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?
I'm piggybacking on Brrr...rooke's prompt for blog posts about "three things" in a variety of categories. I'm not sure if this is going to be a daily thing, a "post them all this weekend" thing, or a "whenever I get around to it" kind of thing, but I'm committed to blogging about everything on her list. For reference, the categories are:
Theme: Three Things Three things you can’t go without. Three celebrity crushes. Three favorite book characters. If you had to evacuate your home because of a natural disaster, what three things would you take with you? Three pet peeves. Three things you’d do if you weren’t so afraid. Three favorite TV shows.
I might as well take these in descending order, here are the three things I can't go without. And I'm interpreting "can't" to mean something I really, really care about and would be devastated to be without... mostly because the three literal answers would be "food, water, and air" and those just aren't as fun to write about.
Art. I wouldn't want to live in a world that doesn't produce art. And I'm using art as an umbrella term for everything from painting to sculpture to music to architecture to stand-up comedy, and to the stories created for books, movies, television, video games, etc. No matter what form it comes in, I can't think of anything better than experiencing the beauty in this world created by fellow human beings. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't regularly experience and appreciate the creative art that other people put out in the world.
New Experiences. I'm not the kind of person who is content to just do the same thing day in, day out. I'm always excited by the prospect of the unknown, whether it's traveling somewhere I've never been before, eating food I've never tasted before, or moving onto new jobs when the existing one feels a little stale. There are some people who are happy working the same job for their entire career, or always ordering the same thing at the same restaurant every Friday night, or reading the same favorite book over and over again... and that's just not me. I need the excitement and adventure of new experiences on a fairly regular basis.
"Me" Time. While I do genuinely enjoy getting together with friends, and venturing out to see what the world has to offer, I also need a fair amount of time to myself. I'm a naturally introspective person, a thinker, and someone who is mostly an introvert at heart. I have to have chunks of time that are just for me to be alone. Depending on the mood, I may want to read, go for a walk, write, even nap. I'm generally considered a pretty friendly, easy to get along with kind of guy, and a big part of the reason I have that laid-back kind of personality is because I spend a good amount of time in isolation processing things on my own in my own way. I don't even want to think about what kind of a personality I would have if I didn't have those moments of self care. If I had to constantly be around people and interacting with them all the time, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't handle it well.
Three things you can’t go without.
Three celebrity crushes.
Three favorite book characters.
If you had to evacuate your home because of a natural disaster, what three things would you take with you?
Three things you’d do if you weren’t so afraid.
Three favorite TV shows.
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