November Reflections

Bible Reading

• In November I finished 3 Bibles!!!
• In November I continued the ESV M'Cheyne reading plan using the ESV app. 
• In November I began reading the ESV Giant Print Bible with the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer.
• In November, I began reading the Wycliffe Bible (with modern spelling).
• In November I continued using the Lexham English Bible to read the New Testament in 30 days. 
• In November I read Matthew 25-28 thirty times.
• In November I read Psalms 131-150 thirty times.
• In November I began reading the NKJV with the Professor Horner plan. (I'm on the fence if I want to continue with this.)

Books Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

74. Good News of Great Joy. John Piper. 2021. [September] 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]
75. A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1)Sarah Sundin. 2010. 422 pages. [Source: Review copy]
76. Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Julie Klassen. 2021. [December] 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]
77. A Memory Between Us. (Wings of Glory #2) Sarah Sundin. 2010. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
78. Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman. 2021. Crossway. 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Bibles Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

11. Schuyler Quentel RSV with Apocrypha. God. 2021. Evangelical Bible. 1700 pages. [Source: Gift]
12. HCSB Super Giant Print Reference Bible [ISBN: 978-1433615757] God. 1824 pages. [Source: Review copy]
13. Jubilee Bible: From the Scriptures of the Reformation. Edited by Russell M. Stendal. 2013. 1152 pages. [Source: Bought]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Second Impressions of Using The Daily Office

November was the second full month I used the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer in my daily devotions. Last month, I shared my first impressions. In October, I exclusively followed the Daily Office using the app or the website. In November, I changed things up.

Using the Book of Common Prayer--1928, 1979, 2019--as reference points, I created bare bones print outs for morning and evening offices. For example, the bare bones of the morning office looks a little like this:

• Opening verse
• Confession of Sin
• Invitatory Call and Response + Invitatory Psalter/Song
• Appointed Psalms + Gloria Patri
• Lesson/Reading One (OT) + Canticle One
• Lesson/Reading Two (NT) + Canticle Two
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer + Suffrages
• Collects 
• General Thanksgiving
• Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
• Closing Verse

The bare bones of the evening office looks a little like this:

• Opening verse
• Confession of Sin
• Invitatory Call and Response + Phos Hilaron (O Gracious Light)
• Appointed Psalms + Gloria Patri
• Lesson One (OT) + Canticle One
• Lesson Two (NT) + Canticle Two
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer + Call & Response
• Collects
• General Thanksgiving
• Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
• Closing Verse

I printed out the canticles and *some* of the collects. The Book of Common Prayer 2019 has two collects for each day of the week--one designated for morning, one for evening. There were plenty of other collects to choose from to print out for general use. The 2019 BOC gives them handy little titles like "In the Morning" or "For Mercy" or "For Knowing and Loving God."

The bare bones print outs have all the liturgical readings included. 

In terms of organization, I have a folder. One side of the folder has the bare bones of the daily office print outs and the appointed psalms calendar. The other side of the folder has print outs of the canticles and collects. I am using index cards for opening and closing verses. I keep the opening verses on one side and the closing verses on the other side. They are also color coded--one color for opening, one for closing.

I also have a plain spiral notebook where I jot down what I'm reading. This is by no means a requirement. But I've been writing down my Bible reading for almost ten years, so, it just makes sense that I'd record and track what I read for the Daily Offices. 

I am debating if I want to talk lectionaries HERE or in another post. Needless to say, I stopped trying to follow the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office lectionary. (EVERY single Book of Common Prayer has their own daily office lectionary. Every site seems to make adjustments. There isn't a single solitary lectionary that is the one and only official lectionary.) I decided to read from the Old Testament and New Testament, and to make the readings flow from one office to the other. For example, if I read Genesis and Matthew in the morning, I will read Genesis and Matthew in the evening. As opposed to some lectionaries that have you reading from four different books of the Bible.

