32
It was a OneVerse Blogger challenge. Gather all the Bibles in your home. Stack them up and take a picture. And so, the gathering began.
32
Thirty-two
22+10
30+2
ten plus ten plus ten plus two
It doesn’t matter how you write it, it’s still 32.
Multiply these 32 Bibles times the 66 books that make up the Bible and you have…
~2,112 individual books written by chosen men.
~Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of words penned in order to encourage, train, discipline, inspire, bring healing, foster hope, change lives.
~Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of chapters following after the lives of countless men and women, boys and girls who make up His story.
~A myriad of stories and miracles and teachings of the One who came to redeem the captive, heal the wounded, rescue the lost, feed the starved.
There was an atmosphere of excitement and giggles as the kids and I gathered up this manna, our daily bread.
“Mom, what are we doing?” he said as he gathered another stack of life-transforming words in his arms.
“Can I stack them up?” her four year old voice asked as she looked at the many Bibles before her.
“We have a lot of Bibles, don’t we?” remarked the oldest. I could see the wheels spinning in that “beyond her years” mind.
I looked at the stacks. Paperbacks and hardbacks. Leather bound and bonded leather. NIV, NKJV, NAS, ESV, The Message, and other translations. Study Bibles. Key Word Bibles. Thin-lines and pew Bibles. So many Bibles.
Bibles that have traveled with us through different seasons of our lives. Seasons of feeding and growth. Seasons of coldness and callousness. Seasons of falling away and wondering aimlessly. And seasons of burning hot passion for more of Him.
“You know guys, there are people in the world who don’t have Bibles. And not only do they not have Bibles, there aren’t Bibles written in their language for them to read. There’s a people group in Africa called the Vidunda. The Bible hasn’t been written in their language so they’re unable to read the Scriptures and really understand what they’re reading.”
“You mean, like we have our Bibles in English? They don’t have a Bible in the Vidunda language?” my twelve year old asked. “They don’t have a Bible to read?”
“Exactly. They don’t have God’s Word in their own language.”
Concern filled her eyes, “That’s really sad.”
“Hey, we could send them some of our Bibles,” my son said.
“We could, but they wouldn’t be able to read them because our Bibles are written in English. The Vidunda people need the Bible in their own language so they can read and understand it,” I reminded him. “That’s why we’re partnering with OneVerse. Because OneVerse is doing everything it can to get Bibles to people in their own language so that they can read and study and learn about how much Jesus loves them.”
********
Gathering up our Bibles and stacking them high did two things to me:
1. Made me thankful for the Bread of Life that has fed my soul, made me rich in Him.
2. Saddened me as I thought about countless peoples who don’t have this life-changing Word to feed upon. People who are starving for Jesus.
There are 340 million people in the world who don’t have God’s living and active Word in their own language. Let me say it this way, out of the nearly 7,000 languages that make up the world’s voice fewer than 500 have a WHOLE Bible in their language.
There are 56,000 Vidunda people who live in Tanzania, East Africa. More than 60 percent affiliate with Christianity. However, most still fear witchcraft and engage in many kinds of animistic rituals along with their non-believing neighbors. Many Christians still hang amulets on their children to protect them from evil spirits and curses. Because they’ve been hearing Scripture in a language foreign to them, most Vidunda people have little idea what it actually teaches.
The Scriptures in their mother tongue will offer believers tools for deliverance from the bondage of fear. It will also support personal spiritual growth and provide a solid foundation from which to reach out to others.
Friends, we are blessed. And we are rich with God’s Word. If you don’t believe me, go and gather all the Bibles in your home. How many do you have? Ten? Five? Only one? That’s still one more than the Vidunda have.
The OneVerse Bloggers are on a mission to end Bible poverty for the Vidunda people. Will you help us? Visit the OneVerse Vidunda Language Project to find out how you and your family can help!
I’m linking up today with other OneVerse Bloggers as we work together to end Bible poverty for the Vidunda people.
becoming a true beauty, a Memorization of Proverbs 31:10-31, niv
Another little tool to help you implant the Word, embrace the Word, and enact the Word into your daily life.
becoming a true beauty, a Memorization of Proverbs 31:10-31, niv
Twelve weeks to memorize Proverbs 31:10-31. Two verses each week, checking off days as you go. And being held accountable by a friend who will listen as you recite those Words you’ve implanted, embraced, and enacted.
If you are interested, simply do the following to implant Proverbs 31:10-31 deep within your heart. (Other Scripture Memorization Booklets can be found on our freebies page. More coming soon!)
1. Download and print out cards and cover by clicking here. Purchase spiral bound 3 x 5 index cards or 3.5 x 5.5 moleskine ruled journals. (We’ve found both at our local Target and Wal-mart.)
2. Cut out cards and glue them inside your booklet. Cut out and glue cover on the front.
And there you have it! A Scripture Memorization Booklet all your own. Both the spiral bound index cards and the moleskine journals work beautifully as Word holders.
I pray life-transformation as you implant, embrace, and enact God’s precious Word deep within your heart.
Click here to download becoming a true beauty, a Memorization of Proverbs 31:10-31, niv
