This set is the full Bible, however, the Old and New Testaments each come in their own boxes. You can purchase just one testament, the whole Bible, or even just one book at a time. Clearly, the Old Testament is a much larger set than the New Testament. It should also be noted, that the boxes are slightly off sized from one another. In making the Old Testament box bigger, they also made it a little taller and deeper. So sitting side by side, the New Testament box does not perfectly line up with the Old Testament box.

Overall Look at the ESV Scripture Journal Set

Not every book of the Bible is a separate book, but most are. There are some of the smaller books that are combined into one book. Obadiah would make an awfully small book, you know?

Each book has unique art on the cover, somewhat pertaining to that particular book. The books are a gradient of colors, so they look lovely covered or uncovered on the shelf.

The outer box does cause some wear and tear on the upper spines of the books. You can see the damage caused by rubbing the box over the edge taking the box top on and off. So, you’ll want to decide early on if you want to leave them fully boxed or with the top of the box off.

A Look Inside Each Scripture Journal

The books have no artwork inside the book. They are entirely Scripture only. The left page is always Scripture and the right is lightly lined and blank for taking notes or making your own art. There are no notes, no cross references, and no study helps in this Bible. It is fully Scripture only.

Using This Scripture Journal Set

This set is a GREAT choice for studying individual books of the Bible. Say you are attending a Bible study for Ephesians or doing a Bible study on Ephesians yourself, you can take out just the book of Ephesians to carry with you. You have ample room for copious notes.

These Scripture Journals would also make an epic Bible Journaling project. It would be a project for a lifetime, for sure, to fill each book of the Bible with art. I’ve always imagined that I could do it, but I can’t even manage to fully artistically fill the interleaved ESV journaling Bible!

If you’re hoping to use these for art, I do have some notes on that. The blank pages are lined! But they are lightly lined in a way that most people wouldn’t mind. (But you might not be most people.) The paper is MUCH thicker than Bible paper. So these pages are much easier to paint on without the paper rippling up. It isn’t drawing paper or watercolor paper, so they still can only withstand so much. And the Scripture is on the back of every page, so any art with bleed through might make the Scripture portion unreadable. (The Interleaved ESV Bible has standard Bible paper, but Scripture is printed front and back of every other page, so there is no Scripture on the back of the blank pages. Each blank page has a blank page on back, so bleed through isn’t a big issue.)

This set is a big space commitment! However, it would make a lovely gift. It also makes a beautiful accent piece, though I do wish they had taken more care in making EXACTLY matching boxes so they’d look better on display. I think these Scripture Journals have a place for deeper Bible study with notes and Bible Journaling. You likely won’t want to take these with you to church, unless your pastor is preaching through a book of the Bible.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal Review
• ESV Journaling Study Bible Review
• ESV Interleaved Journaling Bible Review
• Word Before World

** This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links supply a small monetary reward for content creators when you use them to purchase items. **

The post ESV Scripture Journal Review appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

She Reads Truth Bible Study Books

If you follow the Notes From The Parsonage Facebook page, you may have already heard about She Reads Truth. I had signed up for their Auto-Ship program for their Devotion books. They release a new one each month, and most of the book is just Scripture. It makes devotional reading very easy to do on a daily basis because it is all right there. You can also scribble notes and prayers right there on the pages on not feel bad about “messing up” your Bible. (Not that I am at all averse to writing in my Bible.) The books are beautifully done. They contain beautiful art, scripture memorization cards, some have recipes, reflection questions, and charts. It is a very Bible centered devotion.

She Reads Truth App

Now, they also have an app. You can download the memory verses each week to use as a screen saver on your phone or tablet. I have found this particularly helpful in keeping the memory verse in front of me throughout the week. You can also purchase the devotions in digital form for significantly cheaper through the app. (The AutoShip program of the books is $29 a month with shipping. Each book on the app is $1.99 to $2.99 each. They even have some shorter books for free.) The app also has a Bible on it, if you don’t already have a Bible app you like.

