Worship wherever you are

Tomorrow my husband and I are getting on an airplane heading for Uganda. My oldest son is currently living in China. And I once again find myself in the strange position of having the people I love the most in this world scattered throughout the globe.

Wherever we are and regardless of time zones, we are still family. And we are each doing what God has called us to do right now. Brad will lead a conference for a group of African pastors. I will endeavor to walk alongside beautiful women who are so very different from me, yet very much the same. Joe has been teaching Chinese middle schoolers. Jake, Bella, and Abe are plugging along with summer projects, football practice and too much YouTube at their grandparent’s house in Georgia.
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We are called for different things in different places at different times. Yet, we are all doing the same thing. Living our lives with the hope of Glory in our sights, walking in the grace we have been given through the death of Christ on the cross and remembering to stay focused on the Gospel as we undertake our daily tasks.⠀
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You, sweet friend, are called for the same purpose. Whether you are vacationing at the beach, working at a job you don’t love, wrestling toddlers or traveling across the world, you have a beautiful opportunity to reflect the glory of God to those around you. All you need to do is to turn to the God of your salvation and grab onto His grace in your life. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
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Find a place to gather with others who are doing the same thing on Sunday. Open your Bible today. Cry out to your Creator today. Demand that your week is Gospel-saturated. And worship wherever you are.

Snapshots of Your Life {Free Download}

Snapshots of life: how to document the moments in life and why you should

Here's the thing, if you are currently experiencing or have ever gone through a difficult time in your life, which is all of us, understanding the truth that God is in control is critical. God is Sovereign. Over everything. If I didn't believe that, I would really struggle to make sense of things. In fact, I still struggle sometimes. Am I alone? Never mind, I know I'm not.

You see, the album of your life is made up of snapshots. And standing firm in the knowledge that every perfectly composed image, as well as every blurry and underexposed photo, is orchestrated by that sovereign God is what helps you see your life for the beauty that it is.

Snapshots of life: how to document the moments in life and why you should

Feel free to listen to this article HERE:

To Everything a Season

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
²a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
⁵a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
⁸a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV)

This passage can be confusing and discouraging, or it can be life-giving. You see Solomon mixes events that are completely out of our control, like the time of our birth or death, with things that we seem to have a measure of free will over, like when to plant and harvest. I don't think this is an accident. It underscores that God is the author of every season and there is actually nothing beyond the reach of his hand. And this brings me comfort. If I am trusting in Christ then I can know that He is working out ALL things, the stunningly spectacular as well as the devastatingly heartbreaking, for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Why should you document your snapshots?

In the opening paragraph, I mentioned that our lives are made up of snapshots, or seasons. Now, if you talk to anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I love taking photos. Of everything. My family has come to expect it. Sorry, kids. I am proud to say that my tendency to post every.single.thing on social media has been tempered as my children grew older (and developed opinions about it), but I still grab the shot. In fact, I now give them a disclaimer as I'm shooting... "I won't post it, I just want it".

So, why do I have this desire to document every big and small part of our lives? Part of it is because it acts as a creative outlet and since we are all created to create that is important. A lot of it is that the memories make me happy. But, as I look back through the years of photographs I have amassed, I realize that a by-product of this obsession is a record of God's faithfulness. He saw us through difficult times and he blessed us with happy times. My photo albums have become stones of remembrance (Joshua 4). And as I look through them I can see God working in our family and our lives, even when we didn't realize it in the moment.

Finding a way to record the moments in your everyday life will become a treasure for future generations as well as a blessing for you as time passes. We are forgetful people, right? We forget the details of those long nights with infants, the messy bits and the sappy hugs.

And we forget the Gospel. The truth that Christ lived a perfect life that we could not live and died a terrible death that we deserved. The glorious truth that if you trust that, you are now clothed in Christ's righteousness and can stand before a holy God with clean hands. And in doing so, we forget that God is in control of all of the big and small things we face. Documenting your snapshots will help you remember.

How do you document the snapshots of life?

There are more ways to do this than the scope of this article allows, but let me give you a few of the ways that I record the good, the bad and the ugly in my little world.

