I know some of our more charismatic friends and television sensationalists like John Hagee and Perry Stone have gone coo coo for blood moons. Waiting for the Shemitah to come and go can be nerve wrecking. If the end doesn’t come they will have to make a list of all the big bad scary things that happen during the year to prove their point. It will be the same with the blood moon. The lack of an apocalypse will have to be explained away again. That is the thing with making predictions and going further than what the text of the Bible actually says, you end up explaining things away out of necessity, or run the risk of having your followers leave you for the next doomsayer to fuel their fantasies. I encourage you all to not get, “caught up” in all of the scares. Don’t sell your house and buy a purple sweat suite with nikes and pudding just yet. Let’s just go as far as the Bible says and not make it say things it doesn’t say, mmmkay? There is a reason most credible theologians don’t write tons of commentary on Revelation, or other unfulfilled apocalyptic, prophetic, writings in the Bible. It is one thing to theorize or speculate, it is another to actually teach people that God has given you some personal revelation that makes you the false-prophet du jour. So for the love of God and His word please stop making false claims, stop getting people all upset and scared for no reason other than to profit from their fear.
Most of you are familiar with this title. It is an edifying record of several martyrs from the early Church. Every Christian should own a copy of this book, and read it for their growth. We need to know what happened and the culture in which it happened. We need to understand that it could happen again in our own country, and that it is happening now all over the world. If you don’t have a hard copy of this book and only have a digital copy, I suggest you get this one. It is affordable, well done, and printed in the U.S.A.
Digital copies are fine, but what happens when tech doesn’t work? What happens if a ruling class decides to issue an electronic update and your devices all rewrite your Christian books? Hard copies, put away in a library are insurance against that. I know, they take up a lot of room, and cost money, and can burn up in a fire, but they are important for archiving valuable information. This book contains content that would help us to act appropriately, in future situations that could be similar or the same. Reading about Christians who were pursued, persecuted, and killed for their faith, should help us understand that their convictions were strong. Stronger than their fear of death. We should all hope that if we, by God’s providence are to be martyred, that He would grant us the grace that these precious ones of His received.
We can read about the Apostles, and men like Polycarp who knew John. Here is an excerpt from the book,
“Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were seeking for him, escaped, but was discovered by a child. After feasting the guards who apprehended him, he desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed with such fervency, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned, and burnt in the market place.
The proconsul then urged him, saying, “Swear, and I will release thee;–reproach Christ.”
Polycarp answered, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?” At the stake to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured them he should stand immovable, the flames, on their kindling the fagots, encircled his body, like an arch, without touching him; and the executioner, on seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword, when so great a quantity of blood flowed out as extinguished the fire. But his body, at the instigation of the enemies of the Gospel, especially Jews, was ordered to be consumed in the pile, and the request of his friends, who wished to give it Christian burial, rejected. They nevertheless collected his bones and as much of his remains as possible, and caused them to be decently interred.”
We can also read about men from the Reformation like, John Wickliffe, John Huss, and Martin Luther. What these people did to preserve and spread God’s word, so that we could have it today, should make us appreciate their dedication and spur us on to remain faithful during persecution.
Today we are going to take a look at something a little bit different on the Soapbox. Usually we do Bible reviews and post Christian articles. We are going to look at No-Mes Fingernail clippers. I know this is unusual, but I think it will be a good thing. I found myself looking for a replacement set of clippers. I had inherited a set of American made clippers from my Father. I keep them on my key ring as a functional memento. My Dad passed away a few years ago. He was a big fan of good tools and American craftsmanship. He used to fabricate his own tools when he was a mechanic. When I use them, I think about him. I wanted to get another pair of American made nail clippers to keep on my key chain so I could put my Father’s up. I didn’t want to lose them. So, I set out to find an American made set of clippers.
I have had several Chinese made nailclippers. They are dull, they smash the nail, they tear the nail, they break, and they cost too much for what they are. I know there are at least 8 sets of clippers sitting in drawers at my house unused, because they are garbage. Everyone shares the one sharp set of clippers in the house. We all ask, “Hey, where are the clippers at? Who had them last?”
As a Christian, I am opposed to communism. It is a godless system that forces the worship of the government and created things instead of God. Communism is not good for human flourishing. I grew up during the cold war and remember the horrors of communism reported to us on the nightly news. This was back when news was not yellow journalism, a term I fear the youth of this nation knows nothing about. My Dad and his brothers were all vets. My Uncle Larry was in the first class of Air Commandos. He flew three tours in Vietnam fighting communism. Before the Air Force he was a Marine. My Dad was in the Air Force and served in Northern Africa in between the Korean War and the Vietnam war.
I began looking for some clippers by doing a search on the internet for, “American made fingernail clippers.” This lead me to Amazon. I saw several pop up but only one was truly American made, the No-Mes clippers from Industrial Tool and Die Co. Inc. in Troy, New Jersey. I felt angry. I’m not going to lie. I was angry that much of our industry has been shut down and shipped out. Not just shipped out, but shipped out to communists who enslave their own people to make shoddy quality goods for us to buy at low prices. Then the anger turned to a fondness. Fondness for a company started by one man and kept in the family. I’ve never met anyone from Industrial Tool and Die Co. Inc. I’ve never talked with them outside of my e-mails. I know nothing about them other than what their site says. Just the fact that they are in America making a quality product, for a decent value, warmed my heart. When I went looking for them on the web, I was surprised to see that they didn’t have much of a web presence, so I decided I would e-mail them and ask them for some clippers to review. They graciously accepted and here we are. I hope to bring some recognition to them and their product.
The clippers arrived in a padded envelope.
They were packed in a little white box with some padding and an instruction card with the warranty information on the other side.
The clippers were in a little plastic bag. When I took them out, I noticed they were a bit larger than my old clippers.
They also had a tool that was noticeably missing. The nail file/nail cleaner. I wondered why this was absent. After using the clippers, it was obvious that a nail file was not needed. The clippers cut the nail cleanly leaving no burs or rough spots. You just don’t have any snags to file. I was pretty impressed by that. I noticed something these clippers had that most do not, is the bin that catches the clippings.
No finding them later on the floor or seeing them snap and fly out into the room. The nails are cut cleanly, not smashed or torn. The blades are sharp and there were no irregularities on them to cause the clippers to malfunction.
They simply, did what they were intended to do! Amazing! I know, a product that did what it is supposed to do… How could we demand such a thing? Kids, you don’t know what you are missing. When you grow up using substandard tools and equipment, then replacing them with more of the same when they break, you never get to know what it is like to work with something of quality. These clippers are just good quality clippers. They are not gimmicky at all. The bin works the way that it is supposed to. I noticed there isn’t much travel with the handle the way that it functions and it is easy to hold.
They are a bit wider and have good flat spots for you to squeeze the handles. There are also grooves in the surfaces to help you keep hold of them. They were much easier to use than traditional styled clippers.
Traditional styled clippers allow the handle to swing around 360 degrees. These do not. They won’t pop out from under your thumb the way others will. They also have a hole in the end so they can be kept on a key ring.
The little metal flap that you fold over the bin is also the surface that the cam on the handle engages to actuate the clippers. It has two protrusions, one on each side. I think a person could use them to clean under a nail if they had to.
These would make a great stocking stuffer, or gift for the man in your life. They are a good value as well. You can pick them up on Amazon for about $13. Here is the product description from the Amazon product page,
The patented no-post/no-swivel design offers a simpler no fumbling method of trimming nails. Clippings stay inside a specially designed compartment, unlike ordinary nail clippers that launch your nail clippings across the room. The “No-Mes” nail clipper is easily emptied by opening the handle, then folds up for compact storage. All hardened tool steel with precision ground cutting edges, polished and chrome plated finish. The “No-mes” nail clipper is designed and manufactured in the USA to last forever and is guaranteed for life!
I really appreciate having a good pair of nail clippers handy. Don’t be fooled by imitators or cheap Chinese made knock-offs. Make sure to get the No-Mes clippers. Here is their web address, www.nomesnailclipper.com Here is a link to them on Amazon, No-Mes Clippers. If only they could figure out a way to put a knife blade, laser beam, grappling hook, and internet on these… nope, just kidding. They are great the way they are. Make sure to look at all the high resolution pictures of these clippers on my Flickr album page here.
You can watch my youtube video review of them here.
Richard Baxter’s, “The Reformed Pastor” published by, “The Banner of Truth” is just as relevant today as it was in 1651. It is a timeless classic of Christian writing and should be in every Pastor’s library and read by every Christian. This book was written to address problems Baxter saw with his contemporaries. He was going to address them with a speech, but fell ill. Instead, he wrote to them, the words recorded in this book. Some Pastors were unbelievers, some were, cold intellectuals with great educations, others were passionate, but not qualified to serve as Pastors, yet still others were just as crass and base as the carnal world they wallowed in. Baxter took them all to task, and not just them, but himself also.
Don’t be mistaken. This book is not a polemic, but a call to repent and be a loyal and true servant of God. The work is broken down into three chapters. Chapter one, “The oversight of ourselves” starts as a check up or a self-diagnostic per se. Baxter effectively brings to light the necessity of a Pastor being truly regenerated. Then, he warns Pastors about pitfalls of bad practices, as well encourages them. Chapter two, “The oversight of the flock” is just that. Instruction on how to perform the vocation dutifully for the Lord’s service and man’s benefit. If it weren’t full enough of good applicable information, then comes chapter three, “Application.” This Chapter is the largest of the book, and encompasses the most directly applicable information for Pastors. The book in its entirety, convicts, informs, and exhorts.
Some of you might be concerned that this book will be difficult to read due to it being in Modern English. (like the King James) I want to assure you that it was not a difficult read. Baxter put much emphasis on being comprehensible. He encourage the Pastors of the time to employ language and nomenclature that the common man would readily understand. With that in mind, Baxter wrote. This book, at times might slow you down, but not excessively or without easy remedy.
One of the points that grabbed my attention and seemed anachronistic was his preaching against Pastors using their positions as a means to easy and comfortable lives. It brought to mind many of the Television Pastors living in sixteen thousand square foot palatial homes, while owning fleets of private jets. I guess bilking the hurting and needy in the name of God has been around for a long time. That is why it, “seemed” anachronistic when it actually wasn’t.
There is so much in this book to like. I found myself underlining and highlighting entire sections. It is extremely relevant for today, just as I am sure it was for the time in which Baxter wrote. It reminds me of, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan, but only for Pastors and from the perspective of a Pastor. That being said, there are theological notions that Baxter held that I do not affirm. He held to a sort of middle way when it came to soteriology. He wasn’t Arminian and he wasn’t Reformed. While I may not hold to Baxter’s theological convictions, I did thoroughly enjoy this book and will probably read it again and again over the years to come. You can purchase your copy from the Banner of Truth here, or Amazon here, and finally Christianbook here.
I know many of you haven’t heard of Local Church Bible Publishers, or LCBP. I would like to remedy that problem for you. I say that it is a problem because you are missing out on a very well made Bible. The only caveat is that you must be a fan of the Authorized Version of the King James. LCBP only prints KJV Bibles. If that is not a problem for you, then you have a good selection of low priced, high quality, edge lined Bibles to choose from. Usually Bibles of this quality would sell for $100 or more. These range from the $20 New Testaments up to the $70 Super Giant Print. Here is a link to their page, Local Church Bible Publishers
The 180E1B is the 180 Hand Size, Text Bible in the Executive line, with a one piece cover, in black ironed calfskin leather. When closed, it measures 6″ x 8.5″ x 1.5″ It is an attractive looking Bible. The grain has been ironed out of it.
It is smooth and flexible. There are decorative spine hubs and gold gilt page edges. On the spine is written, “Holy Bible” at the head, “Authorized King James” at the middle, and, “Church” at the tail.
There are decorative gold and black, head and tail bands. It comes with two, black ribbon markers.
There is a perimeter line on the cover. The cover is perimeter stitched to the inside liner.
The Bible is edge lined and smyth-sewn, making it very durable and flexible. You would not get this quality without spending much more. LCBP Bibles are an extremely good value.
When you open this Bible you first see some blank pages made from a heavier card stock, then the presentation page, and the family records pages. Then the Title page as well as the Preface to the King James Version 1611, “THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER.” We then get into the meat of the Bible. It is laid out in a double column, verse format, with a line separating the columns. This is a text Bible so there are no cross-references or footnotes. It is also a black letter edition that utilizes the self-pronouncing text in a 10.5 pt medium font. It looks like an old typesetting of the text. The font is not sharply printed like modern methods would produce. It is well inked and dark. The paper makes up for the font. It is very opaque and heavy.
