Dear Friends,
This is one of those wonderful moments in history, when a big birthday for the Bible reminds us how vital the Word of God continues to be.

Across this year, it has been our joy to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible — the most published, most read, most influential and the most lasting translation of all time. This is the Bible that came alive in the hearts and hands of Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King.

And continuing today, we are seeing God's Word moving forward in ways the King James Bible translators could barely have dreamed possible. This includes reaching thousands of at-risk, urban children, pulled back from illiteracy and a predictably rocky future; an infamous criminal who once filled the headlines with dread, now filling fellow inmates with faith; and the flourishing of God's Word in a place where many said it would not be possible.

Lamar Vest and his wife Vickie examine a very early copy of the King James Bible at Hatfield House, Hertsfordshire, England. (Photo by Lucy Barnes.)

Vickie and I recently had the privilege to hold in our hands one of the very first editions of this marvelous King James Bible. As I did so, I could not help but feel the mighty weight and wonder of this remarkable book. But let's remember, its greatest strengths are the same as the Bible you own, the one waiting to be opened to reveal the glory of God's love and the hope needed for this day and forever.