The Ragamuffin Bible

Format: Hardcover, Jacketed Printed

Language: English

ISBN 13: 9780310405238

UPC: 025986405236

Weight: 2.24 lb

Size: 8.81 × 5.63 × 0 in

Length: 1472 Pages

Synopsis:

Do you believe that God not only loves you, but that he also likes you?
It's just one of the soul-searching questions posed by bestselling author Brennan Manning who confesses he has been 'John the beloved, Peter the coward, and Thomas the doubter all before the waitress brought the check.'
The NIV Ragamuffin Bible offers a collection of Manning’s raw, painfully honest, yet grace-filled devotions, meditations, and reflections of his journey limping back to---like the prodigal son---his overjoyed father. When you journey through this Bible, you will likewise find yourself returning to your Heavenly Father, basking in the knowledge that God not only loves you, he delights in you.
Features:* Complete text of the world’s most popular modern-English Bible, the NIV* 104 Devotions guide you into a deeper connection to God and his Word * 250 Reflections help you understand what it means to be a child of God* 150 Quotes offer short but thoughtful insights into God’s kingdom.



My thoughts on The Ragamuffin Bible:
The Ragamuffin Bible is for anyone and everyone who has ever struggled with their christian identity, wondering whether God even loves them. I found this a delightful Bible to use that was easy on the eye because of the nice size of the print. It is a dual column that does have a few footnotes. Brennan Manning's insights are peppered thru the scripture with 104 devotions that guide to a deeper connection to God and his word, 250 reflections help explain what it means to be a child of God, along with 150 quotes for thoughtful insight. Each insight is placed strategically with the scripture that it pertains to, allowing for reflection as well as the author's thoughts on particular topics. I found myself just flipping thru this Bible in order to read Mr. Manning's writings because they are so uplifting and encouraging. I also need to comment on the cover of this Bible, I like that fact that the hardbound cover is actually identical to the jacket,which is bright and colorful, something that isn't always the case with a Bible. The Ragamuffin Bible would be wonderful to use as a devotional Bible, and would also make a great gift for anyone who might need a spiritual boost. My only complaint where this one is concerned is that I would have loved more of Mr. Manning's writings. 
4/5
A complimentary copy of this Bible was provided for review.

New Believer's Bible ~ New Testament NLT Tyndale

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 2 edition (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414302576
• ISBN-13: 978-1414302577

From the Back Cover

Welcome to the family! 
A great adventure awaits you as you begin your walk with Christ. But you may be asking, “Where do I go from here?”
The New Living Translation, “the truth made clear,” makes this Bible perfect for both reading and in-depth study. 
Pastor, author, and evangelist Greg Laurie has written devotional study tracks to help you get into God’s Word and start growing:

• Cornerstones—Learn the basics of Christian belief: the Trinity, angels, Satan, heaven, hell, forgiveness, peace, joy, love, and other essential teachings of the Bible.
• First Steps—Discover God’s plan for you as well as how to know you are saved, find the right church, study the Bible, resist temptation, talk with God, and much more.
• Off and Running—Find out how you can enjoy God’s blessings and direction in all areas of your life: career, marriage, family, finances, and relationships.

My thoughts on this Bible:

I was given a copy of this Bible by a friend and found that it has been one of the easiest most useful Bible's that I have had the privilege to use. The text is NLT which is a very easy version to read and understand, but along with the easy text there are so many useful features included in this Bible that are great for new Christians, but are also very helpful and informative for a more seasoned follower of Christ. Here are a few things that I found useful!

1.The first and most important thing is called How can you Know God? It is several pages long and has subtopics such as, what is missing in our lives, the solution, what God has done for you, and adopted and assured. 

