The Weight of Life & the Promise of Glory

When I left Alaska to move here - a place with actual seasons - I thought my winter blues would be less severe. After all, living here I get to enjoy the beautiful fall colors for more than a few days before the cold sets in. Also, I don't have to deal with those long dark winter days. And the summers are actually warm - not just light-sweater warm or  it's-65-so-I'm-wearing-shorts weather. 

My neighborhood here is pretty and quiet and the people are Midwestern-friendly. Still, I find myself coping with moods that ebb and flow.  Sometimes I feel I might drown. Then I remember that Jesus loves me.

God has been good to me in my physical illnesses and in my emotional struggles. I know that I would not have been able to handle the life I have now in my days of being lost. 

There is a neighbor of mine who deals with depression. She's such a nice woman and I see her fighting her battles hard. Once she admitted to me that she often prays not to wake up in the morning. I can't fathom that. This woman is a Christian but her battles with aging and physical problems are slamming her from every side.

I have not had the courage to ask her if her faith doesn't help. Again, I can't imagine praying not to wake up in the morning. But I haven't lived her battles and I can't understand her struggles. I do hope that I never get to the point she's at right now.

Now that I think about it, I suppose seasonal blues are not as bad as continual and unrelenting mental and physical struggles. My physical illness also ebbs and flows. Usually, thankfully, I am not both physically weak and emotionally fragile at the same time.

I've heard the saying from mothers that the true pain of childbirth doesn't stop them from having more children. The joy must be stronger than the pain. I guess I can say that about life as a believer. The hope we have, the love of God, and the promises He's made are more powerful than what life throws at us. That's the only way I can explain it. 

At this point in my life, I can truly testify that God has never given me more than He helps me bear. I ask that anyone reading this pray for my neighbor. Pray for any of our brothers and sisters who are struggling under the weight of life. Pray that they continue to trust God.

Let us all remember that saying: We are saved, we are being saved and we will be saved. And that we are justified, are being sanctified, and will be glorified.

Source

Praise God.

Peace

--Free

I Am a Woman – No “Cis” Needed

 This gender-twisting situation is getting way out of hand. 

In a forum the other day - totally unrelated to gender, politics, etc. - someone used the term "cis woman". I had zero clue what that meant. With all the current revisionist language around gender, pronouns, sexuality, and so on, I was trying to figure out what kind of person could be a "cis woman". Turns out, that's me. I am a "cis woman". Actually, I refuse to accept that term for myself. I am a woman. Period.

When I looked up the term, I saw the general meaning and that made me mad. 

adjective: cisgender; adjective: cis-gender; adjective: cisgendered; adjective: cis-gendered

denoting or relating to a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth; not transgender. (my emphasis)

"this newfound attention to the plight of black trans folks by primarily cisgender allies is timely and necessary" (my emphasis)

No. No. And, no. I won't be involuntarily pulled into the gender-twisting nonsense by further defining my gender. I am not confused or ambivalent about the fact that I am a woman - as God determined for me. He knew me "before I was in my mother's womb". I am not here to argue with the Creator of myself and the universe. 

By the way:

The prefix “cis-” comes from the Latin meaning “on this side,” as opposed to “trans-” which means “on the other side of” or “beyond.”

What bothers me so much is not just the gender-twisting situation (I don't know what else to call this man-made confusion) but how the LGBTQ community tries to pull everyone into their rebellion. If they are confused, I'm sorry. If they have a problem with God, I'm sorry. If they want to invent an entirely new lexicon for their community, fine. Don't force me to be part of the madness.

The LGBTQ crowd (I will just refer to them as the Community) wants others to accept them for whoever/however they want to identify. Well, I don't care if they accept me for how I identify. I am as God made me. Deal with that.

The Community tried to equate themselves with those persecuted for skin color and nationality. I didn't buy that and still don't. 

The Community tried (and in large part has succeeded) in hijacking the rainbow. I don't buy that. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of getting a t-shirt printed with a rainbow and this printed on the front:

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13-16 )

And this on the back:

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15) Also see:  John 3:16

 Tolerance (or ignoring) is one thing, but forced acceptance is a step too far.

I will pray for the people who are caught up in or giving in to this silliness but I'm not going to stop standing up for my faith.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I am already looking at designing a tote bag with the verses mentioned - and a rainbow.

The Readable Bible (TRB) Version

 My collection of Bible versions is growing. Since I have been doing serious Bible study for the past couple of years, I rely most heavily on the KJV and NASB. I have been using the ESV just for reading for the pleasure of it. I also have physical copies of the Amplified version (which I often use), and the ERV which I'll read to my young relatives or just for my own clarity.

