Experiencing God Bible- CSB

 25 yrs ago- seriously! Has it been that long?! I suppose it has since the baby from those memories is working towards his 2nd college degree. 25 years ago, when we lived in Baltimore, our congregation decided to start home fellowships, home groups…whatever they may be called now… smaller groups of members of the larger body, meeting in homes, and studying together the same study each week. The goal was for the whole congregation to be on the same page but able to have deeper conversations and fellowship that is too difficult in larger group settings.

The study they chose was Blackaby’s Experiencing God. This wasn’t an easy or “fluff” study. It had a lot of homework and bible memory…and I had 3 children under 3 years old. Somehow in that frazzled state, I did the study. It was a lifeline to sanity and to the fight against discontent. (It was definitely not my goal to move back to the east coast at that time…).

Needless to say, this Bible brings me back to good memories and reminds me of the fervour I had at 22-23 yrs old for studying scripture and implementing it in my life.


For years I wanted a Blackaby study Bible but they were out of print and out of my price range. When this edition came out in September, I was very excited and NEEDED a copy.


This has some very beautiful features that challenge scripture application. And also encourages you to pause and take a closer look.


It also has wonderfully wide margins for notetaking.


In Genesis 9 we find the question “Every person leaves a legacy, either for good or for evil. What will yours be?”

And also:

“To what length does God go to keep His promises (v.13-17)? Are you as diligent to keep yours?”


One of the aspects of the Experiencing God study was rather than just starting something new, to stop and look for what Gd was already doing, to join Him in His work. This is reflected in what it is to Encounter Gd, to ask for clarification on the decisions presented to you, and in coping with crisis of faith or life.  Now instead of reacting, how can you respond in faith and action. Prompts through out the text will encourage you to pause and consider, to apply Biblical truth to your situation, and to delve deeper into scripture for answers and guidance.



From the publisher:

The CSB Experiencing God Bible invites you to know and experience God personally. In this revised and updated edition, based on the best-selling Experiencing God book and Bible study, you will be encouraged to focus on the major purpose of Bible reading—listening to God speak. Experiencing God features and study helps placed throughout the Bible provide an immersive reading experience that will guide and challenge you to respond to the invitations God offers to know him, his purposes, and his ways. 

FEATURES 

  • Book introductions including key theme, setting, and prompts for “Encountering God,” “Decisions Awaiting You,” and “Crisis of Belief” found in each book
  • “God Focus” themes associated with every chapter highlight important recurring themes found throughout the Bible
  • “Prepare to Meet God” questions at the beginning of each chapter detail important Experiencing God elements you will discover and how they speak to your life
  • “Did You Notice?” questions at the end of each chapter review actions, plans, and purposes God has carried out and life adjustments God is calling you to make 
  • Designed icons on every page identify select verses that display the seven realities of Experiencing God and two steps of Fresh Encounter found throughout God’s Word
  • Brief articles placed alongside the associated biblical text further explore concepts that relate to Experiencing God
  • Biographies that depict a Bible character Experiencing God help you see and learn how God reveals his purposes and ways to his people and encourage response in your own life
  • Wide Margins invite active participation with space to record your personal experience with God as you journey through his Word
  • Book conclusions allow for recording strategic markers in your experience with God as you read each book of the Bible
  • Distinctive full-color design elements foster an immersive reading experience 
  • Two-column text layout 
  • Words of Christ in red
  • 9.5-point type size that is easy-to-read
  • Durable Smyth-sewn lay-flat binding 
  • Ribbon marker for easy referencing between pages 
  • Concordance
  • Presentation page for gift-giving 
  • Full-color maps

The CSB Experiencing God Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thompson Chain Reference- KJV

Image
Thompson Chain Reference Bible has long been the Bible for in-depth study.  According to Wikipedia “  Dr. Frank Charles Thompson, in the early 1900s, but the original work was started in 1890. Thompson was born in 1858, in   Elmira ,   New York , and was ordained in 1879. His wife was Laura Boughton Thompson. He began work on the system because of his dissatisfaction with the reference Bibles that were then available to preachers: Dr. Thompson believed the Bible should be presented in a simple, but scholarly way. He saw the need for a well-organized reference Bible that would be of practical use to the layman as well as a minister. In 1890, Dr. Thompson began the work he would continue for the rest of his life. He completed the "thought suggestions" opposite the verses throughout the Bible. These are what became the "chain-links" that are the heart of the Thompson system. Dr. Thompson created these chain link topics (4,000 of them) leadership by from verse to verse
Read more

Spurgeon and the Psalms

Image
  I was preparing to go to the hospital as a package was delivered. I picked it up and brought it along with me. A new volume for review. This, Spurgeon kept me company as I bounced between 2 waiting rooms, one for my husband and one for my mother. Waiting is hard, it feels passive but drains you as it’s actually active. Praying, worrying, hoping, and constantly watching and listening for a name to be called. I know my husband will be done, recover, and soon to go home, but there is so much of the unkown walking to the other waiting room to check on my dad. They said my mother had lung cancer, several biopsies will have to be done. My dad is sitting in a chair in that fidgety resignation that says you can’t help right now all you can do is wait. So while you wait you can tune everything out or you can stand at the doors of heaven and beg for help. “ No eloquence in the world is half so full of meaning as the patient silence of a child of God. "Truly my soul silently waits for God.
Read more

Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible

Image
This reminds me of my childhood.  My mother would drag us kids all over Washington DC for Bible studies. The moms would be at the table discussing and pouring over scripture,  and all us kids would be on the living room floor or a side room, with matchbox cars, GI Joe's, My Little Pony, or Strawberry Shortcake.  Small things that traveled well. Do moms still do this? The serious Bible teachers, especially if they did precepts, or the like, all had a Thompson's. It was a treasured and yes, coveted Bible edition.  The woman who discussed scripture with my at the time very pagan mother,  owned a Thompson's. My mother would discuss spells and such with one neighbor and Miss Vicki would show up in our backyard in Italy, and take path after path of scripture, following the scarlet threads, and point my mother to Messiah. Every question that arose could be traced and discussed with Gd's Word, not man's stories and speculations. Through her faithful
Read more