Friday, September 21, 2012

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens from Zondervan

There are some great features to this new Bible edition being released for teens.

* I love the pop-out boxes which help draw out personal application and deeper consideration of key passages.

* Throughout there are boxes which point out important Bible principles for young adults, Rock Solid Truths, and attributes of God.

* Another neat feature are boxes labeled Unshaken People which bring to light good lessons for all of us.  Some characters highlighted include Caleb, Andrew and Eutychus... just to name a few.

* The concordance and various indexes are all helpful for someone who would like to dig in deeper to one topic or another.

* I find the heading within chapters helpful when searching for a particular passage.

*  I have horrible eyes and even with various glasses and contacts often find it difficult to read text in some Bibles.  This edition was easy on the eyes all around.

My one beef with this Bible is it is not available in King James Version, which always seems to be the case.  So to publishers reading this, would you consider doing a King James Version?  Otherwise, if you have an NIV reading teen this Bible would be a great gift!

Since this is geared to teenagers I asked my young ladies what they thought.
Likes:

Well laid out.
Love the way the notes (in boxes) are geared toward personal application with engaging questions
If this was KJV would make great gift
The font is easy reading and the typeset clear
The foot notes are helpful but not so large as to annoy those who don't like them.
The beginning of each of the books of Prophets tells where they fit in history
Love the author ☺
Has a great index especially what do I read today? section
Concordance seems thorough
Dislikes:
There is nothing discussing between the testaments
Not available in KJV

I have a friend who, together with her husband, is a youth leader in their very large church.  I asked her what she thought of this version.

Her thought was that she really liked the features but didn't feel that the Bible itself was put together in such a way to get the attention of today's very stimulated teens.  Gosia specifically noted that she did not feel the cover was trendy enough to grab the attention of the average teenager.

She further suggested the index should be located in the front of the Bible.  Her reasoning made a lot of sense.  Follow me along this trail.  Today's average teen is used to having everything fed to them.  So they pick up the Bible and open the cover and see Genesis.  Which they have already seen a thousand times before, if they have been in church for any time.  Alternatively, they are new to the Bible and after they get out of creation they are quickly overwhelmed.  Either way, they put the book down before they even see all the amazing features built into this version.  Features which were designed to help them get the most out of the book.  Gosia suggested if the index were in the front, the first thing they would see would be the neat features and they would dig in and check it out.

One other thing Gosia mentioned was also in regard to the index.  She noted on some pages key words were highlighted but in some of the other indexes all the print was the same.  Gosia said, once again, because teenagers are so used to stimulus and being able to easily get at what they want, there should be key words highlighted in all the various indexes throughout the Bible so as to keep them interested.  I will move on leaving you with her thought... what good is it to have so many great devotionals and applications throughout if the audience never gets around to reading it?

Since Gosia's youth group uses NIV, she agreed to take the Rock Solid Faith Study Bible to one of her students to see what they thought.  Thank you to Sadie Davis for taking time to check it out and do the following write up for Art's Chili Pepper.

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible is a rare phenomenon. Not only does it cater to teens, it caters to the teens of today. This bible specifically targets the teen population with its “Rock Solid” and “Unshaken” features that give helpful and insightful advice on common problems, gives tips on how to defend one’s faith, and encourages teens with scripture. With the help of Rock Solid Faith, teenagers will no longer complain that the bible is irrelevant or confusing. This study bible breaks down passages, puts each chapter into perspective with a book outline and summary, and has an easy to use index. The concordance in the back of the bible categorizes verses by key word, helping teens quickly find the exact thing they are looking for. In all reality, this bible won’t be getting dusty any time soon because teens will be challenged and captivated by the questions, thoughts, and real life examples presented in this study bible. However, teens may be pushed away by its textbook-like structure. Though it is cliché, a book is judged by its cover, and this hard and heavy binding makes this bible less appealing. This bible is thick, and can be intimidating. A leather-like cover can make it feel more as if it is a journal, somewhere teens can go to record notes and inspiration. The graphic however is appealing to both boys and girls and has a cool feel. Something else that would top it off is a built in book marker that would be helpful in keeping tab on the last stopping point. Overall, this bible can encourage the teenage generation with its friendly to use and supportive features. And personally, I cannot wait to buy it.  ~ By Sadie Davis


It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!



Today's Wild Card is:

Zondervan; Special edition (August 21, 2012)

***Special thanks to Rick Roberson for sending me a review copy.***

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:


This all-new, full-featured NIV Bible is great for teens looking to grow their faith, increase meaning in their lives, and find hope for their future. The Rock Solid Bible for Teens is a timely guide for teens grappling with big questions about the world, their future, and their faith.  Featuring the complete New International Version text, apologetics helps, hundreds of call-outs, and concrete promises for the future, the Rock Solid Bible provides firm traction for the development of beliefs and behavior rooted in the unchanging love, guidance, and promises of God.


Product Details:
List Price: $29.99

Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 1664 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Special edition (August 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310723302
ISBN-13: 978-0310723301



AND NOW...THE A SAMPLE (CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE LARGER):






Chapter will be placed up here soon.

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