A Call To KJV People!

Actually, this is a call to anyone who possesses some knowledge about Bibles. A friend is looking around for a new Bible---apparently the binding on her Bible is falling apart. She's had it for some years, and although she'll probably lay it away, swathed in silken cloth and tender memories, she needs something more sturdy to pound at church.

Requirements.

1. King James Version (no, it doesn't have to be the 1611)

2. It has to "look like a Bible." None of those pink/purple/neon/metal hybrids. She prefers black, or a dignified navy.

I'd throw in these

3. Sturdy binding

4. Clear, legible type

5. If possible, a decent cross-reference system. I like the Jewel-reference verse thing, I believe that Holman does that.

I refuse to buy on of those plasticy, el-cheapo, yellow paged "Gift & Award" Bibles. Who'd give someone such a shoddy piece of work? Oh, and don't make it too expensive. (Grinning here, because my list of requirements is too long already)

Does anyone have a decent, quality Bible that they've used or heard recommended?

God Talking to People

I envy these people.

So damn much.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/2.44.html

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2021_The_Morning_I_Heard_the_Voice_of_God/

The Preacher of Cedar Mountain

I paid two bucks for a single page of writing the other day. This page.

"A burnt, bare, seared, and wounded spot in the great pine forest of Ontario, some sixty miles northeast of Toronto, was the little town of Links. It lay among the pine ridges, the rich, level bottomlands, and the newborn townships, in a region of blue lakes and black loam that was destined to be a thriving community of prosperous farmer folk. The broad, unrotted stumps of trees that not so long ago possessed the ground, were thickly interstrewn among the houses of the town and in the little fields that began to show as angular invasions of the woodland, one by every settler's house of logs.

"Through the woods and through the town there ran the deep, brown flood of the little bog-born river, and streaking its current for the whole length were the huge, fragrant logs of the new-cut pines, in disorderly array, awaiting their turn to be shot through the mill and come forth as piles of lumber, broad waste slabs, and heaps of useless sawdust."

I looked at the faded green volume in my hand, with an uncertain $2.00 written on the first page, as if the people running the tiny booksale weren't sure that anyone would pay that much for a worn hardback printed in 1920. That first page was enough to convince me. If you can read that, and not understand why, then I have no use for you. If you do, then you can pick up cheap copys of "The Preacher of Cedar Mountain" by Ernest Thompson Seton at amazon.com.

Now, to read the entire book.

Too Many Freaking Bibles

I've barely even started. And I already have this many bibles, about two were bought new, and the rest picked up used.

1. God's Story ESV
2. Single column side reference '77 NASB
3. Make It Count CEV
4. Good News for Modern Man (the hardcover gold version, with the sweet pictures inside?)
5. Waterlogged pocket KJV that needs to hit the trash
6. Youthwalk Devotional Bible NIV
7. Blue cowhide NIV (v. nice)
8. Duo-tone NIV

There's just this deep instinct that leads me to mindlessly purchase Bibles. I still need

1. The Living Bible
2. NKJV
3. NCV
4. TNIV (I'm using the ESV, but would love to see these two side by side in one edition. It would just be priceless, after people have been mindlessly pitting the two against each other. I don't give a damn if they do use man, and nothing has been lost when they say people, God is not angry, I promise)
5. Decent copy of the KJV
6. Updated NASB
7. ASV (Picked up an actual original, 1901, dried, leathery, crumbling, sold it for $45, woot)
8. RV
9. RSV
10. NRSV
11. HCSB
12. Geneva
13. Tyndale
14. Bishop
15. The rest that I've forgotten right now.

Anyone Want to Memorize the Bible With Me?

After marching through Ephesians 3:14-21, I've decided that I want to do the entire book. This is the first time that I have ever decided to memorize the Bible. My church has a weird verse memorization thing going on, but they seem to have no plan or direction. This week, it's Matthew 4:19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

That, in any case, doesn't require much "oh, I forgot the memory verse, let me quickly review it on the way to church" festivities.

And what is very, very strange is that I looked up Bible memorization on the 'net, and everyone seems to be memorizing Ephesians. V. strange.

OK, I'm starting at the beginning. Here's my current plan.

1. I'm memorizing from the English Standard Version. I come from a KJV-only background, so don't blame me for not memorizing from one of them dang-blasted perVersions. My training makes it feel naughty to read anything but the AV 1611. Besides, when I compare the ESV rendering of Ephesians 3:14-21 to most of the "free-er" versions, I like the beauty of the ESV better.

