Enthusiastically, Dawn

Today I am sharing my thoughts on a beautiful special edition ESV Bible from the Artist Series at Crossway. I was sent this Bible in December to review-Thank you to the team at Crossway for the amazing work they do bringing theology, relevant topics, and great authors together through their publishing. I can’t keep up with all their releases but boy I do try. True story!

In this review, I will share the details you need to know to determine if a journaling study Bible could work for you.

I saw this Bible and fell in love with the stunning cover by artist Jessica Dennis Bush. The colors captured my imagination the way all artwork can and often does. Artwork is one of those things that speaks without using words. Isn’t that the beauty of it? I loved the colors, and the muted yet vibrant greens, pinks, yellows. The cover reminded my of butterflies birthed in spring in royal courtyards. It is cloth over board- sturdy. The piece is called Vivienne.I know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I did. I was smitten. However, that alone wasn’t the best feature of this beautiful book. As a side note there are three in this series (to my knowledge at the time of this writing- maybe there have been others previously or to come but for this series). You can see all of them HERE.

I am no stranger to journaling, or Bible Study. I am not even a stranger to the idea of merging journaling and quiet time with the Lord. “Quiet time” for me has always consisted of my journal and Bible at the very least. Additional study tools were added along the way. Naturally, I was on board when I saw the first journaling Bibles. I had been scribbling and writing in my scant Bible margins for years. Truth be told, I also colored -years ago- before it was a thing in one of my Women’s Devotional Bibles that had black and white floral drawings throughout. I studied, but always separate from my journaling and Bible time. So the study books, journals and Bibles all found their way to my desk, and took their respective turns with my attention. Yes, there is much available online (especially now), but some of us really prefer paper, or a combination of resources that are not online. I do use more online resources for study and preparation than in the past, however for my personal devotional time, I still prefer to keep it, well- quiet. As in not online, and as close to a prayer closet as I can get- which is my comfy pink and green office.

The ESV Journaling study Bible combines all the extra that a journaling Bible offers, such as 2-inch margins for notes, doodles, and prayers with the additional help of more than 12, 000 study notes at your fingertips!

Seriously, this is an awesome marriage of two excellent features in one Bible. The bonus is the beautiful cover and reasonable size. Let me breakdown some of the features and then give my thoughts on the pros and cons.

First, we have the trustworthy English Standard Version (ESV) of Scripture which is accepted as a theologically accurate translation. The study notes throughout this Bible are taken from the ESV Student Study Bible.

Secondly, we have an plethora of biblical helps and resources. I love my husband’s ESV Study Bible. I am always grabbing it! So I appreciate having a close counterpart available, BUT with that space for journaling.

This Bible features white pages throughout, as opposed to ivory, cream, or off-white. If you prefer cream to the white, it’s good to know going in. I definitely prefer white to cream, but I can flex. I do find cream variations hard on the eyes.

BIBLE BREAKDOWN: There are some heavy duty , thicker pages in the beginning (2 full blank white pages) which one could use for a variety of things (a vision board, Bible Reading Plan for the year, pics of loved ones, BIG prayer requests and answers, attributes of God). Then an attribution page: This Bible Belongs to…followed by the thinner pages of the Bible and the “guts”. Beginning with a series of indexes including, the following: Contents page, Charts and Diagrams, Character Profiles, Illustrations, Abbreviations. Following the indexes we have an introduction to the ESV Journaling Study Bible, a Preface to the ESV, and then a general Overview of The Bible. Then comes The Old Testament overview, including a timeline and other information about the Hebrew calendar.

Each book has its own introduction, and timeline. I have taken a look through and believe they would be helpful for a diverse group of students of the Bible.

The back end of the Bible includes the following sections/headings:

• How to Apply the BIble in Daily Life
• Important Christian Truths: Doctrine
• The Bible and Christian Living: Ethics
• Glossary
• Table of weights and measures
• Concordance and Maps

Font Size: OK, so thankfully this font is on white paper. The font itself is clear. I could not find font size information anywhere when I explored so I cannot guarantee I am 100 percent accurate. But if I had to guess- maybe 8.5 or 9 and the study notes 6.5 or 7. I will say this, I use a variety of font sizes and texts regularly in my Bible reading and study. This has a very clear and readable appearance. But, it is not large. And the study notes are smaller, but again, very clear. It just depends on your eyes, and comfort level with reading.

ALL THE EXTRA: There are 80,000 cross references and over 80 maps. The maps in this Bible are great. I love the way they have the maps not just in the back, but as needed, on the page where you would naturally be inclined to consider. I’ve been incorporating this BIble into my study time to get a proper feel for its features and usefulness, and I think – though not as comprehensive as the standard ESV Study Bible Notes, it has a lot to offer. Especially that amazing journaling real estate! Creating a combination study and journaling Bible might seem a bit like overshooting the hoop to some. But I think this is a great study companion, for discipling in prayer, and reflective study, and mediation on God’s Word for many desiring one book to rule them all!

In conclusion I think this is a great option for study on the go, for personal journaling and quiet time development. I think this would be a great Bible for younger folks- ha! But I am 60 and think it’s practically useful for the older folks too. IF they can deal with the smallish (BUT NOT AS SMALL AS I HAVE SEEN) font size.

Thank you for reading this post, if you did make it to the end- please leave me your questions below. I know I stay with the specific features of the Bible itself, but if you have a more pressing faith question, please hit me up- dawn.paoletta@gmail.com.

I appreciate my readers- especially those keeping my writing life in prayer on occasion- THANK YOU!

Thanks to Crossway for providing this Bible in return for an honest review.

Enthusiastically, Dawn