Book Review: NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Great for new Christian or for easy to read translation.

Review: NLT Illustrated Study Bible

When I received this Bible in the mail, I was excited about looking it over.  Translation wise my view of the New Living Translation is that it is a good thought for thought translation; meaning it is not word by word to the original Hebrew (OT) or original Greek (NT), as would be the case with KJV, NASB, ESV (and some other translations). It does a good job with its thought for thought at bringing the original meaning into each verse in a much easier reading style.  This Bible is my choice for a new Christian. When I came to faith in Christ in 1975, I wish a Bible like this existed, as when I became a Christian it was all so new to me and my first two Bibles were not study Bibles.  A study Bible like this would have been so helpful to me. 

As to the name "Illustrated" in the title, I was really interested in how "illustrated" this Bible would be, as I have many good Bibles with pictures, charts and illustrations.  Would this Bible be different?  This Bible has a good amount of illustrations.  As far as color pictures, this Bible may be the most beautiful Bible I own. Also, some of the photos taken at actual Bible sites are amazing and give you a little more feel for the environment of that time period. 

One of my favorite features of this Bible is the detailed information "Features Index" provided on every main person in the Bible, as well as detailed information on every key event, situation or term that needs explaining. These are inserted throughout the Bible (usually when the subject first comes up in the Bible), and this is even before you get to all the Bible Study notes that take up approximately the bottom half of most pages.  The Bible notes are good to cover most things, but also fairly general in their explanations.  Definitely sufficient and helpful - not my favorite Bible in study notes - though still very good.

This Bible has great reference material in the back starting at page 2378 and going through 2557 including (but not limited to): Hebrew & Greek Word Studies (over 200), Features Index, Notes Index, Dictionary/Concordance, and in the very back colored maps.

From cover to cover this Bible has over 2600 pages and weighs 4.7 pounds (so it's pretty big and heavy).

I own other NLT Bibles, but this is my first Study Bible of the NLT.  I'm excited to have it.  I hope this review was helpful to you in your endeavor for the right Bible for you as you read God's Holy Word, the BIBLE.

I only gave it 4 stars overall, but for a new Christian or someone who needs an easy to read study Bible, I would give it 5 stars.

Best price I found was at: www.christianbook.com  $26.99 (Retail $49.99)

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this Bible in exchange for my honest review.  I was in no way required to write anything positive, and the thoughts and opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Book Review: "If God is Good - Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil"

I was very excited about getting my copy of "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. I even the loved the cover (rose and thorns). I find Randy Alcorn to be an excellent author who is very scripturally sound. He does a pretty thorough job covering a very hard subject, evil and suffering, in this 500+ page book. This subject is a hard one for anyone to totally understand, but I feel Randy Alcorn, the author, did a great job covering the many angles of hand questions that surround this very question,  "if God is good, why all this suffering and evil?"  

Randy Alcorn (Author) takes 2 1/2 minutes to share on his book.

This book is divided into 11 sections and covers practically every aspect of evil and suffering from its origins to various views on the subject. I believe Randy did as good a job on covering the subject as anybody could ever attempt to do. To understand it more thoroughly than this, I believe we'll have to wait until the day we stand before the presence of God, and then that which is now dim and cloudy on suffering and evil, will become totally clear. But until then, I believe this book will help you better understand and deal with the suffering and evil that surrounds all of us. Not one of us is exempt from suffering and the consequences of evil in our world.  

I do believe this book will help you to see that you don't need to be getting mad at God over this subject.  It is so wonderful to know that through it all our God is in control and that God is good!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.  I was in no way required to write anything positive, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are complete my own.

Bible Review: New King James Version Study Bible - Second Edition - Full Color

 I grew up with the King James Version (KJV) and therefore memorized most of my scriptures in KJV.  My first KJV Bible was used for many, many years to where I could visibly tell you where on the page most verses were located.

Over the years I changed over to the New King James Version.  I like its similarity to the KJV, yet it is clearer to read and understand, as KJV was written in 1611 in Elizabethan English so many of the words and their meanings in KJV are different now in 21st century. 

The KJV was translated to English from the Textus Receptus Greek for the New Testament and Masoretic Hebrew Old Testament. If that matters to you, then you should like the NKJV as it too was translated from the same above mentioned manuscripts. If that last sentence doesn't matter to you, don't worry about it.  Let's move on :-)

Now, about this specific version. 

First, a quick summary of some of the features of the updated version on the New King James Study Bible are:

NEW attractive full-color page design

NEW stunning Bible-land photos and graphics

NEW in-text maps and charts 

Full cross-references with textual notes

Book introductions, outlines, and timelines

Bible Times and Culture Notes

Word studies and indexes

Reader-friendly notes and articles ideal for extended study

Deluxe NKJV Concordance including proper names

Maps

Center-Column

The above mentioned features are "some" of the main features, but this Bible is full of other great features and information that would make this review much longer. Let's go over some of these features. As stated above, this full color edition is very colorful and has many stunning photos and graphics.  Also, this Bible is full of helpful maps and charts. As is standard in most Bibles, it has a center column of cross-references and some textual notes, but one thing unique about this is the center-column is shaded a light gray (I personally like that).  The book introductions, outlines, and timelines are excellent. As you read through you will see olive call blocks of information on "Bible Times & Culture Notes" you will find this quite helpful and informative. One of my favorite features is the gray block at the bottom of some pages with "Word Studies" that has great information and also references "Strongs" corresponding number for further study. And one final notes on the features - it has a larger and better concordance than I have seen in most Bible (starting at page 2145-2339). 

 Introduction, Outline and Timeline

Large Concordance

Closing thoughts: As colorful as this Bible is, it does NOT have the words of Christ in red.  While this doesn't matter to me, I thought it was worth mentioning.  

This bible has a total of 2400 pages (that's big), but with all the valuable information it needs to be that many pages. As to be expected, it is also quite a heavy Bible weighing in at 3.8 pounds (but I have heavier, so it's no big deal to me).

My final analysis is this Bible deserves more than four stars so I'm going to give it five stars.  If you're looking for a NKJV Bible you should consider this Bible!

TO order the ISBN: 0529114380 (Hardcover, also available in bonded leather and imitation leather).  NOTE: When you order make sure it is the new 2014 edition. Check Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com (as well as many other book retailers to order)

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and BookLook bloggers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review; all opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

My review: David Wilkerson...The Man Who Believed!

As I write this review, I would like to give a little background of my connection to David Wilkerson's materials.  I became a follower of Jesus (i.e. Saved, Born-again) in June 1975.  Sadly, the group of people around me did not guide me in the truths of the Bible, but some time within the first year as a Christian I ended up reading "The Cross and the Switchblade."  It was the reading of that book that made a huge and lasting impact on my life.  It was also from reading that book that I believe the Lord spoke to my heart, "that is what you are called to do" (minister to people). It was then that I knew I had a call to ministry. So, amazingly that book set the course of my life in serving Jesus.  Then, in the early 1980's I came across his newsletter from "World Challenge," which I still receive today. I have a box full of these short teachings by David Wilkerson. 

I also have many of his books, some out of print, which I treasure knowing they are hard to find today (if not impossible). As the years went by, I found myself going through some real hard times spiritually (late 1980's) and found another book, "Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately" (still in print) by David Wilkerson. Again, I don't recall how this book ended up in my hands, but it was most helpful during that trying time in my life (I have given and recommended this book to many over the years).

Also, in 1987 I was able to visit his new church, "Times Square Church" in Manhattan, New York.  There, again, the Lord touched me in a mighty way through this then new church.  So, while I have never personally carried on a conversation with David Wilkerson, there are over 35 years of my life being touched by this ministry and the man of God, David Wilkerson.  I believe my review is qualified and not just a review with no background into David Wilkerson and his ministry.

As I excitedly received a pre-release (from Zondervan) of this book, "David Wilkerson" authored by his son Gary Wilkerson, I couldn't wait to jump into these pages.  I always feel it is good to know the man behind the scene (so to speak), and over my 35 years of being touched by David Wilkerson, I really didn't know the man behind this great ministry. As I picked up this book and stated reading through its pages, I was so excited to learn more about the man David Wilkerson.  It covers his entire life from his birth to his going home to Jesus.  The childhood section was a little dry to me and it didn't interest me much, but it did give me a good background on his family and his childhood.  The story covers much of his younger years and middle-aged years in ministry, and also covers his latter years, but not in as much detail, and then briefly mentions his death (by car accident).  I learned much about this private "man of God" (a term I don't use loosely) and his triumphs and his failures.  It was good to see what was going on behind the scenes.  I think we often can idolize people (even ministers), and in reality they are people just like you and me.  Gary and other family members, as well as friends and fellow ministers who knew him personally, share in this book and it's not all flattering. They show he was human just like you and me. He had his own set of fears, failures, and fame.  Usually all we know about is a man's fame.  This book will show all sides with due respect to this man of God. I feel through this book I have a clearer understanding of David Wilkerson and saw how one can be used of God, and what it takes to be a "man of God."  One will see many things in this book, but one that sticks out to me was that he was a man of "prayer." His son Gary did a great job gathering information from family (especially Don, David's brother) and from many others who have been involved in his life and ministry over the years. 