2. I'm taking it at two verses a week. Yes, just two. Now, when working on 3:14-21, I finished it faster. However, I only require myself to learn two verses each week. I often learn more---but I don't make myself do it.

3. I'm keeping it mostly private. My immediate tendency is to go shout my verses at some hapless listener, but I'm just killing that for now by totally avoiding quoting what I've learned. For now, it's best.

4. I am starting in Ephesians.

5. I'd like company.

Even if you're memorizing another book, I'd love to hear from you. Or if you're inspired to start. Don't feel intimidated---I've barely started.

So, join in!

Brief Note: God's Story ESV

I noticed something weird about my hardcover copy of the ESV "God's Story" Bible. It is supposed to have three ribbon markers.

I have no ribbon markers.

I'm enjoying reading and memorizing from the English Standard Version (and reading all the various news about it---pro and 'agin' it) but this discrepancy is disturbing. I picked it up at our local Borders last month.

Weird.

Weird Old Ladies and Muddle House

I realized that I'd promised an update on the whole Bible retreat deal. I was mulling over a different subject, and decided to opt for some variety, so I would not bore the non-existent readers of this blog.

The retreat was good. The first message was half personal testimony and half getting such a huge vision of what God wants to do in our respective lives that only the wily trickster could've pulled it off. OK, v. bad summary. It reminded me of a sermon that was preached, and I condensed my notes, and stuck on a Post-It in my Bible.

A Successful Vision

1. Starts with strong desire
2. Is cultivated into a specific direction
3. Becomes reality through reaching specific, practical goals that are neccesary to achieve (the overall vision)
4. Will not allow distractions
5. A lack of vision is dangerous

The second message at the retreat was fairly tame and harmless, but it gained an edge when you knew the speaker's background. When she sums up her marrige relationship with a reference to the story of Nabal and Abigail, you know that this woman is speaking from gritty experience.

The afternoon drained away with various short talks, lunch (if men had attended, they wouldn't have dared to feed them only salad! Egad! Bring me the fine meats and honeyed pastries!) and wound up with a message delivered by a very strange little woman.

She's one of steel-spined packages that must be over 60, and yet you know there's something beyond the wispy white hair and odd, outdated hat perched firmly onto her head. She was short, compact, and animated as all get out. Back and forth she walked, waving a skinny, wrinkled hand, and occassionally dropping her voice to a whispery, dramatic tone.

"I don't know how to explain it," she said "But when I looked at the preacher, I saw someone beside him---and I just knew it was Jesus. And I was changed!"

For two years, she mystified her non-religious family with her devotion to, um, Christianity. However, she continued dramatically, she finally caved in to their evil suggestions when she relented and said that she would take her younger brother down to the movie theater on Saturday (oh movie theater of the 1940-50s, brothel from which all evils emanate) and she did. But she knew that Jesus would not go with her into that brothel---oops, movie theater.

She did, but was dismayed to find that Jesus wasn't waiting outside the theater for her!

"I'd LOST HIM!" She said, strained, soft, raspy old woman voice as emphatic was possible "For two years..."

Marvelous, yes, she could tell a story. But something made me uneasy about her story. She "sees Jesus" "loses Jesus" and finally, "regains" Jesus, via another appearance of him on a streetcar. Yes, I told you that she was old.

What made me uneasy was that Jesus didn't come to us because of anything we did, he doesn't stay because of anything that we do, otherwise we'd never "have" him. The whole "I will never leave you or forsake you" bit? Nope, she never mentioned that. If I'd had the courage (or the time, the evening was wrapping up) I'd have challenged her on that.

What is it with weird old ladies and religion? Did Anna at the temple set some sort of precedent, or something?

Unique, Traveling Bible

OK, so I have billions of ideas every day. I think this one is cool. (That, by the way, is the lucious ESV Classic Reference Cordovan Bible. Schlurp.

Take a Bible, preferably one that will be tough, with easy to read font size, and something that you can write in without qualms or the notations showing really badly on the other side of the page. Wide margin could be nice.

There’s this one Bible coming out this month that I think would be perfect for me---hardback, wide margin ESV. It’s that, or this elegant cordovan edition that could really last.

Pick a book that you’ve been studying, or feel that you have some insight on. Then, with painstaking care, make relevant notes/notations throughout the text that will aid understanding. No high-lighters allowed. You could insert an article that sheds light on that book, or that simply encouraged you in Bible study. Naturally, some books are very large, so this would have to be flexible.

