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I had been using the NIV Study Bible for nearly forty years, and I was ready for a change. I wanted Scripture to feel fresh and alive as I read it.

I’d be the last person to call myself a Bible scholar, but I love digging deeper when something sparks my interest. I also write for publication on Christian topics, and it is important to be accurate.

Some translations go back to the original language to begin, while others start with an English translation. My thought was the closer to the source, the fewer man-made errors. I also hoped that as time passed, study of Biblical languages was advancing and allowing for a more accurate translation. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) started from scratch with the original language, published in 2004. Since then the translators have updated the text with corrections, better word choices, and revisions. The result is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

A few translations attempt to match the original language word-for-word, resulting in an often awkward English phrasing or sentence structure. On the other end of the spectrum from word-for-word translation is thought-for-thought. This more closely captures the meaning of what is said, and results in a more reader-friendly text. One of the best examples of this type of translation is The Message, by Eugene Peterson. The CSB falls right in the middle.

It is important to me that the translation be accurate and faithful to the original language. I didn’t want a new Bible that was going to suddenly challenge traditional Christian doctrine!

Although I wanted a translation that was different from my familiar NIV, I didn’t want one so vastly different it sounded foreign to me.

The presenter at a women’s conference I attended a couple months ago was using the CSB. When she read a passage from the Psalms that I was familiar with from the NIV, whole phrases matched what I had committed to memory. Yet, there was a difference too. As the conference progressed I could see that these differences might just be the fresh and alive elements I was looking for in a new translation!

This study Bible contains not just the Scripture, but word studies, photographs, paintings, timelines, maps, charts, an introduction to each book, outlines, theological themes and insights, and notes. In this study Bible, it is all right there on the page of the verse it relates to, which is a huge improvement over the e-Bible I was using! Sometimes the size of the type is made small to cram all that information. I ordered a large print edition, and the 10 pt font makes it easier on my aging eyes. This significantly increases the size of the Bible; it is big enough, as we used to say, to choke a mule.

I reasoned that I wouldn’t be carrying this heavy book back and forth to church. I have long since switched to my tablet or phone for following the pastor as he reads Scripture. The CSB would remain on my desk as a study tool.

Old habits die hard. The first time after my CSB arrived that I needed to look up a passage in a study Bible, I reached for my phone. Then I caught myself and thumbed through the CSB. I read the passage, a related note, and then skipped back to the introduction of that book. I kept going deeper and getting a more complete picture of my subject.

The CSB Study Bible offers a lot of information, and would be up to the task for a minister who does in-depth study for sermon or Bible study preparation. A Bible scholar, writer like me, researcher, or the serious layman could all benefit from the CSB Study Bible.

Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful book. The leather-like cover is soft and appears durable. The page edges are golden and uniformly coated, and I was pleased to note the gold did not come off on my fingers. The two place-finder ribbons can be positioned in the Old or New Testaments. I got the indexed version, but I’m not sure that’s such an important feature for me. If I were to order again, I wouldn’t include it. But I don’t think I’ll need to order for another thirty years or so. This CSB should do fine.

@BHpub bhpublishinggroup.com @LifeWay @CSBible

Run with the Horses is Eugene Peterson’s commentary on selected passages from Jeremiah. Peterson, best known for his paraphrase of the Bible into modern language – The Message, uses that text as his platform. I say platform instead of starting point, because in many instances in Run with the Horses Peterson returns to scripture’s original language to tease out not just the definition of a word, but the intent of the meaning as it is used in a passage.

The book’s title comes from the twelfth chapter of Jeremiah. Jeremiah starts by complaining that the wicked have it better than the righteous. In verse 5 God begins his answer to Jeremiah:

So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses?

It reminds me of when my daughter was in middle school, whining about the difficulty of her homework.  I nonchalantly said, “Oh. I thought you could do it,” as if to imply she couldn’t.

This made her angry and she started telling me she could do anything she wanted; she could become a doctor if she wanted to. I told her that doctors don’t get there by whining and saying, “This is too hard.” That stopped the whining, mostly.

Things were about to get a lot worse for Jeremiah, and I think God was challenging him, asking if he would be up for the task ahead.

This is the Commemorative Edition released not long after Peterson’s death. This newer version uses The Message for scripture quotations, and it contains the text of Peterson’s funeral homily delivered by his son Eric Peterson.

