HI
I borrowed the Message from my Mum while she was in Australia for a month and I've been totally loathed to give it back. I've used it every day. It's so accessible and easy to read. I particularly found it useful for reading the Old Testament. It reads like a story and while I certainly wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to the original translation it does take away the "Scare-Factor" I always used to feel.
Where the original translation seems distant and irrelevant the Message brings the Bible alive and has given me a great overview that I will now take back to my study of the original text.
The characters become real and the story unfolds so that you can follow threads that run through a text which spans hundreds of years and link the old with the new testament without getting bogged down in the language, layout or jargon.
I'd definitely recommend this to any Christian contemplating buying it. It's definitely cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else I've seen it, (and no they didn't pay me to write that!).It is a lot of money, but for me it has been a good investment and a great aid for getting my head around the Bible.
Hope you find my review helpful
Gem