The Message Canvas Bible

I recently received a copy of the newest journaling bible on the market – The Message Canvas Bible.   I was wondering when The Message bible would jump in the whole journaling bible craze – well it is here.  This bible comes in an hard box in which the bible can be stored when you are not using it.  The bible possess a stunning hardcover binding which is art in itself – see below.  This is the Spring Palette edition – there is another one which possess a leather-look with gold leaf writing on the cover.

What is The Message edition?

The Message is a reading Bible translated from the original Greek and Hebrew Scriptures by scholar, pastor, author, and poet Eugene Peterson.   Peterson spent 10 years working on The Message after teaching in seminary and preaching in churches for more than 30 years.    To learn more about this edition please go to NavPress.

What is The Message Canvas Bible?

Center your heart and mind on the story of God with The Canvas Bible as you color nearly 300 hand-drawn illustrations, including 150 hand-lettered Bible verses.
Using The Message’s creative language and vivid metaphors, your imagination will be bursting with ideas for crafting, coloring, and drawing. Meditate on the very words of Scripture, and hear God’s voice speaking to your heart.

• Make this Bible one of a kind by adding your own beauty and style.
• Fill the extra space with your own illustrations and prayers.
• Immerse yourself in the words of Scripture.
• Decorate this Bible as a gift for someone you love.
• Slow down as you color and enjoy a more relaxed pace.

Let the story of God paint the canvas of your imagination!

My Thoughts

When I received the bible, I immediately flipped through its pages in order to discover it.  The “artist” in me  wanted to grasp all the possibilities of this bible.   The more I explored it, the more I realized that it is absolutely stunning in many ways.  It is perfect for people who enjoy drawing designed images for there are numerous designs included in this bible.  Also, all the first page of the books of the bible possess a fabulous design which also includes the title of the book.     I also noted that the chapter numbers are somewhat designed in such a way that you could color them as well.  When there isn’t images to color, you have the choice to either design your own image based on a verse that speaks to you or write note in the marge provided.  

 

I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that there isn’t anything that I dislike in this journaling bible.   There are a couple of things that I will mention.  First thickness of the  paper in this bible seem to be thinner that the pages of previous journaling bibles that I have encountered.   I am a bit concerned that if someone us the markers used to draw the images will bleed out on the reverse page.  Already the images incorporated in this bible can be seen at some extend on the reverse page – and these are pages that are printed at the publisher.   So drawing with markers might be difficult for this specific bible.   My other pet peeve would be that the verses are not numbered.   For many years, The Message bible never had numbered verses but I know of a recent edition of The Message that has some numbering in it.  So I am wondering why not including these as well in The Message Canvas.   It’s not a big deal but when a person is used to follow numbering, well it could be somewhat annoying…  However, it is easy to follow the text and you could work with a regular bible by your side as well.

Personally, I wish that The Message would have a journaling bible edition that does not includes pre-printed images to color.  I am the type of person who loves to design the scripture on my own.  Don’t take me wrong, you still can do this on all the pages that do not have a design to color.  I know that it is not everyone who would develop their artistic side.   I am please with the fact that there are plenty of blank pages for the reader to explore his/her creative heart or simply jolt down notes, impressions and prayers.  Having a journaling bible has definitively allowed me to grow closer to God and spend more time with Him on a daily basis – not to mention to develop my skills in lettering and drawing.   Nowadays, I draw tiny scripture doodles in an agenda by writing a scripture and illustrating it.   I also have journaling bibles for each of my four children that I am working on as well as a special project that is almost complete for my husband done in a little black notebook.    I would like to challenge my readers in exploring the possibilities of getting deeper in your relationship with God by getting a bible journaling – with or without images already drawn in it.  Be spontaneous and get creative!

You could win your own The Message Canvas Bible by coloring specific images offered on their website.  All you have to do is print the image that is the most current, color it, and submit it on social media sites and follow the instructions for submission.  Simply go to http://themessagecanvas.com/color-to-win/ in order to participate. In order to give you an idea of what it looks like when colored here’s an example that I have done.

The Message Canvas Bible is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Tyndale for sending me the book for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

The Message REMIX

The Message //REMIX
By Eugene H, Peterson
Published at NavPress

About The Message

The Message//REMIX features expanded introductions to each book of the Bible that explain the purpose of the book, who wrote it, and for whom it was written. The introductions help set the stage for the book and help you understand each book's unique message.

