Join us every Tuesday morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon as we delve deeply into Scripture and uplift one another in prayer. Each week we study the Bible together under the direction of our priest, Fr. Lonnie, learning the history and context of each book as we also seek meaning for our lives today. No special books or tools are required; just a good study Bible.

Fr. Lonnie highly recommends The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Augmented Third Edition. (If you order online using this link, St. Anne's receives a small percentage of the sale, which is used to support ministry.)

If you want to choose your own study Bible, follow these tips:

• Translation. Look for a true translation, not a paraphrase. A translation is a very close rendering into English from the original Greek and Hebrew, while a paraphrase simply conveys general ideas without always staying true to the original texts. Examples of true translations are NRSV, NIV, The Jerusalem Bible, and The King James Bible. Paraphrases include The Living Bible and The Message. While paraphrases can be great for devotional readings of the Bible, a good study Bible requires the precision of a true translation.

• Readability. Find a Bible that reads comfortably for you. For most of us, a good translation in modern English is best. If you want the challenge of 17th century English and think the King James Version is right for you, go for it, but you're probably far better off with something a bit more current.

• Good notes. Check to see what kind of introductory materials and footnotes your Bible has. A good study Bible has helpful introductions to each book to help you understand the context and main themes, and good footnotes provide useful information as you read along.

• Markability. While Bibles are certainly holy objects, that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't mark in your own personal study Bible. Special dry highlighters are available that won't bleed through Bibles' thin pages. Perhaps you can choose one color to highlight key phrases and "aha!" moments and another color to highlight items that are confusing or deserve more research. Also consider writing notes and questions in the margins so you'll remember your thoughts when you return to those passages later.