God’s Word directly into
our prayers, we are bringing God’s power into our prayers.

• “The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word gives our prayers life, infusing vitality into our praises and petitions and the thoughts that frame our petitions. God’s Word is active and powerful, interjecting dynamism into our praises.
• “‘Does not my word burn like fire?’ says the Lord. ‘Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?’” (Jeremiah 23:29). To use God’s Word in prayer is to employ divine power in breaking down spiritual strongholds and demolishing arguments of the enemy.
• “We never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). If God’s Word works in our lives, think how much more it works in our prayers.

This Bible is especially powerful in your hands because it will lead you through twelve months of praise and intercession. Imagine how forcefully the Kingdom of Christ will be advanced through a year of Bible reading and prayer, all of it geared toward the sacredness of life. My husband Ken and I have been reading through the Bible together for nearly fifteen years, and we have witnessed an astounding increase of faith in our prayers. As we read through the Bible each year, we have developed a fuller understanding of God’s redemptive plan in history and how much he values the life he has created. Ken and I boast in the Lord when we say that our prayers are rich and weighty as we accompany our Bible reading with prayer. We have invested years of praying for the sacredness of life to be exalted in our land.

For Ken and me, the discipline of reading through the Bible in a year and praying along through Scripture has forced us to meditate on our petitions—to think about what we are praying for. Over the many years of praying alongside our Bible reading, we can picture God and his responses:

• Referencing our Bible when we pray shows God we have thought through our praises and petitions and lined them up against the plumb line of Scripture.
• Using Scripture in our prayers demonstrates to God the importance we are attaching to our requests. It shows the high regard and appreciation we attach to his Word.
• Employing scriptural themes in prayer underscores that we desire to search out God’s heart in a matter and seek to know his will.
• Praying with an open Bible gives our prayer a “divine familiarity,” earmarking us as servants who possess a working knowledge of the most powerful prayer book ever written: the Word of God.

In closing, let me bring you back to the story of Eleazar. I want you to notice a powerful yet poignant insight in 2 Samuel 23:10. The King James Bible tells it this way: “[Eleazar] smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory.” Eleazar was so unyielding in battle, so persistent and confident in the outcome, so tireless—eve

n as others retreated—that his hand and his sword became one. His flesh fused, as it were, with his sword. Pastor J. Saxtell observed that Eleazar did not realize that the hilt of the sword was eating down into the palm of his hand, and that while he was taking hold of the sword, the sword was taking hold of him. I believe that as you use The One Year Pray for Life Bible, it will take hold of your life. Your hand will fuse with the Sword of the Spirit. You will become one with the Word, and it will be your mark of valor and distinction. Others may cower as the culture of death moves through the earth like a dark, poisonous cloud. Others may retreat from the frontlines. Some may collapse in fear before the enemy, overcome by anxiety and overwhelmed by battle fatigue. But you will stand firm on the frontlines, holding fast to Scripture and winning victories for the cause of life and for our King.

God has committed himself and his purposes to prayer. And the Word of God gives you great leverage as you pray for life. So be encouraged. Be blessed. Be invigorated. For Jesus Christ will
delight to bring every intercession that has to do with life before his Father’s throne. After all, he is the Resurrection and the Life; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and the Word of Life. God bless you for taking hold of your sword—The One Year Pray for Life Bible—and gaining victories for the Prince of Life and his people!

Learn more about The One Year Pray for Life Bible

Learn more about the Joni and Friends International Disability Center

We all have our own unique Christmas traditions. Maybe you open gifts on Christmas Eve or wait until Three Kings Day in January. Maybe you create a special family recipe or play a game each year. Do you decorate a tree or buy gifts for someone in need? One of my favorite traditions is helping my kids make their Christmas lists.

This year I asked my fellow team members to make their own Christmas lists and include which Bible they wish would be waiting under their Christmas tree. One of the things I love most about working on the Tyndale Bible team is that we are all so different. Each of us brings our individual gifts and abilities so that together we can bring God glory. But though we are all different, yet we are united in the Word that became human. What a reason to celebrate!

Here is what the Bible Team hopes is under their Christmas trees this year. You can click on the Bible title if you want to learn more.

Callie is excited for the new NLT Daily Reader’s Bible.

“I am asking for the Daily Reader’s Bible. I am really curious about the unique layout, and I love the fact that the readings are numbered, not dated. My plan is to start in January, but because the readings are numbered, I don’t have to fear getting behind. I can just pick right back up when I can!”

