Something that our family does manage to do consistently is Bible reading. Sometimes this is Daddy reading in the evenings, sometimes Mama starts our school time with a selection of Scripture and other days it may mean that the children are required to read on their own. Different seasons and schedules determine which option (or options) we choose. Once our children are starting to read on their own (no matter how fluently, if the desire is there), they receive a Bible of their own. Some have received traditional Bibles (with a pink sparkling cover for one daughter) and others have a children’s Bible (not picture or story Bible, just a slightly modified translation).
When children have their own Bible, they are more eager to read it on their own. They are able to dig in deep and draw closer to the Lord; they are able to begin to learn to hear His voice. I think having their own Bible to read from and to be responsible for does a lot to encourage and equip our children. We like to sit around with our different translations and compare what each says for a particular passage of Scripture. What we may have memorized in the NIV or KJV translations may take on new significance when read from other translations.
I was not familiar with the CEB – Common English Bible translation until the Deep Blue Kids Bible came into our home. This new Bible for children is in a conversational style recommended for readers in 2nd through 7th grade. At first glance, it is closer to the thought-for-thought end of the spectrum. Upon further study, there are some verses that are a truer translation to the Greek texts than some that are considered literal translations. Here are some examples from some of my favorite verses:
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” Geneva 1599
“When God began to create the heavens and the earth – ” CEB
John 1:1-5
“1 In the beginning was that Word, and that Word was with God, and that Word was God. 2 This same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made. 4 In it was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 And that light shineth in the wilderness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” Geneva 1599
“1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 3 Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being 4 through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.” CEB
Some features of children’s Bibles seems more to entertain rather than to encourage thinking and application of Scriptures. We have found many useful features in the Deep Blue Kids Bible. Some of them include the “God Thoughts/ My Thoughts” devotions, Navigation Point! – memory verses, Lighthouse – notes to help develop faith – many of these on Wisdom sprinkled throughout Proverbs. I like that these extra features are subtle when right in the midst of the text. As you are reading though, you can skip right over them or take a detour and dig deeper.
Not all of these features are mixed in the text. Some are set apart. The background information at the beginnings of each book are especially helpful to my children who are just beginning their own Bible discoveries.
As my children are doing more independent reading and taking ownership of their own time in the word, I want them to also see the Bible as a manual and help for life. This section titled “I Wonder what to do when I’m ….” offers verses to refer to see what the Word says concerning various feelings and emotions. It is nice to have this in one spot for reference.
There are also some features unlike any we have seen before. This is a favorite of my second daughter. She likes to see if she can beat the time suggested for various passages in the Bet You Can! challenges. There is a fine line in children’s Bibles between engaging and entertaining the children; between instilling a love for the Word and satisfying that hunger with eye candy. I have been pleased to have found nothing that crosses that line in the Deep Blue Kids Bible.
A pdf sample is available as well as reviews from fellow Crew mates if you’d like to learn more. To pick up your own copy, try your local retailer or one of the various merchants listed on this purchase page. We received the Image-Flex version. I really like this sturdy cover. They also offer it in Deco-Tone (a splahy imitation leather), red imitation leather, and hardcover (we don’t care for this type – surely we’re not the only family with hardcover Bibles held together with duct tape?).
