Logocentric (adj).Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
My favorite sporting events in the Winter Olympics are the Luge, Bobsled, Figure Skating and curling. Initially, I thought I would be bored with curling but I'm not. It's fascinating how they determine each glide's angle and potential score.
When my children were younger we built them a luge course, they loved it. We were lucky that winter to have lots of snow to build up the walls and with some help with pallets that we covered with snow, it kept them and the neighborhood kids busy until it warmed up and melted. I was a lot more at ease with the luge course than I was when they decided to try arial jumps off our house roof. Never a dull moment when you live in Maine.
I am reading ESV through the Bible this time. Like you, I've explored a bunch of translations. My church uses NIV but my women's Bible study group (part of the same church) varies based on what Bible study we're doing.
Hope you enjoy the Olympics! I agree that the every four year thing makes them feel more special.
I read the New American Bible, which is a Catholic Bible. (NABRE) They include Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, which generally aren't included in other versions of the Bible. I would be curious to read an orthodox bible or the Ethiopian Bible as I hear they have differences as well.
As for the Olympics, I love the Winter Olympics. I'm just crossing my fingers I have time to watch!
In terms of the original texts the NASB has the best reputation among conservative scholars. It looks at more translations, has a sensible hierarchy of text selection and the best principles for approaching the translation task. It favors original texts when possible. The ESV and NKJV are on a similar level. The Net Bible gives the best overview of the discussions in its commentary. The NIV renders the original text to make it more readable. It is a more functional text which is why many churches use it but it is also less precise. Greek or Russian orthodox are more Septuagint orientated and there is a considerable amount of ethical or emotional rendering to the text.The disadvantage of the NASB is that it loses much of the Hebrew poetical style in its effort to be precise as this does not translate into the English
I'm very fortunate to have met some practicing and humble Christians. Truly humble people seek to serve, not attain power and influence. The actions of many Christians make me run the opposite way... as fast as I can.
In his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee states: "Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others. We become preoccupied with what is and what is not right. We ask ourselves,' Have we been justly or unjustly treated?' and we think thus to vindicate our actions. But that is not our standard. The whole question for us is one of crossbearing".
Jeff, this is an excellent book. Perhaps one for your reading list?
January 28, 2026: What is your favorite version of the Bible and why?
The version of the Bible I've read the most - owing to the fact that my last three churches all use it - is the New International Version (NIV). However, I also went on a bit of a compare-and-contrast kick for a few years and have also read the vast majority of the Bible in the English Standard Version (ESV) and New Living Translation (NLT), as well as sizeable chunks of it using the New King James Version (NKJV) and The Message (MSG). My wife and I started attending a second church with friends from time to time, and they use the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), so I've been thinking about picking up a copy and continuing my compare-and-contrast efforts.
Ultimately, I think the NIV is fine. I appreciate its attempt at modern readability and the fact that it's written to be globally accessible (it's often the English translation that non-native English speakers are most familiar with). So that's probably my go-to version of the Bible for everyday use. I like the ESV for Bible study, and the NLT is great for casual reading and general comprehension.
That said, some of the language in the KJV and NKJV is absolutely beautiful and poetic, and I often find myself looking up particular passages in those translations just to see how the Word is crafted.
Ultimately, I suppose my "favorite" version of the Bible depends on the task at hand. I have a different "favorite" translation for casual reading than I do for intense study than I do for church attendance to follow along with.
Day 4072: Are you planning on watching the Winter Olympics ? If so what's your favorite sporting event?
If not, what are you watching on television these days?
I always try to watch the Olympics whenever they're taking place. For the Winter Olympics, I enjoy watching Figure Skating and Speed Skating, Luge, Ski Jumping, and Snowboarding. Biathlon is the event I always think I'd be interested to watch and turns out to be pretty boring, and Curling is the event I always think will be pretty boring and ends up being pretty interesting.
The Olympics (both Summer and Winter) are up there in terms of sporting events that I really enjoy watching. Along with the World Cup, I think it's the scarcity of the event (only once every four years) that makes me want to prioritize tuning in and watching. In terms of regular sporting events, though, I'm currently really into Formula 1 racing, after having watched several seasons of Drive to Survive on Netflix, then following the 2025 season very closely. Initial testing and work is being done for the 2026 season now, so I've been enjoying following along with all the news and details of the Barcelona shakedown, and the upcoming testing in Bahrain in February.
I will occasionally still tune into tennis every now and then, but I don't follow it nearly as closely as I did 10-15 years ago when Federer and Nadal were at the height of their professional competitiveness.
For other television watching habits, check out some of my recently monthly watch lists, where I detail all of the things I watch in both theaters and at home on TV:
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