The AWANA Grand Pre !

Greetings! Nothing deep and heavy today. No differences in translation philosphies. Just good old light and fluffy stuff for me today! :) One of the things that really drew my wife and I to the area we now live, and the church we now attend, is the loads of family activites that we can get not ujst ourselves involved in but our children as well. Tomorrow is just one of those events. Our church sponsors a pine-box car derby. Although this will be the second year my kids have gone to this - this one will be my first. Although both times I have had fun with the kids. We've gone shopping for the pre-formed cars, bought 'special colors' (red makes the cars go faster! ;-) ), and had fun just making the cars. I am seeing my oldest take it a little more serious this year than last, but he's still in it just for the fun. Especially in light of apparently how serious some of the fathers take this whole event. I have heard of some really creative cars like an ice cream sunday, or a hot dog shapped one. And since I've not seen it first hand I am not sure, but allegations of fathers making the cars for their kids has come up. :D No matter, it should be fun. I've even gotten into it a little bit this year. I've got a pich-up truck shaped body. Drilled 2 holes to put in some additional weights (the body only weighs 2 oz, and the cars can weigh up to 5 oz.). Now, there will be no way that I will be able to compete with the things I have heard, but I really enjoy model building so I am going to have fun. My truck will not be ready this year, but I will send it down the track primed, and the wheels loosly fitted so I can continue to play with it this year so that it will be "fully" ready for next year. Oh, and this year I will be helping out with the computer. I hope to take some pictures, and hopefully I will learn how to post some pics here for Monday! May you all have a blessed and Spirit filled weekend. Verse for today: Proverbs 15:1-10 esv A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.

Translation philosphy

I wanted to take a moment to address a concern of a fellow "Christian samurai" in regards to the modern translation philosophies of the Bible. I agree with "Deff Jeff" that the Bible should not be changed at all. That each word is the inspired word of God and thus has meaning. We should not be casual in our handling of the scriptures. It is important to remember however, that unless you are reading the scriptures in Hebrew and Greek - you are reading a manuscript other than the original, and thus has been changed in some degree.

The Legacy of the King James Version The King James Version (KJV) was the standard Bible used by the English-speaking world for almost four centuries. It was the one Bible that united the Church, strengthened believers, and brought untold millions of souls to Christ. Its literary beauty helped to shape the English language more than any other printed work before or since. Adults and children studied it and committed its verses to memory. It is still among the top-selling Bibles on current bestseller lists.

The translators of the KJV understood the value of the English translation work that had been done before their time, and they wisely referred to the earliest English Bible translations, dating back to William Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament, in addition to the manuscripts in their original languages.

- quoted from The Standard Bible society

When the King James Version (KJV) was commision it was told to pay particular attention to the original texts and to be a literal as possible. That is to essentially be a "word for word" translation. The result has been marvelous. The KJV is essentially the standard Bible for the English speaking world. It is important to note however that although God's Word never changes - man's does. Human communication, and English in particular (since this is my native tongue), is a dynamic form. Despite English being a 'standard' language for the world as we know it today it is not a stagnant form of communication. Just look at how the 'main' countries that use it differ... The U.K., Australia, and the U.S. all speak English however, the words and phrases are vastly different - and yet all three countries essentially originate from the time of the KJV's commision. The reason I use the English Standard Version (ESV) is that it too seeks to be as faithful to the original texts that the KJV sought to be, but using English in its modern form.

Translation Philosophy The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.

Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence.

Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.

As an essentially literal translation, then, the ESV seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language.

