Reading through the Bible in a year

So I committed to read through the Bible this year and I have a confession to make. I'll most likely be done with this "year" by tax day next year. I am allowing myself the grace to miss a few days here and there and at this point, I'm a week behind, but that's OK. I have a choice - I can either give up (which leaves me with not having read through the entire Bible finally) or to just keep going and allow myself to read the Bible in 15 or 16 months. So this year, I'm choosing the latter rather than the former. :) I'm reading through the Bible this time chronologically and it's SO cool to see the different parts of Scripture that happened at the same time. While reading through 1 Samuel, I read the Psalms that David wrote when being chased by Saul - and it makes so much sense. I know what he was going through at the time he wrote it so it gives new meanings to his words. It's very cool! Thanks, Michelle, for turning me on to that! I don't remember the site that has the list that I'm using, but I'm sure if you look up "chronological bible reading" or some such, you'll find it. :) I can highly recommend it!

Comment on the Wescott and Hort manuscripts/KJVO issue

On another blog, I posted a response to a blog post about the modern translations being based off of the Wescott and Hort manuscripts, but it was removed. I once again ask why, if the modern manuscripts are based off of corrupt text, and the KJV is the only valid version for the English speaking people, why haven't major theologians accepted this thinking through the ages? I still have not heard of one doctrine that has been compromised or the name of one respected theologian who accepts this false teaching. I would think that if those who are well studied in theology and have been well respected, then they would know a bit more than those of us who are limited in our knowledge. I'm asking a legitimate question and the silence that I'm getting in response to the question confirms that the idea of the KJV being "right' and the other versions being "wrong" is a false belief.

As for the Wescott and Hort, here are a few sites that have information on that issue:

http://www.bible-researcher.com/kutilek1.html
http://hipandthigh.blogspot.com/2006/05/were-b.html (this has other posts that are excellent on this subject)

Here are some variations within the texts of the Received Texts - or the Textus Receptus:
http://www.bible-researcher.com/received.html


Once again, I'm certainly not against the KJV and think that if someone wishes to use that as their primary Bible, then that's wonderful. I've used the KJV and have memorized much Scripture in that version (thanks to my few years in a Christian school in the 70s) and my pastor primarily uses this version as the version he preaches from. However, as time has gone on, more and more manuscript evidence has been found and it has given us a richer, more accurate understanding of God's Word to us. As I said, there is no doctrinal difference between the manuscripts and we can be secure that whether we use the KJV, the NIV or the ESV, we ARE reading God's Word. We know that God did not stop working in 1611 in preserving His Word and even today, there are common languages who have Bibles that are being used to bring people to salvation that are not based on the Textus Receptus. That speaks volumes to me.

Menu for this week

I see that others post their menus for the week so I guess I will join that trend. I have my order placed for Peapod (where they deliver the groceries to my kitchen! LOVE that man...), and I hit the store tonight for a couple of things that we needed. Here's the plan (which of course is subject to change):

Monday - BBQ pulled pork in the crockpot, rolls, cole slaw, salad
Tuesday - Sticky roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy
Wednesday - Chicken pot pie, salad
Thursday - Good salad (greens, leftover chicken, blue cheese, craisins, glazed walnuts, madarin oranges, with a balsamic vinaigrette), warm rolls or bakery bread
Friday - leftovers (we have small group)
Saturday - Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, Italian bread or rolls
Sunday - baked or BBQ pork chops (depending on the weather), buttered noodles, broccoli
Monday - Tacos, salad

All of the meats are what we have in the freezer already (I have the meatballs already made and the taco meat cooked and frozen). I try to get a few meals out of the roast chicken, thus the chicken, chicken pot pie and the salad. I'll fix up a bag of cleaned greens for the salads and we'll work out of that all week. Oh - I also picked up a 20 lb. bag of potatoes for $4 out near my in-laws. There are a bunch of farms on the east end of the island and this one place has 20 lb. bags of potatoes at the end of their driveway with a cash box sitting there. Each time we go, we pick up more potatoes and I'll try to use them up a lot over the next few weeks. So possibly one night I'll do a batch of baked potatoes and I think I'll try my hand at potato salad (if anyone has a good recipe, let me know).

