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?
What chore do you most dislike doing? Tell us a creative story about how you might get out of doing it.
If I were choosing one particular chore, it would be cleaning the bathroom.
But the biggest dislike I have about cleaning is more a general category than a specific task. I hate doing the detail work. I'm more than willing to clean up big mess. Sweeping or mopping the floor? Cool. Wiping down the mirror and scrubbing the toilet and the shower? Fine. I'm all about doing the heavy lifting and getting it 80% of the way to being spotless. It's that extra 20% that kills me. The scrubbing every crack and crevice, or the spending several minutes on one particularly stubborn stain on the carpet. When I clean, I'm all-in for quantity over quality. I want to do the biggest and dirtiest jobs that, after twenty minutes, will have the greatest visible indication that I have accomplished cleaning. I love to clean off the counters, or pick up clothes off the floor, or put the kids' toys away because all of those things give you a huge return on your investment in terms of making the house visually cleaner. Not so much with the grout work, or getting those final pesky streaks off an otherwise clean window.
And while this might sound like a cop-out, I'm not going to tell a story about how to get out of doing a chore I hate because I'm a freaking adult and my choices are either to buckle down and get the cleaning done, or live in squalor. When I was a teenager living at home I might have tried to come up with some creative excuse to avoid responsibility, but as an adult with my own place, I honestly don't want to get out of doing the thing that I know will make me happier and more content to live in my home. If there's one thing that quarantine and shelter-at-home has taught me, it's a renewed appreciation for tidiness and how much more relaxing it is to live in a space that's clean and not overflowing with junk. It's not particularly creative, but if I wanted to get out of doing a particular and specific chore that I didn't want to do, it would involve trading something else with my wife or kids. If I don't want to clean the bathroom, I'll scrub the food spatter off the stove. Or sweep off the patio. Or vacuum under the loveseat and the sofa in the living room. The thing I've come to learn about being an adult is that it's not about getting out of doing something you don't want to do... it's about tradeoffs and figuring out what you're willing to do (or pay) in exchange for getting someone else to do it for you. Not doing it isn't an option.
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