I have really enjoyed the books. They have Scripture reading from the Old and New Testament each day, which I really enjoy. They connect the Scriptures very well. I have been very blessed in my personal devotion time with this resource and I absolutely highly recommend it.

He Reads Truth

They also offer a He Reads Truth version for men. I purchased the He Reads Truth Bible for the Pastor, but he didn’t like the size, font choices, or layout. It was too modern and too topical for his taste. It is also a THICK Bible with a hardcover front, which made it a little more difficult to cart around, since he doesn’t do his daily reading in one specific space. (The Pastor uses the Ancient Christian Devotional books for his daily reading.) All Scripture used for She Reads Truth is Holman Christian Standard translation. 

She Reads Truth Bible

When She Reads Truth announced they were releasing a Bible, I preordered it immediately. I had a hard time choosing my cover and options, because they all looked so beautiful. Finally, I settled on the Gray Linen Indexed version. And since I have never owned an indexed Bible, so I thought I would give that a try. Now that it has come in, I can give you an overview!

It comes in a very sturdy box to match. The linen cover is very nice, like an old book. The indexed tabs have 3 books per tab.

The first thing you come to in the Bible is a “How To Read The Bible” article. It is extremely helpful. I often have people ask me just this question. This lays it our very succinctly. There are also study guides in the front of each book. They have a reading plan for that book that includes references to other places in the Bible for a deeper, fuller understanding.

Next, you come to an article called “This Is The Gospel”. As a Wesley-Armenian, I often have a difficult time finding theologically appropriate study materials. So, I was a little hesitant to read this article. I was sure they would disappoint me theologically and then I might not enjoy it as much. However, that was not the case. She Reads Truth is very based on Scripture, so theologically, they were right on track. It is sad when you are delightfully surprised to not find borderline heresy in your Bible. But I was.

Each book of the Bible has the key verse of the book illustrated beautifully to begin the book. There is an intro page for each book, giving you the background and setting of the book to give you some context for the writing. Each book also contains a timeline, map, or chart that is helpful in reading that book. Genesis has a timeline. Exodus has a map. Leviticus has a diagram of the tabernacle. You get the picture. And as I said before, each book has a reading plan, complete with additional verses from other books. It is broken down into 5 days per week. The number of weeks depends on the book.

I love the formatting. Single column with a slight margin. This margin might be wide enough to do Bible journaling in, but I will reserve it for notes. There are also very clear footnotes at the bottom of each page. They aren’t tiny and hard to read. The paper is really thin. Thinner than most Bible paper. I’m sure you can tell from the photos that the paper is thin, since you can see through the page to what is printed on the other side. I found that gel highlighters work best for this paper, since they don’t show through at all. However, for margin notes, you’re going to have to deal with being able to see through it. You could use a pencil, but I am not a pencil person. 

There are also various devotions found throughout the Bible. They are a single page, two columns, and easy to find.

Back of Bible Features

In the back of the Bible, there is a list of the key verses for each book. There is also a genre guide, telling you how the Scripture is broken up. Each genre is color coded and you’ll find that those colors are also on the title page for each book. Then you’ll find the apostle’s creed. (It includes that Jesus descended into hell, but excludes the word Catholic.) Next there is a Bible in a year reading plan check list. It also lists a memory verse for each month. A topical index is next, followed by some maps they didn’t put in earlier, and a chart with weights and measures. (Ever wonder how much is a shekel or a cubit? Chart!)

Another awesome feature is that this Bible has TWO satin bookmarks! So you can hold your place in two places at once! 

All in all, I am loving this Bible! I cannot wait to dive into it and use it on a daily basis. I think it is a wonderful resource and could be very helpful if you’re looking for something to help you get into God’s Word more regularly and with passion. They clearly put a lot of thought and attention to detail in their devotional plans and their new Bible. 

**This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I make a small commission on products you purchase through my links. I am not endorsed or sponsored by She Reads Truth, just a customer. **

Other Notes From the Parsonage Posts You Might Enjoy

• ESV Women’s Study Bible Review
• ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal Review
• Faith and Action

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