Photography

This one is obvious, right? Taking pictures is easier than ever. Yes, I'm talking about that smartphone you have attached to your hip. Ok, that was a low blow... I was just feeling convicted about my hip-hugging phone. Anyway, not only that but the ability to take quality photos is a real possibility for most folks. So snap away! Just remember to get the best photos off of your phone and hard drive and into the hands of the ones who will enjoy them!

Bible Journaling

Ok, I know what you are thinking... I don't put pictures of my precious babies in my Bible. Well, I challenge you that digging deeper into the Word of God & hearing what he has to say through His scripture (which is the point of Bible Journaling) is a legacy in and of itself. When your children see you in the Word, they learn of its importance in your life. And when they see you journaling about what you are learning in a particular season of your life, they will know who to turn to when they face a similar season.

Also, when you focus on His Word through creativity you are creating a canvas to reflect on later. And a memento of what He has taught you. Remember, we are forgetful. Did you forget?

If you want to learn more about Bible or Creative Journaling, I want to offer you a FREE ticket to the Flourish Bible Journaling Conference that is going on right now (only through May 18th). Twenty speakers are presenting on a variety of creative topics. I'm honored to be a part, and did I mention? It's completely FREE to attend!

Another way to explore this further is through the Heart of Scripture Workshop at The Lilypad. Lynne-Marie and I would love to see you in this community of women.

Scrapbooking

What better way to combine your creativity with your memories than on a page you design just for that purpose? Check out The Lilypad Store and Gallery for inspiration on how to do that if you don't know how! You can scrap digitally or traditionally. You can create pages filled with photos and fun elements or you can opt for simplicity in your designs. There is no wrong way to do this and watching your family peruse a finished album, smiling at the memories, is a great joy.

Prayer Journaling

Similar to Bible Journaling, writing out your prayers can truly serve as a monument to God's grace and mercy in your life. I add mixed media, photos, scrapped pages or Bible journaling to my Prayer Journal. I talk about this in the Bible Journaling Conference I mentioned above. My Prayer Journals have become treasures to cherish, and reminders to stay in communication with my Creator. What a privilege. Check out more free resources about prayer here.

On Your Walls

I love to put reminders of the snapshots of our lives on the walls of our home. There are literal snapshots of my family as well as images that remind me of certain memories. I have paintings from places we've traveled to remind me of those visits and to prompt me to pray for the nations. I have scripture on the walls in most rooms of my house and I love putting little printables or hand-lettered art around me when I work.

This printable is a reminder that God is in control of all of my seasons. I should praise Him through them all and I should capture every snapshot!

And check out more freebies from me!

Digital Bible Journaling {Free Kit}

When I say the words Digital Bible Journaling, what’s the first thing you think of? Does it scare you a little? Confuse you? Hang on! I’d love for you to open your mind a bit and explore with me how you can use digital images that other artists create in your own Bible Journaling. You might just surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it… and how non-techy it can actually be.

It’s fun to step out of your comfort zone and for some of you, this is a leap. Never forget that at its core, Bible Journaling is always about the Word. This is just another way to worship, create and learn.

Why I enjoy digital Bible journaling

This expression of Bible Journaling started for me with my love of documenting the big and small moments of my family’s life. I was a scrapbooker way before it was a cool thing to be. Wait, it’s cool, right?

Anyway, my lack of time and space merged with my desire to document our memories and I became a digital scrapper about 10 years ago. That’s way cooler. Right? Still doesn’t sound cool, but moving on.

This hobby transitioned into digital art journaling and eventually, I missed getting my hands dirty so much that I morphed into creating hybrid mixed media creations.

When Bible Journaling came on my radar, it made sense for me to try it out in the same way, using digital pieces alongside my paints and ephemera. That may sound a bit scary to you, but it’s a wonderful (and simple) way to enjoy this form of worship.

If you want to learn more about Bible or Creative Journaling, I want to offer you a FREE ticket to the Flourish Bible Journaling Conference that is going on right now (only through May 18th). Twenty speakers are presenting on a variety of creative topics. I’m honored to be a part, and did I mention? It’s completely FREE to attend!

