Month: June 2021

Our Filament Bible Collection is growing and we’re so excited to announce some bindings coming this fall.

NLT Filament Bible Journals will be joining the collection this fall. These Bible portions contain a New Testament book or collection of books. These softcovers have interleaved (every-other-page) blank pages that offer an attractive modernization of a traditional design, with high quality thick, opaque cream-colored journaling paper and Smyth-sewn binding. They also will be available in box sets.

Compact Editions will be joining the collection this fall. These are the smallest binding in the collection making them extremely portable. Some even have zipper covers!

The Premium Value Thinlines also will release this fall. They will be available in full size and large print editions. These Bibles have beautiful covers at a very affordable price.

We will also be releasing some favorite covers in different lines.

Did you know the Filament Bible Experience App now includes reading plans? Check them out!

So many great things coming to the Filament Bible Collection. What are you most excited about? You can learn more and preorder.

An activity from The Hands-On Bible

The Hands-On Bible is filled with activities, games, recipes, trivia questions, and more to get your kids (and you) engaged in God’s Word. This is an activity based on Proverbs 9:10 that will helps kids understand the importance of a sturdy foundation when making decisions.

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” Proverbs 9:10, NLT

Grab about 10 to 12 paper cups. Can you stand on these cups without crushing them? Here’s what to do:

Arrange the paper cups upside down on top of a piece of cardboard. Place more cardboard on top.

Now try to stand on the structure you just built. Does it support your weight? Experiment with different numbers of cups to see how many cups it takes to support you.

Now stand on your paper-cup foundation again, and say PROVERBS 9:10 out loud.

Just as the paper cups provided support—a foundation—when you stood on them, the fear of the Lord will provide a foundation as you grow in wisdom and understanding.

Want wisdom? Start by learning more about God and His Word.

Learn more about The Hands-On Bible

Pride isn’t always bad, but if we aren’t careful we can easily tip the balance from what is healthy to a destructive pride. Let’s use the HelpFinder Bible to see what Scripture says about pride.

Taken from the HelpFinder Bible

There is a positive, healthy side to pride—being proud of your children or spouse, taking pride in your work. But the Bible looks mainly at the destructive side of pride because it has such great power to damage our relationships with others and with God. Pride is destructive when it involves wanting too much recognition, taking too much credit, wanting your own way, thinking your way is best—in summary, thinking too highly of yourself. It causes us to face the world from a selfish point of view, blinding us to our faults and leading to jealousy, envy, and a judgmental attitude toward others.

When is pride healthy and appropriate?
ROMANS 15:17 | “So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me.”
Paul was proud not of what he had accomplished but of what God had done through him.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:12 | “Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us.”
Like Paul, if we take pride in anything, we ought to take pride in the integrity and honest of our ministry and life.

What’s the difference between healthy confidence and unhealthy pride?
JOB 19:25 | “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
1 JOHN 3:2 | “But we do know that we will be like him.”
Healthy confidence is a realization and an assurance that God loves you, that he has given you talents and gifts and the ability to use them for him, that he has offered you salvation and eternal life in heaven. Knowing this gives you complete certainty that your life can have meaning now and forever.
2 CHRONICLES 26:16 | “When he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.”
Pride is the ingredient that causes our confidence to become arrogant and cocky. When we think we can do it ourselves and then we stop seeking God’s help—these are the warning signs that confidence has turned to arrogance.

What are the effects of pride if left unchecked in my life?
1 KINGS 1:5 | “About that time David’s son Adonijah . . . began boasting, ‘I will make myself king.'”
Pride will delude you into thinking you have almost God-like qualities that demand the
respect and reverence of others.
2 KINGS 14:10 | “‘Be content with your victory and stay at home! Why stir up trouble thatwill only bring disaster on you and the people of Judah?’ But Amaziah refused to listen.”
2 CHRONICLES 26:16 | “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.”
An inflated estimation of your status and successes leads to the presumption that you can do anything you want. And that will, eventually and ultimately, set you up for a downfall.
2 KINGS 5:11 | “But Naaman became angry and stalked away.”
Pride can keep you from accepting the very help that can save you.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:12-13 | “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.”
Pride can blind you to your vulnerability to temptation and lead you to commit sins you never thought you could.
NUMBERS 22:22-23, 25, 29, 31 | “As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword. . . . The donkey bolted off the road. . . . The donkey . . . tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. . . . ‘You have made me look like a fool!’ Balaam shouted. ‘If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!’ . . . Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord.”
The next time your pride is hurt and you feel anger rising up within you, don’t assume that you are right and everyone else is at fault. Balaam’s anger immediately flared up against his donkey. Balaam assumed that he was right and that the donkey was at fault. Fortunately for Balaam, God revealed to him that the donkey had saved his life. Instead of soothing your pride by justifying your actions, see whether you can justify your motives. This will tell you if your anger is warranted and your pride overinflated.
GENESIS 11:4 | “‘Let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous.'”

EZEKIEL 31:18 | “O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
2 CORINTHIANS 3:5 | “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.”
Power is intoxicating—with it comes recognition, control, and often wealth. Each of these feeds pride, and pride leads us away from God and into sin.
PSALM 18:27 | “You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.”
PROVERBS 16:18 | “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
MATTHEW 23:12 | “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
God loves the humble but humiliates the proud. Don’t humiliate yourself by thinking you’re above rescuing. If you reject your Savior now, on the day of judgment he will reject you because of your arrogance and pride.

Learn more about the HelpFinder Bible

“But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6, NLT

Notes from the Every Man’s Bible

Paul warns us of a day when God will hold all people accountable for their attitudes and actions. Since this time will come unexpectedly, we need to stay alert and ready at all times. This is especially important for those of us who tend to procrastinate. God wants us to act immediately whenever we see sin in our lives. He doesn’t want us to delay confessing our sins or forgiving others. When God shows us where we need to change, he also offers us the power to change. There is no acceptable reason to put off doing what God calls us to do. The time to obey God is always now.

In these verses, Paul leaves us with a collection of good teaching. If we follow these many instructions, as we can with God’s help, we will be well on our way. We are called to minister to others and to actively participate in God’s ongoing work on earth. This gives hope to others and preserves our own spiritual gains as well. Paul calls us to rebuild our relationships by repaying the wrongs of others with kindness. We are called to live joyful lives, to be always prayerful, to continually seek God’s will. We are reminded of the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s continual helping presence. God gives us what we need to fulfill his plan for our lives. Our part is to participate in the good plan he has set out for us.

Learn more about the Every Man’s Bible

Sometimes it seems we are connected to everything, but each other. Ever try to start a conversation with your child about his or her day and met with, “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember.” Sometimes the hardest part is getting the conversation going. The Hands-On Bible is a great way to start a conversation. With interactive games, activities, crafts, and questions it helps you connect as a family and to God through His Word. Watch this video to see Jaxson and his dad enjoying the Hands-On Bible.

Learn more about the Hands-On Bible

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12, NLT

Read Matthew 7:12 out loud with a friend (that can be your parent, grandparent or sibling too. Family can be our friends too). Say it together a few times.

Then, place your palms near your friend’s palms, about an inch apart.

Slowly move your hands while your friend tries to follow your motions. Then switch roles. You tried to mirror your friend’s motions.

Jesus wants us to treat other people exactly how we’d like to be treated—to be a mirror image of how we’d like to be
treated! Write this verse on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror to remind you to be a mirror image!

Want to try the activity Jaxson and his dad were talking about? (Watch video)

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:37-40, NLT

1. Think of three people you’d like to give gifts to.
2. For each person, make a gift certificate or coupon of one thing you can do for that person (like clean a room, make breakfast or take out the trash.) Make sure you let them know the gift is to remind you of the greatest gift of all, Jesus.
3. Put the notes in boxes, and wrap the boxes. Let the three people open their presents.

Make sure you follow through with your gifts by doing the work.

Learn more about the Hands-On Bible