As of November 30, 2021

Opening Verses Index Cards

Psalm 43:3
Psalm 96:9
Psalm 141:2
Habakkuk 2:20
Psalm 25:4-5
Psalm 19:14
Psalm 122:1
Philippians 1:2
Psalm 34:8
Jeremiah 15:16
Isaiah 55:10-12
Hebrews 4:14-16
Malachi 4:2
Hosea 6:1-3
Psalm 34:3
Isaiah 9:6
Galatians 4:4-7
John 1:1-5
Isaiah 9:2
Proverbs 30:5,6
1 John 1:9-10
1 John 3:2-3
John 8:12

Closing Verses Index Cards

2 Maccabees 1:3-5
Romans 15:4-6
Colossians 3:16
Romans 15:13
2 Corinthians 13:14
Numbers 6:24-26
Ephesians 3:20-21
Philippians 4:19-20
Philippians 4:8-9
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 4:2-5
Psalm 34:22
Psalm 36:10
Psalm 40:16
Psalm 5:11-12
Psalm 57:11
Jude 1:24-25
1 Peter 5:10-11
1 Peter 1:13
Hebrews 12:3
1 Peter 7:8
Romans 13:11-12
1 John 2:28
John 16:33
1 John 5:5

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Operation Common Prayer Week 1

The First Sunday of Advent.

The Collect. (Traditional)

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Collect (2019)

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This Collect is to be repeated every day, with the other Collects in Advent, until Christmas-Eve.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

13. Jubilee Bible

Jubilee Bible: From the Scriptures of the Reformation. Edited by Russell M. Stendal. 2013. 1152 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without order, and empty; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

There is a fascinating backstory to this translation that is both old and new. I highly recommend reading it. But I couldn't possibly summarize it in a concise way and do it justice. But there is a connection to the Reformation. 

I have owned this Bible since 2013--or possibly early 2014--but have never read it cover to cover. 

The print edition is verse by verse by verse. It is also black letter. The font size is small, but it's also lightweight. Essentially this one is much like any thinline Bible. The biggest weakness of this one is how THIN the pages are. Without a piece of black construction paper cut to match the size of the pages, they'd be no reading this one without much strain and some stress.

The Jubilee Bible is available on several bible sites including YouVersion and BibleGateway. 

I read the Jubilee Bible using the Power 60 bible reading plan. It is my second time using the Power 60 plan this year. I guess you could say I've come to like/love that plan. 

I definitely liked it. I don't know that it's become a new favorite, favorite, favorite translation. But I solidly liked it.  

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

78. Rediscover Church

Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman. 2021. Crossway. 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: You may have many reasons not to go to church. 

The purpose of Rediscover Church is to encourage those who have stopped attending church to start attending again. For those that have never attended church, the message again is simple: start going to church. This short little book has two authors--Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman. The two alternate writing chapters. Each chapter is on a different topic--all topics, of course, falling under the big picture goal of getting you, the reader, back to church. 

The chapter titles are, "What is Church?," "Who Can Belong to A Church?," "Do We Really Need to Gather?," "Why are Preaching and Teaching Central?," "Is Joining Actually Necessary?," Is Church Discipline Really Loving?," "How Do I Love Members Who Are Different?," "How Do We Love Outsiders?," "Who Leads?". 

The book's biggest strength is its ongoing effort to give a thorough, thoughtful definition of church. Church is a word so simple that you think it couldn't possibly *need* an actual definition. After all, doesn't everybody know what a church is??? Yet, once the authors started crafting and refining a definition, I was like YES, this is necessary.

The book does address COVID and political/race tensions--the very DIVIDED tense and intense state of our union. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, many points of this one are timeless and universal. One wouldn't need to root this book specifically in THIS time--the COVID pandemic. The role of the Word of God, the role of the pastors, the need for discipleship, the importance of church discipline--all timeless and unchanging. To tie many chapters into the pandemic is almost unnecessary. That being said, truth is truth is truth. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

77. A Memory Between Us

A Memory Between Us. (Wings of Glory #2) Sarah Sundin. 2010. 432 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Lt. Penelope Ruth Doherty braced open the window and drank in cool air to settle her stomach. "There, gentlemen. Isn't it nice to have fresh air in here?"

A Memory Between Us is set during the Second World War. 

It has been almost nine years since I read A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin. When I first read A Memory Between Us, I loved, loved, loved it. The romance was between a preacher's son turned pilot, Major Jack Novak, and a nurse/flight nurse, Lt. Ruth Doherty. Ruth, our heroine, hates the idea of settling down, getting married, having children. In part because she thinks she doesn't deserve it--isn't worthy. Jack, our hero, falls madly in love with Ruth at first sight. But since she's strongly opposed to dating--even courting with marriage in mind--his love may have to be of the unrequited sort. He woos her--but not in a super aggressive, stalker-ish, creepy way. 

