NIV Essentials Study Bible Review

An awesome new Study Bible that I was able to have the chance to review is the NIV Essentials Study Bible. While I enjoy the 1984 edition of the NIV, this Bible is still wonderful. It has the complete text of the 2011 NIV along with all the best features of so many great resources like notes from the NIV Study Bible; book introductions from Essential Bible Companion; notes from the NIV Archaeological Study Bible and so much more. I’ve been looking for a new Study Bible, not that I don’t love my ESV Study Bible, but it’s really bulky and heavy to carry to Bible Study, and this one is as heavy and bulky but has a lot of awesome info.

I love that there are so many different options to look at and read the Scriptures and this Bible helps you get the most out of studying God’s Word. It would be awesome for anyone to add to their Bible Study helps.

Book Description

The NIV Essentials Study Bible helps you quickly and easily understand, interpret, and apply God’s Word to your life. The variety of features in this Bible presents a multifaceted, exciting format for studying Scripture. There are many different ways to explore God’s Word: question-and-answer studies; detailed in-text study notes; timelines, photos and charts; helpful devotional insights; and profiles of Bible characters. Now you don’t have to choose, because the NIV Essentials Study Bible provides you the chance to explore the Bible using all these study methods and more. With each of these lenses included in one Bible, you will discover how to best understand the essentials of Scripture. This edition includes the entire NIV Bible text with the world’s best notes for learning. It incorporates the finest content, images, and study tools from the most popular Bibles that are loved and used by Bible readers just like you. It features:

• Flyover Lens: Start each book of the Bible with the right perspective from easy-to-read introductions from the popular Essential Bible Companion.
• Unpack Lens: Easily understand and interpret Bible passages with bottom-of-the page study notes and in-text charts from the best-in-class NIV Study Bible.
• Dig Deep, Look Close Lens: Understand the fascinating historical significance of the Bible with articles and photos from the bestselling NIV Archaeological Study Bible.
• Q&A Lens: Get concise, easy-to-grasp answers to your most perplexing questions about the Bible with questions and answers from the beloved NIV Quest Study Bible.
• People Lens: View Scripture from the perspective of the 100 most important people in the Bible with notes for the student of any age excerpted from the timeless NIV Student Bible.
• Guided Tour Lens: Get a bird’s eyes view of Scripture with a Guided Tour, also excerpted from the category-leading NIV Student Bible.
• Insight Lens: Find meaning in the Bible by reading these magazine-style call-outs from the NIV Student Bible.
• R&R Lens: Reflect & Respond with this quick inspirational focus time, which unveils the sweeping narrative of the Bible as seen in the award-winning The Great Rescue, NIV.

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Goodbye 2013

Well it's the end of the year again. And I am so happy that it is. This has been one of the roughest years I've had. I mean I've had rough spots, but this year overall was rough. The bright spot of the birth of Amelia (our second and hopefully last little one). So the year wasn't a total bust I guess.

Where shall I start. The bad luck started on New Year’s Day right after the ball dropped when we found a mouse in our living room. So I spent the first little bit of the new year on top of a couch afraid of the mouse (I don't like little critters). Then hubs found that there were holes along the side of our house and that we needed to fix the drainage in our yard because it was affecting the side of the house ( we will probably have to do more work to the rest of the house but that will be when hubs comes home). So after that huge mess that still isn't complete the big problem of the year starts.

In April, a week before Amelia was born, we had a water leak, which was caused because of pipes that had been recalled years before because of failure problems, and that the leak had been there for a while and there was mold. We were out of house for 7 weeks (A didn't get to come home till she was 6 weeks old) and still had to wait another month for all the work to be complete because the first company didn't finish (whole other big problem, don’t wanna think about it anymore because we lost the civil case we had against them since they didn't remove all the mold). Then more mold was found in the wall of the nursery and that took longer and more stress. I think my word for this year was stress.

To add to all of these, it was hubs year to pick orders. Nothing was open for here in VA so he chose to go to school in CA (he checked in yesterday) and will be out there until at least October. And he spent more time gone this year that at home. Just a fact of this life, but didn't help our lovely year.

