What I'm Reading - The Narrated Bible

Oh, I know... that doesn't sound too exciting. But it is! I read this Bible a couple years ago, and I picked it up and I'm reading through it again. Yes, I have other Bibles, but I like coming back to this one for reading. Why? Well, I have a couple reasons.

First, it's NIV. That means it's the New International Version. Typically I read/study from either the New King James or from the New American Standard. While I appreciate those versions, sometimes I get the verses so memorized that my eyes just gloss over them as my mind recites them. This often results in mindless reading. Not a good thing. By reading another translation, the words are just a bit different. (The meaning is the same.) This makes me slow down a bit and grasp the meaning rather than just subconsiously skim over something because "I've got it memorized."

Second, it's written in chronological order. I really like this aspect of it. I've tried to read through a "normal" Bible, but it jumps back and forth a lot. And I never understood where the different kings fit in with the different prophets. This Bible puts everything in the order in which things happened. (As best as the editors could put it together, of course!) So, I'm reading about the kings at the same time I'm reading about the prophets that were alive during that time. This makes the pieces fit together much more quickly for me.

Third, another thing I like is the narration. I didn't think I would, but I do. Before reading a section, the authors summarize the section, so I know what's coming. This also helps me to fit the pieces together a bit more easily. The narration isn't vital for me in accounts that I know really well, but in some of the more less-known passages (I'm thinking Ezekiel, for example), these narrations are very helpful.

Fourth, the print is a good size for my eyes. Many Bibles have such small print. This one isn't super-huge, but I can easily read it without straining. (A definite plus!)

Fifth, if you would like to read through the Bible in a year, the passages you need to read each day are clearly marked. And the year doesn't have to start with January 1! It goes by weeks. So, you'll start with week one. That could be January 1, or it could be July 7.

And so, that's what I'm working my way through. It proved to be a good read the first time through, and I expect it will be this time as well. If you're Bible reading is in a bit of a rut, you may want to check out this Bible. It may provide just what you need.

Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Narrated-Bible-Chronological-Order-NIV/dp/0736902392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278503769&sr=8-1. I don't get a kick-back or anything if you purchase it from there, but at least you'll have all the information about it if you want to buy one, and you can read what others are saying about this Bible.