If I could only get this Bible in NASB I’d be happy. I know the people at LCBP would not like that last bit 🙂 There is a robust 197 page concordance in the back as well as some blank sheets for note taking. There are six maps printed on the same cardstock paper as were in the front of the Bible. If you are in the market for an AV KJV Bible that will outlast you, and don’t want to spend a bunch give LCBP a look. You might be pleasantly surprised. Make sure to check out all the pictures of this Bible on my Flickr page.
This Bible arrived undamaged and in good condition. It was shipped in a cardboard box, cushioned with paper packaging.
The Bible was in a sturdy 2 piece retail box that should be retrained for storage.
I love the fact that this is covered in genuine leather instead of bonded leather or faux leather of some kind. For under $40 this is a big plus.
It would be worth the purchase price just for getting an NASB in a genuine leather cover, but wait, there’s more. It has a flexible sewn binding.
I’m getting ahead of myself. The genuine leather is better than expected for the low purchase price. The front cover has no markings. The spine has, “Holy Bible” at the head, “New American Standard Bible 1995 Edition” in the middle, “Side-Column Reference” under that and, “NASB Foundation Publications” at the bottom.
On the back cover the isbn is printed along with the cover type and model number.
The corners are mechanically folded. The inside cover is lined with black vinyl to match the outside cover. This is a case bound book.
There is a presentation page and a family records page in the front of this Bible.
I hope some people still use these. They seem antiquated to some, but I do write in them. It helps me remember important occasions. There’s no other book we should be in more than the Bible. If we are picking it up everyday we can look at those dates.
After these pages you come to the copyright and publisher information page.
It tells us that this Bible is made in China.
The next pages are the translation information and the Table of Contents.
This is one of my all time favorite layouts for a Bible. It is a single column of text, in verse format, with cross references in a side column in the margin of the page. There are over 95,000 cross-references to enrich your reading and study.
Layout is a very personal and subjective preference. That is why there are so many. I am not a fan of the single column layout when done in paragraph format. Many of the newer Bibles from publishers are being set up this way. People claim they are easier to sit and read. This might be so for some people, but for me it doesn’t work. I get distracted easily and need still and quiet to sit and read. Even movements on a television that has been muted will distract me. When I get distracted, it is difficult to come back to where I left off. With a verse format Bible I find it easier to resume reading.
The font is printed in 10 pt. size so it is large enough to read with the Bible resting on my lap. This black letter edition is printed with modern digital font that have clean and clear edges.
The paper could be a bit more opaque.
I find that with artificial lighting pointed at the page the ghosting is worse, than when I am reading with natural or ambient lighting. This is not something I measured, it is just my personal opinion. There are healthy 1” wide margins to jot down your thoughts in.
There is one black ribbon marker, black and gold decorative head and tail bands, and gold gilt page edges.
In the back is an 82 page concordance. It is pretty helpful compared to many concise concordances you’ll find in the back of Bibles. There are also 9 pages of book introductions and 8 maps.
This Bible measures 9.75″ x 7.00″ x 1.50″ Even though it isn’t small it is not cumbersome.
My overall impression is that this Bible is one of my favorite layouts and I find myself using it pretty often. the single column layout helps me read with fluidity while the verse format helps me keep on track. I can also look up verses quickly. The only flaw is the somewhat less than opaque paper. The purchase price makes this Bible a great value and the quality binding makes this a long time friend. I would suggest this Bible to anyone looking for a full sized reference Bible with a genuine leather cover in a single column layout. One of my all time favorites from Lockman Foundation.
Make sure to check out the rest of the pictures on my flickr page.
ISBN-13: 9781581351590
Yes, it is true! We can still make high quality Bibles here in America, and they are affordable! I’m not saying this is a cheap Bible by any means, far from it. It is a high quality Bible. I will go over all of the features later in the review. This Bible sells for around $80.00 online. Even if they sold it for the suggested retail price of almost $120.00 it would be worth it. So to all of my patriotic friends, “‘MericA!” The Holman HCSB Large Print Ultratin Reference Bible showed up on my doorstep well protected inside an appropriately sized cardboard box padded with paper.