I give this book a well deserved 5 stars.

Note: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the words expressed here are my own.

My Review: Strange Glory - A life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have only known bits and pieces about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, so I really enjoyed the book from the very beginning. I also liked the way that the author, Marsh, shared about the life of Bonhoeffer making me feel like I was there with him on a personal level.

I have known about Bonhoeffer for years, but this is the first biography I have read on him. The author filled in a lot of unknowns for me about him from childhood to his death. Some of the minute details, while not necessary, did give a more complete picture of Bonhoeffer. I did find the beginning of the book a little slow because of these details, but I am still pleased that the author shared them to give a complete picture of who Bonhoeffer was.

The book also gave some historical insight into the German church in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as some insight into Hitler and the Nazis. The only thing I did not like about the book was the author's possible insinuation of Bonhoeffer's sexuality. I am not going to get into that in this review; see other reviews if you are curious or read the book for yourself. I did not think it necessary to mention in the book, especially since it is speculation.  I feel you will enjoy this read, especially to become familiar with Bonhoeffer's very unique character.

This book has peaked my interest in reading another biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  The other biography is: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy."

I received this book for free from the publisher’s Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

The following are some famous Bonhoeffer quotes:

My recent review of a great book, "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken"

I review quite a few books, but this one was a special treat for me. I love this book’s design and concept. I even like the thin tissue-like paper used in this book. This would be a nice book in bonded leather or leather. “The Greatest Words Ever Spoken” contains ALL the words of Jesus in Red with some surrounding verses in black to help with context. You may need/want to read more of the verses around it for a more accurate interpretation. This is a valuable book to complement your Bible reading time and is actually Bible readings of Jesus’ words. Over 200 topics (spoken by Jesus) are broken down into 9 categories in 9 chapters. The only part of this book that is not from the Bible are the introductions to each chapter, which are written by Steven K. Scott, who compiled this book. I find the introductions are very good. The table of contents is well-organized and helpful in finding the topic you are looking for. The back of the book contains a scripture index and subject index, which are also quite helpful in using this book. It’s an easy book to use and can be used as a Bible devotion or topical Bible study of Jesus’ words. It is not likely that you will read this book from cover to cover, but more likely you will jump around in it. With that being said, if you want to read all that Jesus spoke, you might enjoy reading it from cover to cover. The book is 519 pages long, it’s not a short book, and the font is pretty small (but very clear), so it’s a lot of reading. Being God’s Word, it is not a book you will want to read quickly. The NIV version is not my favorite version, but it does make it readable for all ages.

I recommend this book as a great reference book and one you will want to keep in your personal library permanently.

I received a free copy of The Greatest Words Ever Spoken from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.

Review of "Creating Community" (a book on doing small groups as a main part of your church)

I given this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I read this book at the recommendation of our pastor for the new and small church I attend.  For the vision of the church it definitely had a lot of practical advice that I believe our church will use some of it.  I especially like that the book deals a lot with keeping it simple.  There are easy guidelines to follow. If your church is considering small groups, which I personally believe every church should consider, then this book will be a good addition to your library, especially for those in ANY form of leadership in the church.

What I didn't like about the book:
1. I found it misleading that Andy is listed as the co-author, as he only wrote the introduction. The book is written by Bill Willits (he did a good job).
2. About 11 mentions of scripture, otherwise, not a strong scripture-based book. Some Biblical principles used, but that's about it.
3. A lot of comparisons to "corporate America" and successful business men, which I'm not a fan of as I believe the church is NOT to be compared or modeled as a corporation.
4. It is not a highly spiritual book, so it didn't change my spiritual life, but it did excite me about future community, which does effect our spiritual life.
5. This book is 10 year old, it is time they put out an updated and revised edition.  I would be very interested in a new revised edition.

I would recommend getting the book. You will surely get some great nuggets of truth and some great guidelines for small groups.  It's a short book, so it is a really small investment of your time.  If you even get one thing from this book that will help your church grow into a stronger spiritual community (through small groups), it will have been well worth your time.