2011 – the year of the Bible
It’s been so good to be concentrating on the Bible this year! Good that the word of God is being talked about and- we hope – read more.
400 year anniversary
2011 celebrates 400 years since King James approved of and authorised an official version of the Bible. Known to us as the Authorised Version or the King James Bible it is still very popular today. There have been many celebrations of this event, including reproductions of original texts, books celebrating the language and heritage of this version, on-line handwritten Bibles, displays and exhibitions of Bibles and a big push by many organisations to get us reading the Bible more regularly.
The Bible and Me
We started the year by asking prominent local Christians to tell us about how they read the Bible and what their favourite bits are. Mark Mitchell, Martin Dickson, Vic Edwards and Wayne Clarke all shared with us.
Maybe you’d like to share with us how you read the Bible, what works or doesn’t work for you, and what are your favourite stories and verses.
NIV 2011 version
This year a new NIV has been produced. Bringing together the best of the original NIV and the TNIV and other smaller revisions the new version came out as part of the 400 year celebrations. Starting in May with basic hardback and pew editions all of the different kinds of NIV are being produced, including the gift editions between now and December. Ask us if you want a particular edition as we have publication dates for many that are not yet out.
Why not give a 2011 NIV as a Christmas gift?
E100 and Big Bible Challenge
Many churches took on the challenge this year offered by E100 to read the 100 most essential readings in the Bible, which give the best overview of the story of the Bible. The E100 books and group study guides have proven to be bestsellers.
Scripture Union have also produced the Big Bible Challenge to help children do the same thing. The book has the readings printed out along with activities to help understanding and remembering.
If you’ve not taken up the challenge yet it’s not too late.
Daily Bible reading and prayer
Just like eating less and exercising more, reading the Bible more is a resolution we tend to break rather than keep! There is help available!
Several publishers produce Bible reading notes which guide you through a passage and help you to understand and apply it, often linking in to prayer. These can be dated or undated, and can last for 2, 3, or 4 months or up to a year. They are written for children, young people and adults, for men and women, for those who are just starting out on the Christian walk or those who’ve been at it a long time! There are even audio notes and you can download notes too.
So whoever you are there’s something out there to help you in your Bible reading. Why not ask us what we’ve got?
2011 is the year of the Bible. Have you read yours today?