How you can try digital Bible journaling for yourself

Hear me out as I take you step by step through this process.

1. Gather supplies. Digital supplies like those sold in a digital scrapbooking site can be easily printed out and used. And bonus points… you can print and use them again and again. OK, that is cool! My personal favorite website for these kinds of elements and papers is The Lilypad.

In fact, I’m excited to be teaching an online Bible Journaling & Bible Study workshop over there right now where you can explore this more closely with me.  You should consider joining me! For real.

If you want to kick it old school, you could also totally gather supplies from around your house… bits of paper, invitations, paper crafting supplies, children’s craft supplies. You can use anything you can glue down! I do this, too.

2. Decide on your background. This can be a journal, Bible, Interleaved Bible, notecards or any paper. Your imagination is your only limit. Spoiler, I do most of my “Bible Journaling” in notebooks. Yep, it’s totally OK to do that!

3. Assemble your page. In the example I am showing you below, I copied and pasted the text I was studying into a document to print out. I used a piece of digital paper as the background.

Then on the opposite page, I created a scene that helped me to visualize myself as the one lost sheep in the parable of Luke 15. It reminds me that I am precious and that God found me. He chased me down with His grace and saved me. I did nothing. I was indeed lost. The good shepherd did it all.

These pages were actually created and put in an altered composition notebook, like the one you could create with the Journal in 7 Course.

And the artwork I used is from a kit created by Rebecca McMeen at The Lilypad (fonts Magnolia Sky and Machost). How awesome is that? I didn’t have to draw a thing! And yet, the act of putting these pieces of art together was enough to feed my creative spirit and help me slow down enough to pray about and understand the text more fully.

I created this in Photoshop, but it could just as easily be created by printing the elements and/or text on paper… or clear sticker paper and assembling as a collage. Come on… now I’m getting cooler… am I right?

Every time I see this page in this notebook, it reminds me of the important truth of that parable. And I will worship my Good Shepherd.

A free Bible journaling printable for you

I’m including a small Bible journaling kit you are welcome to download for FREE if you want to try this out for yourself. The theme of this kit is the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. I’d love to see what you create with it so feel free to tag me on Social Media @gracencolor or email me.

Check out this Free Printable Bible Journaling Kit at https://tinyurl.com/y9yrrr44 #graceincolor #biblejournaling #freebiblejournaling #freebie Click To Tweet

If you are a skimmer, here’s the important part of this post. Bible Journaling is many things to many people. But it should always start with the Word of God and is ultimately a form of worship and a way to draw you closer to your Creator God. Using printables is just one way to do this.

Enjoy. Have fun. Learn new creative techniques. And dig a little deeper into the Word today.
Jen

Again, join me in a Bible Journaling and Bible Study Workshop where we will combine the truths of Praise and Petition found in the Psalms with our creativity! Or at the Flourish Bible Journaling Online Conference to hear 20 different women teach unique ways to express your worship creatively (FREE for a limited time)

Hand Lettering in your Bible Journaling

Hand Lettering in your Bible when you can't Hand Letter, FREEBIE included

I absolutely love hand lettering! It’s all the rage right now and I can’t scroll past 3 squares on my Instagram feed without running into a beautifully lettered piece of art. The sad problem in that I am NOT a hand letterer (is that an actual word? not sure…).

I know, I know. Lettering is not the same as writing so my dreadful physician’s handwriting shouldn’t affect my ability to letter. But apparently, I’m not a very good artist either. And this, my friends, is the reason for this post. I’ve discovered a way around this pesky problem!

What is Hand Lettering?

I know this definition is going to knock you over, but here goes. Hand Lettering is to “print or write by hand”. Wait. What? This is different than, although often confused with, calligraphy and typography. Here’s the basic difference.

Calligraphy is a single pass of the pen/tool to write as a form of art. Typography is writing with prefabricated, pre-written letters. Hand lettering is actually drawing each letter with multiple strokes.

Now, for many of us, this is not an important distinction. They all use the same basic artistic principles and honestly, most of us just want pretty words, am I right? I do think it’s good to learn the differences, but for the sake of this post, we are calling any text that is created and pretty “hand-lettered”.

