I got into Gene Peterson's "The Message" pretty heavily. Then I had a friend tell me about this TRANSLATION. It blows every other 'modernized' rewrite of the Bible away. The translation seems to me to be more closely related to American (language) than anything I have seen. The book reads well, and for me, is easily understood. The texts that I have come to rely on retain their original flavor, but are expressed in much more easily comprehended language. I can't think of any group that will not find this translation helpful in their walk with the Lord.