Sunday Salon #16

Current Bible reading:

1 Year KJV Bible for Women: Judges 11-21; Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-19; John 1-8; Psalms 101-112; Proverbs 14:13-35; Proverbs 15:1-14

NKJV Word Study Bible: Psalms 71-104; 1 Chronicles 13-29; 2 Chronicles; Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs; Hebrews; Isaiah 1-5;

CSB Holy Land Bible: Exodus 17-31; Leviticus; Numbers 1-26; Psalms 42-96; Mark 10-16; Haggai; Zechariah, Malachi, Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Song of Songs; Ecclesiastes;

NASB 1977 Ryrie Study Bible: Exodus 22-40; Leviticus; Numbers; Psalms 42-106; Proverbs 9-31; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; Isaiah 1-10; Luke 21-24; John; Acts 1-12;

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

29. All My Secrets

All My Secrets. Lynn Austin. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Adelaide Stanhope sat at her father's graveside, as still and upright as the surrounding tombstones.

All My Secrets is a generational historical romance (of sorts). The stories of a daughter, mother, and grandmother are interwoven. The story unfolds in a series of storytelling flashbacks--a revealing of past secrets. The three women are at a crossroads (of sorts). Difficult choices remain to be made. Will they fight to keep their mansion and their lifestyle even if it comes at great personal cost? Sylvia wants her daughter, Adelaide, to marry for money--and quickly--before the rumors start to spread of their change of fortune. Junietta wants her granddaughter, Adelaide, to choose a different path, a different life, to hold out on marrying until she falls head over heels in love. Junietta sees the dangers of wealth. It comes with great responsibility, but it corrupts and taints. Adelaide spends time listening to her mother AND listening to her grandmother. What will she decide? And how will she feel about the secrets of her mother and grandmother?

I don't always love stories told from multiple points of view. But I found all three narrators (and their stories) compelling--for the most part. The setting is New York in the nineteenth century. The "present" day is 1898/1899. The past occurs many decades before--also in New York. 

Faith does play a role in the story but not in a stuffy way.  

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #15

Current Bible reading:

1 Year King James Version (for Women): Joshua 21-24; Judges 1-10;  Luke 20-24; Psalms 89-100; Proverbs 13:15-25; 14:1-12    

NKJV Word Study: Psalms 35-71; Numbers 12-36; Deuteronomy; 1 Chronicles 1-12; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; 

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible: Genesis 13-50; Exodus 1-16; Psalms 10-41; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Matthew 7-28; Mark 1-9; 

Ryrie Study Bible NASB 1977: Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-21; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Proverbs 1-8; Matthew 22-28; Mark; Luke 1-20; Psalms 6-41; 

KJV Cambridge: 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation

G4L Philippians: NASB 2020; ESV; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

28. The Deconstruction of Christianity

The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It's Destructive, And How to Respond. Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett. Foreword by Carl R. Trueman. 2024. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I (Alisa) was standing in the foyer of a church where I had just spoken at a Christian worldview conference when I was approached by an elderly couple with downcast faces. Without wasting time on pleasantries, the man said, “Our son . . .” Surprised by his own tears, he stopped short. The gray-haired woman next to him laid her hand on his shoulder and continued. “Our son deconstructed. He isn’t a Christian anymore. We don’t know what to do.”

Chances are high that you've heard either the term deconstructing, deconstruction, or exvangelical. But do those words have precise meanings--uniform meanings in that everyone uses the words in the same way, assigns the same meanings to those words? That's just one of the things these two discuss in their new book. This book is essentially a deep-dive into a movement. They--general, vague, ambiguous "they"--may want you to think deconstructing is NEW. But no, you can find deconstruction right there in the first few chapters of the Bible. 

The two authors walk you through--often quoting those who have deconstructed or almost deconstructed--the new trendy [ideological] movement of deconstruction. It is almost an anything goes movement rejecting even the slightest hint of absolute truth. The only absolute truth they accept is that there is no absolute truth. Other than that, you do you. 

