“DO JUSTICE, TO LOVE MERCY, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD” (MICAH 6:8)
The Loved Bible Project has had the opportunity to come alongside a number of different organizations who work with and serve the vulnerable and oppressed. Our desire is to support these organizations as they give Loved Bibles to those who have lived through uniquely difficult circumstances.
A “Loved Bible” is a Bible with Scriptures highlighted and short notes written in it that give 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). We hope the Loved Bible will point her to Jesus, who is our only hope!
Loving a Bible for this project:
- Prayer! Prayer will be vital during this project. Every time you work on your Bible, please take time to pray for the woman who will receive it.
- Pause: Take time to think through what you are including in this Bible. The woman receiving it has walked a difficult journey. Many women have suffered severe trauma and abuse. It has lead to crushed spirits, deep wounds, and feelings of hopelessness. Please be cautious about using religious platitudes even when they are Scripture – for example, we would recommend you skip Romans 8:28. I always remember when author Marissa Henley said in her book, “Cancer is painful no matter how convinced you are of God’s sovereignty.” Although these women are are not walking through cancer, the point of the quote is still the same. Pray for wisdom and discernment for each entry into this Loved Bible.
Supplies Needed:
- Print the Foundations Workbook
- Post-it notes
- Pen
- Highlighter
- A Bible (We recommend an NIV, ESV, or CSB Bible. This is a great one for this project: ESV Thinline or NIV Thinline. You can also look at the recommended Bibles on our website.
- Attributes of God Worksheet
- Identity Worksheet
Note: please ONLY use resources from The Loved Bible Project and do not include other resources in this Bible!
Frequently Asked Questions about Completing a Loved Bible:
What do I include in a Loved Bible?
We’ve designed a Foundations Workbook to follow as you create a Loved Bible. The Foundations Workbook provides a baseline for you to highlight key passages, helping you focus on the essential truths of the Christian faith. It covers the questions of:
- What is the Bible?
- Who is Jesus?
- What is the Gospel?
- How does the Gospel save us, change us, and sustain us?
Include a few (or many!) of the recommended Scriptures and notes for each question. There are usually about 50 entries in total.
BONUS! You are being equipped as a disciple-maker as you go through this process. As you create a Loved Bible, you begin to rehearse and memorize the Scriptures and their meanings, helping you to grow as a disciple-maker. This process equips you for future opportunities to evangelize and disciple others in face-to-face relationships, while building a tool for you to use.
As believers, we know that the Bible is God’s Word! We want to help others grow to love His Word as well. We hope that by highlighting certain quotes and verses, God will use the Loved Bible to open eyes to who He is!
Finished the Foundations Workbook and looking for more? Here are some additional Scriptures/Resources to use:
- The Loved Bible Attributes Worksheet: When we read the Bible, we can learn the attributes of God. God tells us who He is and what He is like in the Bible. Every story, person, place, and event in the Bible is true and helps us learn who God is.
- The Loved Bible Identity Worksheet: Hadassah’s Hope has communicated with us that the identity section is especially powerful for these women. “The ones that really stand out to me are those with highlights on identity in Christ. I’ve literally seen women weep over receiving a Bible like this.”
Links to past email examples for participants (please note that we have updated our graphics/etc since these were sent out)
More information on Hadassah’s Hope: Hadassah’s Hope website