Hmm...

This should be the part where I just shut up an go away... um...

Welcome to IE7!

And welcome to a new set of bugs! All of you should see a drop capital on the first letter of each post. All of you except those viewing with Internet Explorer 7. Alas, my schedule is full, and I have no time to investigate the problem. Oh, well!

Which Greek NT?

On the question of which Greek New Testament text should be used for serious Bible study, there is much debate. On the one hand, there are those who hold that the oldest available manuscipts alone, which happen to be of the Alexandrian textform, are to be trusted. This selection was made by Westcott and Hort, who favored Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus almost exclusively. On the other, there’s the “King James Only, ergo Textus Receptus all the way” camp, which appears to favor the Byzantine textform in most cases but occasionally favors the Western textform when such is the only available source for some traditional passages. There are also those who claim that the original text of the NT has been lost forever, and it is up to them, out of scattered readings found across the various manuscripts from the Alexandrian, Caesarean, Western and Byzantine forms, to assemble a reasonable facsimile. This is known as modern eclecticism, and forms the basis of Nestle-Aland and UBS texts, which are at best a stab in the dark.

Somewhere in the middle, the Byzantine textform has gone largely unnoticed and ignored, due to its reputation for being a "late" form, in spite of manuscripts that date as early as the 4^th century AD. To complicate matters further, Byzantine manuscripts bear about 80% of the total textual witness, and most Byzantine manuscripts are in more agreement with each other than can be said of those from any other texform, even the precious Alexandrian. But despite this weighty evidence, the Byzantine-Priority position has fallen by the wayside in favor of other forms of textual criticism. Why, when such a choice is so obvious? Why not check out The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005 and decide for yourself? It’s edited by Maurice Robinson and William Pierpont. Happy studying!

On Relationships and Fire

I think if I had another chance to love someone, I would do things differently than I have previously. When it comes to loving and bonding with another human being, I think it is somewhat like fire:

1. Fire provides warmth and comfort and meets legitimate needs in the right context, but if it’s not kept in its proper setting, it can cause damage.
2. Fire that is tempered serves a useful purpose, but if it gets out of control, it destroys people and possessions alike.
3. A roaring bonfire is sometimes necessary, and sometimes a smaller fire is called for. Timing and setting are important.
4. A blazing fire will consume more fuel and die out quicker.
5. If you play with fire, you are certain to get burned.

So it is with relationships, togetherness, passion, etc. If you don’t watch a relationship closely, things could get out of control. If you don’t feed it, it could die. If a relationship is started and/or maintained in the wrong context, it will cause great damage and destruction. Well, that’s my thought on life for the day. I hope I have given you a little something to take with you and use.

Selfishness?

Have you noticed that the letter that begins the last five posts is the letter I?

Confessions of an Occasional Bible Reader

I’m starting to get worried. I haven’t read my Bible for more than maybe one chapter a week in the last 2 months. This isn’t like me. And it explains a lot about my attitude. I’m beginning to question my own sincerity and to feel that I’ve let my master down. Well, we never survive on last month’s food. I know what I must do. I need to disperse the haze and fog that I’ve created for my own soul, by looking intently into the perfect law of liberty and continuing therein, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work. Matter of fact, I’ll do so right now...

The trouble with Hezbollah

In the wake of recent mispronunciation of Hezbollah (HEZ bo LAH), I got to thinking: All the Israelis are doing, really, is eradicating the Hezbola virus from the middle east! Heh, heh. (A little terrorism-as-a-disease humor there. And terrorism can be just as deadly, you know.)

To be a better listener

In pursuit of better communication skills, the thought has occurred to me: effective communication is more than just talking. Communication is a two-way street. If I expect others to listen to me, I need to listen to them. And listening requires active participation. Simply hearing the other’s words is not enough, nor is it enough to perceive and parse what has been said. To be a better listener, I must honor the wishes of the other person. This is not simply doing what I want to do with their wishes, but seeking to understand and do what they want done. I think after so many years I am finally starting to get it. I just hope I get far enough along in my understanding before I would mess something else up.

I never knew.

I did what? Oh, that was your food? You didn’t eat because I did eat? Why didn’t you tell me what your food allergies were? We could have discussed these things intelligently instead of waiting for them to become problems. Guess that’s my fault; I spent so much of our conversations talking about what interested me. I regret not paying attention to the issues that were important to you. Now I see that the hurt has gone deeper than I could ever have imagined. Will you forgive me, Valerie?

I know what I believe...

I know that I believe that marriage is sacred. This is because God created it back in the Garden of Eden when He made Eve out of Adam’s rib. Yes, I do believe this account and take it literally. But I digress. My response to marriage in my own life was not in keeping with this precept: “And they two shall become one. What, therefore, God has joined, may man not separate.” May God forgive me; I failed to do all that I could when I had ample opportunity.

