Immerse yourself in the Old Testament Handbook, an elegant, full-color Bible handbook that includes robust summary content, charts, maps, word studies, illustrations, and more for every Old Testament book of the Bible. Constructed with high-quality cloth cover materials and a sewn binding, the Old Testament Handbook is designed to last a lifetime as a valuable companion resource for Bible study, teaching, and ongoing discipleship.

FEATURES:

·         High-quality, foil-stamped cloth cover materials and Smyth-sewn binding meant to last a lifetime

·         Elegant full-color interior design, including maps, charts, illustrations, and other visual helps for every book of the Old Testament 

·         More than 75 in-depth word studies of key words found in each Old Testament book 

·         Ribbon marker for easy referencing between pages during study, teaching, or sharing 

The Old Testament Handbook features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB captures the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.  Christmas shopping made easy - check out the Lifeway Christmas page for inspirational gift ideas!

You can purchase your copy today here. There are several other additions as this is a series. For more information: https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/holman-handbook-series/

My Thoughts:

I am delightfully surprised with the contents of The Old Testament Handbook. It has enough depth to dig into the Old Testament as a starting study guide.

I love the simplicity of the cover. It’s a enim charcoal cloth-over-board book.  The lettering is embossed in gold. The Old Testament Handbook also comes in a beautiful sand color. Everything about how it looks is just very appealing to look at.

The interior is full-color throughout the book. The pages are glossy. I did get a bit more glare than I wanted in certain lights.

The book layout starts with Genesis and goes through to the Minor Prophets. The layout is similar throughout. A few of the Old Testament books are combined in one section. 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The minor prophets are combined and Ezra and Nehemiah are also combined together.

There is an introduction that gives you a bit of background, and information about the author, message and purpose, summary, and structure.

It has an outline for each book except for the books that are combined together. They are also combined in the outline. It breaks down the chapters in small bites and gives a nice overview.

Word Study-The word study is usually around 3 words. The words are Hebrew words in transliteration to help you pronounce the word. The CSB transliteration is used. It tells you what verse the word is used in, how many occurrences in the Old Testament, and a focus passage in the book. A brief information of the word and passages of use. I would have loved to see the Hebrew along with the transliteration for those who read Hebrew.

Another feature of the book is a nicely laid-out timeline in most of the books. If not, a timeline there are charts. I thought the charts were unique compared to some that I have seen in other study resources. You will also find familiar charts that cover essential study tools. There are maps, family trees, diagrams, and key points of how it points to Jesus in the New Testament. A lot of key points, scriptures, and quotes are included.

Overall, I think this is a nice study tool addition to your daily study. I would have loved to see a list in the back of the book of the different resources and charts to be able to quickly find something. Even a glossary of the Hebrew words in both Hebrew and transliteration so you can look up the page.

This would make a nice gift for someone special or a treat for yourself. This would benefit new believers and I think most teens could benefit from this and start them out on learning how to study the word. It would let them see the importance of the Old Testament.

#OldTestamentHandbookMIN #theoldtestamenthandbook

 #christianstandardbible #CSB #holmanhandbookseries #holmanhandbook #holmanbibles

#othandbook @christianstandardbible @bhpub

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through  in exchange for my honest thoughts. @frontgatem

 

 

There seems to be a lot of outreach for the Gospel with programs and resources popping up everywhere. Rhapsody Free Devotional is one of those @rhapsodydevotional You can download free resources on their site and/or partner with them https://bit.ly/RhapsodyFreeDevo

 The devotions are available by age from early readers, kids, teens, and adults. All the devotionals are appropriate for the ages and have activities in each of them. Word searches, crossword puzzles, fill in the blank, Bible facts, and other activities within the devotionals. The devotionals are pretty straight forward in their message. Nothing sugar coated. I think these will appeal to all ages.;

 The devotionals are free and are a tool for evangelism. They are available in over 5,900 languages and more are still being added. You can download each copy as a PDF or request a physical copy.

 “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15

 #sharethegospel #gospel #jesussaves #salvation #evangelism #devotions #jesus #christiandevotional

 

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15

 This world keeps getting darker every day. Now more than ever we need to share about Jesus. @gomovementusa has a free action kit that has resources for praying, caring, and sharing the Gospel with others. You can download this wonderful kit for free. You can download the free kit: https://bit.ly/3NlHaPP The kit can be used by the whole family for all ages. Evangelism is so essential, through prayer and being real through caring for others. Sharing about Jesus should be something that we should do in our everyday life but it’s not always easy and can be intimating.

 #JESUSSAYSGO #sharethegospel #gospel #jesussaves #salvation #gomovement #evangelism #evangelist #jesus

 

CSB Lifeway Women’s Bible is a classy looking women’s Bible. Of course the real treasure is the Words inside. I have to admit that I LOVE a Bible that aesthetically pleasing to look at. You can purchase the Bible here.

You have four different designs to choose from. I choose the gray/mint Leathertouch. The two toned Bible has a light gray denim look that wraps around the spine and the cover is a solid mint color. It also comes with a hard case slip cover.

The inside pages are very pleasing to the eyes in a soft muted tone throughout

I’m not as familiar with the Christian Standard Bible CSB as I am with other translations. Looking through the translation looks pretty accurate. The Bible flows/reads easily and is suitable for all ages in my opinion. In the Introduction it gives you how the names of God are translated from the original Hebrew to the English.

As a women’s Bible it has several study and devotional material from some well known Christian ladies.  There are other articles throughout on certain passages and topics that would be relevant to women. You can find the different topics listed in the Bible.

Every book has a Introduction page with your typical author, history, summary, and highlights Key Verses. Off to the side you have timeline. There are charts throughout the Bible.

