We've been enjoying the latest NLT poem ("Flirting with NLT"), written by the eloquent Kathy Mansfield. And while you're at her blog, check out her "Ode to the NLT", too.

If it weren't for a few others, such as, say, the psalmists, I'd say that Kathy would be well on her way to becoming official poet of the NLT. Maybe the official poet about the NLT.

Update: Also see an exposition of Kathy's poem by Wayne Leman and a response to Wayne's exposition at Schleitheim. (HT: Rick Mansfield)

We've launched two new twitter feeds: NLTStudyBible and LifeAppNotes. But these are no normal twitter feeds. To see how they work, try this: open these three links in separate tabs: NLTverse; NLTStudyBible; LifeAppNotes.

You'll see that the content of the new feeds are commentaries on the NLT verse of the day--from the NLT Study Bible and the Life Application Study Bible.

To use them, subscribe to NLTverse and one or both of the other feeds. The NLTStudyBible feed will give you Biblical studies-based commentary. The LifeAppNotes feed will give you life application-based commentary. They'll all post at the same time everyday, so they'll show up together in your twitter stream.

Also: if you tried to visit NLTBlog yesterday and were not able to, it was due to a temporary power outage here. Our electricity--including for our servers, lights and air conditioner wasn't working. Fortunately, the power is back today, so the servers are back online, the lights are on and I am so glad for the air conditioning and refreshing Iced Tea that Adagio teas sent me. (the last one doesn't have anything to do with the power outage, it's just that the lack of air conditioning yesterday made me appreciate it all the more today)

If you have an active blog and like Tyndale Bibles and books, we want to give you books for free to review. What we ask in return is that you write a review on your blog and on an online consumer site of your choice (such as Amazon.com or CBD).

Just register at the Tyndale Blog Network. Once you recieve a confirmation email, you'll have your choice of any of several Tyndale books, including Hebrews from the Life Application Study Series and the Every Man's Bible.

If you're a Bible blogger, be sure to indicate that the focus of your blog is "Bible/Theology" in order to have the most opportunities to recieve Bible and reference books.
Thanks to Dr. Jim West and Nick Norelli for helping spread the word about TBN.

Labels: blogs, Laura Bartlett, NLT Bibles

Do you have a small group or Bible study that is looking for a book to study next? I have a set of Bible study books to give away to one group. Your group would be the only group in the world doing this particular Bible study.

I'm offering five advance copies of James from the upcoming NLT Study Series. The series, edited by Sean Harrison, is based on the NLT Study Bible, with each study covering a book of the Bible in 13 weeks. Dr.s Norman R. Ericson and Douglas J. Moo wrote this volume.

Email me if you and your small group would like to use this for your group Bible study. All I'll ask is that after you've completed the study, you and your group give me your thoughts/feedback as a guest post for this blog.

Sean explains it best, so here's an excerpt from his forward to explain the vision for the series:

The purpose of the NLT Study Series is to call individuals and groups into serious conversation with God and engagement with his word.

We have designed these studies to provide you and your group with a complete, new Bible study experience. Our aim has been to help you engage seriously with the Bible's content, interacting with it in a meaningful and deeply personal way, not just regurgitating rote answers to fill-in-the-blank questions or producing purely subjective opinions. We also hope to encourage true community study, with the honest sharing of different perspectives and experiences. Most of all, we want to help foster your direct communication with God, encouraging you to tell God what is on your mind and heart. We want to help you understand what God is teaching you and apply it to the realities of personal and community life.

To this end, each study in the NLT Study Series includes twelve weeks of individual and group studies focusing on understanding the meaning of the text of Scripture, reflecting on it personally and with others, and responding actively to what God is saying to you through it.

More details are forthcoming, closer to the release date of the series.

Update: I couldn't choose just one. I'll be sending a set of studies to all four people who were willing to commit themselves and their groups to this. Namely, Messrs. Daryl Fong, Jonathan Master, Joshua Thomas, Juan Martinez and Rafal Rusilowicz. I look forward to reading and posting their reviews here. The offer is now closed, so you'll if you aren't one of those five, you'll have to wait until the series releases this fall to buy a copy.

Labels: BIble Study, Bible Usage, Laura Bartlett, NLT Study Bible

Labels: Bible Translation, Laura Bartlett, research

The amazing web team at Tyndale has just launched the Tyndale Media Center website. This means, among other things, that there is now an official desk copy request mechanism available for Tyndale products.

So if you're faculty and are considering using a Tyndale book in a class (one of our reference books, perhaps) we'd be pleased to send you a copy for consideration.

Labels: desk copy, Laura Bartlett, reference

The NLT now has a daily verse on twitter! If you have a twitter account, follow NLTverse and start your day with a verse from the NLT. I'll be posting a verse from the NLT each morning with a link so you can read it in context.

Check out NLT blogger Keith Williams' twitter feed, too.

Labels: Bible Usage, Laura Bartlett, twitter