The two piece retail box is sturdy and should be retained for storage. The Bible was wrapped in black paper to further protect the black genuine cowhide leather cover.
I’ve read some other reviews of this Bible and much ado was made over the cover’s softness. I’ll admit that is the main reason I wanted to review this for myself. Although, it is a very nice cover, I wouldn’t call it the softest or most supple cover I’ve ever seen. Considering that soft does not always equate to good, don’t let my mention of that stop you from getting this Bible. I quite like that it isn’t as soft as what I was reading on other sites. For instance, I have an R. L. Allan Readers in goatskin leather. It is nothing like the goatskin I have on a Cambridge Clarion Bible. The Allan was thick and tough compared to the Cambridge. When you get into Bibles, one of the first things that gets you going is that there are Bibles out there with very soft covers. This new excitement wears thin after a while. After using Bibles with super supple covers for a while you begin to notice some drawbacks. Super supple covers or ssc’s for short, do enhance the flexibility of a quality edge lined, sewn binding. What you’ll notice though is that you will begin a tendency to bend your Bible in ways that are not conducive to a long useful binding life. You’ll also become annoyed at your Bible flopping around at inconvenient times. If you have a larger Bible that is ssc it will become more difficult to sit and read as you have to support it someway. The ssc’s also are more susceptible to scratches, and abrasions. The cover can flop away from the pages and leave your pages unprotected. I don’t know how many more dog eared pages I’ve gotten solely due to the ssc. There is a happy medium, thank goodness. I think that this Bible fits in that category very well. The genuine cowhide leather cover IS supple, but not too supple.
It is coupled with a case bound text block instead of an edge lined one.
This also keeps it from being excessively flexible, without too rigid.
The cover offers just the right amount of support and protection. When I open it to read from it, I can read both the left and right pages while holding the Bible in one hand, without one of them folding over so it can’t be read. With an ssc you can’t do this. With a rigid cover you are fighting the cover, constantly trying to keep it down and out of the way. This Bible is just right in that regard. When I took it out of the box and the paper it was wrapped in, I didn’t notice any chemical smells, just the smell of leather, as it should be. It felt good in my hands. The spine wasn’t too thick or thin. It is manageable in size at 9.75″ x 6.75″ x 1.25″ The texture of the leather’s grain is natural and pleasing to the touch. The spine is decorated with 6 raised hubs. At the head of the spine is the Holman sword and shield logo with, “HCSB” under it. In the middle of the spine are the words, “Holy Bible.” At the foot you’ll see, “Large Print Ultrathin Reference Edition” with the Holman logo beneath it.
It has gold gilt page edges rounded corners and a slightly rounded spine. The signatures are fairly large. I think this is what accounted for some pretty dramatic looking page waves when I first took this Bible out to use.
The good news is that those wrinkles you see in the pictures went away after a day of being out of the box and packaging. With just light use everything kind of balanced out. For some reason the pictures made the problem look worse than what it was. Since this Bible has a lifetime warranty through Holman, if you received one with this problem I am certain they would take it back and do what they needed to do to make sure you were happy. I just used it for a little while and it got much better. In the front of the Bible there is a Presentation page. Then there are record pages for Marriage Certificate, Births, Marriages, Occasions to Remember, and Deaths. After the records pages there is the Title page, copyright/publisher’s page, Table of Contents, God’s Plan for Salvation, Introduction to the HCSB translation and finally the text of the Old Testament starts.
The paper is white enough to offer good contrast with the sharply printed modern digital 9 pt. font. The layout and typesetting was done by 2Krogh AS, Hojbjerg, Denmark and proofreading by Peachtree Editorial Services in Peachtree City Georgia. This Bible uses the 2009 Updated HCSB and cross references.
This is a red letter edition. It is a double column, paragraph format Bible with center column references and footnotes at the bottom.
In the footnotes there are alternate readings or notes on textual variants that is quite helpful.
All of these features lend themselves to a highly legible text. It is easy on the eyes and will be a pleasure to use. The book names and chapter numbers are on the bottom of the page instead of the top along with the page numbers.
