Bible Review: 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 provided by KJV Bibles.com]

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

King James Version. The text of the King James Version is beautiful, lyrical, dignified. 

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 LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Once you've fallen in love with the King James Version, it is hard to go back to modern, contemporary translations: 

The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name's sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff--they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
as long as I live. 

Though this HCSB translation is far superior to say The Message. 

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.

Bleed-through. This is an issue for all Bibles, not just creative journaling Bibles. It is nearly impossible to find a Bible that doesn't have some bleed-through. Bible pages are never thick enough to suit--in my opinion. I've taken photographs of some of the pages so you can judge for yourself what this one is like to read.

Illustration that goes with Genesis; you can see bleed-through from the other side reading 'Old Testament'

First page of Genesis

Genesis 2 and 3; you can see bleed-through from the illustration showing the seven days of creation

Genesis 2

Opening pages of Matthew

Matthew 5, You can see some bleed-through of the Beatitudes  illustration

Matthew 6

The Lord's Prayer illustration

Matthew 7

Matthew 17, the pages with just lines for journaling read much easier! 

Opening pages of Colossians

Legacy. 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. The color of the paper is CREAM. I really loved that.

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.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible