Month: June 2016

Book Review: The Teen Study Bible NKJV

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The Teen Study Bible NKJV, Hardback edition, Zondervan. 2015, (1626 pages).
Book Review
I do not own a single Teen Study Bible. Usually I find them simplistic and the market is filled with NIV translations. This one caught my eye as it is a New King James Version of the bestselling teen study Bible published by Zondervan. The NKJV is a trusted, word-for-word translation and as a parent, I would willingly give one to my teenagers.
The one I am reviewing is a hard cover edition printed in color. It is a very handy size of 5.5”x8.5” x 1.75” to fit most teens hands. The cover is “splashy” in design and the back of the Bible says; “This Bible keeps up with you, to help you keep up with God.”
As the title says, this is a study Bible dedicated to teenagers, incorporating helps that speak their language and age group. It is packed with many great features as outlined on the back:
Features Include:
• We Believe—Unpacks the Apostles’ Creed to reveal the biblical foundation of faith
• Panorama—Keeps the big picture of each book of the Bible in view
• 4 full-color pages—Presentation page and information about the Apostles’ Creed
• Key indexes—Helps with in-depth Bible Study
• To the Point—Reveals what the Bible says about pressing issues
• Dear Jordan—Offers biblical advice for teens
• Instant Access—Tells what God says to you personally
• Q&A—Tests your knowledge of Bible trivia
• Bible Promises—Highlights Bible verses worth remembering
• Book Introductions—Provides and overview for each book of the Bible
• 8 page, full-color map section
• Complete text of the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible
In my opinion, there is a heavy dose of the Apostles Creed. The opening pages lists the Apostles Creed and its history. Throughout the Bible there are references to the Apostles Creed titled “We Believe.” There is a very good explanation of how to use the Bible that any teen could comprehend. These are found throughout the Bible, using a “blue” print to identify the reader of the help.
My biggest surprise of this Bible was the inclusion of the “Preface to the NKJV.” For those teens wanting to know how this version came into being, this is a gold mine. It is written with great detail but is very easy to read and understand. Well done!
In my opinion, the “Teen Study Bible, NKJV”, is a very valuable resource for the teens of today to help keep them in the Word of God. I believe the editors and publisher are successful in their design.
The format of the Bible is “paragraph” style as many of the newer Bibles today are going. It keeps the flow of the verses in a readable format. The type is small, but readable.
This study Bible will answer many of the questions concerning, backgrounds, personal biographies, comparisons and references.
My further review:
First of all, the translation used is the New King James Version which is a trusted, word-for-word translation. It has the beauty of the KJV without the “thee’s” and “thou’s” that are antiquated from the 1600’s. Of course that is an over simplification of the differences, but you get the idea.
There are very simple, yet well written introductions to each book of the Bible. It is the 30,000 foot view of the book, which is perfect for the “get it, got it, good” crowd.
The Bible has 8 pages of full color maps.
My overall opinion is that I would gladly endorse the “Teen Study Bible, NKJV” by zondervan to any teen. I would also recommend this Bible to new believers of any age without hesitation, if they are looking for a NKJV.
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being highly recommended, I would give this Bible a rating: of 4+
BoLin949
Disclosure. I am a blogger for BookLook Bloggers and received this Book free from Zondervan and BookLook Bloggers Review Program. My receipt of this book was in order to review the product. I am not required to give a positive review, only my personal opinion. All opinions are mine.

Questions from Youth Camp

Falls Creek Youth Camp, 2016

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Another Youth Camp is in the rear view mirror. Every camp takes on a different feel and this year’s camp was no different. We had many first time campers, some previous campers were now counselors and we had several new counselors to our group.

For the past four years, our church, Keys Valley Baptist Church in Belton, Texas, has joined with Grace Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. We go to Falls Creek Youth Camp, located in the Arbuckle mountains. The responsibilities are somewhat shared and we have it down to an organized chaos.

The temperature was in the mid 90’s in southern Oklahoma each day, but that doesn’t stop our 70 campers. They participate in volleyball, soft ball, skate boarding, swimming, canoeing, zip line or many other activities. Memories are made whether it be in the rain and flood of the previous year or the heat this year.

Note: If you decide to read this list of questions, I would ask you to not only look at the question, but think about the reason for the question. I believe you will see some real struggles in the lives of these teenagers (however, there is no way of know if any of the cooks or counselors also placed questions into the box). Many come from broken homes, some abusive. Many parents are not supportive of taking their kids to church. Each year my heart is broken for these teenagers that I get to teach and love for a week. 

