Favorite Things Thursday - My Favorite Bible

Like many American Christians, I own several Bibles. Indeed, I can say I probably own dozens of Bibles. I've even had the privilege of giving away a few Bibles. But, for the most part, I don't usually like to part with them.

A few months ago, my blogger friend, Dace, was bemoaning the loss of her Bible. I left a comment expressing my sympathy. I understood the unique pain of losing a Bible. Bibles are very personal things, after all, especially if you not only read your Bible, but also underline passages which are meaningful to you. (At first, I wrote, "meaningful passages," but that seems wrong to say, because it implies there might be meaningless passages in the BIBLE!)



My favorite Bible, for the past twenty-some years, has been my compact NIV (New International Version) Bible. My memory is a bit hazy, but I believe it was purchased back in 1987, to lighten my baggage load when I went to the Philippines. As soon as I obtained the Bible, I began making it my own by underlining while I studied and by inserting various things between the pages.

At the moment, this Bible contains two old photos of my ES (back when he was about 5 years old), one small Chuck-E-Cheese photo of my MS, and a small word search (inserted for when the natives - my boys - get restless during church). However, it has often contained unusual tid-bits. At one point in time, it contained a recipe (clipped from the back of a Pillsbury biscuit container) for a skillet lasagna.

I mourn the loss of that recipe, certainly, but I mourned the loss of this Bible even more desperately. After returning from the Philippines, I carried this Bible with me everywhere I went. One Sunday morning, I stopped off on my way to church to say hello to my friend, Anne, at her condominium in Lombard. I parked in the parking lot, leaving my front passenger window open. When I arrived at church, I realized that both my Bible and an envelope of recently developed photos were missing from their spot on my dashboard (near the open window).

To this day, I don't know what happened. Did someone steal my Bible? A few days later, I received a call from a woman in Anne's complex who had found my envelope of photos lying in the grass. I asked if she found a small Bible as well, but she indicated that she hadn't.

Thankfully, my dear friend, Mary Dorsett, purchased an identical Bible for me as a replacement. I have carried that Bible, ever since. You can certainly tell that it is well loved. Indeed, it is falling apart. Of course, I could purchase a new travel Bible, but I probably won't. I know where to find verses (merely by remembering which side of the page they are on and an approximate chapter). I have made small annotations next to certain verses (difficult, given the fact that the Bible is smaller than my hand).




I continue to pray for the students at Northern Illinois University ever time I look at the star sticker in the upper right hand corner. This sticker was given to me by Brent Batiste, a campus minister, back when they were requesting prayer for a special event (this event was long before the tragic shooting at NIU).

This is truly a book I would never want to part with. However, I do think it will have to find a place on the shelf eventually. Even if I were to have the Bible rebound, the print is getting very difficult to read. Plus, the last page refuses to stay with the other pieces of the Bible. It floats around in my purse usually, but is getting quite dogeared. Still, nothing beats a favorite Bible!