Two nights ago at our high school youth group, our adult leader was handed a Bible that was falling apart (even worse than the one in the picture). She asked sarcastically, "Who ate this Bible?" The youth laughed! Indeed most of the Bibles in our youth room are in tatters. For a moment I was a little embarrassed that our Bibles had fallen into such disrepair, but then I felt a warm sense of pride. We have been using our Bibles so much that they have fallen apart! I can think of the dozens and dozens of times that these Bibles have been passed out, opened, read, discussed, and wrestled with. Yes, there have even been more than a few times when perhaps a Bible was tossed or even thrown around the room bordering on irreverence. This is the fine line that all youth ministers must navigate: shoe reverence, but also keep it real. So now our Bibles are falling apart and what are we to do? The next day our pastor recommended that we buy a new set of Bibles for the youth room. Do you have a story of a tattered Bible? Do you have a picture you'd like to share? Post it and link it to this site! What kind of Bible(s) should we get for our Lutheran youth group?
Green Bible
Poverty and Justice Bible
Red Letter Bible
NRSV
TNIV
NIV
CEV (What we've been using)
I don't know about you, but I am not always happy with 'youth' Bibles. It seems as if too often a 'youth Bible' is regular Bible that is jazzed up with few graphics. Does anyone know of a good Bible that actually gives commentary to the text that is applicable to youth? Let me know!
3 comments:
i have really enjoyed using 'the voice' edition of the NT with the youth. it has the gospels in 'script' format making it easy for group reading. Plus the commentary bits are awesome. Aware of the historical context, artistic quality of the text, and plenty of socio-economic commentary.
http://www.voiceproject.org/
My great-uncle (or whatever distant relation... who really keeps track of that stuff?) used to sell Bibles in the mid-west. You know, that "Bible Belt" place. And he was really successful. He could sell a new Bible to another Bible salesman. He could sell a new Bible to a Bible publisher. I'm tellin' you. It was unreal.
So I started wondering: how did he do it? How did he convince people to buy a new Bible even if they already had Bibles comin' out their ears?
The truth: he guilted 'em into it. He would knock on their door and would tell 'em how he was just a simple servant, someone who was just doin' the Lord's work. He would stand on their porch and say with convincing authority how sure he was that their Bible - the one that he was sure was sitting open next to their chair that very minute - was surely tattered and falling apart. And how lucky it was that he was there, the poor simple Bible salesman, and he had some Bibles left. Because the neighbors had just bought one. Or two.
And do you think anyone stopped him and said, "No thanks, kind sir. My Bible isn't anywhere near as worn and tattered as you say. Heck, it's still sittin' right on my bookshelf out of harm's way." Nope. Nobody said that. They quietly bought a Bible and thanked him for it.
I 2nd The Voice. I think the correct link is hearthevoice.com
Runner up would be the NRSV.
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