Book review - The NKJV Study Bible

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about getting a new Bible. I have one study Bible that I've used, but I was ready for something a bit different. I wasn't sure what yet, and I was going to start looking around. I thought maybe even a small Bible to carry. I wanted a New King James Version for a couple of reasons. I LIKE the version for one thing, and the other reason is that it is the version used in the study material for one of the kids' classes I teach at church. I went on BookLook to check out the new review offerings and would you believe that I had the opportunity to review a NKJV study Bible? :) I was thrilled! I hope you friends out there don't get too tired of my book reviews, but these programs have been such a blessing to me! Especially with something like this! I feel like The Lord just gave me a gift! :)

This is a hard cover Bible with a dust jacket. Honestly, the jacket is a little underwhelming to me. It doesn't really give a good feel for what is inside. BUT... There are many things I love about this NKJV Study Bible! I love all the color! (That's really deep, I know, but it is enjoyable to look at!) It is a beautiful Bible - very well designed and easy to read. I am happy to actually find a NKJV study Bible (very common around here is the NIV, which isn't my favorite). This Bible has a lot of great features and I like the way it is laid out. There are word definition blocks quite often - these include the Greek word and the Strong's number. There also are cultural notes that help explain the context for what you are reading. There are several maps in the back of the Bible, but I love that there are color maps within the text as well. In the study portion, the phrase that is being explained is in bold - makes it easier to find, especially if you aren't reading every note.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you to Book Look Bloggers for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

She's Ours

"Is she yours?"

I got asked this question recently. My answer was simple: "Yes!"  I didn't feel the need to explain. Because Joy belongs to me. To us. She came to our family in a very special way, but she belongs here. She's ours!

I was reading in Romans about God adopting us into His family, and remembering this time a year ago when we were waiting for our girl to come to us. At this point, we knew about a little girl, but she wasn't "ours" yet. She belonged to someone else. A very special person that we have grown to love. Joy's birth mom. Her first mom on this earth. And now Joy belongs to us because her first mom chose us.

I remember that first morning waking in the hospital with Joy by my side in her little rolling nursery bed. The door opened early - I think it was about six - and at first I thought it was one of the hospital staff bringing something by. (Remember, I was asleep and I didn't have my glasses on.) It was Joy's birth mom. We were surprised by her visit, we didn't know if she would come by at all, but we were so very glad she did! I asked if she would like to hold Joy, and she did for a moment. I'll never forget what she did next though, after holding her for that brief time, she handed Joy back to me and said, "Go to your mama."

You see, Joy is ours. Not just because a judge said so. Not just because social workers or attorneys said we will be a good family for Joy. But because a very special lady put her own desires aside and made a choice out of a very hard core love. She chose us for her baby. She made the best and hardest decision she knew how to make. Out of strength. Out of love.

Yes, she's ours! Without reservation. without explanation. without qualifications. She belongs to us.

And we are so thankful!!

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November is National Adoption Month. I wanted to share just a bit of our story.