Sunday Salon #29

Bible reading:

NASB 1977: Numbers; Deuteronomy; Isaiah; Psalms 1-101

KJV: Exodus; Leviticus 1-13; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job 1-18; Isaiah 43-66; Jeremiah 1-13; Mark; Luke 1-7

NASB 95: Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers 1-19

Living: 1 Kings; 2 Kings 1-17; Job; 1 Corinthians; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

38. Just In Case You Ever Feel Alone

Just In Case You Ever Feel Alone. Max Lucado. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: God knows everything about you. He knew you'd have happy days, and He knew you'd be sad. So He gave us each other, and I'm so very glad. God put us together. He made us a home. I hope you'll always know that...just in case you feel alone. 

This Christian children's book--picture book--stars bears. It is essentially your basic parent loves child super unconditionally picture book. There are so many--mostly from a "secular" perspective and others from Christian publishers. This is that kind of picture book with a few God mentions thrown in. 

I will try to clarify. This picture book has "book ends" if you will that bring God into the story. Yes, it is about parental love. But it adds on a further element that tackles God's omnipresence AND the practice of prayer. Both are good for children (and adults) to know and put into practice. So it does go beyond the stereotypical sugary-sweet parents love unconditionally picture book. (Have you noticed that *these* almost always, always, always star animals--bunnies, bears, etc.?)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #28

Bible reading:

NASB 77: Micah, Nahum, Job, Ecclesiastes, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 1-12

NASB 95: Genesis

KJV: Genesis; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles 1-23; Isaiah 1-42; Matthew

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #27

Bible reading:

NASB 77 Jeremiah 32-52; Lamentations; Song of Solomon; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; Ezekiel; Daniel; Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther; Habakkak, Zephaniah; Haggai; Zephaniah; Malachi; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, 

NASB 95: Genesis 1-31; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job 1-3; Psalms 1-29; Matthew 1-23; Acts 1-22; 

Living: 2 Samuel; Esther; Romans 4-16; 

KJV Open (which I finished this week): 1 Kings 6-22; 2 Kings; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; Psalms 55-104; Ezekiel 33-48; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi,  Luke; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

15. The Open Bible (1975)

The Open Bible (1975) King James Version. Royal Publishers/Nelson. 1272 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Start date: June 8, 2024

End date: July 5, 2024

I had heard great things about "early" editions of the Open Bible for years. I was SO excited to find a copy thrifting. I paid a little over three dollars. Depending on where you open The Open Bible, you may or may not get the impression that it is in fact a study Bible. If you have a narrow view of what makes a study Bible a study Bible, then you may still have that opinion. If you are looking for a study Bible that offers study notes--commentary notes--on every chapter of the Bible, then this is not the study Bible you are looking for. If, however, you are looking for a Bible with study helps--no matter where they may be found, then this one could be quite the thing. 

Most--if not all--of the study features are located at the BEGINNING or the END of the Bible. 

There are book introductions and outlines at the start of each book. There are a light amount of end of verse references AND a few end of verse clarifications on the text to help with archaic words. Speaking of which, there are SOME spelling changes to update the text. I was SO THRILLED with this. Messianic prophecies are indicated by stars in the Old and New Testaments. 

The New Testament offers FIFTEEN Christian Life Study Outlines and Notes. The fifteen outlines are as follows:

1. The Bible--the Word of God
2. God
3. Jesus Christ the Son of God
4. The Holy Spirit
5. Sin
6. Judgments
7. Rewards
8. The Church
9. Prayer
10. Faith
11. The Abundant Life
12. Repentance
13. The New Birth
14. God's Plan of Salvation
15. How To Witness Effectively

Each features an outline which points you to a handful of Scriptures. Each Scripture features notes. 

At the beginning there is a huge section devoted to the Biblical Cyclopedic Index which boasts to be the best blend of concordance, topical index, and syllabus. 

It offers dozens of bells and whistles--including a VERY lengthy, very thorough article on HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE. But because all the helps are located at the beginning and end, you might rush right on by and miss out on what the Bible has to offer. 

It is double column. It is red letter. The font size is typical or average. If I *had* to guess, I'd say in the eight to nine point range.

Newer versions of the Open Bible do exist. I do think there were some significant changes made. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

37. Saved

Saved: Experiencing the Promise of The Book of Acts. Nancy Guthrie. 2024. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: If you think about it, Acts is kind of a funny name for a book, isn't it? It immediately raises the question, "Whose acts? what acts?"

Saved is a commentary for the book of Acts by Nancy Guthrie. It is more detailed than a general, broad overview. It is not thorough, however. IF by thorough you mean it covers (in a commentary style, method) verse by verse, chapter by chapter. There are seventeen chapters that cover twenty-eight chapters of Acts. 

It definitely provides a good, basic overview or outline of the book of Acts. You do pick up on recurring themes and significant, key passages. The 'lens' through which Acts is viewed is SALVATION and what it means to be saved, to live saved, to walk that 'saved' life. Salvation has a "now what?" element to it. Salvation changes, transforms, etc. 

This blends devotional elements into the commentary, HOWEVER, it isn't a traditional devotional OR a traditional commentary. If you are looking for something less-blended, and more strictly one or the other, this might disappoint. 

If you are bored by the book of Acts, if it isn't one of your favorites, perhaps this one will help you see Acts in a new light. I do personally wish that it was more one chapter per chapter of Acts. I do feel in a few places that it was rushed. I personally wanted *more* time to dwell in a section of Acts. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Putting a Pause on Two Bible translations?

Last year, I wrote a post on the "Bible Reader's Bill of Rights." It is much easier to come up with a list of ten rights then to put them into place. At least I think so. [These were inspired--loosely by Daniel Pennac's Reader's Bill of Rights.] The rights I came up with last year include:

1. The right to read ANY time of day (or night). 

2. The right to read at your own pace.

3. The right to follow a plan OR not follow a plan.

4. The right to choose ANY translation.

5. The right to choose ANY format--digital, print, audio.

6. The right to STOP reading any translation that isn't a good match.

7. The right to skip a day.

8. The right to have preferences.

9. The right to own many OR few.

10. The right to skim.

So often I start a translation and then feel absolutely obligated to finish it. Especially if I read more than a book or two. It is really hard for me to stop reading a translation if I've read say sixty percent of it. But is the just push through it philosophy the right one????  I'm not sure. The truth is there is no right answer. God isn't looking down saying WHY did you stop reading that translation??? 

I am currently "not feeling" the Living translation or the NASB 2020. 

I haven't decided to abandon them forever and ever--end of story. Just I get more out of my Bible reading if I enjoy the translation I'm reading from. 

NASB 2020. I lack Judges through Malachi and Romans through Revelation.

Living Bible. I lack 1 Kings through 2 Chronicles, Job, Isaiah through Daniel in the Old Testament. And in the New Testament I lack 1 Corinthians through Revelation. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible