As many of you know, I have enjoyed the opportunity to be a book review blogger for Thomas Nelson. In the past, I’ve reviewed books by Tedd Dekker and gift books. The lastest reviewing project took a very large chunk of time. 40 hours to be exact.

This time I reviewed “Word of Life: New Testament.” It’s a dramatized version of the NT starring many teenaged stars that your kids would be more than familiar with. There are a few Hannah Montana voices, some from American Idol, and many from the great Disney machine. The narrator is the ever lovable Sean Astin…or Samwise Gamgee to many kids.

The Bible promises special blessings to those who listen to the Words of God. And after spending 40 enjoyable hours listening, I can honestly say that I feel blessed. There’s something nice about being able to listen while you’re doing something mundane, like playing solitare or majhong tiles. It helps redeem the time and give you something to mentally chew on during a down moment.

At times it was difficult to get past the thought that I was older than most of the actors. And that for some weird reason, the young couple of Mary and Joseph sounded the same age as the aged Elisabeth and Zachariah. But that can be skimmed over. Listening to the Bible made me notice things that I hadn’t before — nuances and reoccurring themes that were otherwise skimmed over in the haste to finish a chapter.

I would heartily recommend this mp3 series to anyone. It’s a good listen for adults and children alike!