I’ll be honest… The main reason I said yes to reviewing the Fresh Start Bible was that they would send me two copies—one for me, and one to give away. And who doesn’t love a giveaway?

Read all the way to the end to find out how to enter!

Reason #2 I was interested is because I have lots of different versions and types of Bibles, and I love seeing what they each unique version has to offer. I like The Message for the way it makes the content seem new and fresh, but my go-to is an NIV Study Bible. I have about 20 others, so I won’t go into them all here, but I’m a firm believer in reading verses in numerous translations when you study—since you, like me, probably aren’t fluent in Greek or Hebrew. (As in, I wouldn’t even be able to identify what language it was in, let alone what it says, so I depend on multiple translations to help me.) This particular Bible is in the New Living Translation, which is an easy-to-read version that falls on the spectrum closer to the paraphrase approach than the word-for-word approach. (Here’s one chart that compares the different versions, if you’re interested.)

And the 3rd reason? It amuses me to think I could “review” the BIBLE. Like I would be in a position to critique, you know, the holy Word of God. I get that what I’m reviewing is the physical format, layout, and added content… but for some reason it just kind of makes me smile. I’m weird like that.

OK, so the review.

There’s a lot to like about this Bible:

• The Fresh Start Journey—These 52 questions at the beginning of the Bible offer answers to common and pertinent questions. Why should I read the Bible? How do I find a church? How do I build godly relationships? How do I forgive? And so on. Whether you’re new to your faith, or you’ve been studying for a long time, these are questions that come up again and again, struggles everyone has, and the answers point to specific scriptures and seem sound and wise.
• Practical teachings—Scattered throughout this Bible, there are small inset boxes with teachings on the different stories and topics addressed. These are like short devotions and can be used to spark your interest in reading the actual scripture about the topic, expand your knowledge about what you just read, or help you see practical ways to apply the teachings.
• Intersections—Near the back, there are profiles of key people in the Bible that help you get a feel for context, who they are, why they matter, how they are connected to the whole of the Bible.
• Other cool features—A section on worship, one on freedom; maps; a one-year reading plan, chapter introductions explaining context and application of what you’re going to read; and more.
• If you look through the memes in this post, you will get an idea of the tone and content of this Bible.

And a COUPLE things that aren’t, in my opinion, the best
(but not the worst, either):

• The soft linen cover looks nice, but I prefer leather because it doesn’t mend the same way and usually lays flat better. But they do offer other cover materials, and beggars can’t be choosers, so I’m not complaining!
• My age is going to show here: the type is just way too small. While I appreciate the size of the Bible not being too large—it’s a great size to take to church, for example—it’s just too small for me to want to read it. I don’t think I still own a type gauge to tell me the size (my design nerd side is showing), but it’s probably only 8 or 9 point type. I’m not asking for large print, but honestly, I had trouble staying focused on it because it wasn’t the easiest to read. That being said, the design and font selection and all of that are nice enough. And maybe you don’t need reading glasses!

SO WHY READ ThIS—OR ANY BIBLE, FOR thAT MATTER?

The Fresh Start Bible is really designed mainly for people who are pretty new to their faith journeys, I think—but the truth is, I don’t care what version of the Bible you read. The key is simply to READ. Because it is in the pages of ANY Bible, as you explore and follow rabbit trails and read notes and scribble in the margins, that you will find God. Reading His Word is the best way to hear from Him. To arm yourself with hope and wisdom to get through the battles of life. To understand the character of this Mighty God who somehow, miraculously, wants a relationship with each one of us.

I am so grateful for that.

But don’t go quite yet. Remember, I have one of these brand new Bibles to give away. You can buy a copy here or anywhere books are sold. Also, thank you to the people at Fresh Start Bible for this opportunity to get a free copy of this Bible in exchange for a fair review!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Save one of the graphics in this post that speaks to you (or a link to this blog post, or a link to freshstartbible.com), post it on FB or Instagram or Twitter—then come back here and comment saying how you shared. That’s it! Drawing will be held on December 1.

P.S. Some links may be Amazon Affiliate links, which means that I earn a small percentage of the purchase price without any additional cost to you.