This prayer book is the best all around prayer book for daily personal (or even family)use. The Scriptures are addressed back to God and arranged by category (with direction to add certain categories of requests inbetween the sections). This adds structure to ones prayer life and breaks the monotony of "grocery list" praying. This one is a little longer than, "Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth" or the "Simple Prayers" books; in my own personal devotions, it takes me about 7 minutes per daily prayer segment.

Boa has written several prayer books, all great, all solid. This is my favorite to date.

Many times when we pray we don't know where to get started, what to do, many times we just want a deeper prayer life.

This book will scripturally guide you through praying...not only the scriptures, but will guide you in praying for your world around you. It begins with praise and worship of Almighty God, leads you in a confession of Who He is, then guides you through personal renewal, petitions, intercession, and then a prayer of thanksgiving.

One of the things I liked best about this book was that it started out with each section, declaring the Word of God, then it guides you (differently each day) to pray for your leaders one day, your family the next, that you will be a faithful steward of your time and money, for God's wisdom...the list goes on and on.

Both this book and "Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth" are two of the best prayer/devotional books I have ever used. If I could only keep two, these would be the two I would keep. Not only are they easy to follow, they are taken directly from the Word of God.

Face to Face is a wonderful tool to help you pray. Boa has assembled scripture into eight sections for each day. You pray through scripture for Adoration, Confession, Renewal, Petition, Intercession, Affirmation, Thanksgiving and Closing. It helps you focus and it gives a marvelous sense of the completeness of God's word. I do not recommend very many books but this is one that I would recommend to anyone. I have already given away 20 copies.

These papers are a must-read for anyone in the auto industry, or anyone with aspirations to be an automotive engineer. SAE is always a great source for historical looks at our industry.

Due to the complexity of the police organization in contemporary America there is a dire need for a book such as this. A former Police chief (Bain, 1939:5) backs this up by saying:

"The citizen expects police officers to have the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of David, the strength of Samson, the patience of Job, the leadership of Moses, the kindness of the Good Samaritan, the strategical training of Alexander, the faith of Daniel, the diplomacy of Lincoln, the tolerance of the Carpenter of Nazareth, and, finally, an intimate knowledge of every branch of the natural, biological, and social sciences. If he had all these, he might be a good policeman!"

And I add to that, If he had all these there would be no need for a book such as this, but sadly we are both dreamers, hence this book is a necessity for all members involved in law enforcement and or media relations....

If you are a serious student of God's Word, and are looking for a Study Bible...THIS is the one to buy! I have used the NIV study Bible for years, but the thing that has always bothered me about the NIV is the translation itself. It has been my constant experience that when you read a dynamic-equivalent translation, one thought lingers in the back of the mind--"Is this what the Word of God REALLY says?" The New American Standard erases that lingering question. One can read this the NAS with confidence knowing that this translation is as accurate and literal to the original that one can find today! Thus, the superiority of the NAS--as a translation--is the basic reason for buying this study Bible.
The introduction and the notes are not as extensive as the NIV study Bible, but they are nevertheless outstanding and contain a wealth of information.
The cross-references are NOT as extensive as the NIV study Bible--and that is to be regreted; but the NASB marginal notes make up the difference. There is a wealth of enlightening information in the NASB marginal notes--in fact, this is one of the strongest features of this Bible.
The only negatives?
1. The paper is too thin. Any personal notes written in ink will bleed through terribly. High-lighter bleed-through is pretty bad also.
2. There is virtually no room for one to write his/her own notes. I hope they come out with a wide-margin edition of this study Bible.
3. The appearance of the text could have been better. The print is a bit light for these eyes--not bad, mind you--but I would like a font that is a bit larger in size and darker in appearance. The red print is also a bit of a strain on the eyes. To fix these problems, Zondervan will need to print this Bible using a thicker and better paper.
4. The genuine leather binding is adequate, but certainly not top-of-the-line (but this has always been a weakness with Zondervan).

Having presented these negatives, I still say that this is probably the BEST study Bible on the market (and I pretty much have them all). If you are a "serious" student of the word, and you can afford only one study Bible, this is the ONE to have!