- quoted from The Standard Bible Society

The subject of Bible translations is indeed a touchy subject in the world of Christianity. I have seen Christians act out in very UN-Christian like ways in defense of their positions - on whatever side of the debate they are on. And the world has seen this. Not just from the few debates I have seen, by from Christians in general. And the enemy has siezed upon such divisions and twisted it to try and discredit our witness to the world. I encourage any and all who read this to research it. Do not take my word for it. I take my walk with the Lord very seriously and seek to do due diligence to my own reading. If a reader here uses the "The Message" to try and learn about God, and God is speaking to you then I am excited. For me this translation is not good for indepth study as it is to 'free' with the translating. If a reader here uses the NIV and God is using it in your life to help you get to know the Savior deeper than I rejoice. It too has become a little too 'loose' in its translation and my desire to know the "word for word" and original context. However, I know how mightly God used this translation in my life. The church I now go to also uses this version primarily. If a reader here uses the KJV and God is speaking to you and you are growing in your walk with Christ than nothing could be better. But until one can read the scriptures in their original Hebrew and Greek we are all using a translated text. We meed to each be seeking to know what God is saying to us through His Word. And not what do we think it means, but what is God saying in His Word. Too many cults have put their own meaning to God's word, and the result has been devistating to the body's witness to the world. The Bible we hold in our hands today is not just a copy of what men have written. We as Christians know that it was God who used men to copy His words. But it is more than that even. From a human perspective the Bible is the most accurately recorded and translated book in the history of the world. There are literally thousands of copies of the original scrolls. Where the Bible leaves literary works of the world behind is not just in the number of copies, but in the accuracy across those copies. And not just the copies found in one location. From the scrolls used to translate the KJV, to the Dead Sea Scrolls found around a century ago. The accuracy across these source materials is greater than 95%! No other literary work that the academic world holds as great works can match this. I want every one here to Love their Bibles. I want them to read it. I want them to memorize it. I want them to pray over it. Seek to know how it came to be. Was it copied at the local Kinko's or was it commisioned by King James. Well, I have rambled on long enough. Again, my stance on this is that the best translation of the Bible is the one that is used by its reader. The one that God is speaking to them through. The one that is transorming the reader's life. But at the same time - never be complacent. Always seek (especially with careful prayer) to know more. Verse for today: The Bible - read it. :)

The ESV translation of the Bible

Recently a 'Christian teen' asked my why I used the ESV translation versus the KJV translation. I appreciate their intention to "...not start a fight or anything...", and since this can be a pretty heated topic I wanted to be thorough in my reply. Let me say up front that this is not a topic that gets me all that 'hot and bothered'. It is a serious one IMO, but not one that gets my feathers ruffled. When I first became a Christian the Bible I used was the NIV. It was easy to read, all of the people I went to church with used the NIV, and more important to me was that the Pastors to whom I was seated under - they used it from the pulpit. I will not get into why they used this version, etc. as I cannot really speak to that. But no matter. What is important was that God spoke to me through these men, and that version of the Bible. Latter in my walk as a Christian I would get challanged about this translation of the Bible, and although I was never convinced that the NIV was not the inspired translation of the Bible I did learn a few things about it. Essentially the NIV is a "phrase for phrase" translation of the Bible. The translation was begun in the early 1960's (if my memory is rememboring this correctly) by a team of scholars that used many resources to include some of the Dead Sea Scrolls to ensure that they were going back to as close to the original sources as possible. This was generally good enough for me until the day the Pastors at my church announced that they would no longer be using the NIV as their point of reference during sermons. They would be using the English Standard Version (or ESV) from the pulpit. Now, they were able to put it a lot more eloquently then than I am here now. :) However, I did not rush right out and purchase an ESV either. I wanted to learn more about Bible translations in general - because I am sure several of my brother and sisters in Christ have also heard - about the Bible just being a bunch of stories and men being falable probably messed it up, blah, blah, blah. So I dug seeper - a little - as to how the ESV was brought about. Before I put down my version of events I want to provide the link to the translators own webpage... http://www.esv.org/about/intro This way others can read it own their own as well. After reading about how the translators came about with the ESV I liked what I saw and was hooked. Since I was saved in 1989 and used a 'modern' language translation in the NIV it made the transition a little easier. And I had a hard time understanding what I read in the KJV. There were a lot of times that I just couldn't quite fully appreciate what I was reading because my mind could not seem to "get it". What I really liked about the ESV was that it was not a "phrase or phrase" type of translation, nor was it an "idea for idea" type of translation as a lot of the other more modern translations use. ESV is a word for word, or literal, translation. During my walk with the Lord I had come to respect several of the men on the translation team through either secondary sources (such as men I did respect speaking highly of team members), or I had actaully read some of their books, or heard some of their sermons. I have learned about the care they took in their translation work, the resource material, their attention to detail that they took. Well, I can see my mind is not staying as focused as I would like so I am going to be just summarizing more here...Essentially I see the ESV as a 'child' of the KJV as opposed to another translation. As my own children have been going to school (sunday and elementary) as they have been forced to memorize scripture in the KJV they were not able to tell me what the verses meant. They could quote the scripture, but they did not comprehend them. When they were given the same verses in a 'modern' translation (either NIV, or NSV) I could ask them questions about what they were learning and they could tell me (as well as a child can) what and why. The ultimate kicker was when the NIV translation team put out their most recent translation with their gender "nuetral" version. To me this became less defensable for a variety of reasons. The gospel is offensive and we should not try and sweeten it up just to try and win over hearts at the cost of not winning over their minds as well. I have seen literally every translation be used by, and of God. I have learned about men being converted by another man who was paraphrasing what he learned while he was intoxicated (let alone KJV, NIV, NSV, ASV, or whatever). I have known men and women who were converted hearing the scriptures in Latin, or in song. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that opens our hearts and minds to God's word. To condemn people for a translation that they read from is at it's best a misinformed concept, and at its worst is akin to what the pharasees and seducees were doing with Jesus. The KJV is a wonderful translation. I have learned of the care that was taken in its commision, in its translation, in its wording. I believe it still has a place in todays pulpits and pews. The NIV (not the current version, whos initials escape me now) is also a good phrase translation. It uses a version of english that many minds can grasp easily. And while it is not a litteral translation, it is pretty faithful in expressing the concepts of the scriptures. I have not really gotten into the NKJV so I can not speak to this translation. As I have attempted to learn more about the modern translations of the scriptures (to include the KJV) I have come to my current preferences of - litteral - and at the same time mordern language - translation. In the end the scriptures are a gift to us from God. They are to be reveared and respected. They should be studied and memorized. But at the same time we also need to know that it is God who ultimately does the translating and opening our minds and our hearts. I am sure you all have heard this but I will repeat the idea here. the scriptures are easy enough that a child can understand them, and deep enough for the most learned scholar to never come to the end of learning and study in them. Any attempt to say that God is not in a particular translation (to include the newest NIV version - which I am personally disgusted with) is to try and say that God is somehow limited in His resources. That is a rather long winded attempt on my part to relate why I prefer the ESV over say the KJV. I am confident that it was a rather poor attempt on my part to express how I came to my current preference. I encourage everyone to read about the philosphy and methodology of the ESV translation team. They can, and do, express its merits far better than I ever could. No matter how this fell on my reader's ears I pray that God is speaking to you through some version - any version - of the Bible. Ultimately the best translation of the Bible is the one that is being picked up and read and prayed over by its reader. Verse for today: 2 Timothy 3:12-17 esv Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Working early

