Serendipity Bible: New International Version 4th Edition (10th Anniversary edition) [Hardcover]

Lyman Coleman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 1996

A Bible study for every person, every group, every interest, every need Serendipity is what happens when two or three get together and share their lives---and the Holy Spirit does something beautiful when least expected. The Serendipity Bible makes leading a small group easier, even if you've never led a Bible study before. You don't have to be a gifted teacher, because everything you need to lead a great small group is here in one flexible and easy-to-use package. The Serendipity Bible offers 60 course outlines for every felt need: spirituality, marketplace, recovery, marriage, and a myriad of special needs. It offers studies for every demographic: couples, singles, parents, youth, men, women, and many more. You can study the Bible by topic, book, or stories, or through studies that take you through the church year. Beginner studies use questions that are open-ended, promote sharing, and feature hard-hitting, relevant endings. Advanced Bible teachings take groups deeper with questions that help leaders start the meeting, take the group through the reading, and create an effective close to the meeting. Thousands of penetrating study questions and extensive study helps make the Serendipity Bible a flexible and exciting tool for Bible study leaders as well as for personal study. Developed in partnership with Serendipity House, an organization with years of experience in creating innovative Bible studies, the Serendipity Bible is an outstanding resource for Bible study groups of all kinds. It's the ideal choice for groups that want to mine the riches of God's Word; for individuals who want a superb personal study Bible; and for leaders who may lack the experience, but not the heart, for conducting group Bible studies that make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A Bible study for every person, every group, every interest, every need

Serendipity is what happens when two or three get together and share their lives—and the Holy Spirit does something beautiful when least expected. The Serendipity Bible makes leading a small group easier, even if you’ve never led a Bible study before. You don’t have to be a gifted teacher, because everything you need to lead a great small group is here in one flexible and easy-to-use package.

The Serendipity Bible offers 60 course outlines for every felt need: spirituality, marketplace, recovery, marriage, and a myriad of special needs. It offers studies for every demographic: couples, singles, parents, youth, men, women, and many more. You can study the Bible by topic, book, or stories, or through studies that take you through the church year.

Beginner studies use questions that are open-ended, promote sharing, and feature hard-hitting, relevant endings. Advanced Bible teachings take groups deeper with questions that help leaders start the meeting, take the group through the reading, and create an effective close to the meeting. Thousands of penetrating study questions and extensive study helps make the Serendipity Bible a flexible and exciting tool for Bible study leaders as well as for personal study.

Developed in partnership with Serendipity House, an organization with years of experience in creating innovative Bible studies, the Serendipity Bible is an outstanding resource for Bible study groups of all kinds. It’s the ideal choice for groups that want to mine the riches of God’s Word; for individuals who want a superb personal study Bible; and for leaders who may lack the experience, but not the heart, for conducting group Bible studies that make a difference.

About the Author

Lyman Coleman is one of the pioneers of the small group movement. He is a graduate of Baylor University, where he first became involved in small group ministry through the Navigators and Young Life. At New York University, he wrote his first program for small groups, Growth by Groups, which combines the spiritual disciples of the Navigators with the group accountability of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since the 1960s, Lyman has produced many training courses that have trained over 500,000 people in seminars held throughout North America. Lyman is the general editor of the Serendipity New Testament, the Serendipity Bible for Group and Personal Study, and the Serendipity Student Bible.

Richard Peace is Associate Professor of Evangelism and Media at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He obtained a BD degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD at the University of Natal in South Africa. He is one of the founding members of African Enterprise, an international, interdenominational team of men working in Africa to assist the churches with evangelism. His professional experience ranges from university lecturing (in mathematics and engineering) to geological research. He is married and has two daughters.

Brenda Quinn, former staff editor for Serendipity House and editorial coordinator for MOPS International, Inc., is cowriter of study guides for both 'The Jesus I Never Knew' and 'What's So Amazing About Grace?' She coauthored the devotional 'Meet the Bible' with Philip Yancey. Brenda lives with her husband and son in Colorado.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1811 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Revised & enlarged edition (September 24, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310937337
• ISBN-13: 978-0310937333
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lyman Coleman is one of the pioneers of the small group movement. He is a graduate of Baylor University, where he first became involved in small group ministry through the Navigators and Young Life. At New York University, he wrote his first program for small groups, Growth by Groups, which combines the spiritual disciples of the Navigators with the group accountability of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since the 1960s, Lyman has produced many training courses that have trained over 500,000 people in seminars held throughout North America. Lyman is the general editor of the Serendipity New Testament, the Serendipity Bible for Group and Personal Study, and the Serendipity Student Bible.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serendipity Bible NIV, December 23, 1999

By 

T. James (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serendipity Bible: For Personal and Small Group Study (Paperback)

I was first introduced to this Bible when I was 14 years old; that was 16 years ago. I have since used this Bible to help teens get into reading God's word daily and journaling the questions and answers. This Bible was designed with group study in mind but I have found it to be one of the best for individual daily study as well. It has thought provoking questions that really help you think about what you have read and makes it applicable to your life. I have had teens tell me that they just couldn't get into reading God's word because it was hard to understand and boring. When I gave them this Bible they were amazed at how now they were understanding and excited to read. The questions in the margins and the short bible studies within the books helped make it more than words on a page. I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS BIBLE FOR TEENS.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely love this Bible, February 5, 2007

By 

theologicalresearcher "theologicalresearcher" (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Serendipity Bible: For Personal and Small Group Study (Paperback)

If anyone is looking for a Bible that aids in group Bible studies then this Bible is the one for you. Many Bible study teachers often lack the knowledge to guide members in a thorough study of the Bible. This is due to the fact that there are no proper guides in many of the study Bibles that are out there (though the "NIV Study Bible" and the "Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible" are somewhat exceptions). The problem with many study Bibles is that they just provide brief commentaries on the passage at the bottom. The problem, however, with this is that they do not challenge the reader to critically examine the passage themselves. It provides explanations but does not push readers to think through the passage. This Bible, however, provides a series of questions at the side of the page for the readers to think through carefully. This greatly aids teachers and readers to ask the relevant questions pertaining to a passage to effectively lead a study group.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for EVERY Bible Teacher!, August 19, 2005

By 

R. Chromey "rocknrollperfesser" (Someplace in eastern KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Serendipity Bible: For Personal and Small Group Study (Paperback)

I've been training Christian college students for 13 years now in Christian education and if there was only ONE resource for effective Bible teaching I could issue as a textbook, it would be "The Serendipity Bible."

Bar none, the best Bible teaching resource you can get your hands on.

Why? Because the secret to Bible teaching comes from the golf course. If you want learning to occur you have to "drive for show (be creative) but putt for dough (spark understanding and application of the Word). Creativity is vitally important to teaching the scriptures (the first step to boredom is predictability) but if you can't invoke insight, thought, reflection, application and understanding, you'll never win in effective Bible teaching.

This resource won't help you be more creative (plenty of great other resources there) but it will do the ONE thing most Bible teachers can't do: ask the RIGHT questions! Even seasoned professors may never learn that lesson. The Serendipity Bible solves the "question" hurdle. It powerfully packs into every Bible passage helpful introduction, study and application questions. It's a perfect companion for creating excellent small group studies, handouts or spontaneous Bible discussion times.

To tell you the truth, I rarely write reviews for books but this one is different. Once you start using it, you won't want to be without it. Guaranteed.

A Professor of Christian Education and Youth Ministry