A Loved Bible is full of notes, prayers, highlights, etc. and is used as a tool to help make disciples. A legacy Loved Bible might be for your child, grandchild, someone you mentor, a teen you have discipled, etc. A parent, grandparent or mentor would create this Bible with the intent that the recipient would use it throughout their lifetime. When my husband’s grandfather passed away, the only heirloom my husband wanted was his grandfather’s Bible. It was filled with notes and records of God’s faithfulness beautifully displaying the legacy of his grandfather’s faith. What a meaningful record for him to have! I desired to create something similar for our five daughters, so I have been working on Loved Bibles for each of them.
Here are some common questions:
How to Get Started:
The first thing you will want to do is read our Getting Started Guide.
What Type of Bible?
Since this is a Bible you hope your recipient will use long term, you may want to invest into non-compact Bible. There are a variety of options, features, and price points. Here are a few:
- The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible: contains study notes and quotes from Charles Spurgeon.
- ESV Women’s Study Bible: contains study notes and reflections from many great teachers and authors.
- ESV Legacy Bible: no study notes but generous margins for notes and at a 6×9 size it is easy to bring along to church or Bible study.
- ESV Journaling Bible or NIV Journaling Bible: Both of these Bibles feature wide margins and come in various cover choices.
- CSB She Reads Truth Bible: Contains devotionals, wide margins, and comes in a variety of cover styles.
You may want to look for a Bible with large margins if you hope to write prayers/notes in the margin.
When to Give the Bible Away?
- When he or she is baptized
- High school graduation
- College graduation
- When he or she gets married
- When he or she moves out
What Resources Should I Use in this Bible?
- The Foundations Workbook: We recommend you start all Loved Bibles using the Foundations Workbook. This gives an overview of the gospel and how the gospel is for all of life. The gospel saves us, sanctifies (grows) us, and sustains us (we never grow out of our need). Include a few (or many!) of the recommended Scriptures for each question. There are usually about 50 entries in total. As you repeatedly go through this process, you begin to rehearse and memorize the Scriptures and their meanings, helping you to grow as a disciple-maker.
- The Attributes of God Worksheet: Attributes are words that tell us what someone or something is like. When we read the Bible, we learn the attributes of God. God tells us who He is and what He is like. Every story, person, place, and event in the Bible is true and helps us learn who God is.
- The Story of Scripture: Grab a few note cards and an envelope! You can write out the foundations of this unifying story and stick it in the front of your Loved Bible. We love the way Harvey Turner unpacked it in his book, Friend of Sinners.
Other ideas for a Legacy Bible
“Family discipleship milestones are marking and making occasions to celebrate and commemorate significant spiritual milestones of God’s work in the life of the family and child.”
Family Discipleship-Adam Griffin
Add notes to the Recipient on Significant Occasions:
- On each birthday
- After a family vacation
- First day of kindergarten
- When he or she is dedicated/baptized
- When he or she becomes a teen
- When he or she goes on a mission trip
- If he or she has a major surgery
- When he or she graduates high school
Write out your prayers for your child: Use a legacy Bible as a prayer journal. As you pray for your child, write those prayers in the margin of the Bible or on a sticky note. Practice praying Scriptures over your child and highlight the Scripture and add a note nearby.
Ask special people in his or her life to share a verse they would like you to include. You can highlight the verse and write their initials/name next to it. If desired, they could create a special note to put on that page.
If you have any questions, please email us at info@lovedbibleproject.com.