Here is how Barnett and Childers (alphabetical arrangement) describe their book:

In part 1, we identify deconstruction as it manifests in our homes, in our churches, and on social media. We define the word and give a thirty-thousand-foot view of how it has grown from a hashtag into a phenomenon, complete with conferences, coaches, and countless social media accounts. Then in part 2, we dig down into the details. We pull it all apart and analyze the many reasons why people are deconstructing, how they are deconstructing, and what they are deconstructing. We also consider who is going through it—the very real people undergoing deconstruction. We offer what we think is a better solution to the nagging doubts, difficult questions, and false ideas that haunt many Christians. Finally, in part 3, we focus on how we can best love and help those in our lives who might be in deconstruction.

I found the book an interesting, informative, compassionate read. The authors have a heart for those who are deconstructing. They are not rejoicing or mocking. The points they make are solid and well-organized. This is a book about a tough topic--emotionally--that is clear and concise. It is a PRACTICAL book first and foremost. Yet it isn't shy on theology.

Quotes:

When it comes to faith, some questions seek answers, and some questions seek exits. There are questions that seek after truth, but other questions seek to avoid truth.

Deconstruction is nothing new. People have been abandoning the standard of God’s Word and engaging in a process of rethinking—and often abandoning—their faith since the beginning. That’s why the biblical record contains so many warnings about leaving or redefining the faith.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

27. Are We Living In the Last Days

Are We Living In the Last Days. Bryan Chapell. 2024. 256 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence (from the introduction): Though it happened several years ago, I could take you to the precise location where a dear woman, who loved me and wanted to protect me, whispered a warning. As I passed her pew to greet early arrivers for the worship service, she caught my arm and pulled me down close enough that no one else could hear her say, "My friends say you don't believe that Jesus is coming back." 

Bryan Chapell takes readers on a journey through four views of the 'end days' in his newest book. The views are Dispensational Premillennial (with a side dose of Progressive Dispensational Premillennial), Historic Premillennial, Amillennial, and Postmillennial. He shares what makes each unique and different. He references the history of these positions in the church throughout the centuries. Some views are relatively 'new' and others are more ancient. He gives an overview of each and mentions "famous" theologians/pastors who've held those views and are associated with those views. After walking readers through what makes each view different from one another--in an organized and logical way--he then shares what all views have in common. He focuses on things that unite believers instead of dividing them. Much of the book is spent on two issues: how do believers interpret Old Testament prophecy in regards to Israel and in regards to the church? where does Israel fit into God's future plans? Each of the four views (five views really) has answers on these points. 

It's not fair, of course, to say it is spent on two issues...it's just that that is the root of all the other issues, topics, and subjects. Much time is spent on the rapture, the second coming, the millennial reign, judgment, new heavens and new earth, etc. But why the views differ comes back to the root issues--the Israel question, if you will. 

It is meant to be an introduction to a subject. He is not trying to bring all the depth and substance. He wants to cover the basics of each in a reader-friendly way. To be honest, if he went into more depth I'm not sure I could have gone with him without drowning. 

The book does offer discussion questions for each chapter and summaries. I definitely appreciated the "Digging Deeper" appendix. 

One thing that I want to mention is that this was my first time hearing that there were three premillennial views to choose from. I'd never heard of progressive dispensationalism OR historic premillennialism. 

This one has given me much to think about. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

7. King James Version with Apocrypha (Cambridge Cameo)

KJV Cameo Reference Bible with Apocrypha. Black Calfskin Leather, Red-Letter Text. God. Cambridge Bibles. 2011 this edition. 1868 pages. [Source: Gift]

ISBN 13: 978-1107608078

ISBN 10: 1107608074

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

Start date: March 1, 2024. End date: April 7, 2024. 

I love, love, love, love and adore this Bible. I do. The paper quality is excellent--absolutely fabulous. Is it as good as India paper???? I haven't read this Cameo side by side with a Cameo with India paper. I do have a few Bibles printed on India paper--I love them all. The paper of this Cameo Reference Bible is supplied by Papeteries du Leman, Thonon-les-Bains France. It is printed in the Netherlands by Royal Jongbloed. Cambridge is the oldest Bible publisher; they have been printing Bibles in English since 1591. 

Petit Medieval Clarendon 1159 is the font type and the size is 8 point. It is SMALL, of course, but it is also LIGHT. It is compact in size.  It is SO easy to hold and position that the small size is not difficult. Yes, I have tricky vision. Very tricksy. I would never claim that I could easily read a Bible if I struggled with it. 