Trigger warning. Something horrible happened in Ruth's past. Something that keeps Ruth from believing that she deserves to be happy, deserves to be loved, deserves to have a "normal" life. Ruth was gang-raped by three men repeatedly in an alley when she was fifteen or sixteen. She blames herself completely. Feels that she must have been asking for it. Feels that she deserved what she got. I don't know HOW many of her family members know, but, I know that at least one sibling does....and the sibling BLAMES RUTH and has cut her out of her life. When Jack learns, HE ALSO BLAMES RUTH. And he cuts her out of his life. His apology for being WRONG about blaming her doesn't come quickly. This conflict--the knowledge of her rape--comes between them for a chapter or two. 

Very few people know about Ruth's past--the trauma that haunts her--but people do BLAME Ruth whenever men sexually harass her present day. Her superior(s)--those in charge of her job--actively dislikes Ruth because Ruth is beautiful. If men "can't help themselves" the blame is all on Ruth. She can't get along with any of the doctors or male nurses/medical staff. She doesn't feel able to complain about the men who harass her--who assault her--because either a) SHE WILL NOT BE BELIEVED (surely she's exaggerating) b) SHE WILL BE BLAMED (she must have been leading them on). They do make complaints about having to work with her. She is given an ultimatum. IF anyone files a complaint against her, she will lose her job. If she she files a complaint against anyone, she will lose her job. 

Ruth is in a difficult position. The message she is hearing from almost everyone is that she is to blame whenever/however men misbehave or act inappropriately. No matter the situation, she is to blame. She does have a few friends here and there--some that know the whole story--that encourage her to forgive herself because God has forgiven her. That encourage her that she isn't forever tainted by the past, that she can find love and be happy. That shame doesn't have to hold her back from living. And that's a good message, in a way. But is it good enough??? Because in a way, while it is AWESOME that Ruth finds God and makes peace with the past, it doesn't really address the issue of whether or not Ruth is to blame. Again, Jack is "able to forgive" her for being raped. And something just persistently bothers me about this idea. He is seen as being oh-so-romantic and a swell guy  for being willing for forgive her lack of virginity. 

Things bothered me the second time around that didn't bother me the first time. I didn't love Jack as much this time around. I was angrier about the way things were. The fact that the military was not supportive of women who were risking their lives. The fact that Ruth's superiors blamed HER and saw HER as the problem, it is just all kinds of wrong. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

76. Shadows of Swanford Abbey

Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Julie Klassen. 2021. [December] 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Miss Rebecca Lane quaked at the thought of returning to Swanford after more than a year's absence, even though her heart had never really left.

Shadows of Swanford Abbey is a book I loved cover to cover. If you enjoy historical fiction with equal blends MYSTERY (suspense) and ROMANCE, then I recommend Shadows of Swanford Abbey with you wholeheartedly without any reservations. It is set in England during the reign of George IV. (I would be tempted to just call it REGENCY era and leave it at that. But George III died several months before this novel opens, and so the Regency is at an end. George is no longer Prince Regent, but King.) 

Rebecca Lane, our heroine, is a lady's companion. She is returning home for a visit with her brother, John. She's heard that he is doing horribly. (What we would call depression...or depression + addiction). Her brother, who dreams of being an AUTHOR, a published one at that, divides his time between writing and despair that he cannot get a publisher to read his work to see if it's publishable. He's also very BITTER over something that happened in the past. 

Her brother will not make a place for her in their small home--her former room being HIS workspace now--so she finds herself going to Swanford Abbey a local village hotel (or inn?). As the name suggests, it has been converted from an abbey to a hotel. Rebecca Lane finds herself staying at the same hotel as her employer--among others. It's surprising how many familiar faces she finds staying there at the same time! Including her long-time crush, Frederick Wilford. (He's still oh-so-dreamy; and now he's a widower). And his brother, Thomas. 

Mystery surrounds Swanford Abbey. The longer she stays, the more aware she becomes of the mystery--that all is not as it appears to be, that danger is lurking far closer than anyone suspects....

She's a woman on a mission--get her brother's manuscript in the hands of either a publisher (staying at the hotel) or an author (also staying at the hotel). But the task seems IMPOSSIBLE. Is getting her brother's manuscript worth risking everything?

