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, so here are my three pet peeves.
Hypocrisy. I can't stand hypocrites, even less when they come up with a B.S. justification for why it's okay to do the exact opposite of the thing that they just did. Whether it was my parents saying the classic, "Do as I say, not as I do" as I was growing up, all the way up to the heights of power when Mitch McConnell refused to have a hearing on Obama's Supreme Court nominee because "during an election year, the people should have a say in who's seated" but promised to seat Kennedy's replacement *gasp* in an election year, it drives me crazy when people have different or fluid standards, especially when the purpose is to exert power or excuse personal shortcomings. I'm fairly easy going in most cases, but the minute someone shows themselves willing to make exceptions for themselves or their tribe while expecting others to "be better" and meet higher standards, it sends my annoyance meter straight to an 11. I have a really hard time trusting or even being friendly to people when they choose to act like that.
People who treat subordinates poorly. Whether it's your assistant or the IT guy at work, your server at a restaurant, the repair guy that comes to your home, the flight attendant on your plane, or your kids, I get really worked up when I see someone treating another human being poorly when that other person is in a position that prevents or discourages them from standing up for themselves. Working in Hollywood, I see this a lot... people who will be perfectly kind to contemporaries, downright sycophantic to superiors, and yet treat subordinates in a completely dismissive if not downright abusive way. I've heard all the excuses and justifications. "Things just have a way of rolling downhill" (meaning his boss yells at him so he in turns yells at his assistant). "It's a hazing thing. I was verbally abused as an assistant so it's a rite of passage my assistant has to go through." The bottom line is that I don't care how nice you are to me when you have to be, if you can't be nice to me when you don't have to be... and, by extension, if you mistreat people you know won't fight back... I have zero respect for you no matter how nice you are to the people you think matter.
People who aren't aware of their surroundings. The driver who stops in the middle of the road and blocks traffic to drop off passengers. The person who walks into you at the grocery store because he or she is too absorbed with their phone. That group of people who are hanging out to talk in the middle of a thoroughfare rather than off to the side. The neighbor in the adjoining apartment who has loud parties on a work night. It drives me crazy when people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't have any awareness of how they're affecting the people around them with their behavior, even more so when they do become aware of it and continue with the behavior as if they can't be bothered to take anyone else's needs or concerns into consideration.
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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