Now in paperback for the very first time,The Message//REMIX also has a unique verse-numbering system, charts and maps, and a topical guide for students. It makes a great graduation gift and is perfect to have on hand in Sunday school rooms.

My Thoughts

I am familiar with the message edition.   I originally got introduced to it when my husband-to-be purchased the New Testament edition more than 16 years ago for me.  Then over time we got a smaller version with only the Psalms and Proverbs in it.   Since then the author of The Message version of the Bible has completed the Old Testament and it is now available complete in one book. 

I have been eyeing The Message full version for a couple of years but never got into the mode of purchasing it yet.  So when I got the opportunity of reviewing The Message Remix I jumped on it.   I knew that the Remix edition was specifically designed for youth but that didn’t stopped me.   After all, with four kids in the house, I think this Bible will allow them to get introduced to a different version of the Bible – a version that can be read more like a novel, a version that will opens up passages and makes you wonder if it’s really in the NIV or NLT or any other version you might have.   When you start wondering if it’s really in the “regular” Bible version that you read, your first reaction would be to go check it out.  And that’s when your eyes are opened and you realized that yes indeed it is in your NIV version and The Message is accurate.

Not everyone like to read The Message but I think it is beneficial for anyone to explore other version of the Bible in order to discover a new way to see and read the Bible.   I love changing the Bible I read through the years.  Right now, I am blessed in going through a version of the Bible that also contains devotions for homeschooling moms.   I really need the encouragement found in there.   I am planning to use this one until August next year (I have started in August…). 

My oldest son, who is twelve, doesn’t like the pages found in this Bible.  He finds them too thin…  Personally, I like the fact that the pages are thinner as it encourages me to be more careful with it.     I really enjoy the fact that The Message makes Scriptures easier to understand – particularly for harder passages – and that it’s fabulous for new believers who might be struggling understanding the words found in another version like NIV or KJV.   I am delighted to have The Message as I find it opens up a whole new way of reading the Bible and brings definitively more understanding in my life.   I am planning to use this version during our Advent devotions with the kids this year.

You can visit Read Think Pray Live for more details on The Message //REMIX Bible.  On this site you will be able to see some videos showing the new youth Bible covers as well as read a letter from Eugene Peterson himself telling about how The Message came to be.  It’s a very interesting read by the way and I would like to encourage you to swing by Read Think Pray Live to see what he has to say.   Also blogger Jonathan Merritt from RNS (Religion News Service) has recently did a wonderful interview with Eugene Peterson.     If you want to discover who is the man behind The Message Bible is, I would like to encourage you to go read the interview on RNS.

“The Message is a reading Bible. It is not intended to replace the excellent study Bibles that are available. My intent here is simply to get people reading it who don’t know that the Bible is read-able at all, at least by them, and to get people who long ago lost interest in the Bible to read it again.”

Eugene H. Peterson

The Message Remix is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from NavPress and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Topical Memory System

Topical Memory System Life Issues – Hide God’s Word In Your Heart
Published by Navpress

Use the Topical Memory System Kit (TMS), developed by The Navigators. to improve your knowledge of the Bible, deepen your walk with God, and memorize verses that will carry you through the hard times of life.
Includes:
• 60 verse cards in the NIV, NASB, MSG, ESV, NRSV, NLT, NKJV, and KJV
• course workbook
• verse card holder
Learn more about God and His character as you memorize His Word.

My Thoughts

I see my kids growing strong in their faith while participating at AWANA and learning scriptures.   When I saw that the Topical Memory System was available for review with Navigators, I decided to request it.

The package included a course workbook and Memory verse cards as well as a vinyl verse card holder which comes in handy to protect the card that you will learn.

The book concentrates on scriptures dealing with life issues like anger, dealing with sin, sex, stress, guilt, self-image, suffering, perfectionism, money, depression, knowing God’s will, and love.   Each chapter is written by Christian writers that we might know.   For example, the chapter on suffering is written by Joni Eareckson Tada.   At the end of each chapter, you will also find questions for meditation, verse card references as well as additional scripture references.  