Blaine is hoping to unwrap a beautiful new classic Bible.

“For Christmas this year, I have selected the NLT Filament-enabled Personal Size Giant Print Black Genuine Leather Indexed edition. Its uninterrupted readable text will allow me to focus on the Scripture without the distraction of study notes or other features. Knowing that a full suite of carefully curated study notes, devotionals, videos, and even worship songs is available to me by simply opening the Filament Bible app and pointing my phone at any page makes this a Bible unlike any other I’ve had the privilege of using over the years. I’m really looking forward to 2021 with this new Bible.”

Kim loves Bibles and surprises so she is sharing her top three so she will be surprised at what shows up under her tree.

“The new Art of Life Bible because this Bible is so gorgeous and artsy—and there’s nothing else like it out there that I know of! I absolutely love that this Bible is slightly oversized with wider margins, comes in a slipcase, and has the most beautiful teal hardcover cloth design with gold foil accents. It looks more like a coffee table book than a Bible, but that’s what I love about it! The inside has amazing hand-drawn illustrations of Bible things like people, animals, and plants scattered throughout along with descriptions. It will be a really fascinating way to read through the Bible and reflect on this artist’s rendition of things mentioned in the Bible. It’s a spacious setting, so I could embellish, color, paint, or add to the illustrations if I wanted to do some Bible journaling in it, but I think I might reserve this one for reading since it’s already so amazing.

The new THRIVE Creative Journaling Devotional Bible for Women just released in two new bindings, and I absolutely love the teal cover with “Thrive” displayed in rose gold foil across the front. Probably my favorite thing about this design is the rose gold page edges. It is stunning, and it pairs so beautifully with the teal. I will be able to spend the whole year reading through the daily devotionals and journaling my reflections and prayers in the wide margins.

The new Inspire PRAYER Bible is another Bible I cannot wait to read and Bible journal in! I would love to use the extra-wide margins in this Bible to write out personal prayers focused on my marriage and also listing out ways (bullet journaling style!) that I can challenge myself to become more like Christ. I would love either of the cover designs—so surprise me! I adore the metallic champagne gold Hardcover LeatherLike binding because it is so special and unique (like me!), but I also love the colorful one because it is so cheerful—and floppy! This Bible has thirty-two of the most beautiful, colorful vellum sheets with prayers on them, prayer prompts in the margins, and hundreds of line-art illustrations I could watercolor, paint, or color in!”

Jim J. is wishing for the genuine leather brown NLT Filament-enabled Edition Personal Size Giant Print Bible. He even wrote this poem:

Under the tree this Christmas morning
I’ll search for the gift I find myself yearning

The Word became flesh we remember this day
Come to teach and to save us, his life to pay

And the Word we are given to keep and to cherish
Comes in beautiful books without being garish

I look for a Bible that is handy in size
With the magic of light, the Filament prize.

With print that is giant, truth without explanation
Expressed in the language of a living translation

For me I want brown with the rich touch of leather
That gift would bring joy as our family’s together.

As I think of that day of holy observance,
I wish for a Bible to illumine remembrance.

Linda is wishing for a stalwart favorite: The One Year Chronological Bible in the NLT.

“It’s not flashy or new, but I would like The One Year Chronological Bible, NLT, Large Print. This year, more than ever, I’d like to start 2021 on a fresh foot, with renewed commitment to good habits that are healthy for my body, mind, and soul. I like the idea of reading the Bible chronologically as it happened, and I think the reading schedule and the way The One Year Bible breaks the Bible into manageable portions for each day is helpful and sets me up to successfully complete reading the whole Bible in a year. The large print edition is also easy on the eyes and would be nice to have.”

Dave is excited to partner with Joni and Friends to intercede on behalf of the most vulnerable by using The One Year Pray for Life Bible.

“The Bible on my wish list this Christmas and the one I plan to use daily in 2021 is The One Year Pray for Life Bible. With sanctity of life issues continuing to dominate the news cycle every day, I look forward to listening to God in his Word daily. I also look forward to joining my voice with thousands of other Christians around the world to pray not only for those who are threatened and impacted adversely by laws and policies but also for those who hold the power to write and support laws that defend the weak and powerless among us.”

Evie is all about relationships, so her wish list Bible is about time with family.

“I am hoping the purple and pink swirl Hands-On Bible is waiting under our Christmas tree. The interactive activities and lessons help me to engage with my girls in God’s Word in a way that keeps them entertained and excited to learn more. I love that we can play together while learning about God and his plan for our lives. It’s so wonderful to come together as a family to have fun and grow in our understanding of God’s Word.”

Jim G. has had a life-long love for the Life Application Study Bible. Here is the one he’d like under his tree.

“The Life Application Study Bible has been such a blessing in my life. Not only did I have the privilege of providing this life-changing Bible to thousands of people when I served in retail stores, but I also recently had the honor of working on the team that published the new ‘Third Edition.’ I just love how I can go anywhere in the Bible, begin reading, and understand how God’s Word really relates to me today. I learn something new every time I pick it up! The notes and features were updated through an amazing collaborative effort between the founding editors and a group of editors across generations which resulted in trustworthy biblical teaching that is incredibly relevant today—regardless of who you are. Also, my eyes appreciate a larger print font size, so the new Large Print Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, in the handsome brown genuine leather is the forever Bible that I hope to have under my tree this Christmas.”

We are so thankful that the most precious gift given to the world wasn’t wrapped in beautiful gift wrap and placed under a tree. It was a baby placed in a lowly manger who was himself the Word become human.

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:14, NLT

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” 1 Samuel 16:7, NLT

Note from the Life Application Study Bible

Saul was tall and handsome—an impressive-looking man. Samuel may have been trying to find someone who looked like Saul to be Israel’s next king, but God warned him against judging by appearance. When people judge by outward appearance, they may overlook quality individuals who lack the particular physical qualities society currently admires. But appearance doesn’t reveal what people are really like or what their true value is.

Fortunately, God judges by faith and character, not appearance. And because only God can see what’s on the inside, only he can accurately judge people. Most people spend hours each week maintaining their outward appearance; they should do even more to develop their inner character. While everyone can see your face, only you and God know what your heart really looks like. What steps are you taking to improve the attractiveness of your heart in God’s eyes?

Learn more about the Life Application Study Bible

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT

Raised in a home of drug addicts, Tim Nickels saw getting high as just part of the daily routine. He remembers the first time he realized his homelife was different from that of other families.

“When I was in first grade, my dad got high with my teacher. When I told my friends, my teacher was fired. My dad told me that I couldn’t talk about it and that our lifestyle was a secret. Even at that young age, I started to realize that something was wrong.”

But Tim didn’t heed that warning in his heart. He followed in his dad’s footsteps and started living in addiction. But although he was chained to drugs and alcohol, he had the desire to break free, and he tried numerous times on his own to get clean and start over.

During one fitful night, he had a dream about hell that shook him to his core. He woke up sweating and crying. A new craving started to overtake him—a craving for a relationship with Christ. He desperately wanted to know about him, so he turned to a King James Version Bible that was sitting on a shelf in his house.

“I got so frustrated that I couldn’t understand it,” remembers Tim. “But then a woman gave me a Life Application Study Bible, and it blew me away. It was like a whole new world had been opened up to me. A Bible translation I could understand, and then notes, books introductions, commentary—I just devoured it! I couldn’t get enough.”

After pouring over the Bible, he knew that he needed to get involved in a church. He found a local congregation and attended a service where an evangelist was preaching.

“I surrendered right there to Jesus, and he took away my desire for drugs and alcohol. I had tried over and over again on my own, but it was only in Jesus that I found true freedom. Twenty-five years later, I’m still free.”

Tim continued to read his Life Application Study Bible and was drawn to 1 Samuel 16:7: “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

“This spoke to me,” Tim recalls. “God can use anyone if they are willing.”

God was about to make his plan very clear to Tim.

“My pastor told me that he thought God was calling me to be a pastor. Me? I was so scared. I thought, I can’t do this! But I followed his will for my life, and I am so thankful!” Now Tim has been a pastor for over twenty years, and he currently leads a church in Kentucky.

Tim’s love of the Bible has continued to grow. He even has a YouTube channel where he reviews Bibles. Though he reads lots of translations, he has a special place in his heart for the New Living Translation.

“It is definitely one of my top recommendations for anyone who is struggling to understand the Bible,” says Tim. “And yes, I recommend the Life Application Study Bible to many who are trying to understand how to live out what the Bible says. I am an example of how God can use any of us if we submit to him and keep our eyes focused on him.”

Learn more about the Life Application Study Bible

Article from the NLT Study Bible

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4, NLT

One of Jesus’ favorite words was meno¯, often translated “remain,” “stay,” or “abide.” It describes a profound, intimate, and enduring relationship. For example, Jesus said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to [meno¯ en, ‘stay in’] my teachings” (8:31).

