“What gift do we get for our graduating seniors?” The question begins each year about this time and we are stuck as to what we can possibly give them that they will truly care about. There are a lot of options—from books of poetry to CD collections. What do any of these say to our graduates about who they are or how we as a church want to honor them.

Over the last few months, I noticed that one of our seniors was using The Living Bible and another was using a children’s Bible (at least they actually brought a Bible) and so I decided that for this class, an age and stage appropriate bible was what we needed. I was pleasantly pleased to find the LifeGear for Grads edition of the Common English Bible.

The Common English Bible translation, called “a fresh translation to touch the heart and mind” is relatively new, first published in 2011. A key goal of the translation team was to make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people; it’s written at a comfortable level for over half of all English readers. This translation has been reviewed on numerous occasions if you would like to read more go here. What caught my attention was the LifeGear for Grads Survival Guide that was included with the Bible.

Unlike many books that would collect dust on the college shelf, I found this to be a very useful guide to help with the transition from high school to college. It is divided into three sections.

The first section focuses on helpful tips for college including dorm-room etiquette, money, creation care and even a recipe for microwave mac and cheese.

The second section focuses on their spiritual walk with prayers to try and scripture readings and tips on finding a church. I especially appreciate that, within this section, were questions and a helpful discernment process for determining a college major. What better place to have this information than under spiritual issues?

The third section covers some of the harder questions that may have to be dealt with such as alcohol and relationships.

Since this is a short (only 32 pages) booklet, I think our grads will actually read it and will find it helpful. It will be something that they will be able to remember and refer back to when necessary.

My only complaint—the cover. It is currently only being published in a blue jean look decotone fabric. If we are hoping to purchase our graduates a Bible that they can use for years to come, I would like to be able to purchase it in a more sophisticated leather or something that could be embossed with their name. Maybe we can get the publisher to just sell the Survival Guide?

For additional CEB editions view the Related Products below