Full Circle.
It all began back in 1983. At the time, Jeff Jackson was a senior in high school, working part-time for the Baptist Sunday School Board’s bookstore in Glorieta, New Mexico. Every so often the store would make special purchases, giving customers—and employees—an opportunity to buy a Bible at a limited-time price. One day the mailman delivered a case of Holman Study Bibles, a special purchase from the store, and an arrival that intrigued young Jeff. “As a senior in high school, I thought it was a really good deal for a really nice Bible.” But Jeff wasn’t seeing a Bible for his own personal use in this delivery; instead, he saw the perfect Christmas gift for his dad.
Fast forward forty years, and Bill Jackson is still reading his Holman Study Bible every day, now decorated with four decades of notes, a testament to his lifelong love for Scripture. Bill, a retired administrator and faithful father, has brought his son’s Christmas gift to cities throughout the United States and around the world, attending numerous “Scripture Blitz” events as a Gideon, where the organization distributes Bibles to hotel rooms. While never serving in vocational ministry, Bill’s involvement with the Gideons and in the local church, along with the way he led his home, has left an indelible mark on their entire family. “My mom and dad,” Jeff says, “have always made Scripture a priority, and that’s been passed on. Scripture is important to all of us.”
After so many years of daily use, Bill’s Bible was, as Jeff says, “in terrible condition.” This past Christmas, Jeff gave his dad our Bible Restoration Service, a gift with some underlying self-interest. “I didn’t want him to replace it because he had poured his whole life into those pages. But I do think the fact that it has his notes is more important to us as family than to him.” Regardless, Jeff says his dad is “thrilled” to have his Bible back—even if it’s more satisfying for those who love him.
“It’s really neat for me,” Jeff reflects, “that I gave the Bible to him, he’s used it this whole time, and now we’ve restored it. It’s kind of full circle.” With the Bible repaired and restored, Jeff hopes it will serve both his dad and their family for many years to come. “Now that it’s in good condition,” he says, “I hope it can be passed down from family member to family member.”
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We were honored to restore Bill’s Bible. We would be honored to restore your Bible next.