The idea is that a disciple’s life is fully formed by Jesus’ word. Jesus described how the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son (14:10- 11). Likewise, when we remain in Christ, the Son is in us and we are in the Father and the Son (17:21). Both the Father and the Son come and make their home within his disciples. This mutual indwelling is precisely what it means that the disciple remains in Christ. We cannot gain the permanence of our relationship by our own effort; this relationship is only made permanent by the gracious initiative of God indwelling our lives through his Spirit.

This means commitment on the part of both God and the disciple. The mutual indwelling between God and the believer is not a fleeting or temporary commitment, but an enduring, permanent, and eternal relationship.

Take a look inside the NLT Study Bible

We love hearing how people are digging into God’s Word which often leads to questions about a translations choice. We recently received a question about Proverbs 17:8 and wanted to share the response from our translation team.

Q: Proverbs 17:8 says “A bribe is like a lucky charm, whoever gives one will prosper.” Should it not say “A Gift is like a lucky charm, whoever gives one will prosper?”

A: This is a good question, and there isn’t an easy answer for it.

The rendering our reader suggests (replacing “bribe” with “gift”) is a possible one, and this would certainly make Proverbs 17:8 easier for modern readers to swallow. In the ancient context, some bribes were essentially an expected gift and the means of getting transactions done. This is clearly stated in Proverbs 18:16, where the common term for “gift” (matan) appears, and we translate the term there as “gift.” It’s possible that 17:8 could be understood in this way, as it’s certainly true both in the ancient context and ours, and “gift” is in the semantic domain of the term here (shokhad). However, since the terminology is different in 17:8 from what appears in 18:16, the translation team believes it points us a different direction that could allow interpretation in a more negative direction.

As translated in the NLT and many other translations, 17:8 isn’t necessarily giving good advice, since bribes are sometimes clearly shown in a negative light when they lead to injustice (see 17:23, just a few verses later, where shokhad appears again). So in this potentially negative light, 17:8 could very well be simply describing the way bribes worked in the ancient context (not necessarily advice to be followed). This is true of many of the proverbs. In 17:8, the offering of a bribe could be a good thing or a clearly bad thing, depending on the motives of the one who gives the bribe. It could reflect either the situation in 17:23 or the situation in 18:16. So this verse is likely simply observing a truth—bribes are effective, for good or for ill.

This highlights an interpretive principle for approaching the proverbs. Many proverbs clearly offer godly advice (and in such cases, righteousness and godliness are clearly associated), but some proverbs clearly just state the way things work in society. For this reason, all the proverbs should be carefully interpreted in the broader scriptural context, allowing the rest of Scripture to lend perspective on interpretation

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him. I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.” Hosea 11:1-4, NLT

Activity from the Hands-On Bible

The people of Israel were God’s children, but they had turned away from him. Did God turn away from them?

No! Read all of HOSEA 11 to see how God describes himself as a parent. Cool, huh?

Here’s a doll to make that will remind you that God wants you to be his child!

Take a 3×5-inch cardboard, and wrap yarn around it lengthwise 50 times. Thread a piece of yarn through the top of your wrapped yarn and tie it off. Slide the yarn off the cardboard.

Then wrap yarn around the cardboard widthwise 25 times. Tie it off, and slide your yarn off the cardboard.

To make a doll, take your first bundle of yarn, and tie off a head about 1 1⁄2 inches from the top. Take the second bundle, and thread it through the middle of the first bundle to make arms. Tie off your doll at the waist.

Separate the loops into two legs, and tie off the foot on each leg.

Read Hosea 11 again. Your “child of God” doll can help you remember that God loves you.

Learn more about the Hands-On Bible

We all are influencers. Every single one of us. If we follow Jesus, we have been given a platform—whether it is in our homes, at the office, at school, or even in the dentist’s office! Recently, a lady on social media brought her over-stuffed, beautiful journaling Bible to the dentist’s waiting room to Bible journal before her appointment. To her surprise, her Bible gave her the opportunity to talk about her faith when she normally wouldn’t have been bold enough to initiate a conversation about God. Her Bible naturally opened up the opportunity to share about him.

Tyndale author Emma Mae Jenkins invites young girls to step into God’s calling and live in ALL CAPS in her amazing book, ALL-CAPS YOU:

“To live in ALL CAPS is to give attention and to tune in to the words that God has spoken, even when the words of the world sound loud. In the Lord we lack no good thing. We are fully loved, fully chosen, and fully known by God, therefore we can fully be who he has called us to be—we can truly live our lives in ALL CAPS.”

