Now that I’ve got a new job and long commute ahead every day I am probably going to buy an audio bible to listen to while I drive. Based on prior blog posts elsewhere I’m strongly considering buying The Bible Experience. However, I’m curious if anyone has experience with other audio bibles, particularly ones that are not dramatized. I am concerned that the dramatization may actually detract from the experience instead of help it. Anyways, thoughts welcome please.

First off, I think I’m going to try to stop this drought of blog posts on my blog. However, I think I’ll need to stick to short and focused posts to do it. So without further meandering…

I’ve really started to enjoy the NLTse. It’s a great translation of scripture and worth looking into if you are not comfortable with more traditional renderings. There are some great posts out there, and thanks to Jeff for pointing me to this great article over at internetmonk.com. I used to have that blog linked here and checked on it regularly myself, but I finally removed it from my reader a couple of months ago. I’m not sure why I did. I love the content there. There is so much traffic and commenting going on at IM though that I seldom interacted with anything there. Maybe I commented once or twice. Anyways, if you’ve never visited the site it really is worth a trip, but be warned that his content is highly engaging.

So back to the NLTse. I surprised myself last week when it was the only translation I took with me to church. Also I’ve been thinking of finally sitting down to read my copy of Peterson’s The Message which I bought earlier this summer at a good price. I have also started to feel more comfortable with the TNIV’s use of “brothers and sisters” for αδελφοι and now consider it my primary bible translation. Also, in case you missed it, the NLT now has a blog up for their translation here: http://nltblog.com/default.htm

There’s a few other things I can throw out, but I think I’ll save them for a future post. I still want to publish those older ideas, but I may revise them down considerably to something I can manage in only a short time.

[update]

Just found this interesting post over at New Epistles.

So I was clicking on some links under the hood here at my blog, you know, just wasting a few minutes. Then I noticed a few blogs linking back to mine that I hadn’t heard of before. Wouldn’t you know it, but my sister started a blog earlier this month and I didn’t even know it until just now. She usually has something hilarious to quip about so I’m looking forward to what she writes in the future. Feel free to stop by her blog now and again. She’s over here at:

http://amberthink.blogspot.com/

Well, I’ve finally been hired as a science teacher. I’ve also got class every day next week, followed by graduation on Friday. I’m currently sorting through the ton of paperwork and background checks that are required to teach and the end is finally in sight I think. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to make time to polish off the drafts that are awaiting publishing so they shall have to wait a bit longer. It has been nice to have a break from blogging, but I also miss the interaction I used to have. It seems that I will be very busy for the next couple months however, so I can’t really promise any content whatsoever until I have a handle on my new position. Thanks for reading, and I’ll post again as time allows.

Nate

I’ve been down with a bit of strep throat this past week. As soon as I start feeling better and can concentrate I’ll finish up the few posts I’ve got waiting. There will be my next installment from my Greek studies and I think a meme or two.

Now that my research is over with I should have quite a bit of free time. Right now my only responsibility outside of normal household duties is to find employment. An unforeseen side effect of my recent cut-back from blogging was the reduced number of posts on my own blog. I think part of this is also due to the fact that I had stopped studying Greek temporarily due to classes. Well, I’m now going to resume Greek exactly where I left off and also try to post every 2-3 days. I just checked my blog stats and for the first time ever my daily visitors dropped down to single digits after being in the triple digits just one short month ago. How fickle we all are. Anyways, expect some interesting posts from me soon, assuming you enjoy scriptural studies that aren’t completely in English.

Over at Brian’s blog, he posted a passage from Timothy and requested that we offer up our own translations without looking to an English translation first. He requested parsing information, but I don’t actually know how to do this, other than to look it up in one of my resources. So here I offer my initial translation in English. I would never submit anything without first comparing it with many translations, however I do so at his request.

• Try hard to present yourself before God as one who is not ashamed to correctly guide the word of truth.

He also requested that we explain our translation decisions for three of the Greek words. I translated as Try hard because I don’t know anyone who actually says zealous or take pains in everyday conversation. I used present… before because I think that stand… before could convey some strange mental image. Finally I chose to use correctly guide because I felt that it sort of captures the underlying Greek meaning and still is intelligible in English. This would be the phrase that I’d look up in other translations because I’m certain that there is a better way to render this. Feel free to critique me and to offer up your own translation, I’ll probably post a revision after checking my other translations.

Here’s the Greek for easy reference:

• σπούδασον σεαυτὸν δόκιμον παραστῆσαι τῷ θεῷ ἐργάτην ἀνεπαίσχυντον, ὀρθοτομοῦντα τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας.

I was tagged for this meme by more than one person and I need to respond before I forget to do it. The challenge is:

“quote one verse (not one chapter). And then say what the Lord has been teaching you in one sentence”

Well, here is my verse:

You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless.

James 1:26

It has always been a challenge for me to speak kind words at all times; I hope to improve how I converse with people, especially with my wife and daughter.

As almost everyone whom I would tag has already been, I hereby tag Amy.

I was a pretty avid reader of Rick Mansfield’s blog This Lamp and right before I started this blog, he had to quit posting due to a corrupted file. I had considered removing it from my blogroll, but enjoy it so much that I’ve left it there in anticipation of his return. It appears he’s fixed most of the problem though and has made his first post in months. If you haven’t been to his blog before, check it out. The archives are well worth reading, and I look forward to his future content.

Only two classes of summer school left now as I’ve just finished my first one. I have a new job lead as of yesterday and will be pursuing it next week, there is a good chance I will get hired for it if the administration gives me the okay. Also, I recently finished Xenophon’s Anabasis about the 10,000 in English. Highly recommend it. I’ve been taking a break from Greek for a bit due to lack of time, but I have a couple things planned that I hope you will find interesting.