ICK!! Stomach virus is NOT fun

So yesterday morning I was woken up really early by DH tossing and turning. He had something happen that was bothering him and he wasn't sleeping well and when that happens, I don't sleep well either. I remember seeing 3 something on the clock. Bleck! Then I did fall back to sleep only to be woken at 4:30 by such bad stomach pains that I actually had to breathe through them. Spent time in the bathroom, back in bed, back in the bathroom, back in bed. I needed to be at the barn at 8:30 to show a new girl Starr (the old horse that I've ridden for over 20 years) and I almost canceled but I knew my schedule wouldn't allow another time to do this so I went ahead and took some immodium then went. I couldn't even drink my tea I felt so icky - but I went anyway. Fortunately the Immodium kicked in and I even got to ride a bit. I was there from 8:30 until 2 (WAY longer than I normally stay at the barn) then raced off to church to meet with someone about pictures for Sunday. Whew! I finally came home, got some soup and crashed on the couch for the rest of the evening. I'm feeling better today but am still not that hungry - but atleast I can have my beloved tea! LOL

Well, I haven't heard from anyone about my challenge to show me one doctrine that is changed in the "modern versions" of the Bible and to name a well-known and well-respected theologian who was KJV-only. That speaks volumes to me. I know that God is good - and is strong enough to preserve His Word in not only the King James Version but the other valid modern versions such as the NIV, ESV, NASB, etc. I thank God for His Word to us that we can know His heart, His will and His desires for us. :)

A great devotional - and a passage for today

When I had bought my most recent Bible - the Reformation Study Bible English Standard Version, I found out after a few weeks that part of the Bible was actually missing - apparently a binding issue. So I contacted the company that put it out (Ligioner Ministries) and they sent me a brand new Bible AND a subscription to their Tabletalk devotional. It's a similar idea to the Daily Bread but it's SOOOO much better because it's actually going through a passage continuously each day - it's been working through Matthew probably since January and we're at Matthew 10 today. There are also great articles in there from well respected men of God and I've learned a lot from it. :) I can highly recommend it.

So, today, it spoke of the law and suggested reading Galatians 3 - so I did. What a wonderful passage! It speaks of the law and how we are not saved by the law and that the law is not for us! We are saved by faith - under the promise given to Abraham 430 years before the law. The law cannot give life. It cannot save us. It was given because of sin. Praise God for what vs. 24-26 say - "So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." How wonderful! We are no longer under the law! The law is not our "guardian" - we are heirs with Christ! What an amazing truth for us! :)

Just stuff

So just a few things for today. I'm feeling migrainy so my mind isn't too clear - don't want to make TOO many statements. LOL DH and I did have a bit of a theological talk today and it was great, though. He just got back from a conference called Together for the Gospel and he was under the teaching of some awesome men of God - John Piper, John MacArthur, Mark Dever, CJ Mahaney, RC Sproul, Ligon Duncan and Al Mohler. It was for pastors and church leaders - and was a very "heady" week according to him. You can get the MP3s of the messages if you wish to listen to what went on - I have Sproul's message on CD to listen to in the car over the next few days - I heard it was amazing.

So then DH came in with the bag of books that were GIVEN to all 5500 men who were at the conference. JEEPERS - it will take us a good year to read this stuff! There are books like The Truth of the Cross by Sproul, The Gospel According to Jesus by MacARthur, Pierced for Our Transgressions by Jeffery, Ovey and Sach, Culture Shift by Mohler, The Future of Justificaiton by Piper and a ton of others. VERY cool - I've got my reading list for a long time. :D

We also heard from the second college for my daughter - and got a smaller scholarship offer. So now it looks like the college of her choice will be it - if we can figure out how to raise $15,000 a year for it. SIGH. So we have a new prayer request - for provision for her to be able to go to this college. I do think this is the best place for her and if God agrees, we'll be able to do it. :) God is able, and I trust Him.

So today we're going out shopping. Daddy and son are on the boat and the girls will go shoe shopping and possibly pick up a few clothes for the teens. Thank heavens that long shorts and long t-shirts are the new style! It's nice to be able to shop easily for some clothes for them without having to turn down most everything out there.

Lastly, I just wanted to address something about the KJVO post. I'd challenge anyone who thinks that the modern versions are "perversions" or in grave error to send me any doctrine that the modern versions leave out. I'm not speaking of the times where the name of Jesus Christ is changed to Jesus - or the Spirit is written instead of Holy Spirit. I'm speaking doctrine. Where the modern versions take out the doctrine of grace; the doctrine of the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lamb of God; the doctrine of the inspiration of the Word of God. Remember context of verses, and the other times the same word is translated in different ways. So, just a little study to do on your own. :) Oh - and if there are any famous theologians who also followed the belief that the KJV is the only inspired Word of God for the English speaking people, I'd love to know their names. I haven't been able to find any myself.

Just adding in this great article by someone who was once KJVO and it tells of his story in no longer being KJVO. It's a good read - very interesting: http://www.fredsbibletalk.com/fb019.html

What is the best Bible?

I was talking to my husband about this the other day. We've both grown up using a variety of Bibles from the Living Bible to the KJV. Of all the different Bibles I've used , probably my favorite right now is the English Standard Version. While its a new version, its a very solid one and is faithful to the original texts. We've also used the NIV, KJV, NASB, Young's Literal and even the Living Bible. I've been really enjoying using my Reformation Study ESV as my primary Bible although I'm still doing my reading through the Bible in a year in an old NIV I have.

