Have you seen the Waterproof Bible by Bardin & Marsee? Here, check this out:

How can a Bible be waterproof?

Obviously it’s not made out of paper, right? So what is it? The pages and the cover are synthetic, leaving them both water resistant AND stain proof. The pages feel smooth and cool, and when you feel a page between your fingers it feels like a super thin vinyl or plastic. But the pages are very matte and soft so in that sense they also feel “NOT plastic.” Because the Waterproof Bible isn’t made out of paper you can spill on it, splash on it, or (as you’ve seen) you can even dunk the whole thing in a sink if you want to.

Okay, so, does it REALLY work?

Yes! The water (or coffee) sits on the page in a puddle waiting to be shaken or wiped off with a cloth. The coffee didn’t stain, either! Even dropping the whole thing in the sink didn’t ruin it. My mom was skeptical and half-afraid that it wouldn’t work. (Sorry, mom!) When we shot the video above, I gasped for effect, my mom gasped for real! But no, it didn’t fall apart and YES, it really is water proof!

How do you care for the Waterproof Bible?

I emailed Mr. Bobby Bardin myself and asked him that very question. “What do you do if you drop it in water?” My husband wanted to know if we had to dry off every page or dry it with a blow dryer. The simple answer? No. Here’s what you do:

Spill some water on it? Wipe it off with a dry cloth.
Spill something sticky on it? Wipe it off with a wet cloth and dry it with a dry cloth.
Drop it in water? SQUISH as much water as you can out of it, dry the outside and edges with a towel and keep using it. It dries as you use it. (I kept checking and flipping the pages periodically. If I found a really WET page, I wiped it off.)
Drop it in something soapy/slimy/sticky/muddy: Rinse it with clean water and then dry as above.

I know you’re skeptical because I was skeptical when Mr. Bardin told me just to squish out as much as possible and keep using it. I thought, “Okayyyy… if you say sooo…” But let me tell you that the very next morning it was already mostly dry; it didn’t take long. I’m sure if the Bible was allowed so sit in the water to become saturated then the drying process would take longer (Mr. Bardin said as much as a couple weeks in high humidity) but it does work.

The Waterproof Bible features:

• Waterproof (of course, right?)
• Synthetic pages are very durable and rip-resistant
• Can write in pencil or “dry” pen.
• Can “dry” highlight (I use twistable color pencils)
• Variety of cover styles and translations
• Short introduction to each chapter
• Footnotes at the bottom of each page

Who might want a Waterproof Bible?

I can think of many people who might enjoy this! Everyone I’ve spoken to about it has been intrigued. But certain types of people may be more interested than others:

• People in the military serving overseas.
• Missionaries in the field
• Men who like to camp and fish and take the word of God with them
• Speakers who travel a lot
• Mothers of small children
• People who work in messy environments and like to take their bible to work
• College students who often study on the go or while eating
• Messy boys (I couldn’t resist – I have one!)

What other types of people might be interested in a Waterproof Bible?

And as to whether or not I like it? Yes, it’s very cool. It would make a really neat and thoughtful gift for any of the people mentioned above.

Where can I find these in stores?

You can find the Waterproof Bible in most Christian retail stores like LifeWay, Mardel, Family Christian Stores and others. You can find them online at Amazon and Christianbook.com. You can also order the Waterproof Bible directly from Bardin & Marsee on their website (and while you’re there check out their apparel and other items as well.) Also, you can find the Waterproof Bible on Facebook and Twitter.

Bonus! If you order directly from Bardin & Marsee from now until December 31, 2012 and use the code “freeship12” at checkout, you will receive free shipping on your entire order.

Or you can win one!

Bardin & Marsee has given me ONE Waterproof Bible to give away to one of my (U.S. or military based) readers! Follow the directions here and maximize your chances to win:

**IMPORTANT: LEAVING A BLOG COMMENT IS A MANDATORY FOR ENTRY. Why? It’s not because I’m a comment hog (though I do love them.) I just want to make sure that the publishers can see, visually, how many people are interested and what people are saying about their product. Okey Dokey? The widget will ask you to leave a comment, but it means in the comments section on the post. Thanks!**

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Maximize your chances even more! Check out these Waterproof Bible giveaways with my fellow review bloggers also going on right now:

Alisha @ Flourish
Jamie @ The Unlikely Homeschool
Marianne @ Abundant Life

All the fine print:

Many thanks to Bardin & Marsee Publishing for providing a copy of the pink ESV Waterproof Bible for review. They also compensated me for my time but they didn’t not ask or tell me what to write. All thoughts and statements above are my own and I was not required to write a positive review, although I found the experience generally pleasing and positive overall. For more information on my own personal review standards and guidelines, read my page About Reviews.