True Images (2007, Paperback, Updated)

Needless to say I was somewhat taken aback by the inserts in the bible. It has several magazine like inserts scattered throughout the Bible. These are on full color, thicker, shiny paper and contain different quizzes for the girls to take. Some of them are good, there is a spiritual gifts quiz, parent/child relationship quiz and friends quiz. Then there are others. These deal with dating (a.k.a. divorce practice). Okay, so I have strong opinions on dating that I know not everyone shares but these particular inserts don't even attempt to make a biblical connection. They are nothing different than what you would find on the magazine rack at the store. There is an insert on your self-image which includes this question with the following answers:

At the top of this year's New Year's resolutions list is ...

A. Start lifting weights - you heard it's good for your bones.
B. Work on that muscle tone - no more dreading swimsuit season.
C. Lose 15 pounds and buy a push-up bra - the new me!
Now, could you please tell me what place that has in a Bible!?!

Then there are the 'ever so inspirational' reflections from the other side which have quotes from boys. Here is one:

What makes you ask a girl on a second date? My dream girl...if I went out with a girl and had fun and was able to hold an interesting/funny conversation with her and was also attracted to her, then I would certainly ask her out again.
Well, fabulous, so if my daughter reads this she will think all she has to do is be attractive and be able to talk and she will make the perfect date. No need to be devoted to Christ, just cute and funny. Good grief! Zondervan really let the ball drop when they published this Bible with these pages in it.

In the interest of fairness I want to say that we are keeping the bible. I know that sounds strange after all that I have just said, but the actual bible and study helps in it are good. It has an introduction to each book to give a grasp of the setting. There are profiles of all the women in the bible, good and bad, so that girls can learn from their examples. There are little study notes throughout that are helpful. But, we will be cutting out the 'magazine' pages. I have no intention of bringing pagan teen magazines into my house and I will certainly not have them coming in through my daughter's bible.

My daughter "had to" have this Bible because 1) the cover is adorable and 2) there are special articles for (older teen) girls. Some of those articles may surprise you, so page thru before handing it over! "Am I Gay?" jumped out at me, as well as how to make yourself cute to attract a boy. My daughter's 12 and not dealing with these things yet! Just be discerning. If the articles pull them into the Word, that's great.

I bought this book for my 11 yr. old daughter. She loves it and has been reading the Bible almost daily, which she was lucky to maybe read a verse or two once a month at most before. The way this Bible has a subject context on subjects that girls her age face makes it easy for her to find what God's Word has to say about those subjects. The life lessons and the mirror image features breaks the Word down into teen speak so that teens can better understand it.

My daughter is an avid reader and I couldn't understand why she wouldn't sit down and read the Bible, the best book ever published, but now that she has this Bible she enjoys reading it. If you are looking for a Bible that your daughter will delve into, this is the Bible to get. This Bible will take them well into young adulthood and establish a strong foundation in the Word.

There is no better gift to give a child, than the grounding in God's Word and what better way to ground them than to give them a Bible they can understand.

This is the second one of this bible we have purchased, one for our 14 yo daughter and one for one of her friends. The commentaries and writings are very relevant to young girls today. We purchased the hard back editions and are pleased with its construction and how it is holding up.