What makes me sad is something that I had never experienced before being on the web - the idea that the King James version (the KJV) is the only perfect Bible for the English speaking world - even going so far as to say that the KJV was double inspired meaning inspired in the originals AND in the translation. There are many who have made a cult of the belief and have therefore deny that God continues to work in the world today and His being able to preserve His Word through further translation into the common language. . Even the translators of the KJV stated clearly that it is of utmost importance to have a translation in the common language. (Interestingly enough, many cults accept the KJV as the only right Bible and refute the other versions.)

Fortunately, I'm not alone in my feelings about this. The Fundamental Baptist Fellowship said in their news bulletin for July/August, 1984 "We reject as heretical the concept that any translation of the Bible is given by inspiration, which has in our generation fostered a cult. We believe firmly that inspiration ceased upon the closure of the canon of Scripture in the original autographs. We likewise reject the practice of exalting any version or translation to the position held uniquely by the original writings." I say "Amen" to them.

Peter Ruckman, a man who is one of the most vocal KJVO supporters wrote a book, THE ALEXANDRIAN CULT. In it he says, "Every recognized church historian and Christian scholar is a member of the cult. This cult is the Alexandrian Cult of North Africa, and its tentacles stretch from Origen (184-254 AD) to John R. Rice and the faculty members of every recognized school in the world." By "Alexandrian Cult" he meant those who recommend using other versions besides the King James. How foolish is that? To declare all historians and scholars from the second century to Dr. John R. Rice and the faculty of godly schools as "cultists"?

The texts that the KJV is based on is what is known as the "Textus Receptus" or the "Received Text". Erasmus prepared the Greek text that later became known as the TR, yet there are many errors in his translation. He had very few manuscripts to work from and even used the Latin Vulgate to translate some of his Greek text. The Stephanus text was then a revision of the Erasmus text and it is what the KJV is actually based on. However, the Stephanus text differs from the TR in 287 places! So the KJV is supposed to be perfect because it was translated from the TR, yet it differs from it in 287 places! Regarding the majority of manuscript evidence, it differs 1838 places!

The historic Fundamental stand on the Bible is not that the KJV is the only infallible translation and all others are in error. To say so is to build on a doctrine where there is no historical or Scriptural support. Even the KJV translators themselves would not defend this stand (as is seen in their writing in the beginning of the KJV). .The KJV is a wonderful version and one worthy of being respected and used but to raise it to the level of inerrant and doubly inspired, is what is considered a heresy in the history of the church.

As my pastor said, would you rather get a prescription that's 100 years old or get a prescription that is current according to the research that's been done in the last 100 years. There is no "conspiracy" looking to take the deity of Christ out of the Bible in the "modern versions". There is no "agenda" that they had to make the Scriptures say what they say. There are slight errors in all the versions - because a langage that's different than ours cannot be perfectly translated into the current langage without changing some things.

Here are some good resources:

http://www.kjvonly.org/index.html
http://www.bible-researcher.com/kutilek1.html

Here is the KJV translator's notes to the reader: http://www.kjvonly.org/robert/joyner_appendix_a.html

What is the bottom line?

Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, the pre-eminent British authority on New Testament manuscripts at the turn of the twentieth century said, "We may indeed believe that He would not allow His Word to be seriously corrupted, or any part of it essential to man's salvation to be lost or obscured; but the differences between the rival types of text is not one of doctrine. No fundamental point of doctrine rests upon a disputed reading: and the truths of Christianity are as certainly expressed in the text of Westcott and Hort as in that of Stephanus." (Frederic G. Kenyon, Handbook of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament (London: Macmillan and Co., 1901), p.271.)

Praise God that even with the textual differences and many, many years of interpretation and translation, God has preserved His Word to us. While it is not the exact words that were penned thousands of years ago, we know without a doubt that God has preserved the doctrine and theology that is encased between the covers of the book that we know as the Bible. So I reject the idea that the KJV is the only perfect Word of God for the English speaking world. That is wrong doctrine and one that is to be rejected by all true believers.

So, what is the best Bible? The best Bible is the one you read. :)

Life on the "Sound"?

Well, I guess I can explain the "Sound" part of the title of this blog. I live on Long Island in NY and the water between Long Island and Connecticut is called the Long Island Sound. I've always lived on Long Island - well except for the first 3 weeks of my life before I came to NY after being born in California. I was adopted and once the paperwork was done, I came here to Long Island. I lived in a few towns but now we're in a beautiful town on the north shore of Long Island right on the sound (well, about a 1/2 mile from it). We have a sailboat and we know it's the beginning of the "summer" when the boat is in the water and ready to go. Today is that day.

I'm sitting here waiting for the phone call......oops! I just got the call! I'll finish this later!

OK - Sorry about that! What I was saying was that today is the day for the boat to be brought home. It was put in the water on Wednesday but it was in the harbor next to us so we had to bring it home. DH and 3 of the kiddies went off to bring it over and can I just say, DH is a happy big guy. The boat is a huge joy of his. It's his cave, his hobby, his vacation, his sanctuary and his fun. He's so happy to be thinking that it's the beginning of the season. ME? I don't share his excitement so much. Just as he doesn't share my excitement of horses. Oh well! But Set Free being in our harbor means that summer is on it's way!

What was the phone call? The call to pick them up from the harbor so I can bring DH back to the other harbor to get his car. :)

Another lost tooth and a college scholarship??

Yep - I have that big a range in my kids. My oldest is a senior in high school and is VERY talented in art. Her choice for her future is to become a high school art teacher because of having learned in high school just how wonderful art is (and how talented she is). She was accepted to one college that is the college of her choice and she received a scholarship of a third of the tuition, which isn't bad but we had hoped for more. So she was accepted to another college and we went for the portfolio review (for scholarship offerings) on Sunday and she ACED it! The head of the department said that one of her pieces was a gallery piece and people would pay good money for it, and that the rest of her work was master's level work! Woo-hoo! So they said "We'll let you know the results in a week to 10 days." (they'll call to schedule a private interview to decide on the scholarship). Monday at lunch time, the phone rang and they want her back for the interview! That's about 24 hours later! Wow! So I'll be taking her on Thursday at 4PM. We're hoping that they give her a much better scholarship offer - and then we go back to her first choice school and ask them to match the offer. We'll see what happens. :)

Then to the tooth....my youngest is 5 and just lost her second tooth (well, her third but the first had to be pulled by the dentist due to an abcess so that doesn't count). She looks so cute with the big space on the bottom now! I can't believe my baby is loosing her teeth - and my other baby is getting ready for college!! SIGH

Commercial Once a Month Cooking?

A friend of mine invited me to an open house kind of thing at one of those places where you can go and make up dinners to freeze. It's really convenient because they have everything prepped for you - you just do the putting it together and bring home at least 6 meals for your family to have over the next month. I went and made up a nice Cantonese Pork Chop dinner and it wasn't bad. There was still cooking to do but no measuring which was nice on a hectic night. I've done once-a-month cooking myself and have done a lot of freezer meals so it's not like this is the first time I've ever had this sort of thing. In helping my friend (who's a single mom), I signed up for a session and paid about $20 a meal for 6 servings each of 6 different dinners. I went last week to make them and so far we've had 2 of the dinners. The first was a chicken tetrazzini that was OK - but certainly not spectacular. I ended up throwing half of it out because no one wanted it after the initial dinner. Last night I made up beef stroganoff which was another meal that was OK but not great.

My hubby said that it was a bust so far. It felt good to hear him say "Other people probably don't get good food at home normally so this is good to them but you're such a good cook and know our tastes that everything you make is great. Please don't do this stuff again." LOL - OK, who can argue with that?? ;)

Well, I still have 4 more meals to get through - we'll see how those turn out but so far, the first third of meals are not good - and I won't be doing these things anymore.

Don't touch me!!!

I don't know how others can sleep snuggling with their husbands. I'm the kind of person who can snuggle for a time but when I start falling asleep, I need no contact from anyone whatsoever. It honestly gives me the feeling of being trapped so my mattress has 2 divits in it - one from my DH and one from me.

Last night my little one who's 5 had a bad dream and started crying. Surprisingly enough, DH went in to her first (usually he's sleeping through everything at night but he must have been awake already) and when he came back to our room, he said that she had a bad dream. I remember my bad dreams when I was little all too clearly and I went in to gather her, her pillow and "B" (pronounced as the sound of the letter - not the name of the letter), which is now down to just a tag - literally. So into our bed she went and we settled in. Fortunately it was already 5AM because I did NOT sleep from that point on. This child is a child who NEEDS contact with you and with my NOT wanting contact at night it results in this: She snuggles against me. I move away once she's settled. She moves closer to me to snuggle. I move away. Eventually, there is the edge of the bed and I can't move any more so I just sit there like someone is running their finger nails on a chalkboard. Finally at 6:45, I told her "Go in and watch TV" since she was awake and she was more than happy to do this since I cut off all TV in the morning before school for now (until they can get started on their schoolwork when I tell them to). Of course, once she left, I went back to dreamland and slept until 9:30!

But you know what? She felt secure. I can give up a night of sleep to allow my kids to feel comforted and protected. There's nothing like sleeping between mom and dad and knowing that no matter what the bad dream was, you're OK now. That's what I want for my kiddies.