Double-column. Red-letter. It was a pleasant enough red letter. I've seen better. I've seen worse. I've seen a lot worse. I love the layout of this one. 

There is separate pagination (page count) for the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. 

The apocrypha includes: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Rest of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Song of Three Holy Children, History of Susanna, History of Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasses, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees. 

This was my first time reading the apocrypha in the King James Version. I have read Apocryphal books in the Revised Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version. I'm not sure if they are the exact same books. I am by no means an "expert" when it comes to the Apocrypha. I've read it two to three times. I know one of those was a Catholic edition so that the books may have been different. 

My system that I used for most of this project was an adapted Bible in 90 days. I used the Bible Reading Plan Generator, selected my books, and checked that I wanted readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament each "day." I usually read two "days" per day. One in the morning devotions. One in the afternoon/evening devotions. Some days I went ahead and read an extra day. Towards the end, I was doubling and tripling up on readings. I could see the finish line in sight. Now, that being said--speed was not a motivator. My goal was not to rush through and say I did it. I absolutely LOVE love love reading the Bible. I do tend to pick up speed when I only have a few books left. But I think this is natural--for me--and not necessarily a warning sign that my reasons are all wrong. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #14

Current Bible reading

1 Year King James Bible: Joshua 5-20; Luke 15-19:28-48; Psalms 81-88; Proverbs 13:1-14

NASB 95 (Thompson Chain Reference): Romans 12-16; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation

NKJV Word Study: Psalms 1-34; Leviticus 15-27; Matthew 20-28; Numbers 1-11; Micah;

KJV Cambridge: Ezekiel 3-48; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos;  Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Esdras; 2 Esdras; Tobit; Judith; Rest of Esther; Wisdom of Solomon; Ecclesiasticus; Baruch; Song of Three Holy Children; History of Susanna; History of Bel and the Dragon; Prayer of Manasses; 1 Maccabees 1-2; 

NIV 2011: Ruth, Lamentations; Ecclesiastes; 1 Corinthians; Esther; Daniel; Ezra; Nehemiah; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation

NASB 77 (Ryrie): Genesis 1-11; Ezra; Matthew 1-21; Psalms 1-5;

CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible Genesis 1-12; Psalms 1-9; Matthew 1-6; Micah; Jonah; 

G4L Philippians 1-4: RSV, ESV

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

6. NASB, Thompson Chain-Reference

NASB 1995, Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Red Letter, Comfort Print, 2023. Zondervan. 2144 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Start date: February 14, 2024

End date: April 5, 2024

Was this my first time reading the New American Standard (1995)? NO. It is one of my all time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite translations. I love and adore this translation. 

Was this my first time reading the Thompson Chain Reference Bible? No. I've read it in the NASB 1977 and the King James Version. I do LOVE the Thompson Chain Reference. 

This is a double column, red letter reference bible. It utilizes the chain references [and the chain reference system] of Frank Charles Thompson. This is one of the older "legacy" "study" Bibles available. It is available in many different translations--KJV, NKJV, ESV, NASB 1977, NASB 1995, NIV 1984, probably NIV 2011. This is an UPDATED edition of the Thompson Chain Reference. The changes are mostly superficial yet beneficial. 

One of the upgrades of the update is a larger font size in the "regular" edition. The font size is 9.5 instead of 8.3. It is also comfort print which can definitely be easier on the eyes. There are also options to buy this in large print--the large print is 10.5 font size. 

This is a LARGE Bible. It is heavy. IT is over three pounds. (The large print edition is over four pounds.)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

5. NIV (2011) Value Thinline

NIV Value Thinline Large Print (2011 edition). 2017. Zondervan. 1110 pages. [Source: Bought]

ISBN: 0310448557
ISBN-13: 9780310448556

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

This review is for the NIV Value Thinline Bible, Large Print Blue, Imitation Leather. 

This one has 11.5 font size, double columns, and is black letter. 

I have read the 2011 edition of the New International Version several times. I still--by far--prefer the 1984 edition of the New International Version. But spilled milk is spilled milk is spilled milk. It is not coming back in print and that's that. Perhaps I will one day become familiar enough with the "new" update that I will stop missing the old. Perhaps. I do find both editions of the New International Version readable and easily so. Nothing archaic or clunky about it. 

