NLT Courage For Life Study Bible, Filament-Enabled Edition
The NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Men, Filament-Enabled Edition, and NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Women, Filament-Enabled Edition include inductive study notes designed to build courage to stand for God. It includes a men’s edition and a women’s edition. Both editions have the same notes and include tools specifically for men or women. They were printed in China.
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- Study Tools
- Bible Atlas
- Filament Bible App
- Conclusion
Video Review
Binding
NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Men, Hardcover
The Cover I chose for the men’s edition is hardcover. It’s my favorite design of all the covers. It has a white background with a large drawing of a lion in profile on both the dust jacket and the hardcover that continues onto the spine. The text on the spine is printed over a bold yellow stripe. This cover has a lot of style and character. The page edges are white, so they don’t stick together. It doesn’t include a ribbon. The overall size is 6.75 x 9.5 x 1.6″. It weighs 3 lbs 3 0z.
This Bible is also available in softcover with the same lion design and brown or black imitation leather with a stylized lion debossed on the front cover.
NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Women, Brushed Aque Blue Leatherlike
The Brushed Aque Blue Leatherlike has a texture that looks and feels like canvas. This is perfect for this edition because the colors look like paint on canvas. The paint wraps from the front to the back cover, creating a painting that covers the entire Bible. It includes perimeter stitching and gold printed on the front, on the back, and the spine. The liner is paste-down with gold paper. It looks to be reinforced. This edition includes gold gilt edges and a blue .25″ ribbon. The overall size is 7 x 9.5 x 1.5″ and it weighs 2 lbs 14.9 oz.
This Bible is also available in a fierce pink imitation cover that has yellows and pinks and in hardcover or softcover with a navy, white, and orangey-pink abstract design.
Bookmark
They include a bookmark to help build courage. It has 2 Cor 12:9-10 printed on one side and a list of seven steps to courage on the other. The list spells the word Courage.
Paper
The paper seems to be 30gsm. It’s non-coated, making it easy to grab and turn. It’s highly opaque. Show-through is only noticeable where nothing is printed on one side of the page or where the lines don’t match.
Typography and Layout
The NLT text is presented in a double-column paragraph layout. Poetry is set to stanzas, letters are indented, and lists are presented as lists. Footnotes are placed under the text in a smaller font. The outer margin contains lines for notes and some pages include notes. Bible studies are placed across the bottom of the page. The header shows the book name and chapter number in the outer margin and the page number with the Filament icon in the center. Section headings are italics in a different font than the text.
The font looks to be 8.5-9 point. It has around 8 words per line and a good amount of space between the lines to make it comfortable to read. It doesn’t seem to be line-matched. Verse numbers are small. They don’t get in the way of reading, but they could be difficult to find quickly. I found the text readable. The footnotes are a touch small, so they will be difficult to read for older eyes. The pagination for the men’s and women’s editions is the same.
Men’s Edition
The men’s edition has a washed-out pale red background behind the Bible studies. The titles for the Bible studies are dark red. A small photo of a mountain and sky is printed at the edges of many pages. The Courageous Men of Faith includes a larger version of the photo in the inner margin, and an even lighter shade of the pale red background. The book introductions show an image in the outer margin. Prayers start with Father.
Women’s Edition
The women’s edition has different background colors behind the Bible studies including tan, purple, blue, green, etc. There are lots of small artistic designs that appear at the edges of some of the pages. Some are in bold colors that show through to the other side of the page. The tiles are in a cursive typeface and are a darker version of the background color. Prayers start with Abba Father because the author knows people who haven’t had good relationships with their earthly fathers and she wanted to distinguish that you are speaking to your heavenly father.
Wide Margins
Each page with Bible text includes a 1.5″ outer margin. Some of this space contains study material, but the rest of the outer margin is ruled for notes. The wide margins help make this Bible more inductive, making it an excellent choice for personal study and application.
Study Tools
This edition doesn’t include cross-references or a concordance. Like most study Bibles, it has notes at the bottom of the page. Unlike most study Bibles, it doesn’t have a verse-by-verse commentary. Instead, the notes are life-application Bible studies. Here’s a look at the study material that’s found throughout this Bible.
Introduction
The introduction in the front includes information about how to study the Bible. The focus is on inductive Bible study and how to use this Bible for inductive study.
Introduction to the Old Testament
The Old Testament introduction provides a description of what the OT is and shows how it relates to us today. It also shows the four divisions of the Old Testament.
Introduction to the New Testament
The New Testament introduction discusses how it’s the fulfillment of the OT and talks about the Good News. It also shows the four divisions of the NT.
Book Introductions
Book introductions take a page and include information about the author, the audience, when it was written, where the events took place, what was happening, why it was written, how we should read the book, the major sections, and a chart to show a timeline.
Bible Study
An inductive Bible study appears at the bottom of every page with Bible text. Each study includes a title, Scripture references, and four sections that include Pray, Observe, Interpret, and Apply. Each Bible study is on a topic that appears on the page. They provide information about the passage, and supporting references, and ask questions for you to ponder and answer. They’re well-written and to the point. They are short, but long enough to provide something substantial. Read through them in just a few minutes, or spend more time looking up the supporting verses and answering the questions.
