Enthusiastically, Dawn

I first came across Immerse: The Reading Bible by accident. After a discussion about Bibles and Bible reading with my Pastor (an ongoing dialogue, I assure you), I headed off to look for the pricey, and very handsome reading set he mentioned. As I searched the web, Tyndale’s own reading set came up. I perused the website and became intrigued with these new reading sets of the Bible. As chance, or as I prefer to believe, divine intervention would have it, Lent was coming up, and a shared reading experience was something our Pastor was hoping to invite the congregation into. Although the full set of 6 Books (I’ll get more into these details shortly) was appealing, it was also challenging to decide where to start. I was excited when I discovered that Tyndale was about to publish a shorter book that would include Luke and Acts (Immerse: Luke & Acts) just in time for Lent. Well, faster than you can say serendipitous moment, our good pastor decided this would be a great time to IMMERSE the congregation into the Easter season while matching his messages, as much as possible, to the readings. As fate s would have it the timelines did not work out the way initially envisioned. But we know God is in the details.  For our church that meant we would adjust our reading timeline to take place after Lent and pass out the booklets on Easter Sunday.

This is where the story, or at least my shorter story begins…

All things did work together for good, and our congregation used the reading plan that comes with each of the Immerse Bible books. This was a great opportunity to sample the reading experience, which is not without challenge for people who may be used to those tiny, numbered verses and section headings. Imagine walking into your house and discovering someone has rearranged your rooms. Now, imagine walking into your home and finding the furniture has been completely removed! It’s a little like that. But now imagine someone knocking at your door and saying, “We’ve completely renewed and revived all your furnishings, they are like new, and we can walk you through placing them back how they were or maybe in new places -together.” That’s how the Immerse experience is to me. You are walking in a familiar place, but it’s different, it takes a bit of adjusting, but it’s good. Really good. And maybe it’s good to be a little unsettled in your Bible Reading habits occasionally. And for those who may be put off or intimidated by Bible reading plans in general I believe this is an approachable inroad to begin. Especially the shorter booklet which focuses on the early church.

So let’s talk about the details and some of the amazing extras which can help the most reluctant reader succeed with taking in scripture. I know a few people who just would prefer to listen rather than read. And if you think about it, historically, the written word was not available to the degree we have it now. So oral readings were how people were taught and introduced to sacred writings. Immerse is available for listening on their website and other platforms such as iTunes and YouTube.

First, Immerse, The Reading Bible is a set of six volumes of the scriptures, in the New Living Translation (NLT) text. The most visible feature that will stand out to the reader probably will be the layout and the absence of numbers, chapters, and headers. Each book of the Bible is laid out like a novel with one column as opposed to the usual two columns used frequently in most Bibles. Like the furniture we get accustomed to in our homes, sometimes it’s good to remove everything and get a fresh look. Maybe not possible with home furnishings unless one moves, but possible with scripture reading with Immerse.

The volume titles are Immerse: Beginnings, Immerse: Kingdoms, Immerse: Chronicles, Immerse: Prophets, Immerse: Poets, Immerse: Messiah. Each volume has accompanying audible and video reading plans. You can choose an 8- or 16-week Reading Plan. The variety of senses these resources enable makes it amazingly accessible to all learning types and preferences.

Another excellent feature of the books themselves is the removable bookmark and printed Bible Reading Plan check-off list at the front of each volume.  Immerse, The Reading Bible was created in alliance with the Institute For Bible Reading, whose mission is to help change the way the world reads and understands the Bible. It’s ironic to think that we who have the most access to God’s written word, have the least engagement with it in reality. One does not have to look far to find evidence for that fact. Seeking to close that gap is part of the story behind the creation of Immerse. Helping readers engage with scripture is key, and abundant in the diverse options made available. To support reading personalization and encourage discussion, 4 questions are offered in each book for readers to reflect on as they engage with scripture throughout the week:

1. What stood out to you this week?
2. Was there anything confusing or troubling?
3. Did anything make you think differently about God?
4. How might this change the way we live?

These become the touchstones allowing one to pause and ponder frequently as they read. At one of our church gatherings after concluding our Immerse reading experience I was encouraged to hear positive feedback from a number of people. As for myself, I finished later than planned, due to unforeseen circumstances, but I completed the journey, lagging behind the flock, but better for the journey.  

For a closer look at Immerse: The Reading Bible go HERE.

For more information for your church about Immerse: The Reading Experience start HERE.

For Pastors: go HERE.

For hosting a small group: check this out.

See and hear some of the stories- Head here!

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! Meanwhile, I’ll be immersed… in scripture! ;)

Gratitude/Disclosure statement: I want to thank Kim and The Tyndale Team for sending this little blogger residing in the smallest state in the USA her own set for review. Ecstatically continuing that journey. Thanks a million!

All opinions, random thoughts, enthusiasm for Bibles & Bible reading, and especially any grammatical mistakes are 100% my own. Thanks for being here.