The pages are a Single Column format  at a 9.5 font. You have plenty of margin spaces for notes. Two book marks in the Bible.

Another feature is three different reading plans from a 90-Day, Yearly, and a 3-Year Reading plan.

I have enjoyed reading my Word from the CSB Lifeway Women’s Bible. I don’t usually do reading plans but I decided to try the 90-Day Reading Plan. It’s been delightful time in the morning. 

#lifewaywomen #lifewaywomensbible #readyourbible

 @christianstandardbible @lifewaywomen

Some features from Publisher that I may have not mentioned:

·    Including Bible study and devotional content from Lauren Chandler​, ​Gloria Furman, Lisa Harper, Mary Kassian, Kelly King, Kelly Minter, Trillia Newbell, Jackie Hill Perry, Angel Thomas Pharr, Jennifer Rothschild, Mary Jo Sharp, Priscilla Shirer, Angie Smith, and other Lifeway Women. 

·    Over 100 articles placed alongside the corresponding biblical text to foster deep reflection on Bible passages and topics focused on the life needs of women

·   Nearly 100 short devotional thoughts placed throughout the Bible 

·   Bible genre introductions with a short overview and reading plan highlighting key passages in that section

·   66 book-focused introductions providing a concise overview with book-specific timelines

·   Over 40 character profiles of key women in the Bible with questions for application

·   More than 35 reflection questions to help women engage more deeply with the Bible

·   Nearly 100 brief inspirational quotes on the Bible  

·   Over 25 word studies on individual words or phrases detailing meaning and significance

·   30 plus charts, tables, and maps 

·   Distinctive full-color design elements to foster an immersive reading experience for women of all ages

·   Single-column text layout

 

·   Black-letter text for easy readability

 

·   Easy-to-read 9.5-point type size

·   Durable Smyth-sewn lay-flat binding

·   Ribbon marker for easy referencing between pages

 

·  Concordance

·  Presentation page for gift-giving

 

·  Full-color maps

 

Have you ever closed your Bible and thought, What did I just read? Or maybe you have tried to read through the Bible in a year, but quit when it felt confusing or impersonal. The Bible Recap is here to help. Tara-Leigh Cobble, host of the popular podcast The Bible Recap, walks readers through a one-year chronological Bible reading plan and explains each day's passage in an easy-to-understand way.

Emphasizing how God's character can be seen throughout Scripture, the recaps are simple and short yet deep enough to help you understand the hard parts and press into knowing God better. As Cobble says, The primary role of Scripture is to show me who God is, and if I behold God, my life will naturally conform around what I learn about him. The Bible Recap will not only help you grasp the entire narrative of the Bible, it will fortify your faith.

My Thoughts:

Every January I hear people express wanting to read their Bible in a year. I truly admire that goal. I usually don’t follow a schedule and find myself starting with a plan but get off on rabbit trails when a topic captures my attention in the word. I’m not faithful to reading daily devotionals. It’s not that I don’t enjoy some of them but sometimes I find that I don’t always agree with the commentaries and that is okay too. We can agree to disagree on topics as long as the Word is kept in tack and not torn apart which takes away from the Bible. I think that is what captured my attention with The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible.  

This is a hardback sturdy cover that is a hefty book of 750 pages. The first few pages have the reading plan laid out for you to see an overview of your yearly reading plan.

 It follows a letter from the author Tara-Leigh Cobble talking about the three mistakes that held her back from understanding and truly loving the scriptures. She has an interesting point of view that I feel many of us can relate to one or more of the mistakes.

The Bible is laid out in chronological order but, will have a different layout than other chronological Bibles. The version that is used is the ESV transliteration primarily.

Each day you have the Bible verses that you will be reading at the top of the page. She recommends you have a journal to take notes or write questions for parts that you don’t understand to research later. Afterward, you read The Bible Recap and you may find that your questions and sections you don’t understand will be answered for you. A website is provided with free resources that will be included in the footnotes where it is applicable.

Each daily reading ends with “Today’s God Shot”. This focuses on God’s character.

Overall, I’m impressed with the breakdown recap of the Bible that is provided for the scriptures. Nothing has made me cringe what I have read so far. Is this a devotional or commentary well probably a bit of both. This would make a nice gift and I think it might be beneficial to teens.

The author does a podcast in which I haven’t listened to.

I received a free copy of this product from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

While thinking about a word of the year for this post I had many words that I thought would sum up the coming year. I kept coming back to another word that just wouldn't go away. 2016 has built up to this word in my life and my walk with my Lord and Savior.

Definition of change:

1.  to make different in some particular :  alter <never bothered to change the will> b :  to make radically different :  transform <can't change human nature> c :  to give a different position, course, or direction to

2.  to replace with another <let's change the subject> b :  to make a shift from one to another :  switch <always changes sides in an argument>

I have been mediating on a few scriptures recently. God has taken me on a path that I never expected. God knows what is best and I'm glad that He took me on a different path. I have more joy and peace in my life. It's not that He changes but, I have changed.

Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Numbers 23:19

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2

God reminds me that HE doesn't change. I am the one who is changing and need to continue to let Him change me. Change isn't a bad thing if it's with God. I don’t like change. I like to know what to expect and I don’t like surprises as I am a planner. HE changes us for the better. I need to remember that because, when we let Him change us He is working on us in our hearts, minds, and His will is being done if we are following His path.

Thankfully, He knows what is best for us in every aspect of our life! When we let him guide our paths it's much better than what we could of have ever imagined. 

Are you letting God direct your path? Change is hard but, God knows what changes we need in our walk with Him.  

This coming year I am going to let Him lead me and accept change without trying to fight it!

I am linking up with an amazing group over at the Homeschool review Crew. 

 I have also linked up with Create With Joy: 2017 One Word Blog Hop.