Bible Of Steel

For months I've been wanting to replace my main ESV Bible with the metal "Battlezone" version. Well... not exactly replace... maybe supplement. I ride a bus to work every day, and I carry a soft pleather briefcase-y thing with me. In my bag I carry whatever books I might be reading, a clipboard and paper to write on, my lunch (usually a piece of fruit and noodles in a cup), and maybe some other stuff. The lunch and the clip part of the clipboard can be especially harsh on the paper and cover of a soft-covered Bible.

So I was riding the bus this morning, looking over my new metal Bible (the pages are paper, by the way... it's just the cover that's metal!) and thinking about how emotionally attached I become to my Bibles. My NIV that I've had since college (about 17 years at this point)... my brown ESV that will still go to church with me... my beat-up little red Gideon New Testament from high school. Heck, I still think about the NKJV Open Bible that I gave away in 1986 or so (if the ESV is ever published with the Open Bible stuff in it, I'm there, baby)! I love books in general anyway, especially beautiful hardback books, but I can't think of a single book that makes me as happy as one of my own Bibles. Undoubtedly this is mostly because I know in my heart of hearts that the Bible contains words of Life. I don't necessarily fall head over heels with every Bible I see, but I do over ones that I buy for myself. Maybe it's because they're not just "food"... they're my very favorite food. It's not just steak... it's steak with my favorite steak sauce, a salad with my favorite dressing on the side, bread made just the way I like it, my favorite drink with free refills, and some yummy key lime cheesecake for dessert.

So after less than 24 hours together, I have already fallen in love with my ESV Bible, Nick Chopper Edition. I hope to spend many happy bus rides squinting in the blue fluorescent bus light at those tiny little red words of life!