Listening While Sleeping???

O.L. Bax & bedtime stories...

I like listening to audio as I fall asleep. I ran across a book of Bible stories by someone using the name O.L. Bax. Of course, I want to know something about a book I'm going to be listening to - especially when I'm trying to relax. I don't want just anything being spoken into my brain as I fall asleep.

The idea of listening to Bible stories (written for adults, no less) seemed interesting. For a moment. The thing is that I can find no information whatsoever about such O.L. Bax. Google can't even tell me if it is a person or some random publisher. 

That sounds odd to me. In this day and age, most people - especially those putting out a book - has some kind of autographical information online. 

So. I will not be listening to anything by O.L. Bax. But I still like the idea of Christian bedtime stories. So, I learned that there is a podcast put out by someone named Heather Crespin. I might be checking that out later, but I am still trying to determine what Crespin's beliefs are.

Being Cautious

 Over the years, I have heard or read about more than one warning against letting things into you through your ears and eyes. I know the effect that music can have on my own behavior and thoughts. I think we all do.

 "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." (Proverbs 20:12)

I am sure that the Enemy will use whatever he can to twist what God has made for good. Try to think of what music can do to you - that you notice. When you listen to certain songs or musical pieces:

•  What does it make you feel?
• Can music affect your days at work?
• Can certain pieces make you feel calm or powerful or angry or...?
• Has certain music made you feel more sexual or more aggressive?

You get what I mean. And those are just things we can identify. Theres various research showing that music affects our brains in ways we may not realize.

• This blog post cites studies about music's effects on the brain when studying.
• This from Neuroscience News is about how music can help with cognitive decline was of interest to me.
• This goes into music being used in mental health therapy.

So yeah, I want to be careful about what I'm letting myself in for. I assume I am a lot more open to anything coming into the ears as I drift off to sleep...

Healing

Music can be healing. Think of David and King Saul. But I am pretty sure that a performer screaming about the highway to hell or rapping about all his honeys is meant to heal. 

I suffer from depression so, a lot of times, I will listen to praise songs. I even have certain songs for how I might feel at different times. 

This is a favorite when I think of loved ones (who accepted Jesus before dying)

These are for when I am really depressed and struggling to get through the moment

I don't know much about Third Day and discovered them by happenstance. I will listen to these I am blogging or just working on the computer

To be honest, there are times when I break down and weep when listening to worship songs. Not sad weeping, but thankful, joyful tears of love for the God who gives me all I need to get through just - one - more - moment.  So, music is powerful.

Basically

 

If I am going to let someone speak something into my ears - especially as I drift off to sleep - I need to know who they are and where they are with the Lord.

By the way, I did find another "Bedtime Stories" for adults published by "Fearless Christians". Still couldn't find more detailed information so... that's a nope for me. I found another book by Dr. Frank Milligan of "Northstar Strategic Solutions". I don't know about this one yet; I am looking into it. I am concerned by the Strategic Solutions part.

Anyway.

This was just something I wanted to share for anyone interested in listening to something as they drift off to sleep. For now, I will stick with my Sherlock and Marple stories.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** The Quest Study Bible

How I found Quest Study Bible:

One website I try to tell everyone I know about is Got Questions. Whenever I have a question related to Christianity or my faith, the Bible is my first stop. Sometimes, though, I don't know where to start within the Bible - or I have a question about the Bible. Got Question is that place. It will usually point me to a specific scripture. Often, it is like having a trusted Bible commentary on a subject.

According to my web history, here are some recent trips I've made to the site:

• When a friend asked about my objection to women pastors, I referred her GQ for the biblical passages.
• I ran across the term "Didache" somewhere and was clueless. GQ had the info.
• Because me brain takes vacations, I needed to refresh my understanding of Messianic Judaism.

If you checked any of those links, you might notice that the common suggestion on GQ for "Further Study" will include the Quest Study Bible. I have noticed over and over but never thought to look further at the resource - until recently. Well, I am really glad that I did. 

People have teased me about my collection of Bibles. That's wild because I never got teased so much when I was collecting music or shoes or purses...

Each of my Bibles is there for a good reason. I have some that are large print (just wait until your eyes get older!); one of them is written for more relaxed reading (the TRB) while staying reliably on the left side of this translation chart.

My King James Study Bible was the first one I used to do deep study with. Not only are the notes and helps really useful, but the font was so readable. I struggle Bible fonts. If they are large enough, they might not be dark about, and on and on. That KJ Study Bible is gloriously easy on my eyes. I've had it for 22 years. It was formerly put out as the Liberty University Study Bible and, however I feel about that, I love that Bible. I guard it like it's gold because I can't find another copy anywhere.

Anyway - I said all of that about my collection of Bibles because this Quest Bible has impressed me...

BUT - I have to insert this warning:

The Quest only comes in the NIV translation. I do NOT recommend it to be anyone's only Bible. I also won't recommend it for "baby" Christians. It is too far into the "thought to thought" territory of translations. If someone new is going to use it, I strongly urge doing so ONLY alongside a word for word translation.

(I'm basically doing a copy/paste of my review with the retailer)

Quest - The Pros

➕The quality is one of the best for a Bible in this affordable range. The leather is really pliable. The pages are set well in the spine. I don't think I will have to worry about pages coming loose with a lot of use over time

➕As someone with aging eyes, I appreciate the very readable font of the main text. It is not "large print" for anyone with bad eyesight, but I have no trouble as long as I have my contacts in or am wearing mild reading glasses. For those with younger or healthier eyes this is really good size font. The sidebar text could be a little bit more difficult for weak eyes because of the background shading.

➕ It's so nice that there are different types of reading plans included. That is actually what I am using this for. I have my NKJV and other versions, but this is going to be my go-to anytime I am doing a specific reading plan.

➕I like having the 2 bookmark ribbons. This really helps since I am doing a mixed OT/NT reading plan.

➕Most of all, I love the things addressed in the sidebar and footnotes. I find myself reading a couple of verses, then checking these areas. For someone doing a reading plan, this information forces you to slow down and digest the information thoughtfully instead of just "getting through" a day's reading.

➕The paper is good - very thin in the way one expects of a Bible - and it's good for taking notes.

➕ The quality is one of the best for a Bible in this affordable range. The leather is really pliable. The pages are set well in the spine. I don't think I will have to worry about pages coming loose with a lot of use over time

➕As someone with aging eyes, I appreciate the very readable font of the main text. It is not "large print" for anyone with bad eyesight, but I have no trouble as long as I have my contacts in or am wearing mild reading glasses. For those with younger or healthier eyes this is really good size font. The sidebar text could be a little bit more difficult for weak eyes because of the background shading.

➕ It's so nice that there are different types of reading plans included. That is actually what I am using this for. I have my NKJV and other versions, but this is going to be my go-to anytime I am doing a specific reading plan.

➕I like having the 2 bookmark ribbons. This really helps since I am doing a mixed OT/NT reading plan.

➕Most of all, I love the things addressed in the sidebar and footnotes. I find myself reading a couple of verses, then checking these areas. For someone doing a reading plan, this information forces you to slow down and digest the information thoughtfully instead of just "getting through" a day's reading.

➕The paper is good - very thin in the way one expects of a Bible - and it's good for taking notes.

Quest - The No's

➖I REALLY wish that this came in one of the word-for-word translations but it's only in the NIV... I will continue to search for one.

➖I tend to use erasable ink and highlighters. I notice that these do erase on the pages, but leave some residue and, for some reason, the erased parts leave the paper feeling stiff. Also, because the paper is thin, it will be left a little crinkly after erasing.

➖I will need to find good Bible tabs. Even though I can easily find my way through the various books by memory, the thin pages are going to make it hard to quickly flip to sections. This is a very minor thing for an experienced Bible reader, but will be important for the newer, less familiar reader.

Here's a look at the Quest:

The presentation is nice. The leather is nice and very pliable. The cross is actually stitched into the leather.

There are different reading plans that you can track.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there is a timeline shown.

I got the "large" print instead of the "comfort" print. It was a good choice.

This is just to show you that the leather is not stiff. 

The pages are the typical very thin type,

I wanted to give you a good idea how the Quest compares in font size and type compared to some other Bibles:

You can see that some fonts are not as dark as the Quest (it's at the top & underneath)

The Quest (bottom of stack) is thinner because it's wider.

Overall, keeping in mind that it is the NIV translation, this is a great study tool.

 

I hope this helped give you a good overview of the pros and cons of the Quest Bible!

Peace

--Free

NOTE: I have not & will not be compensated in any way for this review. I purchased the Quest with my own money.

If the Lord's Willing...

NOTE: Yes, there are some errors in the post with wording and such. It was a bad brain day. 😂I will come back and make some edits when I'm thinking more clearly.

Yesterday I shared something with the ladies in our weekly text thread. A verse came to mind when I was thinking about a habit of my later mother that I've taken up.

One of the things that everyone who knew my mother is a saying she had whenever she was making plans: "If the good Lord's willing to let me live and nothing happen."

Even though I had read the Bible, I didn't realize that my mother got that saying from Scripture:

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”  (James 4:13–15) {my underline}

I guess with age I appreciate that a lot more than I ever did before. This is the rest of the text I shared:

Read the passage & think about it. Gabby (our niece) had just pulled in to work & on the phone with her brother. He was going to be visiting her soon. She died about a half hour later. A lady I worked with for years went home with a headache one day. Told everyone she'd see them "tomorrow". She died of a brain stem stroke - or whatever the term is.

I want to remember how easy it is to die. I don't want to be in the middle or a fight or about to spread nasty gossip - and drop dead. I don't want to have forgotten to thank God for my blessings on the day I die. I don't want to forget to tell the people I love that I love them. 

You probably have stories of your own about people you know - someone in their mid-thirties like out Gabs. Or a co-worker in her 40's and newly engaged to be married in a few months. 

I also think about James 4:14 - 

 "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."

Think hard about that. You don't have to be "old" or sick or living a "high risk" lifestyle. You can live in the nicest, safest town and only know that kindest people. You can have money for the best food and healthcare. None of it matters to Death.

I have known people who talked about living fast and sowing all their oats before settling down. As of Death respects their planned timeline. 

I know many people who are kind and sweet and generous - but they are not saved. Death is going to come for them one day.

Anyway, I just thought I would share with this blog one of the weekly messages from a text thread. I hope that this touches someone and makes them take a moment to think. Don't focus on if I am right or wrong. Just ask yourself if you will be ready for Death when it comes.

The way I think of Death now is different. I see my life as a little flicker of light and Death as that probably unexpected breath. I am here and then I am not.

I have to remind myself all the time of this. To be ready. I don't want to have any meanness in my heart, nasty gossip on my mind, or curse words coming from my mouth. When Death comes, I hope I will be sleep! If I am awake, I hope I will have remembered to say all my "I love you" messages.

Peace

--Free