2. There are more than a few reading tracks such as cornerstones, first steps, and off and running along with a list of big questions. I found these readings to be very informative.cornerstones explains who God and Jesus really are but doesn't stop there we also learn about the Holy Spirit, the devil, angels and demons,heaven and hell. The neat thing about these topics are that they are peppered thru the scripture, which not only allowed me to read the relevant scripture but made me feel like I was following a path thru the Bible. Along with all this we also find hints on how to study the Bible, helpful topics to investigate, along with a list of 23 great Bible stories and where to find them in the Bible. If this isn't enough there is also a listing of prophecies about Jesus, a glossary of Christian terms along with a listing of helpful memory verses and where to find them in the Bible. 

I never imagined when I started reading this copy of the New Testament that there were so many added tools to further my Bible study. Anyone looking for a useful Bible that is certainly overflowing with guidance will certainly want this one. With a dedication page it would make a wonderful gift for any new Christian, perfect for pastors to present to new Christians in the flock, or just use to hand out whenever they come across someone who is seeking God. I really can't say enough good things about this Bible and have already ordered the Old and New Testament combined just because I like reading the Old Testament as well. 

NIV Integrated Study Bible ~ Zondervan

Chronological and Integrated. Fresh and Illuminating. Read the Bible in 'real time' with this Bible set in an innovative, new, chronologically-based format. Explore Scripture through this integrated approach and see the Bible unfold in a new way as the events of the Bible are set in parallel. It's more than just a chronological Bible---not only are passages of Scripture arranged in their sequential order, but so are individual events. And when there are multiple versions of an event, these stories are told side-by-side, connecting the dots to open up deeper understanding as you read the different accounts together. This Bible allows you to see the beautiful and intricate interconnectedness of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Set in a chronologically-based format, this Bible will open your eyes to the way that the Bible reflects upon itself throughout its pages. For instance, you can read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John's telling of Jesus feeding the 5,000---presented in four columns right next to each other. When you read David's story about hiding from Saul in the wilderness, on the same page you'll read the psalm he wrote as he lay waiting, wondering when God would deliver him. Features include: The entire text of the NIV translation with the order of events arranged chronologically Parallel passages (or passages that are related) are arranged side-by-side in columns. Sectional introductions on chronology and dating (e.g. Creation Through the Patriarchs, Exodus to Conquest) Some examples: 2-column: David in the cave (1 Samuel 22:1--5 || Psalm 142 ) 3-column: Peter's confession (Mt 16:13--23 || Mk 8:27--33 || Lk 9:18--22) 4-column: Feeding 5,000 (Mt 14:13--21 || Mk 6:32--44 || Lk 9:10--17 || Jn 6:1--13) General Editor: JOHN R. KOHLENBERGER III John R. Kohlenberger III (MA, Western Seminary) is the author or coeditor of more than four dozen biblical reference books and study Bibles, including The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, NIV Bible Concordance, NIV Greek-English New Testament, and the award-winning NIV Exhaustive Concordance and Expositor's Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition. He has taught at Multnomah Bible College and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

My review of the Integrated Study Bible:

Instead of being written in the traditional order the NIV Integrated Study Bible is written in chronological order and is divided into seven major historical themes which are:
Creation thru the patriarchs, Exodus to Conquest, Conquest thru United Kingdom,divided kingdom and exile, return to the land, the life of Jesus and the early church. As someone who has only read the traditional written Bible this one took some getting used to, but once I started using it I found it quite easy to understand. It really made it easier for me to understand how events actually unfolded in the Bible. There is actually an index in the back that helped guide me to particular scripture. Along with the scripture index there is also a table of weights and measures included. I would say that this Bible isn't really for a beginner instead I think it would be great for someone who already knows a bit about the Bible. The pros of this one are the easy to read print, sturdy construction, a timeline running along the bottom of the pages, and the fact that I enjoyed reading Biblical events in chronological order. The only negative thing I can really say about this Bible is that the cover isn't very appealing. Overall, I use this Bible along with my traditional KJV and find that it has enhanced my study of the Bible.

A complimentary copy of this Bible was provided for review.