Peterson was a great communicator. Even so, one pass through this book left me just skimming the surface. I believe that’s owing to the complexity of the Book of Jeremiah. I wouldn’t recommend Run with the Horses as this summer’s beach read, but if you are a serious Bible scholar, it should be on your list!

By the way, my daughter is now entering her third year at a top college in their honors program. **SPOILER ALERT** Jeremiah was faithful to God until the end.

#RunWithTheHorses #NetGalley @ivpress @PetersonDaily

 

Witold Pilecki was a patriotic Polish farmer in 1939, and an officer in the cavalry reserves. Pilecki lost most of his men in their first battle. He and another Polish officer, Jan Wlodarkiewicz, decided to form an underground resistance cell. The underground mainly did “hit-and-run” warfare against Soviet troops.

Pilecki and Wlodarkiewicz started out as good friends, but Pilecki started to distance himself when Wlodarkiewicz began incorporating anti-Semitic sentiment into his leadership of the resistance cell. Eventually Wlodarkiewicz proposed that Pilecki allow himself to be captured and sent to Auschwitz to start an underground within the camp and to report on conditions within the camp.

Pilecki accepted the dangerous assignment. If you have read horrific accounts of Auschwitz before, this is no different. Pilecki could have been killed at any time, just randomly. Upon arriving and disembarking from the train, soldiers were shoving the men with their gun butts, beating or shooting them if they didn’t move fast enough.

One group of soldiers told a prisoner to run toward the fence. When he did, he was shot for trying to escape, while the soldiers laughed.

Then there was the gas chamber, crematorium, lice, typhus, starvation, lethal injections in the camp hospital, and more random killing from the guards. Some days prisoners’ numbers were read out and they were marched to a wall where they were shot.

I won’t say if Pilecki ever got out of Auschwitz alive, if he was able to send any messages to the underground outside the prison, or if he was able to establish a working underground resistance within the prison.

The Volunteer is a well researched, riveting read. Because of the content it may not be an easy read for some. I have read a few books about Auschwitz this year and the cumulative effect is causing warning bells inside my head to go off. I need to give this graphic history a break.

But if you haven’t reached your quota of explicit wartime violence, this is an important read to preserve history, and hopefully teach us which path of evil to avoid.

 

@jackfairweather @HarperCollins @AuschwitzMuseum @HolocaustMuseum  #witoldpilecki #thevolunteer #auschwitz #NetGalley

Review of God Will Make a Way by Don Moen with Robert Noland

Don Moen has had an incredible life of following God. That’s not to say it has been an easy life – far from it. But as Moen has been faithful, God has used his life to yield much fruit.

Moen was raised in a very strict religious home. He was made to take piano lessons, but was told that any music with a beat was sinful. Moen studied music in college and at the same time played professionally for area symphonies almost every night. But his fear that he was sinning – based on the theology he was taught as a child – caused Moen quit school to return to Minnesota to become a lumberjack.

Read this book to find out how God led Moen out of the woods to attend Oral Roberts University, meet his wife-to-be, and begin a long-term association with Terry Law and Living Sound to minister all over the world.

Moen is perhaps best known as a pioneer of the modern Praise and Worship movement.  As part Hosanna! Integrity Music, Moen visited churches around the world to collect the latest praise and worship music, which was shared on a global level.  While with Integrity, Moen signed now well-known song writers and worship leaders like Paul Baloche, Ron Kenoly, and Darlene Zschech.

The tragic death of Moen’s nephew caused the spiritual wilderness or desert, which in fact became the fertile ground for Moen to write what he describes as the defining song of his music career, “God Will Make a Way”. 

Moen uses the story of how “God Will Make a Way” was written to encourage others who are feeling despondent, like they’ve prayed but nothing will change. If you need a shot of encouragement, this will be a good read for you. If you get excited reading about the miraculous ways God leads and works through His people, you’ll love this book!

@HarperCollins @ThomasNelson @donmoen @RNolandAuthor #GodWillMakeAway #NetGalley

The Alice Network is better than most WWII fictional narratives; although after having recently read The Book Thief, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the bar has been set too high for me to award this book more than four stars.
Hold on tight and watch where you are going, because the story in The Alice Network meanders a bit, hopping between two World Wars, three pregnancies, spying, lying, betrayal, expensive cars, and uncontrollable rage. An odd trio sets off to find the missing and exact revenge, while fighting against being controlled, and suffering the burden of guilt though not guilty.
I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but the above paragraph may give you an idea of the complexity of this book. It is engaging and at times suspenseful and worth the full four stars.
Thanks to my local library for the loan of the audiobook of The Alice Network!