I loved, loved, loved everything about this one!!! I loved the characterization. I loved that the characterization goes beyond just the heroine and hero. We've got a community of characters--residents at the hotel, the surrounding community, family--that are given enough depth and substance to come across as developed. That is rare--in my opinion. I loved spending time with the characters. I loved the development of relationships, the unfolding of secrets and mysteries. I loved the dialogue. Nothing felt rushed or under-developed in the romance department. I loved that I was kept guessing as to the identity of the murderer. I loved the author's note at the end. 

This may just be my FAVORITE Klassen novel yet. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

12. Holman HCSB Super Giant Print Reference Bible

HCSB Super Giant Print Reference Bible [ISBN: 978-1433615757] God. 1824 pages. [Source: Review copy]

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

So how giant is super giant? 18 POINT typeface. I am NOT a maths person, but I'd guess that that is about twice as large as your average, typical, every day bible. Sadly. The average, typical font is shrinking more every decade. 

I have had this Bible for almost six years and never read it cover to cover. I decided to read through this Bible with a modified (perhaps Super-Modified) Professor Horner plan. Ten bookmarks--ten different sections or groups. I started this project on August 19, 2021. I finished it on November 10, 2021. As I was already on my second--if not third--read through in some books, I decided to finish the Bible the old-fashioned way once I only had two books left--Ezekiel and 2 Chronicles. 

Words of Christ in red. Honestly, if every red-letter Bible was 18 point font, I wouldn't complain nearly so much. It is not difficult on the eyes if the font is blown up to this extreme. 

This Bible is HEAVY and BULKY. What you'd expect from a Bible with 18 point font. That being said, it does lay flat well. And it is the carrying to and fro or back and forth that makes it awkward. Once it's on your lap (or on your table/desk) it's perfectly easy to use. 

The translation is not my favorite. (It isn't my least favorite either.) It just doesn't have a poetic punch. It is lacking a little something. Mom always talks about how some translations just *sing* and this one doesn't.   You mainly notice in the psalms. 

Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

75. A Distant Melody

A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) Sarah Sundin. 2010. 422 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: One whole delicious week together. Allie Miller clung to her best friend's promise and to the train ticket that would deliver it.

This is my second time reading Sarah Sundin's A Distant Melody. I've posted my original review below. I'll add in FRESH notes.

Allie Miller meets Lt. Walter Novak on a train little knowing that her life was about to change forever. Sure, she'd daydreamed about her life changing forever. But did she ever once take those dreams seriously?! No! She didn't. And why not? Because she is Allie Miller. A character with a lot of heart but not much will. (Or perhaps not much sense.) [ETA: I'd change that today to say Allie is insecure and unable to imagine a world where she is loved--genuinely loved--by others. She does not see herself as worthy of love. And so when people walk all over her--and then some--well, she's like of course they treat me like this...this is what I deserve.]

When we first meet Allie she is on her way to a wedding. She'll be hanging out with her best friend from college, and helping her friend prepare for the big day. Of course, she'll be slightly distracted falling in love with the new guy. (Not that she'll be aware of it for three hundred or so more pages. But. Still.) [ETA: Again, I think this goes back to the idea of her feeling unworthy and unable to inspire love. She can't imagine any man actually falling in love or being madly in love with her. So she pushes down any feelings of attraction as being just unrequited foolish school girl nonsense--not going anywhere. Plus, she's convinced herself that her ONLY future is one where she sacrifices her own hopes, dreams, and happiness to please her parents.]

Walter is in love. He knows it. And he thinks that she's on her way to knowing it as well. The way they are together. Well, it just makes sense that they'd be perfect together. And he is right, by the way, these two are perfect for each other. [ETA: One of the things I do appreciate about this one is the camaraderie between Walter and Allie. Little details--particularly about music of the times--finds its way into their conversations and correspondence. It makes for a lovely setting/mood. This time through I highlighted each song mentioned by name. And since I had just listened to the 1942 Hits Archive on YouTube, so many songs were familiar to me now. I got a real sense for the setting.]

But a few things stand in their way. Okay, more than a few things. What is keeping these two apart? The biggest obstacle is Allie herself. And that's no lie. You might think it would be Allie's parents or Allie's boyfriend. (Allie's parents are DETERMINED their daughter will marry Baxter.) Or the fact that there is a war going on. And Walter is stationed in England. And he's flying planes over enemy territory and risking his life with every mission. And yes, those other factors do enter into it. But Allie is Allie's biggest problem. [ETA: Allie is not alone. She won't be the first or the last to self-sabotage without realizing it.]

So what's her problem? That's a good question. I tried to sympathize with her. I tried to understand just where she is coming from. I tried to put myself in her shoes. I tried to put myself in another time and place. But still I'm a bit stumped when it comes to Allie. [ETA: I think what I wasn't doing the first time around was imagining HOW Allie came to be Allie. She spent twenty-something years (give or take) living in a home with THOSE PARENTS. The messages she must have heard daily that framed her mindset that I am not valuable; I am not loved; I am not worthy; No one will ever want me; I am a disappointment. It's SAD and heartbreaking. Her home life was TOXIC. She has almost been programmed to hate and devalue herself.] 

But to be honest, Allie is not the only one I had a trouble understanding. Her parents weren't exactly fleshed out characters. But. From what we do see, they're awful, just awful. Because I felt them to be a little flat, a little one dimensional, I had a hard time really believing their actions. Though to be honest, I suppose there are parents that awful in the world. Parents that have so little respect for their children that they try to control and manipulate them even when they are grown. Parents who think nothing of threatening or bullying their children. Though I couldn't understand their devotion to Allie's supposed boyfriend. I couldn't understand why they love, love, love him. And why they can barely like their daughter. I couldn't understand why they'd want to hurt and humiliate their own flesh and blood. It just made little sense to me as a reader. What went on in that home all those years that led to this nonsense?! [ETA: I reread my review before finishing the book this second time. So I was reading with intention looking for every scene where Allie interacts with her parents. It's not that they lack development as characters as they are just one-note characters with the villainous filled up to 100%. Every motivation is just to demean, belittle, condescend, mistreat, verbally abuse, destroy their daughter, Allie. We still don't know WHY both parents are so cruel. We don't have any logical explanation for their behavior. They are not acting the way people expect parents to behave.]

Her boyfriend. I think it only takes readers two or three minutes of their time (and that's being generous) to realize that he's not for Allie, not for any woman really. I wouldn't say he's even one dimensional. He's even less present in the novel than that. Yet, just from the tiny bit we see. The bits of dialogue here and there. We know that he is so not right for her. He's unattractive--not physically perhaps, though I honestly can't remember how he's described--but his personality, his soul. He's just repulsive. [ETA:I think personally one of his problems is that Baxter ALWAYS refers to himself in the third person. But he is definitely trying to show off her manly-manly he is by being super bossy and in control.]

And yet. Allie. Poor, poor Allie. She's so very, very lost in her own clueless world that she clings to these Ideas. Ideas of being noble, sacrificial, obedient. Will corresponding with Walt make her shed these foolish ideas, these foolish notions before she's tied down for life to a man that no one (excepting Allie's parents, of course) can respect or love or even like? [ETA: I think the thing that irritates me is that she's clinging to these IDEAS and calling them "being a good Christian." When really she's just misunderstanding and misapplying Scripture.]

A Distant Melody is narrated by Allie and by Walt. As these two acquaintances begin writing letters during World War II, Allie begins to contemplate change, consider making a few decisions here and there for herself. 

Walt isn't a perfect hero. That's why I said Allie and Walt were perfect for each other. He's a bit clueless about some things himself. But he's a good deal more aware of his own weaknesses than Allie is of hers. He will at least admit he has a few problems. (Allie, well, she clings to her weaknesses like they're her greatest strengths.) Still, I liked Walt for the most part. At least his being clueless was because of the mixed signals that Allie was sending him. His confusion seemed a bit legitimate. This didn't stop me from becoming extremely angry at him. As a reader, there was one point when I just about lost it. [ETA: All of this still TRUE. I don't know why Allie clings to her weaknesses as if they make her STRONG and define her ultimately. There is still a couple of scenes with Walt where I am yelling at him.]

Did I like A Distant Melody? I liked it well enough to keep reading. Though it took over 250 pages for Allie to have the smallest glimmer of recognition of the obvious, and even a hundred (or so) more pages after that to realize the VERY OBVIOUS. I didn't really care at the time. I was enjoying the journey, for the most part. [ETA: I ENJOYED THE JOURNEY this time. I wasn't as annoyed or frustrated with the book.]

