Married to the Cloth

A few years ago, in my textual criticism class, quite a stir was created when the Voice New Testament was released. Another modern translation. Sigh. And the list grew from there of all the knowledgeable arguments, translation styles, etc... Let me start with: I LOVE THIS BIBLE! This is a lengthy post, just to warn you. Compass is packed full of notes that reach out to the soul struggling through the questions of life and trying to  trust the Spirit of God to bring peace and direction, remaining open to hearing The Voice.  The language used in this Study Bible cuts through the "christianese" of terms that the church goer is familiar with and breaks through the theologically defined terms in order to speak to the heart. Readers will read scene after scene where God speaks to the heart and not just the head. This is a bible for reflection and devotional quiet time. I would probably not read it in a serious study group, debating issues. But then again, I may. J...

Walking in to an established church has pros and cons. One of ours is over 100 yrs. The other is a new work that we established 7 yrs ago. There was a time when we lived in Colorado Springs that a new church opened and another closed, just about every week. So many new churches are started out of offense and hurt feelings, church splits and doctrines of men out weighing the doctrines of G-d. It seems this goes double for home churches. While we have more freedom to do what we feel lead to at the newer one, the other gives us elders and congregants who have been in fellowship through conflicts for over 50 years! The wisdom we are gleaning from both places is so rich. I wonder how much has been lost from trying to do things our own newer ways instead of being humble and submitting to those over us, praying for the pastors to hear G-d's voice. Pastors, like most humans are human and fallible. Pride, busyness, and exhaustion can take hold. Not having accountability and a frien...

For a couple years now, we have been having family style dinners. We have 35-60 people any given nite. They have all come to reaize that when my family cooks, some thing will be unusual, weird, outside their comfort zone.... They are now over the oddity of hummus, matzo ball soup and other cultural specialties. I tease them that I have to find the craziest recipes online to feed them. This month: ChickPea and Cashew Chili Which I must say it totally rocked! And the skeptics even came back for seconds. To be fair, I did cook 2 pots, one with and the other without cashews. The recipe can be found over at the Shiksa's site: http://theshiksa.com/2014/01/08/slow-cooker-vegan-chickpea-chili/ also try her Matbucha! http://theshiksa.com/2012/04/17/matbucha/

The Modern Life Study Bible-NKJV has been well worth the wait. This Bible will be available January 21, 2014. It is a full colour Study Bible. Each book overview has a basic "what was going on and who wrote it" but also has key verses to help you find familiar references. This is an excellent resource for your daily life. A great balance between "deep knowledge" and application. I was pleasantly surprised at the hebraic background/cultural notes. So often in the past as a jewish family we have read other study notes and found them to be inaccurate. These however have been spot on. There are notes. prompts really, to encourage application in community, social justice issues, every day life "to illustrate our potential to make a difference." The whole book is beautiful. The Word of G-d  presented well  in a way to encourage you to take chances, get your hands dirty in service and live a life in His strength. With all these notes and helps, this has qu...