  • What do you do to comfort somebody with Jesus?
  • If God has always been there, were the angels always there as well?
  • What do you do if you feel like God is calling you and you don’t listen and you feel like you sinned?
  • I have been having hard thought’s? What do you do if you’re in a church and you feel like God is calling you and you don’t listen?
  • How do you get baptized faster if the other church you go to gives you a 50 question test that you have to pass to get baptized? What do you do?
  • What do you do if you want to get baptized and your pastor immediately says you’re not ready to do this?
  • What do you do if you have problems getting to church?
  • If you commit suicide, can you still go to heaven?
  • What do you do if you’re having bad thoughts and are questioning if God loves you or not?
  • How do you deal with guilt from sin?
  • How did anyone know about God before Jesus came down?
  • What is Christianity? What is God doing when good people die or have bad times?
  • What if someone dies and they have never heard the Gospel?
  • How should we pray?
  • Do you HAVE to confess with your mouth to be saved or just believe in your heart?
  • What verses can you read if you’re going through a tough time?
  • Is it good to only want to read one verse in the Bible?
  • Will I still be able to get into heaven if I believe in things the Bible doesn’t support it? For example, supporting gay marriage.
  • Is it wrong to be transgender, bisexual or gay? Will God hate me if I am? If it is wrong, I’m sorry.
  • Are gay’s allowed to be in heaven?
  • Do you love God? (question for the Apologetic’s Forum panel). Why?
  • How do we help homosexual people?
  • What do you do if when you’re reading a verse in the Bible and don’t get it?
  • Am I saved if I can’t remember when I accepted Christ, but I still believe in him? I just can’t remember the actual date.
  • How do you know the Lord is with you?
  • Is it OK if you want to get closer to God and get resaved?
  • Is it true they took things out of the Bible they didn’t want us to know about?
  • What is the difference between God the Lord & the Holy Spirit? And if none, why not call all of them one name?
  • How do you talk to people that think God is fake?
  • What do you do when you encounter an atheist that argues about your faith? What are some arguments I can use?
  • How do you overcome doubt of God?
  • Why does God love me? Is it OK to have doubts?
  • If God created earth, who created God?
  • Is God going to make us live again?
  • Did the dinosaurs exist?
  • Why is theism involved in Christianity?
  • What does God’s love mean?
  • How do we begin understanding God’s love?
  • How do we know/feel when God is speaking to you?
  • Why is evolution not in harmony with creation?
  • If you aren’t saved, can you still be saved?
  • In Revelation, it says that someone who “adds to” the Bible will have their name “blotted out of the book of life”, but as Baptists we believe no one can be separated from God after they’re saved. Can a Christian lose their salvation by adding to the Bible? Or, does getting your name removed from the book of life mean losing your salvation?

We ended up the Friday evening Apologetics Forum well after midnight. I am sure that there were many questions that were never put on paper.

Our greatest resource in America are our youth. Would you agree to pray with me for this next generation as they search for answers? Thank You.

Book Review: the NKJV “Apply the Word Study Bible (eBook version)

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NKJV Apply the Word Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Live in His Steps, eBook version. Thomas-Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2016, (1632 pages).

Book Review 

I currently own over thirty study Bibles. I have stopped purchasing them because most just regurgitate the same commentaries from the same group of commentators with the same set of references. It is refreshing when I can pick up a study Bible and it peaks my interest right away. And the “NKJV Apply the Word Study Bible” did just that.

In my opinion, the “Apply the Word Study Bible”, is directed toward the new believer to intermediate reader. The type is crisp, the layout is refreshing and easy to follow.

This study Bible will answer many of the questions concerning, backgrounds, personal biographies, comparisons and references.

My further review:

First of all, the translation used is the New King James Version which is a trusted, word-for-word translation. It has the beauty of the KJV without the “thee’s” and “thou’s” that are antiquated from the 1600’s. Of course that is an over simplification of the differences, but you get the idea.

Secondly, the section titled “How to use this eBible” is clear and concise, and should be easy to navigate for anyone experienced in using and reading ebooks. It is worth spending some time in getting used to using the links within the eBible.

Thirdly, there are plenty of great notes to help explain sections of the Scriptures. For example, the Study Bible includes an in-depth review of “Monies, Weights and Measures” that help the reader to understand the difference between a “mite” and a “Talent”

Fourthly, there are well written introductions to each book of the Bible.

Lastly, the Bible has a large section of full color maps.

My overall opinion is that I would gladly add the “Apply the Word Study Bible” to my library, and to recommend it to new believers without hesitation, if they are looking for a NKJV.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being highly recommended, I would give this eBilbe a rating: of 4

BoLin949

Disclosure. I am a blogger for BookLook Bloggers and received this eBook free from Thomas-Nelson and BookLook Bloggers Review Program. My receipt of this book was in order to review the product. I am not required to give a positive review, only my personal opinion. All opinions are mine.