The setting. World War II. American Homefront. England. The setting really couldn't be any better. For me. As a reader. And the fact that he was a pilot. Well, I think I was the right reader for this one. The details, the small details, helped distract me. I loved, for example, that Allie talks about seeing the film Holiday Inn. That she talks about how hard it would be to choose between Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. And the music. Oh, the music. It was just right. Maybe not every reader will recognize the songs mentioned, know the songs. But for those that do, well, it helps create the right mood, the right tone. [ETA: YES. This.]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

11. RSV Schuyler Quentel with Apocrypha

Schuyler Quentel RSV with Apocrypha. God. 2021. Evangelical Bible. 1700 pages. [Source: Gift]

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

I began reading the RSV Schuyler on October 1, 2021 using the Shred 30 Day Bible reading plan. It was my first time to use this plan. Because this edition of the RSV Schuyler has the apocrypha (it was available with or without), it took me an additional week to complete. It was also my first time reading the apocrypha all the way through. (I had read tiny bits and pieces before, but never entire books, and never all of the books.) 

I chose the dark green goat skin. I wish the ribbon color was not green--or that shade of green. The green of the ribbon and the green of the cover do not remotely go well together. A contrasting shade of ribbon would have been lovely. That being said, I did love the cover! The shade of green grew on me throughout the month. The LOVE of the feel of the cover was instant. From day one, I loved the way this one felt in my hands. I loved the way the Bible opened. It had a just right feel. Not too stiff or awkward. Not too floppy and unwieldy. 

The art gilding edging was red under gold. It grew on me. I didn't ever dislike it, mind you. But I wasn't wow this is the best thing ever either. After daily use, I've gotten used to the many colors. I like it best when it gives a coral vibe.

The font size. I may be alone here, but I wish it was a larger font. 10 point is in the "acceptable" range. But it isn't that magic "just right" range. The NASB Schuyler is 11 point font. And it was JUST RIGHT. 

The layout is lovely. Meaning it is a feast for the eyes. Yet it would have been nice if the font could have still been 11 points! Some people seem to be so thrilled over the drop cap (large capital letter used as a decorative element at the beginning of a paragraph or section) that they will gladly sacrifice that extra point. Me, I'm more practical. It is NOT a deal breaker. I repeat, it is not a deal breaker. 

It is BLACK LETTER. If it had been red letter and 10 point font, that would have been a strong NO for me.

I love, love, love the raised spine ribs. I only have a handful of Bibles with raised spine ribs, but it just adds to the experience of holding it in your hands. And it is just HAPPY making. A very small thing, to be sure, again not a deal breaker. But LOVELY all the same.

I wish it had not broken words down into syllables--particularly proper nouns like place names, people. But I was looking through other RSV Bibles that I have, and this seems to just be how it is. 

I've heard also that there are four typos in this Bible. I read it cover to cover, and none of the typos threw me out of the text and made me cranky. So I wouldn't let that fact alone keep you from getting one. 

I will mention that for those that want to write *some* in their Bibles. There seem to be at least half a dozen or so sturdy, thick pages that are blank and perfect for *some* writing. 

Other features:
Line Matching
28 GSM Paper
Page size: 6.1″ x 9.13″ x ~1.1″ (155 mm x 232 mm x ~29 mm)
3 x 1 cm Green Ribbons
Gold embossing on the Spine.
Smyth Sewn
Cross references
Expanded Edition of The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
Glossary concordance
Presentation pages
Extensive Schuyler Bible Maps

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

74. Good News of Great Joy

Good News of Great Joy. John Piper. 2021. [September] 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: What does Jesus want this Christmas? We can see the answer in his prayers. What does he ask God for? His longest prayer is John 17. The climax of his desire is in verse 24. [John 17:24]

Good News of Great Joy is an advent devotional by John Piper. Several years ago--2012 or 2013 depending on whether you trust Amazon or GoodReads more--Piper published an advent devotional with the same name. (I reviewed it in 2016). I read this one unsure if it was the *same* devotional or if it was just recycling the name. I am not 100% sure since I cannot find the table of contents of the original book and the link on Piper's website has switched from the old to the new. (That right there might be an indication that it is just recycling the same old book.) But I reread my review and all the quotes I mentioned, all the phrases I talked about....ARE in this devotional. My best guess, my best educated guess, is that most of this--if not all of this--is previously published. Of course, I might be wrong. Maybe he carried over some of his best work--the stuff I happened to quote--and maybe there's new material as well. 

Quotes:

If you don't need a Savior, you don't need Christmas. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible