What Translatioin Do You Use?

I have had a couple people ask me why I use the ESV (English Standard Version) translation of the Bible. So I decided to write a post defending why I believe this is the best translation for everyday use.

I believe that the Scriptures are the authoritative, inspired and inerrant Word of God to mankind as revealed in 2 Timothy 3:16, and 2 Peter 1:21. They are altogether lovely, true, precious and unfailing. The Word points to Christ, Who is truth itself, the living Word, and is therefore to be diligently embraced, read, and studied.

There are numerous English translations out there today. These translations are based upon the underlying philosophies and guiding principles of the translators of that particular work. On one end of the translation spectrum are the versions which adopt a “word-for-word” approach while the other end contains those which follow a “thought-for-thought.” For an example of where some common versions fit on this spectrum, please see chart below…



The word-for-word process attempts to render a literal reading of the original languages (Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic), relying on interpretation only when the text demands clarification. The philosophy which drives this approach is that interpretation is the cooperative work of the preacher/teacher and the believer and not necessarily that of the translator. On the other hand, the thought-for-thought process follows a highly interpretive translation procedure, driven by a philosophy of textual simplicity. With this tendency comes a decreased accuracy and faithfulness to the original text and a subsequent loss of many of the rich nuances therein. While the thought-for-thought method retains a high degree of readability, it also carries with it an inherent reliance upon the translator to interpret scripture for the reader.

When I was at Toccoa Falls College, they made us use the NASB in class, which was completely fine. I still typically use the NASB for thorough Biblical study. However, while the NASB served well for serious study, contextual flow was slightly altered, thus rendering it less ideal for the purpose of reading and preaching. Given that the ESV retains the precision and accuracy of the “word-for-word” approach while allowing for a greater degree of clarity of expression, it became the primary teaching/ preaching, and reading text for me.

Therefore, I use the ESV on a daily basis with some reference to the NASB when dealing with the original language or pursing a more in-depth study of the Scriptures.

Though I use the ESV, I do see the value in the thought-for-thought translations and like reading the Message on occasion. However, I would discourage using it to do detailed studies.

6 Year Old Soccer Prodigy

I saw this and thought this kid was ridiculously skilled @ soccer... not to mention the video has a sweet Spanish rap song in the background. Best of both worlds right there!

War ... Should Christians Support It?

I am currently in the middle of writing a review of the book War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century for my Old Testament class. This particular book has a lot of differing opinions on the subject of war, from a pacifist view to a just war approach. I am finding the different essays (chapters) to be very interesting, causing me to ponder my own position.

So... What is your stance on war? Should Christians be involved in war? I would really like to hear your opinion on the subject. Feel free to leave a comment and get this conversation started.

Proper Perspective

My friend Nate Hoag pointed out that Chris Sharma (pictured below) NEVER encounters difficult circumstances... therefore, to grasp a proper perspective on "difficult circumstances" you need to look at a picture of Nate climbing.

So here it is...

Difficulties In Life

“You know, don’t you, that I’m the One who emptied your pantries and cleaned out your cupboards, who left you hungry and standing in bread lines? But you never got hungry for Me. You continued to ignore Me.”
Amos 4:6 – The Message

I was reading Amos the other day and came across this passage. God is speaking through Amos to Israel, His chosen people. It is obvious that He has been trying to get their attention, however, they continue to ignore Him. While I read these words, I felt a deep conviction within my soul.

How many times has the Lord been trying to get my attention through circumstances in my life? See… the problem is my pride. I truly believe that I can handle everything that comes my way… on my own. It is hard for me to admit that I need Him on a daily basis.

If you think about it… when “bad” things happen to you… the first person we think is abandoning us is God. However, what if the reason for these difficult situations is that the Lord is really trying to draw us back to complete reliance and dependence on Him? This would absolutely change the way we handle circumstances that seem hard.

Moreover, on a personal note, I tend to find myself caught in a never-ending cycle. I will come across difficult times and (like I mentioned) I will think God is withdrawing from my life. Then I will try to handle these incidents on my own… thinking that God doesn’t want me to draw near to Him anyways. Inevitably, I will draw back to the Lord and things will seem great for a while… then the cycle starts all over again.

However, when I read this passage I felt the Spirit speaking directly to my soul. What if God was the director or initiator of these issues in my life? This idea completely changed the way I view difficulties. When they arise, I must turn and find refuge and strength in the Lord not in my own abilities.

Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I am not contending that ALL your bad circumstances are caused by God to get your attention, although it might be a possibility. Either way, my point is that in all our difficult times (caused by God or not) turning to the Lord for strength and perseverance should be our primary response.

So the next time it feels like the Lord is pulling away…. Intentionally draw near to Him with everything you have.

I would love to hear your stories of how God caused difficult circumstances in your life to grasp your attention… the comment section is wide open… take advantage of it…

Slow Down!

We live in a society that is obsessed with busyness. If you ask anyone how they are doing... I am positive that within their answer the word "busy" will arise. Why are we so busy? I think we are scared of what we will find if we slow down... if we take a minute and simply breathe.

Even while I was watching this video I found myself being impatient. My encouragement would be to just slow down.... sit... be still....

STOP giving into the mentality that being busy is being productive... One of the most productive things you can do today is simply be....

Watch for the things that happen around you everyday that you never notice... they are there... just take a second and enjoy them.

Five Reasons You Should Get A Feed Reader

I know it has been a long time since I posted any entries. I just got done writing an 18 page paper on Colossians 1:15-20 and it consumed this past week. However, I was reading through my google reader and came across a post that discussed the benefits of having your own reader for blogs. I thought it was good stuff and decided to share with those who read my blog. Check it out...


1. You never miss a blog post from your favorite sites.

Once you subscribe to a feed, your feed reader will make sure that you see every new post from that feed. Whether you want to read your websites once a week, once a day, or every ten minutes, any unread items will be saved for you.

2. You can scan a ton of articles quickly.

When using a feed reader, you can quickly filter through the articles that you don't want to read. When surfing the web, you have to shuffle through different interfaces, type in web addresses, and surf bookmarks. This takes a ton of time. It’s much better to have the content you want delivered to you than to have to go find it every time you get online.

3. Melting-pot learning.

One of the great side-effects of using a feed reader is that you begin to learn about various memes in a melting-pot fashion, where ideas flavor each other. You'll learn new ideas over time, and understand the relationships between them.

4. You can save articles for later.

Feed readers allow you to save articles to read for later. In Google Reader, you can put a star next to items you like and come back later to read them in full. You can also tag articles and search for them later.

5. You can always be up to date with Engage.

You can always be updated when I post a blog... Now that is a great reason to get a reader huh?

What is an RSS Feed?