Why the NCV?

First, it was the New American Standard Bible. A big black cumbersome book with written-upon pages and frayed edges.

For the past seventeen years, it's been a smaller teal New International Version, its cracked cover now protected inside a black zippered case with a handle. My handwriting appears throughout the thin pages. The familiar words bring instruction, reproof, comfort.

Both the NASB and the NIV will be my study companions in the months ahead. But for my daily reading, I'm turning to Becoming: the Devotional Bible for Women in the New Century Version.

With an unfamiliar, though still accurate, translation, I hope to gain new insights. I'll also be able to read without the distraction of earlier notations.

From the intro:

The New Century Version . . . is a fresh, straightforward, and strong translation of God's truth and it is something you can connect with in your daily life. You'll find it easier to experience God's Word as it truly is -- absolutely clear, powerfully alive, and completely life-changing.

This may be the greatest opportunity you will ever find to read and understand the Bible and to come to a personal understanding of God's plan for your life. The Bible, it should be remembered, is not an end in itself, but it is a means to the end of knowing God and doing his will. Through his Word we hear his voice and come to understand his mind (p. xi).

What version will you be reading this year?