The scripture cards itself can be found in NKJV, NASB, KJV, NIV, NLT, and ESV.   I personally like to see what other versions of the Bible are saying on a specific verse.   I am pleased to see that Navpress has taken the initiative to do the same for their scripture cards.   I am a bit disappointed not to find The Message version of the scriptures included in the book though.

It is well known that to grow in Christ, you need to hide God’s word in your heart.   This Topical Memory System will help you do this if you are struggling to learn scriptures by heart.   It is an excellent tool for teenagers as well.

The Topical Memory System on Life Issues is available at any bookstore, even at amazon.ca.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to NavPress for sending me the featured product for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections, and Daring Deeds

Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections, and Daring Deeds: 40 Ideas that put Feet to your Family’s Faith
Written by Tim and Alison Simpson
Published at NavPress

About the book

Say good-bye to passive family devotions! The energy and creativity of these 40 activities, which can be adapted to all ages, is a great resource for individual families or for churches with family and intergenerational ministries.

Instead of reading a verse that is soon forgotten, you and your kids will engage in activities both inside and outside the home that demonstrate biblical faith in action. The result? Seeing how you can live as disciples whatever your sphere of influence.

Each of the 40 activities includes a creative introduction, a brief exploration of a Bible passage, and active ideas for applying biblical truth.

This great discipleship and outreach tool includes age-appropriate discussion questions and activities for age four through teens.

Who are Tim and Alison Simpson?

Tim Simpson has served as an educator minister and a children’s ministry worker for more than twenty years.  He holds a master’s degrees in education (University of Kentucky) and Christian education (Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky).

Alison Simpson is an accomplished writer of youth and children’s curriculum, Bible studies, and devotional materials for all ages.  She holds a degree in journalism from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. 

Tim, Alison, and their two children like in Frankfort, Kentucky.

My Thoughts

This book is simply FANTASTIC!   If  you are looking for a devotional book for your family that will be out of the ordinary – get this one.  You won’t regret it.

Each activity includes an introduction, a reaching in the word with a scripture reference as well as some age related questions and finally a reaching into the world which gives your family an opportunity get out of your comfort zone and reach out to others. 

I simply love the idea behind this book – not only every kids ages 4 and up can participate but it also demonstrate the importance of doing something for others.   One example of the activities to do is to go through your cupboards and take out every non-perishable food to bring to the local food bank.  Not one or two cans, ALL non-perishable food in the cupboards.  Have you picked up the word ALL?  

These activities can be done once a week or every two weeks.   Everyone can participate and get stretched out in their faith and on how to follow God.

If you are bored with the regular family devotions, I dare you to try a few of these.   You will be challenged and you will growth deeper in your relationship with God.  Best of all you will have fun doing them with your family!

This review was possible because I received a copy of Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections, and Daring Deeds from Navpress.

Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections, and Daring Deeds is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

Intercessors Arise

Intercessors Arise
Written by Debbie Przybylski
Published at NavPress

About the book

Intercessory prayer connects God’s power with the needs around us. This type of prayer needs to be cultivated with passion and discipline.

Using teachings that build on each preceding concept, author Debbie Przybylski shares how to expectantly and purposefully wait on God and identifies the obstacles that keep us from drawing close to His heart.

Who is Debbie Przybylski?

Debbie Przybylski is the founder and director of Intercessors Arise International, a part of the ministry of the Elijah Company, Inc. Her background in missions includes over twelve years of serving with Operation Mobilization, ministering to people from all over the world. Her wide range of experience includes coordinating and teaching people in evangelism from 40 nations, evangelistic and motivational speaking, and training others in intercession, 24-7 prayer, leadership, and in the skills needed for living and relating cross-culturally.

Visit Intercessors Arise - founded by Debbie.

My Thoughts

It took me a while to pick up this book and read it.  Why?  I am not exactly sure but when I was ready, I remembered this book and grabbed it.

I wonder now why I waited so long to read it.  Perhaps I wasn’t ready just yet.   My heart needed to have some healing to be done before I enjoy this book.   But the healing process is complete and now I can savor what is written in the book, ponder on it and take action.

And I am currently taking action on a daily basis.   My intercession is personal since it is family linked.   But my greatest desire would be to have my mom with me in Heaven one day.   And reading this book made me realized that I had not prayed enough about – sort of giving up on this hope I had.   But the book rekindled the hope and my trust that God can do amazing thing.   So now after I wrote my thanks from the previous day, I make sure I pray for my mom in my journal. 

