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: "Pretend To Be Nice" Artist: Josie And The Pussycats Album: Josie And The Pussycats (OST)
I can't believe lizco252 subjected herself (and everyone else) to "guilty pleasures" week for the "The Soundtrack of Your Life" ! It's almost like she wants us to make her regret running this activity! Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint, so I may as well jump headfirst into the pool and get it over with...
I wish I could say the same about the movie itself, but the soundtrack to 2001's Josie And The Pussycats is one of my all-time guilty pleasures, and that's because I legitimately enjoy just about every song on the album. The woman who sings Josie's parts is not actually actress Rachael Leigh Cook, but rather Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo fame (another of my guilty pleasures in their own right, ever since they made a cameo in the 10 Things I Hate About You movie). "3 Small Words" was the more popular song when the movie came out, but I've always been partial to this one. And pretty much everything Du Jour sings on the album. I mean, come on, if Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Donald Faison, and Alexander Martin singing "Backdoor Lover" isn't one of the greatest boy band satires of all time, I don't know what is. It's right up there with Blink 182's "All The Small Things" music video.
Don't get me wrong, I fully admit that the movie itself was terrible. Even with the amusing running joke about product placement and branding throughout the movie, it was a bomb. It made less than half of its money back at the box office ($14M in box office receipts on a $39M budget plus marketing? Ouch!), failed to get an even 50% favorable rating from both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, and Roger Ebert was credited with saying, "Josie and the Pussycats are not dumber than the Spice Girls, but they're as dumb as the Spice Girls, which is dumb enough."
The soundtrack, however, was much better received. It sold over 500,000 copies, which gave it certified gold status and resulted in the soundtrack earning almost half as much as the movie's entire theatrical run.
Oh man, I should not be referencing the Spice Girls during "guilty pleasures" week. It's... so... tempting... {e:resists_urge}
Comment • View 7 comments 