When this is done, you find someone agreeable, and pass the Bible on to them. They do the same. They pass the Bible on to someone else, and so on and so on. Hopefully, by the time it comes back to you, your traveling Bible has unique and helpful notes and notations that are fresh and new. This could really spark some interesting conversations with the people who have taken the time to do this.

Naturally, the particulars of this idea have not been worked out. That will take time and careful consideration---in short, it will be work. Still, I think there could be potential in it.

Any ideas?

Bible Study for the Jaded

This post comes from vast (ha) experience and watching other people get fired up over a project---only to slowly, but surely, lose any ground that they've gained. A good sermon can leave many people eager to jump into Bible study feet first. They've read the books, bought the highlighters, the coloured pencils, the study Bible, the wide margin Bible, the "through the Bible in one year" Bible, they've dragged out the commentaries, downloaded the software. They are ready to go.

And yet in a few weeks, they're back to their usual snatching method of reading the Bible. They snatch a Proverb, snag a Psalm, or simply reread their favorite books and leave alone anything else.

Then, they read a book about Bible study. Wow, they think, I did it all wrong. With this new method, I can really dig into the Bible!

A few weeks later, their Bible is full of colored pencil markings (thank you, Kay Arthur) and they can't even pick it up anymore. Their failure stares them in the face.

Frustrated, angry, they hear another sermon, read another book, attend a seminar.

"Now, I really am going to study the Bible!"

A few weeks later....

They are jaded. They've tried the Bible study for the smart, they've tried the never-fail methods, they've promised that this time, they'll stick with it.

Many books tacitly acknowledge this by assuring you that "It's not that hard" "Anyone can do this" "Read a chapter a day, anyone can do that!" "Read a verse a day, anyone can do that!" "Hundreds of people, including the Apostle Paul, used this method---and you can, too!"

Well, I'm going to turn all this on its head.

1. Bible study is hard. It takes work. If you want to learn the Bible, it will take work. If you come to the Bible expecting to scoop gold off the ground, you're going to get discouraged very quickly.

2. Don't read a chapter a day. Don't read a verse a day. Sit down and read an entire book. Instead of doing something that anyone can do, do something that people rarely do: read the Bible the way it was meant to be read. This applies especially to epistles.

3. Stop look at your Bible as a repository of commands and promises. Yes, they are there. But you'd actually benefit more from circling all the verbs with your coloured pencil (thank you, Kay Arthur)

4. Pick a book that you don't like. For instance, I've always liked the gospel of Luke. He's my type of guy. Details, details, and he's just writes beautifully. But I'm not studying Luke. I'm studying John. Distance yourself from your faves. Don't worry---they'll still be there, waiting for you.

5. If you want to read through the Bible in one year, don't start in Genesis. If you've tried and failed before, you have probably already read Genesis more times than you can remember. If you are like me, it takes time for you to grasp the "gist" of a book, so don't alternate or mix NT and OT readings. You lose the overall perspective. Pick a book, and stick with it.

6. Avoid the Psalms like a holy plague. You've read them enough. Starving yourself of Psalms will give you a new appreciation for them. Here's an idea, mix your Psalm reading with a book of contemporary poetry. Compare them to other ancient poetry. Quit dragging the Psalms into your world and superimposing them onto your culture.

7. Avoid Proverbs like the holy plague. See above.

8. Kiss your schedule goodbye. That's right. Give yourself time to dwell on one book. Jesus doesn't hate you if you don't read your Bible through in one year. In fact, he doesn't love you more if you do.

9. Read a book backwards, preferably in one sitting. Read the Bible backwards. Both force you to get a grasp on what's really going on.

10. Whatever you do, stick with it. I don't want this post to be one of many that you read and become more jaded when you fail. It's better to feel totally unexcited and bored and to consistently do XYZ than to get very excited, sharpen your coloured pencils (thank you, Kay Arthur) and stop. If you can only study the Bible once a week, fine. Just make sure that you do it once a week.

And that's it. If you can only find one thing that suits your personality, than keep going. Don't neglect your ability, just because you can't out-scribble Kay Arthur. Be a boring---and consistent---plodder.

All sarcasm towards Kay Arthur and the Inductive Study method are purely the results of someone who could never sharpen a pencil without breaking the tip. Kay, core of my heart, forgive me.