Why should you want to incorporate Hand Lettering in your Bible Journaling?

See above. It’s pretty. But more than that, there is something powerful about words. Words evoke emotion and they are compelling reminders when paired with ideas. Single words can be memory prompts for much longer stories. And hand-lettered words can combine the authority of the written word with the strength of an image.

This makes it perfect for Bible Journaling. You can use one single word as a trigger to aid in your comprehension and retention of the things God speaks to you through His Word. Cool!

How can we add Hand Lettering to our Bible if we are terrible at it?

First of all, you can just do it! Practice. Practice. Be happy with your imperfections. Remember that you are creative. And remember that Bible Journaling is first and foremost about the Gospel and Word of God. It’s not really about the art. So, just write… or draw… or letter as the case may be. Trust me, I have many, many pages in my Bible that are scribbled in with my handwriting that would not be recognized as English for many readers. And that’s OK!

If you want to get fancy, like I sometimes do, I have a little trick for you. I’ve created the video below showing you the process and *spoiler* it’s super easy. As in print… trace… color. Take a peek.

The beautiful hand-lettered words mentioned in the video are from Shawna Clingerman and can be found here. She is super talented and I have major respect for her work.

Now, I started this post off letting you know that I am NOT a Hand Letterer, but I have created a few words for you to download for FREE if you are interested. Note: this is typography, not hand lettering, but it’ll still be great practice! And pretty words are pretty words.

Want more? You can purchase these Grace Word Sets for $2.00 each! So.much.fun!

If you try this on your own, you know I’ll want to see! Or maybe this is old hat for you and you have some better ideas. Shoot those to me as well! Tag me on Social Media (@gracencolor) or contact me anytime.

Have a lovely week and get into the Word of God today.

Jen

We Need the Local Church

We need each other. We really do. And what a blessing if God has given you the opportunity to gather together with believers on a regular basis. That is a privilege that many people in the world do not know. And one that I do not ever want to take for granted. Yes, we need each other and we need the local church, not just for ourselves but for a much bigger purpose.

Is your church perfect? Yeah, mine’s not either. I’m married to the pastor and although I can extol his good qualities all day long, I can also with great confidence let you know that he is not perfect.

Are the people who show up to your church week after week perfect? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But then again, are you perfect? I’m certainly not. Not even close.

God allows us to rub shoulders with imperfect people who are trying to live their lives just as we are, by the grace of the God who is the author of their salvation. They fail, they hurt us, they love us, they support us. It’s messy and it’s beautiful.

And even more amazingly, God brings people into our church and into our lives that He is drawing to Himself. He uses us to help show them His Gospel. He uses you. And me. To point a dying world to the cross of Christ. A place where they can finally lay down their burdens and walk in His righteousness. So that they can become imperfect, redeemed people for us to do life with as well.

Don’t believe the lie.

Some of you can’t quite understand that God does indeed use you. You have believed the lie of the enemy that you are not good enough, holy enough, smart enough, old enough, young enough… on and on it goes. And you know what, you are right. If you are only looking to your own goodness, holiness or intelligence.

In Psalm 68:15-16, the psalmist writes an interesting little diddy.

“O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with hatred, O man-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?”

See, Bashan was a tall and majestic mountain and the logical place for the Ark of the Covenant, and therefore the very presence of God, to reside. However, God chose Mount Zion as his home, a much smaller and seemingly insignificant peak.

Charles Spurgeon in The Treasury of David said this about these verses. “Zion certainly was not a high hill comparatively; and it is here conceded that Bashan is a greater mount, but not so glorious, for the Lord in choosing Zion had exalted it above the loftier hills. The loftiness of nature is made as nothing before the Lord. He chooses as pleases him, and, according to the counsel of his own will, he selects Zion, and passes by the proud, uplifted peaks of Bashan; thus doth he make the base things of this world, and things that are despised, to become monuments of his grace and sovereignty.”

He loves you because He loves you.

God chose the smaller mount simply because it pleased Him. And if you are trusting in the work of Christ on the cross, you have also been chosen… because it pleases Him.

