Great Adventure Catholic Bible Indexing Tabs (Review)
The Great Adventure Bible tabs are a great addition to any full-size Bible, especially if you’re reading along to “The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast.
An essential tool for reading the books of the Bible is the Great Adventure Catholic Bible indexing tabs.
These self-adhesive tabs are unique to the reading plan and timeline that Fr. Mike Schmitz is following in his "Bible in a Year" podcast.
With 73 books in the Catholic Bible, it can be an intimidating library of books. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed when picking up the Bible, you’re not alone! It’s natural to feel uncertain about how to start. The Bible can be confusing!
Thankfully, it can feel a lot more manageable when you add Bible tabs (at least in my personal experience).
These helpful tools:
Remove the embarrassment of not knowing how to find a specific book
Make the Bible feel manageable and accessible
Allow for "multitasking" as you flip between readings or look up Bible passages
Help you learn the books of the Bible as you use the Bible
Make a great First Communion gift!
Table of Contents ▲
1. Why buy the Great Adventure Bible indexing tabs?
I love Bible tabs so much that when I led a group of sixth graders, the first thing I did was make an upfront investment in Bible tabs!
Most of them didn't know the books of the Bible or where they were located, and we were spending way too much time trying to find the reading.
I wanted to encourage their faith, not discourage it. Reading the Bible is confusing, especially if you’re new to the Christian faith for the first time. I didn’t want these girls to lose confidence as they floundered through the Bible’s thousands of pages.
The real struggle to find the passage of Scripture we were studying was distracting from he big picture of why we were there: To read God's message to us and to understand the Biblical story he gave us!
After we spent a few sessions indexing their Bible
What’s inside the Great Adventure Bible Tab package
When my husband and I decided to read along as Fr. Mike Schmitz read the Bible in his podcast, I knew these Index tabs would come in handy. When the package arrived, I discovered the Great Adventure Bible tabs:
Can be added to any full-size Bible
Colors correspond with each of the 12 narrative periods in the Great Adventure Bible Timeline
Each tab is laminated, making it more durable than other Bible tab options
Additional tabs are included so you can easily flip to charts, documents, articles, and maps in your Bible
It comes with a positioning guide to measure and evenly space the tabs in your Bible (a nice bonus missing from many Bible tab options — see below for pictures and steps on how to apply them).
2. What is the Great Adventure Bible Timeline?
Jeff Cavins developed a Bible study that allows you to read God's word according to its Biblical narrative, which follows the story of God's people.
It's the big-picture story of the Bible, and I've been enjoying following the story of God's people and seeing the grand picture.
These color-coded tabs reflect the colors of the 12 narrative periods in Jeff Cavin's Great Adventure Bible Timeline.
If you’re listening to the Fr. Mike Schmitz podcast or watching his YouTube Channel, this is the reading plan he’s following, and he occasionally interviews Cavins on special episodes to explain each narrative period.
These periods aren't necessarily linear, meaning you aren't reading the books in page order. Instead, you’re reading them as they relate to each other throughout Salvation history.
Remember, the Bible is a collection of books — a library — that includes various genres, such as history, law, wisdom, poetry, and biography.
Fr. Schmitz is reading from "The Great Adventure Bible" Catholic Revised Standard Version - Second Edition (the same Bible as pictured below). His goal is to help you deepen your understanding and grow your faith by following the story of God’s people, from Genesis to Revelation.
That also means the Bible tabs, when you first get them, don’t necessarily look … orderly.
They aren’t meant to. Instead, they’re designed to help you understand the different narrative Biblical periods, helping accentuate your understanding of the narrative story of the Bible.
➡️ Listening to the “Bible in a Year” podcast? Explore additional resources.
3. Are the Great Adventure Catholic Bible tabs worth buying?
Here’s my assessment of the Great Adventure Catholic Bible Tabs so far:
Pros: Durable, laminate, specifically designed for the Great Adventure Bible study and “The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)” podcast. I can tell their quality when I use them.
Cons: Because these tabs are laminated, they are a little trickier to apply than less-durable tabs I’ve used before. Also, they aren’t as visually appealing as other Bible tab options because of their purpose in reflecting the 12 narrative periods of the Bible.
Is it worth it? Yes. They aren’t necessary for the study, but a wonderful tool to make your Bible reading experience better.
A nicer-looking option is these laminated Bible tabs, which come in black, cream, gray, and various color assortments. They offer a more uniform look, are also laminated for durability, and I appreciate how they’ve labeled the genre of the book under the book title.
4. The 5 reasons to add indexing labels to each book of the Bible
Adding indexing labels is a small investment of time and money, but that upfront effort (in my personal experience) has multiplied in different ways:
1. Bible tabs make reading your Bible easier. With 73 books in the Catholic Bible (46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament) it can be challenging to remember where each book is located in sequence.
Bible tabs remove the friction of finding what you're looking for — you can get to the specific passage in seconds.
2. It will boost your confidence. I've never been able to memorize the books of the Bible, and I often feel lost when a reading jumps ahead too quickly.
Seeing a visual map of the Bible is helpful during Bible studies, daily Bible readings, and whenever I want to look up a Scripture.
3. Bible tabs encourage you to cross-reference verses or Scripture stories, because it's easy to look up references when all you have to do is flip back and forth.
One of the eye-opening experiences of reading the full Bible is how interconnected the books are; some scholars estimate around 63,000 cross-references!
4. You're more likely to read the Bible. This is purely my opinion and based on anecdotal evidence, but I've noticed that the people who take the time to add Bible tabs are also the ones who take the time to read their Bible.
5. Tabs help extend the life of your Bible. Especially if it has super-thin pages, when you turn to a new chapter or book, the pages can feel fragile and easily tear (I know from experience).
In addition, Bible tabs help you find a specific book without oils from your skin curling the pages.
5. How to attach the Great Adventure indexing tabs to your Bible
Indexing of the Bible tabs can be a little tricky, so go slowly.
You’ll want a well-lit area to work in. The clear laminate parts of the tabs look great on the page, but they are a little tricky to apply.
(In the pictures below, I’m applying them to The Great Adventure Bible, which makes this easy, as there are marks already on each page.)
Step 1. Cut or fold the measuring guide to fit your Bible size
Use the measuring guide to see where you should apply your tab.
You’ll then cut or fold it along the dotted line and place it flush along your Bible so you can easily adhere each tab.
You’ll then align the top of the tab to each arrow on the measuring guide before pressing it into the page.
Step 2. Select the label you’re going to adhere
You’ll then carefully unpeel a Bible tab from the page it came from and get ready to place it in your Bible.
Step 3. Align the Bible tab so the top is flush with the arrow
Flip to the page you want to adhere the tab to and line the top of the tab with the arrow in your measuring guide.
These tabs are very sticky and aren’t easy to unpeel, so go slowly!
Step 4. Fold the Bible tab over, making sure it’s adhered to only one page
Carefully fold over the Bible tab so it aligns and press it into place.
(CAUTION! Make sure you’re only holding ONE page.
Most Bible pages are super thin, especially if you have a student Bible or study Bible with additional information on each page. It’s easy to accidentally fasten multiple pages together when you fold the tab over, so check that you’re only adhering the tab to a single page before pressing it into place.
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Mackenzie Ryan Walters is the author of “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” which shares Christian testimonies and stories, as well as curated lists about Christian books, gifts, and more. A national award-winning former journalist who’s covered a presidential campaign, been inside NASA, and reported on education and schools, Mackenzie now edits the Faith Storytellers website and is passionate about lifting up and sharing the story God is writing in the world.
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