(Side note: I learned something new recently during a Bible study of the Book of Isaiah, Chuck Missler was comparing passages in the KJV to the ISV. He explained that the ISV relies heavily on the Dead Sea Scrolls and that the DSS for Isaiah had the complete work. Interesting.)

I almost always use eSword (which I highly recommend!) in addition to hard copies of the KJV, NASB, ESV, and Amplified versions so I have access to digital copies of several versions (plus other study resources) and I use many of them during Bible study. However, as I said, I do enjoy reading the Bible just for the pleasure of it so I like having physical copies of "easier to read" versions.

Amazon's packaging
was a bit haphazard!

I don't know how I came to learn of the Readable Bible (TRB) but when I saw samples online, I wanted a hard copy for myself. I ordered mine from Amazon (though it's cheaper at ChristianBook.com right now). By the way, I do love ChristianBook and order from there often. I just get a bit impatient with the sometimes backorders and I wanted to get this Bible as soon as possible!

Understand that I know that there are sometimes very important differences between translations. I don't like "loose" translations and won't even read for pleasure anything like "The Message" or "The Passion" (even before it was noted by others to be too loose). After all, the Bible is God's Word, not man's.

This is why I rely on the KJV and other "word-for-word" translations for serious study. I was still trying to decide where the TRB version falls on the chart of translations before I remembered the chart I once posted on this blog. Duh! After seeing it, I'm happy to say that it falls in line with the other word-for-word versions. 

There it is, the TRB

This is what publishers of the TRB have to say:

Lots of see-through issues

The Readable Bible is a literal translation in the sense that each original language word is expressed in English. However, sometimes a literal translation is unlikely to communicate the writer’s thought to a modern audience. For instance, people unfamiliar with ancient culture probably do not understand that “sons of the bridechamber” in Matthew 9:15 refers to groomsmen. So, where the literal translation might confuse or mislead today’s reader, a thought-for-thought translation is presented and the literal translation is footnoted, or vice versa (unless the term is listed in “Nonliteral Words and Phrases Not Footnoted”). When an action verb is immediately followed by another action verb (e.g., “got up and went”), oftentimes only the second verb is expressed in the English text.

Specific copyright & use rules

For my general reading purposes, I have to say that it's easier for my modern American brain to absorb the basics. Just as with the ESV - which I enjoy reading before bedtime - I find the TRB relaxing to read. All of the charts and "helps" within the Bible chapters are just as easy on the brain as can be. Some verses are broken down really well (without changing the meanings). For instance, in Genesis, the creation days are clearly labeled as "Day 1:" and so on. In Isaiah 14, the 5 satanic "I will" statements are laid out in separate lines. In Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, the Ten Commandments are clearly numbered. (To be honest, I love this because I've always had to manually highlight or mark these kinds of things in Bibles.)

Lots of charts

 As I said, this is a great "reader" for seasoned believers or a "starter" for a new Bible reader or undecided person.

I do think it's nice to have a Bible on hand for pleasure reading in place of a novel or magazines when I am sitting around waiting for an appointment or during long car rides. Any time that I can find to spend with God's Word, is time well spent. Reading the Bible for pleasure helps to reinforce lessons from my study and, sometimes, it leads me to pursue new avenues of study.

While I love a lot about this TRB, there are some design features that could be improved. As with most Bibles, the pages are thin. In this paperback, there are issues of see-through and, in the wrong light, that can make it hard to read. Also, individual book names are not printed at the tops of all pages. This is not a big problem for someone familiar with the orders of the books but could be for a new Bible reader. I hate tabbing paperback Bibles because it never looks neat enough but, if I gift one of these to a newbie, I will have to do just that.

For the price (around $37 with tax), Amazon could have done a better job with the packaging. Mine was just tossed loosely inside a plastic mailer and so it arrived with the front cover bent. (Yes, I'm being nitpicky!)

The TRB is a very nice resource. It's easier on the brain than even the ESV is. It's really interesting to compare passages between the two. I often use the ESV and TRB alongside the study Bible versions. I find the parallels helpful to my getting further into a passage.

I can recommend the TRB to anyone who enjoys just reading the Bible. Since I got my copy, I have been reading through a little at a time each evening starting with Genesis and I really look forward to it every day. I do have to mention that due to its size, it is a bit unwieldy! It doesn't fit into any of my purses.

I hope this post was useful. If it's a little scrambled, I apologize. My brain has been tired the past few days and I'm having trouble keeping my thoughts clear and straight. Keep me in your prayers.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: By the way, before I received the TRB and saw the copyright page, I was stupidly referring to the version as the RB.