And that brings us back to my original point. You are not worthy of his grace. I am not good enough. And yet, we have exchanged our sin for Christ’s righteousness and will inherit the very kingdom of Heaven. And he uses you, me and the local church for the advancement of his kingdom.

That is scandalous.

And it is something we must remember as we gather with those messy people we are doing life with week after week. He chose them as well.

So, do we really need the local church? Is it important to have accountability in our winding walk of sanctification? Is it good to serve others as an example to a self-serving world? Do we need the reminder of the grace we have been given as we are forced to have grace for one another?

You know my answer. Next Sunday, let’s go to church.

Giveaway: Win a Gorgeous ESV Illuminated Bible

So, have you seen the ESV Illuminated Bible? Let me tell you, it is gorgeous! I own one and absolutely love it. And I want to give you a chance to win one for yourself!

All you have to do to enter to win one is to complete this super easy and fast survey. Easy, breezy!

It will take just a couple of minutes of your time and will help me to decide how to best serve you in 2018.

Plans are funny. I had some that didn’t come to pass. I have others that are in progress. And I know I will continue to have more. But I want to keep all of my plans in an open hand and assure that what I’m doing with this ministry is exactly what God wants me to be doing. Part of that is to hear from YOU about what you want or need from me.

And I’m excited to hear!

ENTER the GIVEAWAY HERE

And have an awesome day… and P.S. If you missed the giveaway or didn’t win this time, I’ll be back with more.

And you can grab one of these beautiful Bibles HERE.

Jen

Finish Strong Workbook and Planner

Are you a little frazzled or disorganized at this time of year as you plan for the Holiday, try to keep your family happy and battle commercialism, all while working to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas? Do you enjoy planning and love new tools that help you? Does the idea of planning make you twitch but you sort of need new tools to help you? Do you have a desire to finish strong in 2017 as you prepare for 2018?

If any of that describes you, I think you will love the Finish Strong Workbook and Planner. It's more than a planner. It's more than a workbook. It includes calendars and planning pages to help with your organizational side. And it includes Art and Journaling Prompts (5 weeks worth of each) to feed your creative side. And it includes Scripture prompts to help you send out 2017 with a focus on the Gospel.

The Finish Strong Workbook and Planner is ready to print and it'll be sent to you immediately. You can print it out on regular paper and put it in a binder or print it out at 70% and put the pages in a composition book, like the one you can create in the Journal in 7 Course.

However you choose to use it, you will find it fun and practical!

Finish 2017 Strong with this Planner and Workbook designed to help you get more organized and creative this Holiday Season and into the New Year.

What does the Finish Strong Planner and Workbook include?

*December and January blank calendars, ready to fill in for planning

* A Holiday To Do list big enough for all you need

* A budget sheet to keep track of your expenses over the holidays

* A page to document your special December Memories, and another one for other memories

* Kick it old school and keep track of your Christmas card addresses with this next page, it’s great to keep on hand for when you get a card from someone who needs to go on your list

* Two pages to help you plan out 31 photos you want to take so you don’t forget a single moment, one is numbered and one is not

* Print a Holiday Entertaining page for each event you are hosting

* A gift list that will help you remember all of the people in your life you want to bless this season

* An online shopping tracker

* Five full weeks of Scripture Prompts to keep your heart focused on the Gospel during this busy time. These are great to pair with the Bible Journaling Prompts

* Five weeks of Journaling Prompts to help you reflect on your past and look forward to the future. Use them in a separate journal or on the Notes pages of this workbook

* Bible Art Journaling Prompts (yep, five weeks worth) to keep your creative juices flowing and keep you creating

* TWO pages with areas to create on them. These can be Hand lettering, art journaling, journaling from the prompts, Bible Study... anything goes

* And another page that I actually titled Anything Goes! This, as well as a Notes page, gives you plenty of room to write or create.

* Looking Back. this page has 12 sections and I encourage you to review each month of this past year and write down a memory or blessing from each month. Remember what God has done.

* Looking Ahead. This page also has 12 sections and is a great place to document goals you want to attain in the coming year or memories you want to make.

