December 15, 2008 – 9:12 am
The artwork on the cover of our church bulletin yesterday was “The Star of Bethlehem,” by Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), perhaps my favorite of the Pre-Raphaelites. I meant to put a note in the bulletin as to who painted it but I always forget something. As much as I love Burne-Jones’ paintings and stained glass, it’s [...]
December 10, 2008 – 11:10 pm
When the Rymans first moved to North Carolina back in 1990, a woman my wife was speaking with said to her, “I call you blessed, darlin’.” We found it a curious statement but loved the way it sounded. To this day, the word “blessed” has remained a curiosity. In devotions at the police department this [...]
December 1, 2008 – 8:08 am
A discussion came up in my Sunday School class yesterday and I thought it might be worth posting here. The conversation was around how sometimes verse shifts don’t make sense. Punctuation and paragraph shifts are another problem altogether and have to do with translators. As a result there are many different ways of starting new [...]
October 17, 2008 – 10:04 am
My Premium Calfskin English Standard Version Study Bible was waiting for me on the front porch yesterday. I opened the box, took off the shrink wrap, and opened it upon the table…and it laid there without closing up. It was almost like it was already broken in from months of use. The bindery is much [...]
October 16, 2008 – 6:29 am
Susan received her ESV-SB hardcover yesterday. Scott got his ESV-SB Trutone too. Scott said, “That Study Bible is like having Jesus right there with you.” From down the hall, we heard Brad say, “He is, Scott.” My calfskin ESV-SB won’t ship until next week. Besides using it in my devotional reading with Susan, I look [...]
October 2, 2008 – 4:25 pm
I pre-ordered ESV Study Bibles for my wife and me on May 19th and have been looking forward to their arrival ever since. We both got the Literary Study Bible and read through it in the first 90 days of this year. I since got the ESV Reformation Study Bible and have been using it [...]
August 25, 2008 – 8:51 pm
A Character Study of Rahab Rahab is a notorious stereotype that God uses in a positive role. Putting his often brutal edge on the matter, Luther calls Rahab a whore (Hure) in his German translation. Perhaps in part, as a matter of confidentiality for her clients, she did not hand over the Hebrew spies to [...]
August 24, 2008 – 7:54 am
Character Study of Achan Achan is a man who is not allowed to enjoy what perhaps could be considered the one brief moment of integrity we glimpse of his life. In such he is an arresting study in the resolve of a holy God to have a holy people. Jericho, the first city inside the [...]
August 14, 2008 – 9:13 am
I have had the new ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible pre-ordered for months. In fact, I’ve had one ordered for myself and another one ordered for Susan. And we have to wait another two months before it comes out. Good grief!I think it’s going to be worth the wait though. The ship date is [...]
Find a quiet place and time for daily reading. Make sure everything you need is there—Bible, pen, pencil, marker, dictionary, and journal or notebook (if you want to take notes). I like to keep my laptop nearby so I can refer to eSword. Sometimes I like to compare a verse with another version or check [...]