This is the bible for which I've been waiting. I have always been fond of the study tools in the NIV Study Bible, but I have never been satisfied with the NIV translation. The NASB is credited as the most accurate and literal translation. With the 1995 update it's even more readable. The study notes cover historical, archeological, and devotional information. The center-column references are exhaustive. There are very detailed in-text maps and charts that provide supplemental informtation. The book introductions provide extensive information on the background of each book as well as providing a detailed outline. In the back of the bible there are three indexes. There is a subject index, an index to the study notes and the NASB concordance/dictionary. In the front of the bible there is a very detailed chronological timeline. There are also several essays on selected subjects. This is a very useful study tool and by far the most complete study bible in the New American Standard that I've ever seen.

If you love the NASB, and are a serious student of the Word, this is the bible for you. It has the award-winning study notes of the NIV Study Bible plus the reliable New American Standard Bible translation with the 1995 update, hailed the most accurate word-for-word (while extremely readable) bible on the market. It has exhaustive center-column references. Charts on almost every bible subject possible are included. Introductions to every book of the bible are extensive and include information on the following: Style, Date, Author, Subject Matter, Cultural Information, and very indepth outlines. There are hundreds of intext maps and a very extensive chronology of the bible included at the beginning of the bible. The best thing about the study notes is that they are not biased to any particular denomination. When more than one view exists on a subject, generally at least three views are presented. Information from all kinds of archaeological and historical sources offers much needed insight to difficult passages. This is your one-stop for cultural, historical and theological information for almost every verse in scripture. I'm a youth minister and this bible is my main source of study and lesson preparation. I find that I don't need much more than this. If you're a minister or just a student of the Word, then you can't go wrong with the NASB Study Bible.

The New International Version of the Bible is a highly readable, elegant translation, and this Zondervan edition offers copious annotations, cross-references, maps, timelines, and other info, including three indexes (to subjects, notes, and maps) and a huge concordium. An earlier reviewer claimed that certain verses, such as Matthew 18:11 and Acts 8:37, were left out, but in fact they are given as footnotes (apparently because there is some dispute as to their authenticity). My biggest qualm about this edition concerns the introductory notes to some of the books. In what may be an excess of piety, the editors go so far as to assert that King Solomon probably wrote the Song of Solomon and most of Proverbs, that Paul wrote all of the Pauline epistles, and (most dubious of all) that Moses probably wrote the Pentateuch! Few serious scholars would accept these claims. The editors also avoid discussion of how different Biblical traditions were conflated -- e.g., the two versions of the Flood story, which appear to have been interleaved, verse by verse, by a late redactor. Still, this edition is well worth owning for the grace and readability of the NIV translation, as well as the wealth of footnotes and other supporting material. As a bonus, the type is big enough to be read without eyestrain (at least as far as my middle-aged eyes are concerned).

There are a lot of good study Bibles and several reliable modern translations to choose from. I've settled with the NIV study Bible because I find that it possesses the best mix of all the features that make a study Bible useful. It may be debatable whether the NIV is the most accurate translation, but it is certainly a reliable and responsible translation while being the easy to read. The notes do not interpret the Scripture but instead provide observational data such as definitions of words, background information about people, places, and events, and point to other related passages. Multiple explanations or views are provided in the notes on tricky or controversial passages. It comes with a large concordance plus a subject index for both the Bible and the notes. The timelines, many maps, charts, introductions, and outlines are also very helpful. I also appreciate the blank pages in back for my own notes. When traveling without any Bible study resources other than this study Bible I have been amazed at how much I can rely on it. Whichever Bible you choose, may you rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you and assist in learning more about our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I have not read the Bible in it's entirety, nor most of it. I also do not pretend to be a Bible scholar. However, I have begun to read the gospels and appreciate the NIV Study Bible as illuminating and interesting.

This version of The Book will appeal to those who, like myself, have a great interest in history or who appreciate contextual explanations and clarifications. There are maps, timelines and an incredible amount of footnotes. There are also discussions of authors of the various books which serve to explain, as best as anyone can 1800 years or so after the fact, the objectives of those who first recorded and transmitted the word and teachings of God.

Writings this old contain many anarchism's and unfamiliarity's, both of place and practice. While it is not necessary to unravel those mysteries of another time in order to understand the meaning of the Bible, standard versions can lead one with a lot of musings about the location of towns, the value of coinage, the everyday practices for which the authors' original audiences needed no explanation and the broader lives of historical figures mentioned in scripture. If you are prone to want to know more about these types of things, than this version of the Bible will be deeply satisfying. (The footnotes also point out cross-references to different books of the Bible in order to underscore prophecy and help tie in the various writings to the whole).

I find this a very enjoyable, fascinating and educational Bible that enhances the Message with historical and contextual depth that in no way diminishes the focus on the Word of God.