Can I still use this so late in the year?

Absolutely! Whether you are a procrastinator or are prepared in advance, this Planner has you in mind. Get yourself more organized as Christmas approaches and flex your creative muscles in any downtime you have. And yes, making time for yourself and for God is not only possible but necessary in any season.

Why is it so inexpensive?

Well, it's Christmas! And I want everyone to have this who can use it. A large Starbucks coffee, a Big Mac meal, a tube of lipstick and 4 hours in a Parking Garage each will cost you seven dollars. However, none of those things will help you Finish Strong in 2017. This will!

Bible Gift Ideas for You and Others

There are so many Bibles on the market right now, it may seem overwhelming if you are looking for one for yourself or for a gift. And what an amazing problem to have! If you live in America (or any country that allows you to read this), you can probably walk into any number of stores to pick up a Bible of your choice, or click a button for Free 2-day Shipping to get one delivered to your door. Now that I have a son living in a country in which that is not possible, I will never take that for granted again. So, below are some Bible gift ideas for you.

That said, sometimes we become paralyzed by options. When the truth is that God wants us in His Word, not confused by which one to choose. In this post, I’m going to offer a few options for you to consider, but don’t stress too much about it. If you need a new (or another) Bible, just pick one that will fit and read it. And perhaps you’ll find the perfect gift for someone else. There is not a better gift for someone who is unable to buy one of these Bibles for themselves.

Note: the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning if you were to purchase from me, Grace in Color would receive a very small percentage at no extra cost to you.

Journaling Bible Gift Ideas

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible

This is the first journaling Bible I owned and there are many cover ideas for these now. These Bibles are designed to journal in the wide borders but they are also perfect to add artwork, ephemera or hand lettering as well as note-taking.

ESV Interleaved Journaling Bible

If you need a bit more room to write or create, this is the perfect Bible for you. Every other page is blank! It’s great for full page artwork if you don’t want to cover any words or for Sermon Notes.

NIV Journaling Bibles

These Bibles are very similar to the ESV Single Column Bible in their layout, just in the NIV version. There is a lightly lined wide border on each page.

KJV Journaling Bibles

OK, I know there are a few of you out there who love your King James Version, and that’s great! There are a few journaling Bible options for you as well! These Bibles I am linking below are similar to the NIV Journal the Word Bible and the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible. They have the awesome wide margins to write, doodle, or express your creativity in.

Decorated Bible Gift Ideas

This is a new trend and it’s perfect for those who want some decoration in their Bible but want it done for them. There are many of these out there and although I don’t actually own any of these, I want to show them to you. Check them out in more detail with the links.

The Illuminated Bible

The newest one on the market as of this writing is one that I really want to get my hands on! It’s called the ESV Illuminated Bible and it is stunning! It includes artwork from Dana Tanamachi and it would make a beautiful gift.

She Reads Truth

And the She Reads Truth Bible is a popular Bible in the same version. It’s beautiful as well and although I don’t personally own this one, I know many women who do and love it.

Coloring Bibles

There are a few NIV, KJV and NKJV options for this that include pre-drawn images, ready to color!

Study Bible Gift Ideas

ESV Study Bible

This is my go-to study Bible and the one I read at home. I have it in leather-bound and hard-bound and keep them all over the house. I really cannot recommend it enough if you or someone you know is in need of a good study Bible. They now have it available in paperback, indexed and personal size!

Other Study Bibles

These are a few other Study Bible options that I’ve been eyeing. I particularly want the Systematic Theology Study Bible (it’s new, too). I really don’t think you could go wrong with any of these!

CSB Spurgeon Study Bible

The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is cool because it features excerpts from Spurgeon’s sermons, chosen and edited by Alistair Begg in order to bring the richness of the Prince of Preachers’ insights into your daily study of God’s Word. I have this Bible and love it. It is also fairly large print, which I love!

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but I think it will get you on the right path if you are considering a Bible as a gift for yourself or others. What a marvelous thing that we live in a place where the Word of God is so freely distributed. Let’s be thankful for that fact and dig into His Word to know Him more each and every day!

Jen