Just wanted to say this is not a book review of the bible but a review of what I think of my new journal bible! From my last post, I wrote about how I chose it and now I'm going to explain more in detail about what it's like..
As you will know from a previous post I am the proud new owner of the Inspire Praise Journal Bible and here's why:
The words!
I have chosen the Inspire Praise Bible in a large print. I chose the large print because although I don't wear glasses I don't like tiny font, I prefer not to squint and I want to read the word of God easily. I am sticking with the NLT translation simply because I like it. I find it easy to read and understand. Although I want to journal in the bible I do want to read the scripture afterwards so a clear font is important to me. As it is my time in Gods word I want a translation that I can understand and enjoy.
The outside!
It is bound in leather, purple so a great feminine colour which is a bonus! I always think of the colour purple as royalty and as God is the ultimate King this seems a perfect match to me. The binding looks strong enough to take artistry without falling apart and I don't loose text or journal space to the inner fold. It comes in a cardboard cover, which looks lovely and would keep it all neat but if I'm honest I'm not neat and tidy and i'll probably end up loosing it. It does have an elastic which secures the bible together. The bible is weighty which I think is great because once i have decorated my page, especially if using water colours I will be able to use the weight of the bible to flatten out the page to prevent it drying wrinkly. The edges of the bible have a floral and butterfly print (which personally I could do without as I'd like to have decorated this myself) but it does give the bible a striking look.
The Inside!
Inside the pages are much thicker than a regular bible so I feel confident to use different medians on it. It is however not extremely thick so I think if you are doing a lot of artistry on a page, it would be best to seal the pages first to stop your creativity bleeding through to the page behind.
At the back of book all the scripture design pages are indexed. Some of these are full page size and some are just on one side like a border print. When there is no scripture art, there are faint dotted lines for you to write your own message or create your own designs. There is a mixture of designed word art to colour as well. There are also some transparent design pages, interwoven that you can decorate or enhance or leave. I like that there is a lot of choice and ideas.
When you first open the bible there are some great colouring pages to get you started, there is a welcome page and a page about psalm 145 to inspire you to pour out your praises to God. The beginning is where you will find the contents pages, a note to readers about the NLT translation and team - then it begins. All of these pages could be decorated too or used to try out techniques/see how the paper reacts to differing medians before you begin on the scripture pages.
Conclusion!
I can't wait to get started! I ordered it online and hadn't felt the book/seen the pages for myself but now that I have, I'm not disappointed. I think its a well produced bible and I'm looking forward to spending time with God in it! It's not handbag size but I didn't buy it for that reason. I wanted a good solid bible I could journal in and use as a reference. I feel confident I can explore Gods word creatively and have a keepsake at the end.
I bought this bible, it is no way gifted and there are no affiliate links. These are my honest opinions.