I think that 2013 was a rough year for a lot of people. Must be that unlucky number 13 and all. So here's to a better 2014 and that some of the problems that we had this year will be just be a bad memory and that we won’t have as many issues this year :)

Fitness Confidential, by American's Angriest Trainer

Fitness Confidential- Adventures in weight-loss game by American’s Angriest trainer Vinnie Tortorich

He’s trained Hollywood types, people of all ages, sexes and other things as well, and has been around the weight-loss/fitness world for a bit so it seems. He’s got a new book- Fitness Confidential- about how to go about getting healthy and fit. 

I feel bad that I’ve never heard of him before reading this book, but the first chapter gives a nice overview of his work and education and the types of people he works with (wish I had the money to hire him, maybe then I’d not fail as often with my goals, but that’s a whole other topic.) He has podcasts out there for you to check out, which sound awesome and I hope to listen!

There are several comments that he makes in the book that really stand out for me, he called one of them a Vinnie-ism. “If you want me to tell you the truth- I’m going to have to lie.” He also said that when he meets with clients he says “Your good intentions have been stolen and I’m here to help you get them back.” I really love that way of looking at weight loss because it has been an ongoing issue for me for many years.  He also says in the chapter about obesity, while talking about how his grandparents and parents ate, that when he’s asked about the secret to a diet, he tells them DON’T!!!

He brings up that our bodies react differently to different kinds of calories and that’s why the ‘calories in, calories out’ theory doesn’t work. Stay away from sugar and grains.  I will admit that I have a hard time with both of these. I love bread. Like a whole lot. Something that I need to think about if I want to lose weight and be healthy. 

He goes in to the mechanics and basics of things like sugars, grains, fats etc., which was very helpful because it was simple and easy to understand (not saying that I’ve not heard it before, but Vinnie makes it sound new and easier for me to process). Vinnie goes into breaking down myths that I’ve believed that eating things high in fat (meats and cheese and bacon) are bad. He talks about how the media and companies wanting to sell products make their stuff sound awesome, or things that are against their products bad. Never really thought of it that way, but it is so true. As he states in his book, he’s not here to sell a diet or product, he wants to make people fit and healthy (Clients can’t write me a check if they’re dead.) Diets don’t need to make us suffer; if you’re suffering you’re doing something wrong. I know I don’t like to feel deprived of something. 

He gives some insight into what he went through as a kid, getting picked on and bullied until he started working out, thanks to a commercial with Jack Lalanne on it. He wanted to get fit and it even helped him to get on a football team in middle school (the only 7^th grader).  He said that we can become soft and cushiony like a couch if we spend our time on a couch, which is so true! He offers some advice about what may go on when you are scouting out gyms and fitness clubs (think used car salesmen lol). 

Vinnie talks about a few exercise books and offers up suggestions about why you want to work out. The writing is so easy it feels like he’s talking to you as a friend and you cannot feel ashamed of being overweight. He offers very friendly insight and makes the book a very easy read. I plan on using this as I plan my goals for the New Year, since he offers many ideas about food and diet that I’ve not thought about. If you’re ready to get on track for the New Year, take a read of Vinnie’s book and he’ll hopefully open your eyes and help you along the way. He is so honest and open that you'd wish you could have him as a trainer too.

A Confident Heart and Psalm 139:5

The verse for this week in my online Bible Study through A Confident Heart by Renee Swope is Psalm 139:5. The translation that I use a good bit of the time, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) has it as:

 "You have encircled me;

You have placed Your hand on me."

The translation that OBS used this week is from New Living Translation (NLT): 

"You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head"

Regardless of which translation is used, and I did look it up in NIV and ESV, Psalm 139:5 tells us that God is all around us, and He has his hand on us. Man, goes right along with God always being everywhere! And to me that is such an awesome thing to have in the back of my mind when I need it; when I feel alone and scare, or when I feel like no one is listening to me, God encircles me with His love and will be there to comfort me. What an awesome thing. How great is our God!!!!