The Bibles in My TBR List

First off, I would like to say that it's not the amount of Bibles owned or read that makes a Christian, but the actions of the Christian as learned from the Bible. Secondly, I would like to add the disclaimer that each of these Bibles have come into my life in one way or another, and that's how I ended up with the amount of Bibles I currently have. All pictures are from Goodreads or their website of origin.

The Picture Bible, Iva Hoth - READ

I received this Bible in 1998 for my First Communion. I read this one in the span of a few weeks. At the time, I had not picked up a Bible in years, I had not gone to church in years, and I wanted to reintroduce myself to Christianity. This Bible consists of major Bible stories in comic book format, with the corresponding verses of the story listed at the beginning. It's a quick read, and easy to understand. For me, it gave meaning to the Old Testament, which was a confusing piece of literature for me. It helped put faces to names and truly imagine them. My only critique was the whitewashing - every character in this book was drawn as being white (specifically the epitome of beauty as the standard of the 80s), even though it's set in the Middle East. I counted three black men in the whole book - one servant and two Ethiopians. I would recommend this to anyone, including children - as long as a conversation about the handling of race accompanies the reading.

Holy Bible, NASB - CURRENTLY READING (with SheReadsTruth)

I recently downloaded the app SheReadsTruth to my iPhone, so now I can have the Bible wherever I go. I can search a Bible verse, make notes on specific verses, and bookmark favorites. The app also has available plans, and I got the free plan "The Bible in a Year." Since I started in February, I have some catching up to do. The reader can even pick which translation they want to read, which I love. It also shows the percentage of what you've read, and every reading has a comment section where readers can comment their meditations and thoughts on the specific readings. The company also has a male counterpart app called HeReadsTruth. This app is so convenient, as I read it while waiting for appointments, on my breaks, or before I go to bed.



Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible

I bought myself this Bible last October, when I realized I had never read the Bible. I wanted to present myself with a Bible as a formal way of reintroducing myself on my own journey. There are a lot of "I's" and "me's" in that previous sentence, but this was my way of asserting the independence of my new-found journey. Though, I had forgotten that I already owned this translation - it just had a different cover. But I had the old version since my times at a small Catholic high school, and the cover and pages had been wrinkled not from use, but from being in a backpack for so long. In my opinion, a new journey needed a new Bible. Little did I know that more Bibles would cross my path. I started reading it, but put it down for a later time.



Catholic Women's Bible NABRE - CURRENTLY READING (Bible study)

Both my best friend and I were looking for Bibles with excerpts that focused on women. There are so many women in the Bible that are overlooked, and we wanted to read about them. So this was the perfect solution - the Bible for the Catholic women. Thus, my friend and I are reading it as part of a two-person Bible study group. Interspersed throughout the Book are meditations and excerpts on what it means to be a Catholic woman, as it relates to women in the Scripture.



Saint Joseph New Testament

I bought this Bible - basically consisting only of the New Testament of the Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible - to keep in a drawer at my work desk. It's small, so it sits safely in the drawer next to my daily work items.



The Bible for Children: Simplified Living Bible Text - CURRENTLY READING

This one is especially important to me, as it was given to me by my late father when I was a toddler. When I read this Bible, I feel like I'm connecting with two fathers - the one that is in heaven and the one that is the King of heaven. This translation is unorthodox, as in it's paraphrased so children can understand the Word. This is perfect for me - since I'm new on this journey, I'm very much like a child in my faith. The verses still correspond to official translations, and nothing is left out.



Inspire Bible NLT

I am looking forward to reading this one. The cover is beautiful, imitation leather of my favorite color, and it has an elastic to hold it closed, as well as a matching ribbon. What makes this one so special to me is that it is one that has extra room in the margins for coloring with highlighters specifically for the Bible. Following the adult coloring trend, it looks like it has a mixture of blank space and bubbled letters and patterned verses to color in as a part of meditation. I can't wait to start this one, though I will wait until I'm done one of the other currently-being-read-Bibles.



Precious Moments Holy Bible NKJV - CURRENTLY READING (Bible study)

Most likely my first Bible, it was given to me by my mom and late father when I was a baby. The page at the front of the book states that it was presented by "Mom and Dad" - and that page is a place where the three of us will always be together. I realized a few months ago that I had never read it, and thought that I should start. I'm taking my time reading this one in another two-person Bible study group. It has Precious Moments pictures interspersed throughout the Book.

As I finish reading, I'll put these on my Goodreads shelf called "Bibles" - the link is in the sidebar. I am specifically reading different versions because I don't want to be confined to one translation. I love how Bibles feel in my hands, and I receive a feeling of peace and calm when I read. I have anxiety, and I have noticed that I have had less anxiety attacks since reading the Bible.

I'm looking forward to reading all of these, as each translation fits into my journey in unknown ways. I'm looking forward to continuing this journey.