My First Impressions of the My Creative Bible

My Creative Bible KJV (Pink Hardcover) Illustrated by Brad Miedema and Allison Sowers. 1611/2016. Christian Art Publishers. 1410 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

I received a copy of the My Creative Bible in the mail today! This post is not a proper review of the Bible--the text/translation of the Bible. This post is just sharing my first impressions of the Bible so far. When I've read the Bible in its entirety, then I will do a proper review.

The translation is the King James Version. Chances are you have an opinion of the King James Version already. You may love, love, love it. Or you may find it super-intimidating and not-for-you. How do I feel about the King James Version? I absolutely love it. It is in my top three. (In no particular order my top three are KJV, NASB, and ESV.) I will say this--if you've never tried reading it as an adult, you should give it a try. You might find it more to your liking than you think.

The concept is creative journaling. There are lined margins on most--if not all--pages. There are elements to color in as well. Chances are you have an opinion on Christian coloring books. This is not a coloring book--it's a Bible. But there are pages that encourage you to color in your Bible. I have mixed feelings on coloring books in general. Some pages are easier than others. Sometimes the details you're supposed to be coloring in are so super-tiny that it is absolutely impossible to do neatly. I like markers better than colored pencils. I'm not sure markers would work in the  My Creative Bible. Bible pages are so much thinner than coloring pages. (And even coloring in pages have some bleed through with markers.) I have no doubt that there are products that would probably work (well) for those interested in creative journaling.

The publisher mentions this would be a good legacy to leave behind for your children and grandchildren. This is food for thought. I would have loved to read a Bible with notes (writing, underlining, etc.) from a grandparent. It would be a wonderfully bittersweet keepsake. Sweet in the connection, and joyous in the knowledge that one day you will see them again. Bitter in the achy way that you want to talk to them here and now.

Single column. I personally love that this Bible is single column instead of double-column.

Verse-by-verse. This one is not in paragraphs but is arranged verse by verse.

It is not--I repeat NOT--broken down into syllables. I really do not like it when editions of the King James Version does this.

Black-letter. The Words of Christ appear in BLACK and not red. Every reader has their preference. This I know. But I love, love, love, love, love black letter Bibles. It's really hard for me to enjoy red letter Bibles because they are difficult for my eyes. I am always looking--and I do mean always--for King James Bibles that are black letter.

Font size. The font size is 8.65. In a perfect, perfect, perfect world the font size would have been 9 point. Just a teeny tiny smidge bigger would have made it a little easier on my eyes. That being said, I found it readable. It is certainly no smaller than your average/typical Bible in print in this day and age.

The cover. I found it tactilely pleasing. I also love the elastic band closure. I don't know that I'd want this on every single Bible I own--but it's a nice treat for a change.


Review copy provided by KJV Bibles Store.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible