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:
I have always enjoyed the longer distance running and skiing. The Marathon in Summer Olympics and the 50km Mass Start in the Winter. My wife can't understand how I can watch the same race for several hours. But they are fascinating to me. I like the Downhill Slalom, Bobsled and Luge sports. Attending a Winter Olympics remains on my bucket list.
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?
Song: "The Impression That I Get" Artist: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Album: Let's Face It
I blogged about the ska punk movement in music in a previous Soundtrackers challenge ("Being mistaken with Save Ferris" ), so I won't spend too much time rehashing, but I definitely wanted to use one of the bands that I mentioned in that last post. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were, aside from Save Ferris and Reel Big Fish, my favorite band of the ska punk scene. I love the way their big band sound mixes with the rock and punk influences, and, well, it just isn't all that often that you see a band with seven or eight members in it.
"The Impression That I Get" was their bestselling single off 1997's Let's Face It. It's the song that most people will identify with the band, and there's not a whole lot else that they're known for... except one small thing. They were the band featured in Clueless during the club scene where Ty falls down the stairs. They performed their songs "Someday I Suppose" and "Where'd You Go?" which I actually prefer, but never quite caught on as much as this track and this album did. I remember watching Clueless when I was younger and instantly needing to know who the band was because I thought they had such a unique sound. I tend to love bands that I discover through movie and television soundtracks, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are certainly no exception.
The band is actually still performing today, although they never quite recaptured the popularity they had in the late 90s. Not that any other ska punk band really did, but - like most of the bands in the genre - the last several years have been a mix of returning to independent recording, taking a hiatus, reconnecting and playing smaller shows, etc. I know ska punk music didn't catch on as much around the rest of the country as it did in California and New York during my high school years, but it remains one of my favorite niche music genres.
Song: "Return of the Mack" Artist: Mark Morrison Album: Return of the Mack
The Soundtrackers are back! Yay! As long as we're on the topic of grand returns, I can't think of any one-hit wonder more appropriate than Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack," which was a huge hit my freshman year in high school. It is a little odd, though, that Mark Morrison chose to name his debut album (and first single) "Return of the Mack," considering that - as a debut - he's not really "returning" from anything, is he? I suppose it ended up being a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy in the end, since he pretty much returned to the obscurity from whence he came after this near chart-topping hit.
Interestingly enough, this hit single never made it to #1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100. Despite going multi-platinum, the song was held out of the #1 spot by Hanson's "MMMBop." Talk about adding insult to injury; the only thing worse than being held off from a #1 track is being held off from a #1 track by a terrible song from a terrible band.
Part of the reason why Mark Morrison never really took off could have a lot to do with his extracurricular activities, which have landed him in more than his share of legal trouble. He actually spent three months in prison while his song topped the charts in the U.S. for trying to bring a firearm aboard an airplane. He followed that up with charges for possessing an offensive weapon, armed robbery, being caught driving without a license (twice), suspicion of kidnapping and car theft, inciting a fight over a missing medallion, assault, suspicion of bribing a police officer, and... wait for it... being sentenced to community service for starting a fight that resulted in a fatality... and then paying a lookalike to perform that community service while he went on tour.
It's not every day that you get the opportunity to blog about an artist whose rap sheet is longer than his discography, so I had to jump at the chance. Oh, and the song's pretty catchy too.
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