Christians, your opinions please?

NLT is a reliable translation, but the difference that you see between it and the NIV is that the NLT is a "thought for thought" translation. That is, rather than faithfully translating word for word, the translation team attempted to convert the thought or intention of the authors into modern English and terminology. The result is a bit more readable but less technical. I once heard a Bible scholar say that the NLT is fine for personal study, but he wouldn't want to use it to prove doctrine.