Well, It is a little after 1 AM here where I live while I write this. This is my second time in the last 7 days that I am working an hour I am normally not accustomed to. It is to continue to perform work for the IOS issues I may have mentioned in an earlier Blog. No matter. I was thinking on the way into work this morning that I am prone to complaining about my work. Maybe having to work late. Perhaps having to do something I don't agree with, but the boss seems to find important for some reason known only to him and to God. But then I remembered that this is a part of the fall. And that I am to work as unto the Lord - with joy. And that all my labors for the Lord will not always be as they are today. Since I will be too tired to post a blog entry tomorrow, my verse for today is: Genesis 3:17-19 esv And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wifeand have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Revelations 14:12-13 esv Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Scrambled brains

Well, I had a really good idea for a blog today - but then life happened. :) My beloved and I have been getting up an hour early twice a week to work out. Arobics for her, running for me. It's been nice. Then I get to work and there are several spinning plates for me to attend to here at work. Then I am in the middle of a meeting at work when I get paged out for a flat tire on our van. Run out to take care of that, then back to answer the dozen or so e-mails that arrived while I was out, plus the "action items" from the meeting so this will have to do for my blog today. :) May the Lord bless each and everyone of you that stopped by today. :) Verse for today: Psalm 115 esv Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say,“Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold,the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great. May the Lord give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth! The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

More than tongue can tell

When I was a child my mom would offen tell me and my brother that "I love you more than tongue can tell". When I was a kid I thought it was really nice, but I'm pretty sure I never really grasped what she was trying to tell me. Last night while I was tucking my own children in bed it just sort of struck me. I was overwhelmed by the love I had for each of my children. I struggle to express my love for not just my children, but my wife as well. I feel it deeply. It moves me. It affects me, but I just cannot adequetly express it to them. At times I try and make it up with tell them "I love you" often, and over and over. Sometimes to the point my beloved will tell me, "thanks, I got it". :) I just pray that they feel it too. That's all I have for today. God bless... Verse for today: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 esv If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Motivations

Well, last night I shared this blog address with two of the Pastors at my church, and then the team leader of the small group leaders. This morning I am questioning my motive. I think it has more to do with feeling like they do not know me very well. I am questioning my 'legitimacy' as a small group leader, let alone as a 'lay leader' in some form of ministry. I want to know that I am not stepping out into the line of fire - where I will pull other people down, instead of building them up in Christ. I am solomnly aware that a leader at any level is been given a charge to present Christ... I guess I just want them to know me, and if the Holy Spirit reveals some form of concern to them, that they could present it to me... Now I am even questioning my motives in typing this up... In truth only charecter and deeds observed over time can build an accurate picture. Round and round we go... Verse for today... Luke 6:43-45 esv “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.