Riley is one of our Inspire Prayer Bible Ambassadors. We asked her to tell us a little bit about herself in the interview below. She and so many other Bible journalers know how to live the ALL CAPS life. We are ambassadors for Christ (VERSE) and God has chosen people of all ages to draw others into greater awareness of his abounding love and grace and truth.

Over the course of the next several months we are going to shine the spotlight on some of our Inspire Prayer Bible Ambassadors as a way to encourage all of us to keep living boldly for Jesus and to shine his light brightly wherever God has us!

RILEY: Raised on Sweet Tea and Four Wheelers (and Jesus, of course!)

What are some of your favorite hobbies? (Besides Bible journaling in your Inspire Bible, of course!)

I enjoy mud riding and laughing with my family.

Tell us when you first encountered God and how your choice to follow him has impacted your life.

I first encountered God by growing up in a Christian household, and my choice to follow him has changed my life because I’ve become a better person.

Who (or what) has had the biggest influence on helping you grow in your faith?

My parents and my Inspire Bible.

How has Bible journaling impacted your faith?

Bible Journaling has impacted and improved my life by bringing me closer to the Lord’s Word in a fun and creative way.

When did you first start Bible journaling?

April 14, 2020

Do you have any tips to share about how to stay close to God each day?

• Read your Bible

• Pray

• Worship God

Who is your favorite person in the Bible and why?

Jesus, because he died on the cross for our sins.

What Bible verse would you like to encourage others with today?

Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Would you like to say a prayer for the person reading this right now?

Dear Lord, I pray for the person who is reading this right now. I hope with my words and encouragement that they will become closer to your Word, their faith will grow strong, and they will become a Christian who rejoices in your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Be inspired! @theinspirebible

Connect with Riley! @biblejournaling.faith

May Riley’s story be an encouragement to stay in the Word, on our knees, and eager to share the hope for which God has planted in our hearts as we trust in him.

“This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.” Colossians 1:6

Learn more about the Inspire Bible line.

TYNDALE, Tyndale’s quill logo, New Living Translation, NLT, the New Living Translation logo, Inspire, and LeatherLike are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Ministries. Extrabiblical artwork, cover design, and product design of Inspire copyright © 2017 by Three Streams Publishers, Ltd.

This fall we are releasing the Daily Reader’s Bible. This Bible is a fresh way to read through the Bible in one year. There are no chapters and verses and the daily readings are grouped together by themes. We thought you would be interested to hear about this Bible from Blaine A. Smith, publisher for Bibles at Tyndale House Publishers.

by Blaine A. Smith, Bible Publisher, Tyndale House Publishers

Tyndale House Publishers started in 1962 as a small publishing company operating out of Dr. Kenneth and Margaret Taylor’s home in Wheaton Illinois. The only product in that humble beginning was entitled Living Letters – the epistles paraphrased by Dr. Taylor, primarily so that his ten children could better understand their nightly Bible readings.  Dr. Taylor was passionate about making the Bible accessible for all people.

That passion, beginning with the publication of Living Letters eventually led to the publication of The Living Bible in 1971.  This green padded hardcover paraphrase went on to be the best-selling book in the United States from 1973 through 1975!

Making the Bible accessible has been the clarion call for all Tyndale employees from the very beginning.  The Living Bible continues to sell today with now over 40 million copies in circulation!  The New Living Translation, a full translation of the Bible based on the work of over 90 Bible scholars has gone on to become the #3 Bible translation in the United States and has eclipsed The Living Bible in units sold since its introduction in 1996.

Now 58 years old, Tyndale House Publishers has become a leading Bible Publisher, not only in the United States, but around the world.  We are always seeking fresh ways to engage people with the life-changing message of God’s Word and to encourage them in their Bible reading.

In 2010, Doug Knox, Senior Vice-President and Group Publisher, met with Klaus Krogh. From that very first meeting the spark of creativity fanned into flame.  It was clear from the beginning that 2K/Denmark and Tyndale House Publishers shared a burning desire to make God’s Word accessible and to do so in a way that honored the Scriptures while forming the presentation to appeal to the modern reader.

This year that collaborative partnership will bring the Daily Readers Bible, in the New Living Translation, to the market in the English language.  When Klaus first presented the concept to Doug Knox and Tyndale’s Bible Publisher, Blaine Smith, it was quickly apparent that the creative minds at 2K/Denmark had developed something truly unique – something that could rival Tyndale’s One Year Bible which has easily been the best-selling daily reading Bible since the concept was introduced in the 1980’s.

Tyndale’s Bible Acquisitions Director, Dave Thornton, stated “Most Christians want to read the Bible but when they set out to do that two key problems stand in their way. When they attempt a beginning-to-end reading of the Bible, they often bog down after the first 100 pages. The stories of Genesis and Exodus are fascinating, but as they begin moving into Leviticus and Numbers these two things pop up. First, they struggle to understand what’s happening and what it means, and second they can find some of the long lists, or detailed archaic laws boring. As a result, any Bible that helps people understand by connecting the dots throughout the full story of Scripture, and that groups the passages in such a way that daily readings vary throughout the different genres and testaments is quite helpful.”

Both Tyndale and 2K/Denmark clearly understood these challenges that a great daily reading Bible needs to address.  Bibles have come and gone over the years, but one that could truly endure would have to be something very special indeed.  Klaus and Johs Krehberg-Jahr set out to provide a daily reading Bible with a 4-part goal: 1 – structure the readings so that each reading related thematically for each day; 2 – provide a clear distinction between the different literary types of the Bible; 3 – control the length of time required of the reader each day; and, 4 – include every word of scripture without repeating any for the entire 365-days!  Any one of these four goals on its own is a challenging task.  Incorporating all FOUR into the same Bible is, well shall we say impossible?  Or so we thought, when Klaus first described the project in 2017.

After a revisit to the drawing board, Klaus presented the concept in 2018 – the 2K team had pulled off the impossible!  The Daily Reader’s Bible features the full text of the Bible without repetition in 365 daily readings (The Stories of the Bible, The Teaching of the Bible, and the Wisdom of the Bible).  Each daily reading is uninterrupted by chapter numbers, verse numbers, section headings or textual notes.  The daily theme helps the reader understand how the different sections of the reading support and complete the other.  The innovative typesetting using 3-columns for the Stories section, 2-columns for the Teachings section and 1-column for the Wisdom section help the reader to clearly see transitions from one reading type to another and help the reader to develop a rhythm of daily reading. Each reading takes about 10-15 minutes per day. And here’s the bonus – 2K/Denmark’s type foundry developed fonts expressly designed for the challenges of Bible typesetting, resulting in imminently readable pages that encourage the reader to linger in God’s Word.  The structure of the readings and the use of red-letter for the words of Christ, give the reader the sense that Jesus is speaking into their lives in nearly every daily reading.

Thornton said “The new Daily Readers Bible presents a fascinating approach to Scripture reading that links key themes of Scripture throughout the different genres and presents these texts in a visually fresh 3-2-1 column style unlike any other Bible on the market. We’re excited to present this fresh and visually stunning approach to 365 important thematic readings that help Christians accomplish the important goal of completing their plan to read through the Bible in a year.”

Our good friends at 2K/Denmark have helped us take another step forward in Dr. Taylor’s mission to make the Bible accessible – after all, it is who they are – and this shared, uncommon passion makes for a great partnership.

Take a look inside the Daily Readers Bible

by Joni Eareckson Tada, from the Beyond Suffering Bible

This is what God wants—hearts burning with a passion for future things, on fire for Kingdom realities that are out of this world. God wants his people to be aflame with his hope and to have an outlook of pure joy that affects the way they live their lives. God wants each of us to be “like a city on a hilltop” (Matt 5:14) and “a lamp . . . placed on a stand” (Matt 5:15) so that everyone around us will be encouraged to look heavenward.

A perspective like this doesn’t happen without suffering. Affliction fuels the furnace of heaven-hearted hope. People whose lives are unscathed by affliction have a less energetic hope. Oh, they are glad to know they are going to heaven; for them, accepting Jesus was a buy-and-sell agreement. Once that’s taken care of, they feel they can get back to life as usual—dating and marrying, working and vacationing, spending and saving.

But suffering obliterates such preoccupation with earthly things. Suffering wakes us up from our spiritual slumber and turns our hearts toward the future, like a mother turning the face of her child, insisting, “Look this way!” Once heaven has our attention, earth’s pleasures begin to pale in comparison.

What has suffering taken away from you? Don’t allow your heart to dwell on such earthly disappointments. God permits suffering to draw our attention to heaven where that which was lost—and more—shall be restored. Suffering forces us to look forward to the day when God will close the curtain on all disease, death, sorrow, and pain (Rev 21:4). Until then, we have work to do!

Jesus says, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” ( John 9:4).

Learn more about the Beyond Suffering Bible