Men and Women
These are one-page articles found throughout the Bible about prominent men or women of faith throughout history. These articles are the most substantial differences between the two Bibles. The men’s edition includes articles about men while the women’s edition includes articles about women. They include the title, a page of text, and references at the bottom of the page. They give a good overview of the person and discuss issues they faced, problems they solved, mistakes they made, etc. They’re not always placed where they would make the most sense. For example, Job is placed in Psalms.
Names for the men’s study Bible include C.S Lewis, Moses, Issac Newton, John Wesley, Tim Tebow, Timothy, etc. Names for the women’s study Bible include Eve, Clara Barton, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kay Arthur, Mary, Mary Kay Ash, Rosa Parks, Sarah, Queen Elizabeth II, etc.
Listen to the Word
Many pages include a section in the upper outer margin that instructs the reader to listen to a chapter using the Filament app. They include some things to think about for reflection as you listen.
Glossary of Theological Terms
This is an 8-page glossary that defines the most common theological terms that we face in the church world. It provides the definitions without indicating a bias. The definitions do not include Scripture references.
Courage for Life Topical Index
This is a 32-page index that covers the topics found in the Bible studies. The index includes the Bible study titles, the Scripture reference for the study, and the page number. I think this is the most useful of all the indexes. It’s an excellent tool to help you study any topic that’s covered in the notes.
Courageous Men and Women of Faith Indexes
This is a 1-page list of the people that are covered in an article. It shows their name and the page number of their article.
Life Application Life Topics Index
This is a 36-page index of Scriptures on specific topics. It lists the topics and then prints a few verses to read. It also includes information with Scripture references.
Bible Atlas
It has 16 pages of maps with 18 maps in total. They’re printed in full color on thick non-glossy paper. They include Topography, elevations, cities, rainfall, mountains, distance, routes, Scripture references, battles, water, historical information, kingdoms, dates, and more. These are some of the most interesting and detailed maps that I’ve seen. It doesn’t include an index. These are the maps used in the NLT Study Bible. Some maps have recently been renamed from “Palestine” to “Isreal” or “The Land”.
Maps include:
- Topography of Israel
- World of the Patriarchs
- Exodus from Egypt
- Twelve Tribes of Israel
- Conquest of Canaan
- United Kingdom
- Deportations and Returns under Assyria and Babylon
- Assyrian and Babylonian Empires
- Greek Empire
- The Land in the Late Hellenistic Period
- Old Testament Jerusalem
- New Testament Jerusalem
- The Land in the Time of Jesus
- Ministry of Jesus
- Paul’s Missionary Journeys
- Paul’s Journey to Rome
- Roman Empire and the Spread of Christianity
- Israel and the Middle East Today
NLT Courage For Life Study Bible Filament Bible App
The NLT Courage For Life Study Bible is Filament-enabled. The Filament app has several updates and now includes reading plans and an audio player. Scan any page to see notes, devotionals, and interactive media. The material is from the NLT Study Bible, Tyndale devotionals, etc. As always, I recommend using the material for reference and doing your own study. The Filament App is free and includes:
- 25,000+ study notes
- 350+ videos
- 40+ maps and infographics
- 400+ profiles and articles
- 1,500+ devotionals
- Library of Worship music
- Audio Player
- Reading Plans
Study
These are the study notes from the NLT Study Bible and other resources. It shows the verses the notes correspond to so you can select what you want to see.
Reflect
These are from Tyndale’s devotionals. They include a list of titles to click on. They’re short and include the resource name at the bottom to help you find the books if you want. I found them interesting and insightful.
See
This includes videos, infographics, and interactive maps. They include a featured image, title, the type of resource it is, and the Scripture references they correspond to, making it easy to decide what you want to see. The infographics have detailed descriptions. The maps show information for the area that you select on the map.
Reading Plans
Choose from several reading plans and let Filament track the plan for you. There are lots of plans to choose from and you can start at any time.
Audio Bible
Listen to the chapter or passage that you’ve selected. The female voice reading the Bible sounds great, and you can adjust the speed and set it to autoplay.
Manual Navigation
You can also navigate manually through the Bible books, chapters, and verses, adjust the font size, select a light or dark theme, switch between Bibles, and read the tutorial. I found the app to be intuitive. The Filament app is compatible with Android and iOS.
Conclusion
Randy’s Thoughts –
The NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Men, Filament-Enabled Edition is designed and made well. It’s uncluttered and doesn’t bog the reader down with too many things. All the content builds courage and includes a lot of encouragement. It reminds me of the She Reads Truth and He Reads Truth series of Bibles, and that’s a good thing. I think it’s safe to say these are the NLT equivalents of those Bibles. It’s excellent for daily study and devotions. I like the new features of the Filament app. The reading plans and audio player are excellent additions.
Lucinda’s Thoughts –
NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Women, Filament-Enabled Edition is well designed. I like its focus on courageous Christian living and overcoming worldly thought patterns and mistakes. The Bible studies are concise but give you lots to think about. I like the idea of listening to the Bible and using it to counter worldly wisdom. This would make a good study Bible for anyone wanting to be more Christ-like in their daily life.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
