August 24, 2001. My best friend Anna Stone gave me a brand new, Extreme Teen Study Bible. IN the first page where you write all this stuff, she wrote, 'because I love you.' After I displayed great joy and mirth at the gift, she explained that she also was giving it to me, in addition to her love, due to the fact that my other Bible was falling apart. I had been given that Bible - a Children's Study Bible - by my Sunday School when I memorized so many verses and had attended so many weeks in a row (I think? Or maybe it was just for my birthday) It was nearing ten years old. I personally didn't feel like it was falling apart; its cover needed washing. The main issue was that it was a Children's Study Bible and I was a teenager and wasn't really sure how to study the Bible at that point. So the Extreme Teen Study Bible really helped.
However, if Anna could see it today, she'd probably dash out the door with no more ado and buy me yet another Bible (I'll take the ESV study Bible, please! Or the Hollman Study Bible. Yeah the ones that could kill someone if you hit them right with them, they are so huge). The poor Extreme Teen study Bible has been through a lot. It has moved back and forth across the United States and overseas with me. It suffered a bad case of mildew when I was in Romania and the pages still have stains and are all crinkly throughout the Book.
My favorite part is all the notes I've written into the margins - in dozens of pens and pencils. My youthful scrawl and loopy penmanship mercifully different now. I have snide retorts, deep questions, prayers, reminders to myself to be obedient or humble or learn to be wise or do better at Scripture Memorization.
I brought another Bible I had purchased for school (as it is about the size of my hand and I am pretty sure
as I get older I won't be able to read the text its so small) to Sunday School a couple of weeks ago. Wouldn't you know it, THIS particular Book was left on the roof of my car one day when I was unlocking the door, and it and my journal went flying off of the roof and ended up getting run over by a truck. The tread marks are still in the back flap to prove it. I made some apology for my Bible (missions major moment: we were always told to show utmost respect for our Bibles when going into other cultures because they did for their holy books and it would impede our progress if we seemed to flippant a religion). The dear old lady just smiled at me and said, 'honey, I found a note in my grandmother's tattered old Bible. It said on the front page, 'let this be a read Bible.' And I just thought that was so neat. Looks like yours is a read Bible!'
Hope so! 'Cause I just feel like they are abused Bibles!
So life comes in weird circles, because I want to invest in some Children's Bibles for my kids in the Children's Church. Wonder what stories their Testaments will tell!
However, if Anna could see it today, she'd probably dash out the door with no more ado and buy me yet another Bible (I'll take the ESV study Bible, please! Or the Hollman Study Bible. Yeah the ones that could kill someone if you hit them right with them, they are so huge). The poor Extreme Teen study Bible has been through a lot. It has moved back and forth across the United States and overseas with me. It suffered a bad case of mildew when I was in Romania and the pages still have stains and are all crinkly throughout the Book.
My favorite part is all the notes I've written into the margins - in dozens of pens and pencils. My youthful scrawl and loopy penmanship mercifully different now. I have snide retorts, deep questions, prayers, reminders to myself to be obedient or humble or learn to be wise or do better at Scripture Memorization.
I brought another Bible I had purchased for school (as it is about the size of my hand and I am pretty sure
as I get older I won't be able to read the text its so small) to Sunday School a couple of weeks ago. Wouldn't you know it, THIS particular Book was left on the roof of my car one day when I was unlocking the door, and it and my journal went flying off of the roof and ended up getting run over by a truck. The tread marks are still in the back flap to prove it. I made some apology for my Bible (missions major moment: we were always told to show utmost respect for our Bibles when going into other cultures because they did for their holy books and it would impede our progress if we seemed to flippant a religion). The dear old lady just smiled at me and said, 'honey, I found a note in my grandmother's tattered old Bible. It said on the front page, 'let this be a read Bible.' And I just thought that was so neat. Looks like yours is a read Bible!'
Hope so! 'Cause I just feel like they are abused Bibles!
So life comes in weird circles, because I want to invest in some Children's Bibles for my kids in the Children's Church. Wonder what stories their Testaments will tell!
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