If you are holding this Bible in your hand or lap while reading from a chair this makes more sense. If you are leaning over this Bible reading it at a table or desk the placement of that information can be less convenient. It is not the conventional way to do it, but that is not necessarily bad. There are two ribbon markers for your daily reading in the Old and New Testaments.
There is a concordance, eight full-color maps, and HCSB Bullet Notes in the back of this Bible. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised lately by the quality and value of Holman Bibles I’ve been sent for review. I am actually beginning to expect this level of quality and value from Holman. Because of their work and the fact that we can have a domestically produced Bible of quality and value, I am expecting more from other Bible publishers. This is good for Holman, it might be painful to other publishers, but they can look at it as a negative and stop sending me Bibles to review like some have, or they can pick up the challenge and step up their game. Make sure to check out the rest of the pics I took of this Bible here.
This review is about the quality of the Bible not the translations. The KJV has been around for a little over 400 years and is quite well known. The MEV is supposed to be translated from the same source texts as the KJV so don’t expect that many differences. This Bible came packed in a padded envelope.
I would like to say that it arrived completely undamaged, but it did not. There are a couple bent corners.
No big deal, but worth a mention, since all of the books I’ve received from Charisma House/Passio have been packaged the same way. The hardback Bible has a dust jacket that has the information a retail box would have on it. I don’t use dust jackets, so that was not a big loss. The cover is black and has in gold on the spine, “KJV KING JAMES VERSION” under that is, “Parallel Bible KJV/MEV” and then, “MEV MODERN ENGLISH VERSION PASSIO”
The attractive spine is hidden by the dust jacket. On the front cover the book is imprinted with the, “PARALLEL BIBLE KJV/MEV.”
Once opened, you’ll notice that it is, of course, case bound with 3 blank pages before the Title Page.
This is followed by the copyright and publisher information page.
Directly after that is the Table of Contents. Next we have The KJV Epistle Dedicatory page to King James.
Next up is a Dedicatory page for the MEV to Queen Elizabeth II. (That is just kind of strange to me.)
From there it is straight into the Old Testament. The KJV is printed on a slightly grayed out watermark to differentiate it from the MEV. The MEV is printed in the left column. The paper is pretty white, although it is excessively translucent. It is not near opaque enough. This doesn’t help when the font is only a 6 pt. font in size.
The Bible was printed and bound in America.
It looks like line matching was employed. That helps offset the problem caused by the thin paper. The binding is sewn and flexible.
If treated right it should last a long time. It seems to be a sturdy Bible. There are very limited notes, to the point of being nonexistent. If you purchased this Bible for that reason you will be disappointed. I guess that will teach you to look at the product descriptions more closely. The book titles, chapter and verse information are printed on the top outer corners of the pages, page numbers are at the top, center. It is a double column, black text format.
There are no fancy features here to run the cost up. No gilt page edges, ribbon markers, or concordances here, just the text of the two versions, the only exception to that is the One Year Bible Reading Plan after Revelation.
All in all it is a mediocre quality Bible with nothing of interest to offer except the two versions in parallel, and that is probably all the reason you need to buy a copy. The American production quality is good and the printing is consistent and sharp. For the money you can afford to have one just to compare the translations. I would like to see this in a 4 way parallel with, KJV/MEV/NKJV/NASB. I think this would go a long ways for the textual criticism guys.
To all of my family and friends, who think that I have become too religious, fanatical, or that I am one of those Christians who push their religion down everyone’s throat’s, please consider this; If I truly believe what the Bible says about Hell, if I believe all people who have not repented of sin and put their faith in Christ are going to spend eternity in Hell, having the wrath of God poured out on them forever, and I just live my happy little life without warning you of the Hell to come for you, how is that loving? I would be actively hating you and not obedient to God. My love for Him and you compels me to warn you! Wake up! A faith in God is fine. Everyone believes in God. Even the devil and the demons believe in God so you are in the company of demons, congratulations. The Faith that saves is more than just an intellectual affirmation that God exists and you believe in Him. You might even affirm that Jesus is God and that He died for your sins, that won’t save you either. Many people sit in Church on Sunday and say they believe, but they have not been crucified with Christ. They have not been born again as a new person. They don’t even understand what that means, because it hasn’t happened to them. They think they are, but they can’t know until God has regenerated them, and justified them, granting them true faith and repentance that leads to life. You can believe in God and live the same life you were before, because you don’t truly believe what He says, or what He has done. Truly believing in God means you will believe what He says and live life according to His truth. So what you do will seem strange to everyone who does not trust what He says in His word. If I explain to you how a parachute works and how you are to use it, but if you act as if you don’t truly believe me or trust me, or the parachute, when the airplane is in trouble, you will sit in your seat and hope for the best as you plummet to your death. If what I had told you changed your thinking towards the parachute, you will put it on and use it. Faith applied in action is true faith. It must change you. You must behave as it is true. If I were the only one who could truly see that there was a pit of fire in front of millions of people and they were all about to fall in, even if I warned them, they would insist I was crazy, but what if I wasn’t? What if they were just blind to it? Christians truly see what is actual, because God has opened their eyes. If you are not truly saved you are blind to the hell to come. We simply love you too much to not warn you. Repent, turn away from your sins, let them go, don’t hold on to any remnant of your old life, let the old man be killed and buried, be born anew as a servant of God. Believe Him and His work on the cross. Jesus is God and He has shed His precious blood to pay for your sins. Believe in and on Him for your salvation and live out the new life He has brought you into.
The Compact Ultrathin from Holman arrived at my porch, well packed in a cardboard box, with paper packing.
The retail box is a two piece box that should be retained for storage. (Once you get this it will never be stored, it is that good.)
Inside the box the Compact Ultrathin is wrapped in black construction paper to protect it during shipping.
The Holman New King James Version Bible in brown genuine cowhide leather is one of the best compact Bibles I’ve seen. It is a bit smaller than the Pitt Minion settings, larger than the Ruby Text settings, while also remaining an ultrathin. Here is a picture of it with the Cambridge Cameo on the left and the Cambridge Pitt Minion on the right.
It is a great design. 2K/Denmark did the typesetting/layout for Holman and I have to say it looks excellent. Even though this Bible was manufactured in China, Holman has managed to ensure quality control. I don’t know how they accomplish this, as many of their competitors have failed. The cover is their standard chocolate colored, soft, cowhide leather. It remains one of the nicest covers you can get for the money.
It is aesthetically pleasing with decorative spine hubs adorning the spine and gold lettering. NKJV inside a circle is at the head of the spine, with, “Holy Bible” in the middle, and the Holman logo at the tail of the spine.
The Bible is case bound so the inside color matched, vinyl liners are pasted down to the inner cover.
The covers corners are mechanically folded with precision.
Inside you’ll find a, “Presentation Page “and three, “Occasions to Remember” pages.
Next are the, Copyright page and the, “Table of Contents” along with a, “Preface to the New King James Version” and, “God’s Plan for Salvation.”
The paper appears to have a good amount of titanium dioxide in it as it is pretty white and opaque for being so thin. The print is also laid out with line matching, which greatly aids in legibility. 2K/Denmark used a modern digital font that at 6 pt. in size remains easy on the eyes during reading. They got the line spacing just right as well. At the beginning of each book the title is printed boldly in larger font on the top of the page. The chapter headings are bold as well. Book names and chapters are indicated on the top, outer margin of each page, while the page numbers are on the top near the gutter of each page.
The print of this red letter edition is arranged in a double column, paragraph format, with limited notes on the foot of the page.
There is a brown ribbon marker, as well as decorative head and tail bands. They match the colors of the cover and liner. The page edges are gold gilt and there is a small concordance in the back.
The individual word entries are in red while their concordance information is in black. This makes looking up words quick. It is easy to distinguish between the word you are looking for and the concordance information.
After the concordance are eight pages of color maps printed on slightly heavier and more glossy paper.
It is the same as the, “Presentation” and, “Occasions to Remember pages.” Measuring in at 6.75”x4.5”x .75” this handy little Bible is very portable and can fit in a lunchbox or purse easily, leaving plenty of room for other items. It can be had for $22.50. Considering its size, low price, and brilliant design, I predict that this will be number one in my top ten compact Bibles of 2015 Comparison. (If I do one… would you all like a top ten?) That being said, GO BUY ONE NOW! Visit my flickr page to see all of the super cool pictures of this Bible 🙂
Snyder's Soapbox 