Crossway/ESV.org Sale

It's not too late to take advantage of the Crossway/ESV Sale. Until 01/15, ebooks at Crossway and modules for ESVBible.org are on sale for $5.99.

I was originally particularly excited about the ESV Study Bible and GreekTools modules. I think the Study Bible module is definitely worth the price. While the GreekTools has a lot of interesting functionality, especially the interlinear options, it is unfortunately display only; you can't copy the Greek text, making it a disappointment.

An interesting alternative in the original languages is is the NA27-ESV parallel e-book. I was a week early, so I paid $9.99 for my copy. But it installs nicely into Apple iBooks. It displays correctly, but so far won't export it fully (there's a diacritics problem with the file, not the program, I believe).

I took the time to go through all of Crossway's ebooks, because for $5.99 you get both an epub and a mobi version of the book, and both are unecrypted. There are even a few that include a PDF version.

I think this is a complete list (the site doesn't appear to have a way to just list ebooks; this is a close approximation). Titles that caught my eye (and plundered my wallet) are listed below.

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study: A Survey of the Bible
by Starr Meade

The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary by Fred G. Zaspel

Preaching Christ in All of Scripture by Edmund P. Clowney

God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology by James M. Hamilton, Jr.

Bible Intake for 2013

As you consider a Bible reading plan for 2013, consider these words of wisdom by Don Whitney:

Read less (if necessary) in order to meditate more¹…spend at least 25% of your time in the Word of God meditating and not just reading².

You can read more here. Monergism also has an entire MP3 on meditation.

---

1. Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1991), P. 55.↩
2. Do You Thirst for God? (Seminar mp3, 53:15)↩

A Psalm

We've been studying the Psalms in homegroup, and for fun I challenged everyone to write a psalm. Here was mine.

A Psalm

Lord, your people know you and give you thanks
For you marvelous care;
Lord, your people know you and cry out
For you enduring love.

You are mighty;
Your right arm is strong, strong to save.

Save me, Oh God, from my enemies;
The enemies without, who care nothing about you;
The enemy within, who'd rather do without you;
Lord, make your triumph my triumph
And all of the enemies as nothing, a footstool.

Then all will proclaim your care,
Your love,
Your victory.

Hymn for Sunday - O for a heart to praise my God

I hate to admit it, but I have always sold this hymn short. I think it's because I've always heard it sung to the same tune as "O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing" (which I heard first and more often) that I have considered it something of an also-ran.

But recently, there's been a personal reason to reconsider it. As I am beginning to see ever more clearly God's teaching on the importance of the heart throughout Scripture, the lyrics of this hymn are transformed from a set of disembodied words to a personal prayer.

O for a heart to praise my God

Words: Charles Wesley, 1742
Music: Stockton, Song 67, Holy Cross, Wetherby, Kilmarnock
Meter: CM

O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels thy blood
so freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer's throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite, heart,
believing, true and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from him that dwells within.

A heart in every thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and good,
a copy, Lord, of thine.

My heart, thou know'st, can never rest
till thou create my peace;
till of mine Eden repossessed,
from self, and sin, I cease.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write thy new name upon my heart,
thy new, best name of Love.


(Taken from an entry located at the Oremus Hymnal. This work is in the public domain.)

How People Use the Bible on the Internet

Spent a little (too much) time yesterday at OpenBible.info. Some interesting stuff. Think about the creativity of Google, and mash it up with the web-awareness of the Crossway folks, and you'll have some idea of what you'll find there.

They have a page that uses Google data to look at Twitter and Facebook to see how people are quoting the Bible. Fascinating technology.

There are other interesting pages as well. There's one that estimates the translation share on the web based on web searches. I'd love to see the companion to this--what translation people use when they are quoting.

Another one has visual cross-references. Since we're studying Romans at church, I compared Romans to the Bible as a whole. Not sure what I'm looking at, but I do think there's a future for this kind of thing--computer analysis of texts based on input from users. See, for example, a comparison of Hebrews and Leviticus. Or this one, comparing Song of Solomon to the Bible. (By the way, you can click on the graphic, and it links to a picture that you can download.)

Definitely something to watch for the future.

Projects like this redeem the internet. I love it.

Hymn for Sunday - Just As I Am, Without One Plea

Going through Romans on Sunday mornings at church, and also reading through John Stott's book "The Cross of Christ." God keeps bringing me face-to-face with what I bring to the table in salvation, which is nothing. I don't mind, because I need the reminders, and the more I wrestle with my own sinfulness, the more I can love my wonderful savior.

Those thoughts are what led me to this hymn.

Just as I am, without one plea
Words: Charlotte Elliott, 1841
Music: Woodworth, Saffron Walden, St. Crispin, Misericordia

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd'st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt;
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive;
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
here for a season, then above:
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.


(Taken from an entry located at the Oremus Hymnal. This work is in the public domain.)

Bible Translations Revisited

I've been thinking for awhile about writing a series of articles about the Bible. Specifically, Bible translation. It's been a longtime passion of mine, and I've written snippets about it previously, but several things have coalesced that have made me want to revisit it more systematically. (Series are much easier to do now that blogs have tags available.)

With that said, since this is the kingdom, not competition, I'm thrilled to find out when someone is already working on this, especially when it is someone I know. I stumbled across my friend Kim Shay's blog entry about Bible translations, and it is just the sort of thing I'm thinking about writing. I commend it to you.

I am also working on revising my listing of bible copyrights into a full-blown discussion of them. Until it is finished, my original listing is available on my blog's copyright page, or as a downloadable PDF on scribd.

More to come...

Hymn for Sunday - Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

One of the things I've noticed recently in going through the Psalms is the pervasiveness of praise.

Consider this excerpt from Psalm 103:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

Bless the LORD, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
and hearken to the voice of his word.

Bless the LORD, all you his hosts,
you ministers of his who do his will.

Bless the LORD, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion;
bless the LORD, O my soul.

(vs. 1,2,20,21,22)

This picture, of God's praise coming from everywhere—from within the psalmist, and from creation, high and low—reminded me of a stanza in the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty," where earth, sky, and sea all praise God.

The lyrics below were obtained from the Oremus Hymnal online, which lists more than 40 separate Anglican hymnals that contain this particular hymn.


Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

Words: Reginald Heber (1783-1826), 1827
Meter: 11 12 12 10

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity.

Holy, holy, holy! All saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the sinful human eye thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity.


(Psalm quote adapted from The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, 1979 edition, obtained from The (Online) Book of Common Prayer. Lyrics for the hymn are from an entry located at the Oremus Hymnal. Both of these works are in the public domain.)

What is the Christian Life?

One of the other things I decided to in learning about Lent was to get the Anglican Church’s Lent app, which has daily reflections. The following quote, which I think is a very nice summing up of the Christian life, is excerpted from the 02/28 entry.

The Christian life is not a set of principles that can be quickly learnt and swotted up on, and the exam then passed. It is a life of growth, pruning, development, commitment, wisdom, maturity, chastening and encouragement. It is, in short, learning and growing through a living relationship.

(Quote taken from the Reflections for Lent app, Published 2012 by Church House Publishing. It is Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2011.)

Lent 2012

There seems to be lots more activity than normal surrounding Lent this year. I could be wrong, or it may simply be that I'm paying more attention since I've decided to participate.

My wife and I have decided to celebrate Lent for the first time this year by making it a priority to pray with each other every day. We are both excited about it, and hopeful that God will use this time to grow us closer together, and help us make a habit of this important practice.

One of the most interesting things I found in my readings was written by Michael Horton of White Horse Inn. This link brings together an article he wrote entitled Lent—Why Bother? To Lead us to Christ, which defends the idea of Lent without condoning the superstitious practices surrounding it, and a brief discussion of why he doesn't think the practice violates the regulative principal.

I'm not a fan of the regulative principal anyway—I think it is misused and arbitrary at times—but its use in this case seems to bring it into conflict with Scripture. I think Horton nails it when he talks about Paul allowing feasts.

That's not to say that Horton couldn't be wrong; he could. I could, too. But I hope that, far from celebrating something superstitiously, we are actively working to redeem the time, doing something to strengthen our marriage and devotion to the Lord.