This time around I read using the Mini/Many Horner Bookmark system which is one of my adaptations of the Professor Horner Bible reading system. Essentially I read from five bookmarks each day. 

My first four bookmarks were:

The Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

Nevi'im Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings)

Nevi'im Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

Ketuvim "The Writings" (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles)

My fifth bookmark was the New Testament.

I do love the Bible. I may not love, love, love, love this exact translation of the Bible. But I do recognize that it is still very much the Word of God and to be treasured and appreciated. The best Bible is the one that you will actually read and take to heart. The best Bible is the one you will feast on and grow in. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

26. Isaiah: God Saves Sinners

Isaiah: God Saves Sinners. Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr. R. (Preaching The Word Commentaries). Crossway. 2005. 496 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence from the preface: God saves sinners. We don’t believe that. We bank our happiness on other things. But God says to us, “I’m better than you think. You’re worse than you think. Let’s get together.” The prophet Isaiah wants to show us more of God and more of ourselves than we’ve ever seen before. He wants us to know what it means for us to be saved. Do we have the courage to listen? But God has opened a way for us to swim eternally in the ocean of his love. Our part is to look beyond ourselves and stake everything on God, who alone saves sinners.

First sentence from chapter one: We can know, because God has spoken.

This was my second time to read Raymond C. Ortlund's commentary on Isaiah. I first read it in April of 2015. I loved it just as much the second time. I read about five or six chapters a week over several weeks.

This commentary covers every chapter of Isaiah. It may not cover every verse of every chapter, but it does serve at the very least as an excellent overview of the book as a whole. And to be honest, this overview has so much depth and substance that most readers would not really feel cheated that perhaps it didn't cover every single verse and sentence. There is so much to unpack. 

This commentary is a great happy medium. It is more serious perhaps than J. Vernon McGee's super conversational commentaries. But it is not dry or scholarly. It is still very much written for you and me and everyone. It is meant to be read and understood by all believers. Not just those with a string of alphabet letters behind their name. 

I learned so much from each and every chapter. Here's a small taste of what to expect.

From the preface:

As a pastor, it’s not my job to protect people from the living God. My job is to bring people to God, and leave them there.

From chapter one the introduction to Isaiah:

Every day we treat God as incidental to what really matters to us, and we live by our own strategies of self-salvation. We don’t think of our choices that way, but Isaiah can see that our lives are infested with fraudulent idols. Any hope that isn’t from God is an idol of our own making... A salvation we don’t even know how to define, Isaiah is an expert at explaining to us. He wants to lead us into a life that outlasts our earthly expiration date.

J. I. Packer puts into words the greatness of the Isaianic message: God saves sinners. God — the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three Persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and love to achieve the salvation of a chosen people, the Father electing, the Son fulfilling the Father’s will by redeeming, the Spirit executing the purpose of the Father and Son by renewing. Saves — does everything, first to last, that is involved in bringing man from death in sin to life in glory: plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies. Sinners — men as God finds them, guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, blind, unable to lift a finger to do God’s will or better their spiritual lot. God saves sinners. . . . Sinners do not save themselves in any sense at all, but salvation, first and last, whole and entire, past, present and future, is of the Lord, to whom be glory forever, amen!

If the world is not experiencing the grace of God, the church is being untrue to its destiny. 

From chapter two: Our Urgent Need: A New Self Awareness I

We need a sense of sin. We shouldn’t fear it or resent it. It is not destructive. It is life-giving, if we have the courage to let Christ save us. We are often told — or just whispered to — that what we need is more self-esteem. That is false. What we need is more humility and more Christ-esteem. 

What is conviction of sin? It is not an oppressive spirit of uncertainty or paralyzing guilt feelings. Conviction of sin is the lance of the divine Surgeon piercing the infected soul, releasing the pressure, letting the infection pour out. Conviction of sin is a health-giving injury. Conviction of sin is the Holy Spirit being kind to us by confronting us with the light we don’t want to see and the truth we’re afraid to admit and the guilt we prefer to ignore. Conviction of sin is the severe love of God overruling our compulsive dishonesty, our willful blindness, our favorite excuses. