Category: My Story

“I was so excited when I got my Bible. I’ve spent the whole day reading it along with some other girls and I already feel closer to Jesus.” – Crystal

Crystal’s words challenge me. I love the Bible, but when was the last time I spent the whole day reading it? Am I still excited when I go to open God’s Word, or has it become a mundane routine? Crystal’s words challenge me because we have very different lives. I wake up each morning and choose what to wear, what to have for breakfast, and when to open the door and walk outside. As a prisoner, Crystal doesn’t have those or many other choices. But the choice we both have is to follow Christ and grow in our relationship with him through his Word.

Through our partnership with Prison Fellowship we have been able to get The Life Recovery Bible into the hands of thousands of prisoners like Crystal who are in prison but hunger for the hope in God’s Word. At no charge to the prisoner they are able to receive a special edition Life Recovery Bible in English or Spanish through the Prison Fellowship ministry. Many of these men and women have been enslaved by addiction. Whether it’s an illegal substance, power, money, or something else, that desire is overwhelming and they’ve risked everything while in its deadly grip.

But God’s Word is a bondage breaker! Through his grace and saving blood we are no longer slaves. The Bible is filled with stories of people who needed second chances. We all have times when we have struggled and needed God to forgive us and allow us to start again.

“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Romans 6:13, NLT).

Here are some examples of people who have found new life while reading The Life Recovery Bible and are living out the transforming power of God’s Word.

Delivered from the Sting of Spiritual Death

Bound by sin, my life a mess.
Taken by trials, I failed the test.

A slave to drugs that kept me in chains.
Smoking and shooting was burning my brain.

That list hit of dope should have been the final blow.
But because of God’s love, mercy said “No!”

I ended up in prison. It should have been the end.
Then God sent me Jesus, my heart He will mend.

I found true love from my Creator and Lord.
So I walk with him, my Helmet, Breastplate, and Sword

This might sound strange but take it from me.
I had to come to prison so I could be free.

“I was in a long, deep prayer to God. It was a very difficult day, and I was praying for comfort, for strength, just crying out to my Abba Father. I asked him to fill me with his Holy Spirit. With my eyes still puffy and red from crying, my heart still bleeding and aching, I saw an officer come to my cell door and place a new Life Recovery Bible in my hands. God heard me. He came to me. He held me. He showered me with His great, powerful, sovereign love. God always knows what we need when we need it.” –Melody

“I put my Bible to good use every day. I spread the seeds of God’s Word and even started a small group of believers. We get together and love to read God’s Word daily. Thanks to the powerful notes and information in The Life Recovery Bible,we’re able to have a better understanding of the Bible.” –Tylor

Find out how you can get involved with Prison Fellowship

by Amanda H., Bible Journaler

I love to Bible journal. I find myself these days spending any spare time I have, sitting at my table thirsting for time in his word. Ever since I discovered Bible journaling, I have a hunger for God’s word like I have never had before. I am so thankful for this community and for what it has taught me.  I have many journaling Bibles but the one I always reach for these days is my NLT Reflections Bible. I have the hardcover cloth, teal version. This is actually my second one that I’ve had. The first one, I sent off as a Traveling Bible to be journaled in by ladies all over the United States and eventually gifted to a family who lost their daughter to cancer. It was such a special gift!

Bible journaling is a way for me to connect with my Savior. It’s a form of worship for me. It allows me to meditate on his word and grow creatively while I study it. When I begin my journaling process, I pray over the verse I’m journaling and ask the Lord to speak to me. I always have my worship music keyed up as well. This is another way for me to connect with him. With the music going, prayers being said, meditating on the verses, it’s an amazing time to spend being creative!! Whether it’s using stamps, watercolors, printables, acrylic paints, or distress oxides (my absolute favorites), it’s time spent in his word.

I love how the Reflections Bible has white pages because all the colors and designs just seem to pop off the pages and when you highlight the verses, it seems to show up even more.  After I am finished with creating, I will usually write a small prayer, date my entry (I hope to pass my Bibles on to my family someday for them to enjoy, that’s why I date them, plus I like to look back on the entries and see where the Lord has brought me from on those days), and close with prayer. If I decide to share that particular page with social media, I’ll snap a picture sometime after. It’s time well spent, I’ve learned a new verse or revisited an old one. I’ve been able to use my creative skills and I’ve had alone time with my Savior all rolled up into one. My heart couldn’t be fuller!

The Reflections Bible has another favorite of mine, it’s in the NLT translation. When I’m reading or listening on audio to the Bible, it’s one of my favorite translations to use. It’s so easy to understand and still holds true to the original text. If you look on Tyndale.com, you can read in detail how they have translated the Bible, what process what used, ancient texts, and much more information is given. I love to read the history and know in detail about the translations I read. This is why NLT is one of my favorites. 

For more inspiration from Amanda follow her on Instagram @journalingandgrace

Learn more about the NLT Reflections Bible

How the Christian Basics Bible came about

By Mike Beaumont, editor of the Christian Basics Bible

Penicillin, saccharine, Coca-Cola, the microwave oven and the pacemaker…all have one thing in common: they all came about by accident, discovered when someone found something that they weren’t originally looking for. And that’s how the Christian Basics Bible came about.

It all started with my being deported from India….

After more than 25 years of working with churches, leaders and seminaries in India, I landed at Chennai to find that I had been ‘red flagged’ and was promptly put back on the very plane from which I had just disembarked. Over those 25 years, I had made hundreds of friends – one of them, a seminary student from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) with whom I had become particularly close when his father suddenly died and, as acting principal of his seminary at that time, was able to help him get back home to his family in that time of need. That moment forged a link between us that lasts to this day. When he graduated, he returned to Myanmar where he became a lecturer at a seminary in Yangon. After much pestering, he persuaded me to go there as a visiting professor – and so began my love for Myanmar and its many different peoples.

As it happens, my long-standing friend and co-author of Christian Basics Bible (CBB), Martin Manser, also has a link with Myanmar since he married a Burmese woman. And it was this love of Myanmar on both our parts that would lead to the production of CBB.

It was while Martin was in Yangon visiting his wife’s family on one occasion that he met the Director of Christian Literature Crusade Myanmar. Knowing  Martin was an author and editor of many years’ experience, he shared with him his longing for some kind of Study Bible in the Burmese language, since there wasn’t a single one at that time, and wondered whether Martin might be able to help. Martin promised to give it some thought. And as he did, two things came to mind. First, he remembered that he had written some short introductions to the books of the Bible some years earlier, but nothing had come of the material. Second, he reflected on how he and I had collaborated on writing projects for over 20 years. Suddenly, the light went on. What if he put those two things together?

When he got back home, he contacted me, asking whether I would be interested in partnering with him in producing the first ever Study Bible in the Burmese language. As we prayed about it and discussed the idea further, we began to get really excited and felt this was something that God wanted us to do. For us in the West, where there is a plethora of Bible translations and editions, it’s hard to grasp what it is like for many Christians in the world where they often only have one basic translation, often without any notes or helps of any kind in it. This was certainly the case in Myanmar, where there was only one Bible text  – the Judson Bible, produced in 1834 and without a single footnote or comment in it. Even worse, there had been no revisions of that 1834 text; so many of the words in it were now simply quite meaningless in modern Burmese. So CLC got to work slightly updating the Bible text, while Martin and I got to work at our end – Martin using his skills as an editor to plan and shape the material, me using my skills as a writer to start producing the content – introductions to each Bible book and notes on key themes every 6 or 7 chapters or so. The publisher had requested we keep the material simple and compact, yet comprehensive – quite a challenge! And, of course, it had to be culturally relevant for Myanmar where some issues arise that just aren’t tissues in the West. After lots of hard work, we are glad to say that the Myanmar Study Bible was finally in the hands of Christians there – the first Study Bible in the Burmese language.

But what, I hear you thinking, does all this have to do with Christian Basics Bible?

Because this is where the penicillin and saccharin and Coca-Cola come in. For it was while we were working on this project for Myanmar that the idea of CBB was born. One day, during a phone conversation about the project, Martin suddenly said to me, “You know, this material is really good. I’m sure there is potential for it being used much more widely.” And immediately, I knew that he was right. For there we were, trying to express what are often complex and profound spiritual truths in simple ways for Myanmar Christians, when many in the West were in need of exactly the same thing. In fact, I had been greatly exercised for a number of years as a pastor by the fact that more and more people in the West were becoming more and more ignorant of even the most basic Bible stories (let alone doctrines). And so when they became Christians, they brought very little, if any, of the Bible background that people of a generation ago would have brought, making the Bible so much harder to understand.

And so we began to dream. What if we were to produce an edition of the Bible that was especially written for people who came to faith with little or no Bible background? What if we were to write things in really simple way, avoiding ‘Christianese’ and technical language that those of us who have been Christians for many years so often take for granted and use without thinking? …

And so we began to draft an outline of what would become known as Christian Basics Bible. It would have some introductory essays on things like how to become a Christian and how to read the Bible; each Bible book would begin with a simple summary of what it was all about and what the reader should look for as they read it; there would be notes, but not too many so we didn’t overwhelm the reader, focusing on key ideas, people and events; it would have sections at the back, with a glossary to explain words whose meaning we often take for granted, and a section outlining some of the basic truths of the Bible,  to help people know where to look when they were thinking about various issues. We then produced some sample material to show the kind of thing we were thinking of, and sent it off to Tyndale.

We can’t tell you how happy we were when we got an immediate positive response from them!  (Any author will tell you they often expect at least ten rejections before any publisher even starts to show an interest.)  Tyndale was excited by our concept and asked if we could meet senior staff members who were due to pass through London England soon. And so, over lunch in a London hotel, CBB was born. Like Coca-Cola, by accident.

Over the next couple of years, Martin and I devoted much of our time to the project, writing and re-writing until we got the tone that we wanted – pastorally warm; simple yet Biblically accurate; written in language for people who hadn’t been exposed to the Bible before; seeking to be as neutral as possible over issues over which equally-lovely Bible-believing Christians have genuine disagreements so that it could be used by the widest possible base; and, of course, based on the easy-to-read New Living Translation. Yes, I know some Christians don’t like this edition because they think it isn’t close enough to the original text. Well, it is close – it just uses a different translation principle: what is known as ‘dynamic equivalence’ rather than ‘word for word’. And since it is designed for people who have little or no Bible background, it is so much easier for them to read and understand in comparison to versions like KJV or NASB or even NIV.

As the final edited text started drawing to a conclusion, Tyndale’s design department got busy, producing some amazing info-graphics for the back of the Bible. Then they asked for our input on its cover. I said I didn’t really mind how it looked – providing it didn’t say ‘Holy Bible’ and have a cross on the front! If that shocks you, then please remember the purpose of CBB: to be an edition for new believers from little or no Christian background, not primarily for those who had been Christians for a long time for whom such things have become the norm. (And anyway, the original Bible texts didn’t say ‘Holy Bible’ and have a cross on them!). And so we came up with the idea of a cover with three building blocks, reflecting what had become something of a sub-title for CBB: Foundations of the faith for followers of Christ.

What a joy it was to hold my very first copy in my hands, some three years after that Coca-Cola moment!

Since its launch Christian Basics Bible has been well-received. Those who have recently become Christians and who come from little or no Christian background, have found it easy to read and understand. But also those who have been Christians for many years have find its approach and simplicity refreshing, commenting on how they have now understood things in the Bible that have passed them by for years.

So there it is: the Bible that came about ‘by accident’. But many of the things that come about ‘by accident’ prove to have enduring popularity. Our prayer is that this might be true of Christian Basics Bible.

Watch this video to learn more about the Christian Basics Bible

We love hearing stories from people using the NLT! Kristy sent us her story of discovering how readability doesn’t mean being watered down. We love how excited she is to share God’s Word with those she loves!

This version is fantastic. I am not a big fan of watering down the scripture and making it easy to read because so many times things are lost. I have been reading the Bible for 52 years. I have a deep burden for the church because so many people don’t take time to read the Bible because it takes such mental effort, and experience to be able to figure out what a verse means. Today in my regular Bible study I compared Ephesians 1 to my current translation that I use, and your translation was so close to what mine said that I became very excited, because I have grandchildren that would read the Bible if it was something that could hold their attention, and understand. I am very excited to share this new to me, translation with my family. I did notice one thing that wasn’t included in Ephesians 1 that I read was the actual reference near the end of the chapter to Psalms 8. And it may not be necessary, but I love to see the new covenant scriptures tie to the old covenant scriptures because that was the basis of the teaching all of the disciples had until Jesus came and added to that teaching. To me it seems to bring the Bible as a whole into importance, when the new teaching quotes the old teaching. To me it provides kind of like an “aha moment” look and see God knew what he was doing all along . Again, I love it, I’m so excited to share it with my family and my church family.

-Kristy C.

What a joy to hear from our brother in Africa! Thank you for sharing this encouragement with us!

“I feel moved to inform you that Life Application Study Bible has been a tool which helped me shape a great deal of servants here in Africa and thoroughly furnished my life in a way I can not explain thank you.”

Mapendo Songoro

“The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “’Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’” Matthew 8:25, NLT

“Although the disciples had witnessed many miracles, they panicked in this storm. As experienced sailors, they knew its danger; what they did not know was that Jesus could control the forces of nature. We often encounter storms in our lives where we feel God can’t or won’t work. When we truly understand who God is, however, we will realize that he controls both the storms of nature and the storms of the troubled heart. Jesus’ power that calmed this storm can also help us deal with the problems we face. And he is with us. Jesus is willing to help if we only ask him. We should never discount his power even in terrible trials.”

Note from the Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition

Reflection from Evie, Bible Team Marketing Coordinator

It was the third e-mail in a month from our daughter’s middle school. “Violence has been threatened against the school, but we are handling the situation and the person who initiated the threat is not on campus.” That was basically all we got. We spoke to Els about the situation and she didn’t seem overly concerned. In what is unfortunately our reality we moved on thinking it was “just” a social media prank. We prayed with her, told her to pay attention to her surroundings, and to share with her teachers and us if anything didn’t feel right or she was scared.

But at dinner the next night Els said, “My friend was shaking she was so scared. She was on the bus when she heard a boy say, ‘Don’t come to school during 5^th–7^th period today because I’m going to shoot up the school.’”

As any self-proclaimed protective momma bear would, I ran around the table hugging her as a million thoughts consumed me. How can we homeschool her? What is wrong with that school? Wait until the principal gets an earful from me! Who is that kid? I am talking to his parents! But in the midst of my chaotic thoughts her sweet voice broke through. “It’s okay, Mom. God knows what’s going on. It’s going to be okay.”

Taking extra time to tuck her into bed that night, I glanced around her room. There were porgs, cuddly droids, and strange looking animals from a galaxy far, far away spilling from her bed to the floor. The half-read giant encyclopedias filled with information about strange looking creatures with even weirder names were hastily placed on surfaces throughout her room. She was just a kid. She shouldn’t have to worry about her safety. I took comfort in knowing that in just a few days we would be able to get away to Disney World. She needed an escape—I needed an escape—from the fears of violence at school. And the chance to be immersed in a Stars Wars land—I couldn’t wait to see her face!

The day arrived to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It was still dark when we boarded a bus from our resort to head to the park. Els seemed quiet, and we thought she was just tired from such an early morning. As we made our way toward the immersive land she started walking slower and then stopped. “Mom, I don’t want to go!”

“What? You love Star Wars. You are going. You’ll love it!”

“No. Kylo Ren is there. I’m not going.”

Our brave, mellow preteen broke down sobbing. She panicked. We couldn’t get her to move. She just sobbed saying, “I’m scared. I’m too scared.” I had never seen her so upset and honestly didn’t know what to do. She was paralyzed with fear.

With a lot of convincing and some bribing about blue milk we finally got her to move. As we walked into this totally immersive experience, I prayed that Kylo would stay in his own galaxy far, far away and we wouldn’t lose Els’ trust. She was shaking from fear when we noticed one of the characters working on a ship.

We started talking to him and I explained how our daughter was very scared of the First Order (the bad guys). I asked if he had any tips for avoiding them while we visited his planet (I totally bought into the whole immersive thing). He said, “Oh yes! I’m finishing here. Let me grab my tools and I’ll take you to the Falcon.” He jumped over the low wall and encouraged us to follow him. “Hi, I’m Immanuel. Don’t worry, I know all the best hiding places. I will get you there safely,” he said smiling at Els. He guided us through the entire extremely detailed and beautiful imaginary world. As he ran ahead to check that everything was safe and then signaled for us to follow, I watched Els’ fears fade. Her eyes began to sparkle as fear lost its grip and enjoyment and excitement grew.

When we neared the Millennium Falcon, with his reassurance that we were safe, our hero left us extremely thankful. (Sorry Han Solo—Immanuel is now my favorite Star Wars character!) My mom in all her wisdom turned to Els and said, “Do you know what Immanuel means? It means God with us. What you were afraid of never went away. Your fears were always around you, but you could get through it because Immanuel was with us. If we are walking with God, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around us. We can be confident knowing he is with us.”

When I think about those weeks and my mom’s words, I am taken to the boat where Jesus and the disciples are traveling across the lake. While Jesus naps, a storm hits and the disciples are paralyzed with fear.

“The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ Jesus responded, ‘Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked. ‘Even the winds and waves obey him!’” Matthew 8:25-27, NLT.

It wasn’t like the disciples hadn’t seen Jesus perform miracles before that moment. They had seen him heal numerous people, including Peter’s mother-in-law. They had heard his powerful teaching, and they were still afraid. Many of them were seasoned fishermen who had been in loads of storms, and yet it was at this moment that they panicked. It was a fear they knew and understood. So much of what they were hearing from Jesus they couldn’t fully understand, but this . . . this they knew.

What they didn’t fully understand yet was the power of Immanuel. They knew to run to Jesus to be saved, but that deeper trust of being confident in his presence was still being formed in them.

So what about my life? The things I’m afraid of won’t disappear. My stomach still churns each time I see an e-mail pop up from Els’ school. Els is still afraid of Kylo Ren. But when we learn to bask in the understanding of Immanuel, when we know that he has the power and compassion to walk with us through the unknown and the known fears, we can go forward with confidence. We can experience an overwhelming peace knowing he can bring calm to any storm.

Learn more about the Life Application Study Bible

365 days from now you will look in the mirror and see a better person—if you will show up every day. The choices you make over the next 365 days will determine the story of your year.

Use the daily readings from The God of Your Story in conjunction with the One Year Bible to enjoy and appreciate the entire Bible without getting lost—and, perhaps for the first time, to hear the Bible speak to you on its own behalf. You may be surprised to discover that the God of the Bible is also the God of your story! Will you find Him where He’s speaking?

Make the Bible a daily decision. The adventure awaits.

Watch this video and hear from from Brian about his journey beginning with the One Year Bible to becoming the author of the God of Your Story.

Brian is the leader of the Daily Audio Bible podcast. Subscribe for daily readings from the One Year Bible.

As the son of a marine, Joshua grew up moving from military base to military base. Rarely having time to catch his breath, let alone put down roots, he moved from one location to the next feeling alone and unable to connect, especially when it came to church. From talking to the base chaplain to going to local churches, he kept getting discouraged and gave up on church for several years. Until he found Cherry Point Baptist Church, a loving community that encouraged him to find out why he believed what he believed.

“After I was saved, I wanted to learn all that I could about the Bible. When I heard about the New Living Translation (NLT) my curiosity was piqued. Reading the NLT has brought a sense of vividness and clarity. I have read lots of translations, but keep coming back to the NLT,” said Joshua.

Joshua’s enthusiasm for God’s Word continues to grow and he can’t keep it to himself. He leads a multigenerational Bible study at his church and has become an active member in a local community feeding program.

“We live in a world filled with competing ideas. Not only reading but understanding the Bible helps people find their way. If they aren’t in the Bible, they are putting themselves at risk. I know, because it happened to me,” said Joshua.

From past experiences Joshua learned the importance of discernment and finding truth in God’s Word, not in the world around you. In his Bible study he helps others understand that too. It’s not only about reading the Word, it’s about studying it and applying it to our lives.

“Readability helps a person to understand what God is telling them. If a translation is hard to read and understand, I’ve seen people struggle when asked to read aloud or feel frustrated that they don’t understand. I’ve had that experience in my own study, finding myself mentally rephrasing or using a dictionary to try to understand some of the words. I wonder how many people have given up reading the Bible when faced with these issues?” said Joshua.

Making sure that doesn’t happen has become paramount to Joshua. The NLT is used every week in the Bible study Joshua leads to make concepts clear and help people feel confident while reading God’s Word. He has also found that the NLT is a great way to engage with people who attend a local feeding ministry.

Called Loaves and Fishes, this ministry invites community members to a free meal. Volunteers bring hot meals and desserts and they talk to people around the tables. The evening includes a short devotional, Scripture reading, and a time of prayer.

“I started attending as a visitor, and now I’m a volunteer. I give the devotional, but I also hand out plates, set up the tables, and help wherever I can. Just being a listening ear or extra pair of hands to someone who needs it is a powerful ministry,” said Joshua.

“Reading the NLT gives me a sense of peace. I feel I can turn off the distractions of the world around me and just pray, read, and ask God for wisdom,” said Joshua.

Explore New Living Translation Bibles

One of the most beautiful aspects of being a part of God’s family is that no matter our background, race, culture, nationality, or education level, we are all children of God. The Bethesda Community Church in Fort Worth, TX, is a thriving multigenerational, multicultural, multilingual congregation. Though united in love for God and each other, the congregation of English and Spanish speakers were looking for a way to grow together in community as well as in understanding God’s Word. Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience was a perfect fit. With all six volumes and resources available in both English and Spanish, the Bethesda family is growing close to God and each other by studying his Word.

Hear from members of the Spanish congregation about their experience. (The video includes English speakers and has English subtitles when the speaker uses Spanish.)

Learn more about Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience

What joy to hear how the NLT is bringing people closer to Jesus. So close it’s like they’re sitting across the table from him. Read these thoughts from our friend Virgie as she shares what the NLT means to her.

I love the NLT! It was introduced to me back in 2010 when I recommitted my life back to Christ. I had been a fallen believer for almost 20 years, before I started hearing the voice of the Lord profoundly whispering in my ear, that it was time to turn back to my first Love, Jesus

At that time, I had fallen so hard I didn’t think I was worthy of His unconditional love, grace and mercy but He profoundly showed me one morning in the book of Psalms 147:3, “He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” NLT

I took this scripture and ran with it, holding it like a baton, everything that was broken inside me had been healed and He still binds up my wounds.

The NLT speaks to me, like I’m sitting across the kitchen table from Jesus, I love the NLT.
– Virgie C.