#WWII #spy #audiobook

Congratulations to all the graduates out there! I’m so very proud of mine! She has worked hard to get to this day, but it is just another step in the journey. I know she is going on to do great things!

Let’s not forget Mom! This is her big weekend too, and we need to show her plenty of love and appreciation!

Which raises the question, what are some great gifts for our grads and moms? Check out these ideas below.

Dr. William H. Marty was inspired to write 102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament partly from the students’ questions he fielded during his 37 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.

The studies can be done in any order, and in fact the author recommends you not read this book like a novel. It is appropriate for Christians and non-Christians alike. Marty stresses the importance of reading the noted scripture passages to get full understanding of the studies.

The studies are organized by the life of Christ and the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, several studies drawn from the book of Revelation, and doctrine.

Each study begins with a topic, ranging from the Genealogies of Jesus to the Wrath of God. Marty briefly explores the topic, including scripture references. Then several study questions are presented, also with scripture references. Each study concludes with a memory verse.

As suggested above, you cannot properly do this study without using the Bible to explore the many scripture references. While Marty presents the topic and guides you with insightful questions, it is truly a study of the Bible.

102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament is a great way to delve into a topical study of scripture either in a group or on your own.

#102fascinatingBibleStudiesOnTheNewTestament #NetGalley @ReadBakerBooks   @bethany_house

Alia Joy H’s life has not been easy. Some people deal with cancer. Some deal with mental illness. Some deal with poverty. Alia Joy has had all of this and more in her life and continues an existence in which any given day can be a struggle. Thank goodness Alia Joy is an articulate writer who gives most of us readers an insight we’ve likely been blinded to by our “North American Christianity”.

I’m flagging Glorious Weakness as one of 2019’s most significant books. It reads like the Book of James. If your toes are too sensitive, don’t read it. If you don’t want to develop any compassion for the poor or disadvantaged, don’t read it. If you have no room in your theology for the mentally ill, homeless, addicted, uneducated, obese, abused, or marginalized don’t even check it out from the library.

If you’ve found yourself needing to justify your existence because you think you aren’t contributing anything to the church or society; if you’ve gone “all-in” for God but every circumstance still seems to conspire against you; if experience teaches you that actually relying on God brings sideways looks from the established church and sometimes it is best not to share what you know; if you believe no matter how hard you work you are always going to be God’s “secondhand kid” relegated to receive scraps and leftovers; you should read this book. In Alia Joy’s words:

“We have merit-based ideology so ingrained into our cultural identity and theology that we often fail to see the great imbalances Jesus constantly pointed out. Much to the irritation of the respectable religious people, Jesus was always elevating the poor and the weak.  He knew something we so often forget: none are worthy, not one.”

I hope we will hear more from this new author. Stay fluent in the language of hope!

@aliajoyh @ReadBakerBooks

#GloriousWeakness #NetGalley

The Dictionary of Difficult Words is a delightful book for budding wordsmiths!

A brief introduction gives the reader permission to read the book straight through from A to Z to learn new things, or not read it at all, and just look at the pictures.

The illustrations are whimsical and eye-catching. With interesting pictures and cool words like Quixotic and Salubrious, I don’t doubt that whatever approach is taken new words will be learned.

My only recommendation for a change would be to replace the word “Difficult” in the title. I fear that could be off-putting to some children who would otherwise benefit from this book. This collection of words may more aptly be described as “less common”. I dare say most adults would gain from perusing this volume.

#TheDictionaryofDifficultWords #NetGalley

@QuartoKids ‏  @QuartoKnows ‏  @TheQuartoGroup

Tony Evans is a fine preacher and communicator, and there is no higher subject than the Names of Jesus. The Power of Jesus Names combines Evans’ illustrations and explanations to bring out the meanings of those names.

Evans says that the power in Jesus Names is available for us to tap into as believers. For instance, Immanuel means God with us. Evans explains that we are never alone, no matter what. The name Immanuel was introduced when the scripture spoke of Jesus coming to Earth to be with man.

To study the meanings of the names of Jesus is to open a new world of understanding the power and might of God: Creator, I AM, Banner of Victory, Lord our Shepherd, Lord of Hosts, Lord who is High and Mighty, and God Almighty. The list goes on. It will do you good to learn who your God is and how powerful he is!

#ThePowerOfJesusNames #NetGalley @Harvest_House