Hm...

Now, I know what I believe, and why I believe it. But how does it apply to me personally? What would you do if your beliefs on a certain issue came into conflict with your behavior toward it?

The Word from God

How do you view the Bible? Is it above every other book, or is it just another of many books written by fallible man and therefore not entirely trustworthy? Is it divine revelation? If so, does God speak in riddle and metaphor, or does He speak plainly? Can we trust what we read about the creation of the universe, the fall of man into sin, the global flood, the life of Abraham, etc., or do we need to delve for some hidden meaning? All of this is part and parcel of your worldview. Cheers!

The Truth

Your worldview is important because your view of the world around you affects your view of realty. This in turn affects your opinions of what is true and what is false. If you have a worldview that says everything is relative to the individual, for example, then what's real to you may not seem real to me, and therefore, what's true for you may not be true for me—in other words, a relative concept of truth. On the other hand, if you believe that truth descends from God, and God is not relative to any individual, then you must conclude that truth is absolute, whether it is believed by the majority or not. So how you view the world is important, vitally important.

Worldview: What is it, and why do I need one?

Your worldview is your set of basic assumptions about the world around you, which in turn affects your basic philosophy of life. How you view the world around you is important because it influences your understanding in every area. It colors your interpretations of everything from science to history to ethics to your choice of religion—you name it. There is nothing your worldview does not touch. I will discuss this topic at greater length in later posts. Have a nice day, and God bless you.

Looking within myself

Whenever I say something that annoys a person, even if it’s something as simple as “Happy birthday” or “Having a good evening?”, I always tend to hand them the blame for not responding as I had hoped. But I find more and more that the answer lies with myself.

This is my new approach: when I hurt someone’s feelings, I must look first for where I went wrong: not necessarily that what I said or did had no reason behind it, or that I meant it to come out that way, but who was I thinking about when I said or did it—myself, or the other person? If I’d had a genuine interest in the one with whom I was dealing, it would have showed. On the other hand, if I was self-absorbed and trying simply to get by with as little effort as I could, that definitely would show. If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged (read 1 Corinthians 11:31).

Expecting perfection?

It’s really easy, isn’t it, to sit in God’s place and judge another person. But that is what bitterness is. Bitterness waits till the person admits their weakness, fault, sin, or mistake, and then pounces. But bitterness overlooks the same imperfections in its own host. I never expected such a violent reaction, but that’s what bitterness does. If you don’t nip it in the bud, it grows. And for the record, I really did like that necklace. Why do you think it was that I wore it everywhere that I went??? And the real offense, I believe, has been my trying to use this blog to settle misunderstandings and disagreements. If I have hurt you by airing dirty laundry here, I deeply apologize; and if you persist in unforgiveness, yet I will always forgive you. I know you’re not perfect; I also know I’m not, either. That is what friends are for. That is what mates are for. And that is what forgiveness is for. In Jesus’ Name, I forgive you, and I pray that He may forgive you as well.

Just For Clarity’s Sake

There was an old friend that I contacted shortly after my divorce. I knew it was wrong, because I had also gotten in touch briefly before the divorce, only making an already bad sitiuation worse; so I make no excuses for this behavior. “Missed her” won’t cut it. “Divorced now, so it doesn’t matter” doesn’t work, either. But with that said, I’d like to set the record straight.

V., you appear to have the impression that I’m still in communication with J.; this is not the case. I haven’t heard from her, seen her, or spoken to, written, or otherwise communicated with her, since late 2001. Furthermore, I have not heard a word about her in those 4 years. Anything I told you recently (because you asked) is old information. I have no desire to reintiate contact with her either.

So set your mind at ease.

When I Dream...

When I dream, all of my senses get involved. I have the sensation of color, 3-D, binaural sound, touch, temperature, pain, taste, and smell; in short, I have a virtual body. But there’s a few things I can do in my dreams that I can’t do in real life. I can fly, change the scenery, or even teleport from place to place. In my dreams I can call a person’s name, or just mention it in conversation with someone else, and they’ll show up. Are your dreams this vivid? This lucid? This fluid? Or am I one of only a handful?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all, and I do mean all! God loves you, and so do I!

OK, OK! I say uncle!

I just give up, like the egg that knows when it’s beat, or the stamp that knows when it’s licked. I don’t care anymore. I am resigned from fighting for a marriage that was dead a long time ago, and I am resigned to the will of God, whatever that includes or requires. I’m giving up trying to impress someone who no longer cares. I just give up.