I received complimentary copies of the newly redesigned and best-selling study Bible, The Woman’s Study Bible, and additional compensation from Thomas Nelson Bibles in exchange for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. For additional information on how and when I am compensated as a blogger you can review my full disclosure here.

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

There is tremendous value in a study Bible.

My parents bought me my first study Bible in the early nineties as a gift to commemorate my decision to be water baptized. It was as beautiful as they came back then, with soft pink leather, and silver foil pages, and my full name embossed across the front. I built my third grade muscles with that one both literally and figuratively because 1) it was heavy, and 2) it was well beyond my reading level.

Neither of these things bothered me though, so I plowed through – taking notes in the margins and highlighting my way through junior high, and high school, and into my senior year of Bible college when I decided it was time for a new study Bible. My handwriting had grown up and my grown up heart wanted a fresh look at God’s Word with fresh pages to pour that heart into.

That second study Bible was also given to me by my parents and journeyed with me into my early days of ministry and marriage. It moved four times with my husband and I, and stayed faithful to me through four pregnancies and three babies. It holds the prayers and tears of nine years of waiting on God to move some very specific mountains from our way, and has born the marks of all kinds of spiritual victories and personal losses.

My study Bibles tell my story.

They are not only God’s Word to me, but the evidence of my heart extended back to Him. As much as they tell His-story and His plan of redemption for all of humanity, they hold tender chapters of my story and the faith that God has been growing in me these past 25+ years.

We’re in a season of life right now that feels ripe with a God kind of expectancy. We still wait in the reality that is, but feel more than we ever have in the past decade of life that a shift is coming and we need to be ready for it. As I was thinking about this during my quiet time a few weeks ago the thought dawned on me that it was time for a new study Bible. The pages of my Bible that have been filled with questions and longings needed to be cleared yet again for a fresh word and blank space in which to embrace this new phase of life we are entering.

Because God is just so good, in just a few days time an opportunity came to review a new study Bible. Each study Bible I’ve ever received has come as a gift, and this third one is no exception. Through the generosity of Thomas Nelson Bibles I am beginning a new chapter with The Woman’s Study Bible and am so excited to share some of my thoughts with you about this beautiful new edition.

The Woman’s Study Bible

First published over 20 years ago, The Woman’s Study Bible has sold over 1.5 million copies and has been redesigned and republished as a full color study Bible in both the NIV and NKJV translations. Prepared by women from diverse ethnic, denominational, educational, and occupational backgrounds, this unique study Bible speaks directly to women of all ages, bringing balance, hope, and transformation through the illuminated Word of God.

Besides being the only full color study Bible designed for women currently available on the market, The Woman’s Study Bible is available in three special editions for both translations – hardcover, cloth cover, and Leathersoft – all filled with some of the following special notes and features:

• Biographical portraits of Biblical women
• Verse-by-verse study notes
• Topical articles relating Scripture to real life
• Quotes from godly women throughout history
• Full-color maps, charts, timelines, and family trees

This new study Bible is already precious to me.

I’ve been able to spend some time with the three editions of the NIV translation of The Woman’s Study Bible over the last several days and they are just so beautiful. The Word is the Word is the Word – and that will never, ever change – but there is something really precious about having the Word of God presented in a way that speaks to the creative places of my heart.

Woven into every page of this Bible – from the interior design, to the page layouts, to the colors and fonts – is the perfect touch of femininity. The design is subtle, enhancing the beauty that already lies within the Word of God, and delicate enough to take your breath away.

While each edition contains the same interior pages, each is beautiful in its own right. In addition to a standard hardcover option, Thomas Nelson Bibles has published a blue floral cloth covered hardcover, and a blue and brown Leathersoft edition.

I have always been partial to leather-bound study Bibles and have quickly made this one my own. In just the few days I’ve been able to spend with it, I’ve been inspired by both its beauty and its scholarship, and stand ready with highlighter and pen to continue learning and noting the story God’s writing with my life inside its pages.

What a gift.

I am so incredibly grateful.