The Everyday Matters Bible for Women

The Everyday Matters Bible for Women

New Living Translation, Practical Encouragement to Make Every Day Matter

by Hendrickson Publishing

ISBN: 978-1598567052

$26.97 (hardback/Amazon)

To be released: 9/30/12

About the Everyday Matters Bible for Women:

A new Bible for busy women transforms daily life into a life that matters every day

Today’s Christian woman is so busy handling the challenges of day-to-day life that spending time in the Word can easily become yet another ‘should’ buried in that growing list of daily ‘musts.’ Created in partnership with Kyria.com, Christianity Today’s women’s magazine, the Everyday Matters Bible for Women is designed to help women develop spiritual practices that will make their lives richer, not harder. It offers practical encouragement and tools to renew, reinvigorate and restore meaning to everyday life.

My thoughts:

Just so you know I'm not going to be reviewing the Bible itself but the various features and helps included in this bible. I mean, how can you review The Bible ~ God's Words to Us? You can't. =D

Several years ago I had my favorite Bible stolen from my car (I'm sure that the leather Bible case on it made the "bad guys" think it was a Daytimer and that they were getting all kinds of ID so imagine my glee that they weren't getting what they expected. LOL - I hope they took the opportunity to read it and let the Holy Spirit work on them.). My all time favorite Bible has always been the NIV Ryrie Bible and since then I've tried several different styles or versions of Bibles and nothing has been comfortable to me since. I had had that Bible for over 15 years - all the way through Jr High and Sr High and into Adulthood. 

I was recently sent a copy of the Everyday Matters Bible for Women and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. It's absolutely beautiful. I believe that beauty speaks to a woman's soul directly and God made us that way to reach us on a different level ~ in a deeper way. Each of the pages of the Bible is artistically designed in calm, soothing colors (isn't that how we should approach God in prayer and study?) and each of the features of the Bible is made to encourage us, to help us reach out to God with ease. 

I was never taught that there are different practices to Christian Living - I was taught a very basic Christianity: Repent, prayer, praise, forgiveness, faith and trust. But the Everyday Matters Bible extends those practices to include:

4 different ways to explore those practices:

1. Everyday Matters: Two-page articles introduce major themes and focus on an essential part of understanding and practicing a discipline. 

2. Everyday Profiles: Profiles of twenty-five Biblical women highlight a particular discipline. 

3. Everyday Q&A's: Short articles delve into a difficult aspect of the spiritual practice and offer practical help on incorporating the discipline into your daily life. 

4. Everyday Reflections: Selections illustrate ways to personalize and apply God’s Word to your own situation.

I love how the Bible uses a format that the majority of us use everyday (you never knew your addiction to your phone would come in so handy did you?) - each of the 24 practices is represented by an icon. 

There are more than 300 articles included by authors such as: Kay Warren, Priscilla Shirer, Elisa Morgan, Nancy & John Ortberg, Richard Foster, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Lauren Winner. I found this to be very personal and encouraging spiritually. Sometimes I need to hear what I've just read from a different perspective and in a more modern way.

View a few sample pages

Another feature that I really liked about this bible was that each of the passages has a "to be continued" type quality - if you want more information on Gratitude it sends you to Psalm 136; solitude: Matthew 26:36-39; Justice: Amos 5:21-24 and so on.

In the back of the Bible where the concordance usually is there is a section that takes each of those 24 practices and it directs you to scripture that supports it and teaches you what God says on that subject. Here is an example how it takes each practice and breaks it down into categories:

Gratitude:

~ Everyday Matters: 

   Matthew 20:1-16 - When Our Focus is Off by Amy Simpson

   Ephesians 5:20 - Gratefulness: Impossible Duty or Miraculous Gift? by Mark Galli

~ Everyday Profile: 

   Genesis 29:16-35  Leah: Grateful for What She Had by Liz Curtis Higgs

~ Everyday Q&A:

    2 Samuel 22:47-51  A lifestyle of Gratitude by Sally Clarkson

(and so on.... ending with Additional Scriptures of Note for each discipline.)

About the only thing I did not care for with this Bible was the tiny print so I would suggest you check out one of the Bibles with larger print before you purchase it. 

I will be using this Bible now as my Everyday Bible and the one I use for everyday study. I found the writing, set up and ease of use to be very helpful and easy to read. I think I can grow to enjoy this Bible as much as I did my Ryrie and hopefully this one won't be stolen (unless God has someone in particular in mind) for at least 15 years!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this Bible to read/review on GivingNSharing. I was not required to write a positive review & no money exchanged hands. I am a member of the CWA Review Crew and hope you found this review helpful.