Start the New Year With God’s Word

Whether you need a new Bible for 2008 or a new way of delving into Scripture, options abound.
If you are like most Christians at this time of year, atop your list of New Year’s resolutions is the goal of reading the Bible more. And if you are in the market for a new Bible, there are several new editions and related products available to accommodate your quest.

Need some help with more challenging resolutions? If so, there is the Celebrate Recovery Bible (Zondervan), based on an eight-step recovery program developed at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church and featuring the NIV translation.

The Holman Student Bible includes more than 500 photos and maps, quick commentaries, topical quotes, factoids, time lines, charts and questions for further discussion. Also from Holman Bible is The Apologetics Study Bible, for helping believers defend the faith. It presents 100 key questions and articles from numerous contemporary apologists such as Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias and Lee Strobel in addition to profiles of historic apologists such as Justin Martyr and C.S. Lewis. Both volumes feature the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

The Standard Full-Color Bible (Standard)—formerly known as the Rainbow Study Bible—is entirely color-coded. Ranked as one of the best-selling study Bibles on the market, it features a highlighting system that uses a dozen identifying colors. It is available in the NIV and KJV translations of the Bible.

The Literary Study Bible (Crossway) combines thousands of insightful notes with the complete text of the English Standard Version and applies literary tools of analysis to aid in understanding Scripture. The format and commentary make it ideal for preachers as well as for private devotional reading or use in Bible-study groups.

The new numbered edition of the most widely read paraphrase, The Message (NavPress), includes features such as a black, genuine-leather binding, handcrafted maps and charts, cream-colored interiors for enhanced readability, special reader-friendly typeset and a lifetime guarantee.

Also from NavPress is a devotional Bible geared to children 4 to 8, titled My First Message: A Devotional Bible for Kids. An illustrated Bible, it includes 50 chapters that depict 50 Scripture passages and leads parent and child through the process of interacting devotionally with the Bible.

The Daily Walk Bible (Tyndale) is available in the NLT and NIV translations and is organized in a daily-reading format. It includes book introductions, overviews, charts and devotions geared to busy lifestyles. This edition is a revised version of the popular best-seller and includes expanded features and a new design available in softcover and hardcover.

Becoming: The Devotional Bible for Women (Thomas Nelson) is based on the popular line of women’s BibleZines and presents scriptural wisdom through daily devotions, character profiles, word studies and content-rich introductions to each book of the Bible. It comes in a handy personal size and features a stylish three-toned suede binding of teal and aqua.

Also upcoming from Thomas Nelson are Bibles developed for children and teens. The Princess Bible is available in the International Children’s Bible translation and features a presentation section in the front and a four-color section in the back, a foil-stamped front cover and spine, a jeweled snap-flap closure, a satin ribbon marker, and a two-piece gift box.

Axis: A Study Bible for Teens is billed by Thomas Nelson as the only KJV study Bible designed specifically for teens. It includes articles with content relevant to teens written by youth pastors and is available in the NKJV also.

Specialty Bibles

In addition to traditional Bibles, other related products offer consumers convenience or customization, or both.

One is The Original GoBible (GoBible), a hand-held audio device that enables students of the Bible to search the entire volume in audio format and select passages at the verse level. Available in the KJV and the NKJV, it is preloaded with an audio version of the entire Bible and contains the user-friendly “Hear-In-A-Year” program, which organizes passages into a year’s worth of daily segments.

For those interested in audio Bibles, another unique product is The Bible Experience (Zondervan), a re-enactment based on the entire text of the New Testament (the Old Testament is also available) using the TNIV. More than 80 film and theater stars including Angela Bassett (Esther), Blair Underwood (Jesus), Denzel Washington (Solomon) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Judas) lend their voices in a dramatization set to sound effects with an original musical score.

The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible (Thomas Nelson) also joins the ranks of the increasingly popular audio Bibles and features well-known personalities such as Jim Cavaziel (Jesus), Richard Dreyfuss (Moses), Stacy Keach (Paul), John Schneider (James) and others.

The Ultimate Travel Time Bible (B&H Publishing) is an audio-based product designed to make travel time educational and fun. Features include a CD of Scripture-memorization songs, a spiral-bound book offering reading practice and an activity pad.

The Notemaker’s Bible (Tyndale) features the NLT in a wide-margin, single-column Bible on paper specially chosen for note-taking. Generous type size and additional writing space at the bottom of the page are two of the special features. Others are outer margins that measure more than 1.5 inches and a one-column design that reduces the need to write in the center of the Bible.

The Journaling Bible (Crossway) features the English Standard Version of the Bible in a unique format with wide margins and ruled lines designed for writing prayers, observations, sermon notes and personal reflections. It includes a one-year Bible-reading plan, and the wide margin offers readers nearly 2 inches of ruled writing space.

From devotional texts to digital formats, from study guides to audio editions, there is a Bible type for everyone and a translation to suit almost any taste. So if you’ve made a resolution to read God’s Word more this year, here’s good news: There’s a great new Bible for you.