My prayers have changed as well.  I am more specific, more particular in my prayers for her.    And our phone conversations are better these days.    We had a rough time in the past few years.  I am hoping to restore our relationship as well as having her in God’s family for eternity.

The book also made me realize that prayer is important for anything, anyone and anywhere.   It gave me a new perspective of the important of praying for our leaders, nation and the world.  

If you find that your prayer life sucks (sorry if I am offending you with this word but I think it pictures well what I mean) and  you don’t see God on the move around you, your loved ones and elsewhere in the world, I strongly recommend that you pick up this book and read it.   The Spirit will stir you in ways you won’t expect.  Believe me.  I am a proof of that!

This review was possible because I received a copy of Intercessors Arise from NavPress.

Intercessors Arise is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

The Amazing Collection DVDs - Book of Revelation

The Amazing Collection - Revelation
Published at NavPress

What is the Amazing Colllection?
The Amazing Collection is a video Bible study written for women, by women, and taught sequentially book by book. The series is very flexible to use, containing 66 DVDs organized in 11 sets, or three units of 22 books each.Ideal for both the woman who is new to God's Word and the seasoned Bible student, each 45-minute program gives an overview of one book of the Bible. The main characters and theme of that book come alive with dynamic teaching, original music videos, and personal testimonies. Making the collection visually appealing are professional graphics, timelines, maps, drama, music, and animation.

My Thoughts
I was looking forward to see what this video would offer to women. I must say that I am a bit disappointed in the high level information from the video I saw. I guess I was half expecting the product to be as high quality as what Beth Moore gives in her teaching curricula. But this video of Revelation is one among sixty-six other videos that covers the whole Bible. I think my expectations were a little bit high. I’m at a point in my Christian life where I want to have a deeper study in my reading. This video would be perfect for new believers who want to grasp the Bible as a whole.

The information given during the video is quite interesting and opened my eyes on the book of Revelation. In the video, there was also a choir singing and a dramatic reading of the two last chapters of Revelation. The dramatic reading was well done.

I also received the document containing the lessons based on the video. The first section of the document permitted me to fill in the blanks in the text. This section must be done while watching the video. The next section of the document contained a five day study on the book of revelation. Again, you will have to answer some questions based on the reading suggested for each day. At the end of your study, you will also have a review for the book covered.

You can purchase the whole Amazing Collection or specific books of the Bible from the Amazing Collection at NavPress. Here’s the link for the entire Amazing Collection DVD Bible Study.
This review has been possible because I had access to the video online and received a pdf file for the study of the book of Revelation. This opportunity was given to me by NavPress.

Helping others going through life crisis

The Book: Helping Those Who Hurt – A handbook For Caring and Crisis
By Barbara M. Roberts
Published by NavPress

Life’s struggles affect everyone at some time. Whether you’re a friend of someone who hurts, a layperson in ministry, or a professional counselor, you need guidance and practical advice during the pain of a crisis. Get the wisdom and direction you’re looking for in Helping Those Who Hurt.
Barbara Roberts offers lists, step-by-step directions, Scripture, and dozens of tips from her own experience as the director of a large Caring Ministry department. Written in a practical, conversational manner, this book lends support for the crises you encounter.

The Author: Who is Barbara Roberts?
Born and raised in Denver CO. (one of not too many natives)
Married to Ken (also a native) for 47 years
Mother of 3 – 2 sons and one daughter;
Mother-in-law to 3 – 2 daughters-in-law and 1 son-in-law
Grandmother to 9 – all located in the Denver area.
Involved in Pastoral Care Ministry for 23 years.Degree in Pastoral Care with emphasis on Family Counseling – Regis University

Things I love:
I love my family
I love what I do – walking alongside those in crisis energizes me.
I love writing, studying and learning, preparing to teach and actually teaching and speaking.
I love time to be quiet, ponder, pray, think before the Lord.
I love to read and love all kinds of musicI enjoy movies, exercising, walking, golf.

Personal life experiences – personal bouts with cancer for both myself and my husband.
I have walked through the valley of the shadow of grief and loss – as Nouwen and others describe – a wounded healer.

My Thoughts About the Book
This is a gem! We are pastors of a new church and I can see this book being very useful in the future. Already, I can understand more my own mother with some crisis included in the book.
The many subjects are illness and hospital visitation, crisis, aging, death, grief, troubled marriages and divorce, addiction, domestic violence, rape and forgiveness. You will also find a wonderful section about resources you can recommend or use yourself for various crisis situations.

This little book is full of very interesting information going to what to do and what not to do, how a patient reacts to sickness/death, how to recognize and respond to abuse, when to share scriptures, when to just listen, when to speak up… It is a resource that I think anyone who works with people should have.

This book is so small that it can easily be carried around in your purse (well okay it depends of the size of the purse) or leave in your car for easy access when you need it. It can be reviewed anytime the necessity arises for any type of issues. The author is a seasoned pastoral care minister and will guide you, via this book, through the steps to take when dealing with a specific crisis.

As I mentioned earlier, I came to the point to understand my own mother a little bit more. She went through a lot during her life and reading about the crisis’ she went through, including divorce, helped me to see her with a new perspective and understand why she is building walls around her. I’m not saying this is the best action to do when you get hurt but I understand her need to feel protected. I wished I had had this little book many years ago.

This handbook is very helpful and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in helping a family member or a friend that goes through a tough time. As for us, I’m keeping it on our bookshelf and I plan to go dig in it every now and then when I need to.

Helping Those Who Hurt is available at Navpress as well as amazon.ca and indigo.ca.

Expressing your faith through art in an ever changin culture...

refractions a journey of faith, art, and culture by Makoto Fujimura

I only have one word for this book – MARVELOUS! When I contacted NavPress to request a book to review, I was immediately drawn to this one because of the subject. We are church planters and one of the way we encourage people to worship God is to use paper with crayons or pastels. You should see the art coming out of the services. It simply and truly amazing! I believe that art can be an expression of our faith. Consequently, when I saw that this book would link arts, culture and faith together, I was highly interested.

I was very happy to receive the book in mid-March and immediately I started reading it. I had the feeling that I was reading the personal journal of Makoto Fujimura and that I was travelling with him and his thoughts on culture, art and humanity. I was truly touched by his experience of 9/11 and by what his faith made him realize following this dreadful day. It is a collection of what he wrote following the crash in New York City. That he lives within walking distance of Ground Zero is simply extraordinaire. I think personally I would have move away from the area. But when you think about it, any disaster can happen anywhere really. Through Makoto, I saw and heard people of different nationalities and backgrounds coming together and use art to express their emotions and sentiments about life-death-humanity.

I think art is very useful for anyone who wants to express how they feel without using words. Art can be painting, drawing, dancing and so on. Makoto Fujimura confirmed the importance of art in a culture that is ever changing. As Christians, we need to dig into it and create to understand a part of God that sometimes we might forget about – after all He was the Creator. And as being part of His creation, we are likely to be drawn to expressing ourselves with art. Like Makoto says so easily “Art expresses who we are.” I agree with him. When I draw I try to ponder on what I want to express before I go on. I’m not a major artist but I like experimenting and maybe someday I will take courses to become better at it. For now, I use art to express my faith at church and I really enjoy it.

If we look at history, we will realize that art has always being part of our lives. We learn a lot from the Romans, Greeks or any other civilization by examining and admiring their pieces of art. Who knows what the future generations will learn from us just by looking at the art produced during the 20th and 21st centuries. If we can pass a message of faith through it I think it would be wonderful…

Art is around us no matter what. We need to decide whether we will use it to destroy or to save lives like Makoto suggest. As Christians we need to be bold enough to express our faith in this culture by using the means of art – in various ways and using various tools. We need to make wise choices and maybe influences the movie companies or TV shows producers to have better quality products to watch when we go to the theater or watch television. It’s all about choices really – we have a choice to trust God or to reject Him. We have a choice to impact our culture or not.

I really enjoyed reading Refractions and I recommend it to anyone who would love to use art and faith to impact the culture around us. Take a step of faith and discover a new way of expressing your love for the Creator!

Refractions a hourney of faith, art, and culture is available at amazon.ca for 17$ Cdn and at indigo.ca for 17.55$ Cdn when you are a irewards member. Oh! And if you want to see more about the book, visit this link with a video.