From time to time, the good folks at #BibleGatewayPartner give me the opportunity to review a new product, typically a Bible. I’m a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid. They don’t pay me for this, although I am provided a review copy. The opinions I give are strictly my own.

This week I received a copy of the Timeless Truths Bible, published by Thomas Nelson. I am intrigued. 

For starters, this is the New English Translation. I’d never seen it. There are beaucoup Bible translations out there, and I’m sure you have a favorite. The New English Translation was copyrighted in 1996 and 2019, and this particular edition was copyrighted this year. 

I don’t know that I’d switch to the NET as my preferred translation, but I have definitely thrown it into my study mix. You can read all about how this translation came about at netbible.com/net-bible-preface, but the short version is that a team of more than 25 of the world’s foremost biblical scholars from across several denominations took a swipe at this job. What is so cool is that this group – and their work has been transparent and accessible during the whole translation process – has hit a sweet spot. The Bible does a commendable job of balancing between a strict word-for word translation (which can be stiff and awkward carried to an extreme) or own that is loose and easy to read (which can be so loose as to be a paraphrase.) Both approaches have their adherents, but this translation manages to pull off that balancing act, for the most part. 

So that’s the Bible itself. What, then, makes it the Timeless Truths Bible?

Here’s where I got hooked. I don’t fancy myself a theologian, but I am intrigued by what the scholars from decades or even centuries ago had to say about certain biblical passages. To that end, you’ll find explanations from folks like Augustine, Bunyan, Calvin, Clement of Alexandria, Edwards, Spurgeon, Henry, Jerome, Wesley … want me to go on? I could. 

Every chapter in the Bible contains a commentary from a genuine giant of the faith. It’s provocative stuff. Insights? You’ll find them by the boatload. The quotes and commentary are found in the generous margins of each page (great for note taking). Those marginal notes include the brief commentary, its source, and who wrote it. 

This is totally fresh. There are study Bibles galore available out there, but I’ve never seen one like this. 

Other features include book introductions, biographies of men and women transformed by the Gospel, and a whole section of creeds and confessions. Before you blow off that last section – maybe you’re not a creedal type – note that you can see how the church has always valued the word of God. God has worked in His people throughout history, and this section amplifies this.

One other feature that I thoroughly enjoyed: scattered throughout this Bible are selections of sacred art, printed on glossy paper. Those art pieces are drawn from all different eras of church history, by a diverse collection of artists from many different styles and cultures. What a great complement to the commentary! You’ll find a list of the artwork and short interpretations of each scene. This is good. 

By now you’ve realized this isn’t a typical study Bible. It isn’t intended to be. Rather, it’s a source of rich commentary on scripture written by those much smarter than me (and possibly you too!)

I recommend this Bible as a worthy addition to your library. 

Want a copy? Find it at bit.ly/3RtzaBU or on Amazon at amzn.to/48fTCMB . 

For more on the translation itself, visit timelesstruthsbible.com .

Be blessed. Be well!

I want to share part of Elizabeth’s story with you.

Elizabeth Fiegle was the minister of children and families at Liberty Baptist Church in Flowood, Mississippi, for a season. A Florida native, she finished up her work in Mississippi and headed south, returning to her Atlantic coast home.

She has  quite the story. Elizabeth’s story has sure encouraged me. I asked her to be my guest blogger today. Read this. Follow her on Instagram. Be blessed.

~ Tony ~

Tony asked me to share my story with you all, and as much as I would love to share my entire story, there simply isn’t space for that right now. I’m instead going to share a small glimpse into a season and a practice God taught me during it. In November 2016, everything seemed to be coming together and I found myself thinking that all the pain I had endured for years was over – that God was finally going to reward my faithful obedience. I’m chuckling as I write those sentences, because what followed the “happiest” season of my life was the worst year of my life which I fondly refer to it as “The Hard Year”.

In May 2017, in the midst of a conversation being had in a parking lot, the Hard Year began and I had no idea the pain I was about to learn to endure. During that year from May 2017 – June 2018, I lost three key relationships – the man I thought I would marry, my grandma who was my friend, and a family member who decided they needed time away from our relationship. While I don’t like to brush over the circumstances, they’re not central to this story, because the focus isn’t about what happened, the focus is God and what He taught me through that year.

He taught me to take a deep breathe and exhale it out.

Breathing in is as natural as anything we do, we don’t put thought into breathing until we find we’re having trouble with it. To breathe, to take a breath, sounds really simple and is easy to read in a sentence, but when you’re laying wide awake at 3:21am every night and your mind is spinning with the feelings that God is cruel and led you into the worst pain of your life – breathing is hard. Really, really hard.

Do I really mean breathing, like inhale – exhale breathing?

Yes, and no, but yes.

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.”

I don’t remember when this verse took on new meaning for me, but I know it was during one of my 3am mind-spirals. Once I noticed these spirals were happening frequently, I tried to discipline myself to picking up my Bible and reading it as I lay awake. And so, like many other nights, I picked up my Bible to read Scripture and I looked up Psalm 23. I read it, but then looked it up in the NIV version and found myself stuck on 3 words: I lack nothing. I thought to myself, “If God’s word is true (and I believe it is), then this tells me that God is my shepherd that I am following and when I am following Him, I lack nothing.

So even though I feel like I am lacking everything right now, perhaps in this season, I have all that I need from God and nothing more or less. It may look like lack to me, but God knows it is all I need.”

And just like that I found myself repeating over and over again until I fell back asleep “God you are leading me and I lack nothing. You are providing what I need right now and I trust you.” And then I physically took a deep breath and exhaled it out.

This practice didn’t fix everything in that moment, but what I found is that every time the devil started to try to convince me I was lacking a relationship, a job I loved, or anything else, I would pause as soon as the thoughts started to swirl and I would repeat to myself Psalm 23: 1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. God help me see you.” *inhale, exhale*

The practice of pausing, repeating Psalm 23:1, inhaling and exhaling is still something I do today when I start to let my mind wander into the “lacks”.

This verse that I have read and heard a million times walked with me through the Hard Year. I also would like to note I went to counseling for a year straight, and if my doctor and I thought necessary – I would have taken medicine. I kept my Bible and a notebook with me to write down my feelings and attach scripture to them to align myself into what God’s word says. I felt all of my feelings – which was excruciating but necessary (you can’t heal from something you don’t acknowledge is there).

And I breathed, learned to exhale, eventually started laughing again, and now – I sit here with a smile on my face writing about a time I wasn’t sure I would ever laugh again.

I don’t know why I felt led to share this small part of my story with y’all, but I think we all could benefit from pausing and breathing probably every hour, if not at least once a day.

Whatever you’re walking through right now, I hope that you are allowing God to lead you – and because you are allowing God to lead you – you lack nothing right now, today, in this moment you’re reading this post.

You have everything you need from God, which means you have everything you need.

I hope you are encouraged friends, thanks for reading.

If you want to keep up with me and probably the biggest gift from God I’ve been given – you can find me on instagram at @ebfiegle and follow my coffee and popsicle shop – @riverroadcp. It’s a literal dream come true, maybe one day I’ll share that story too.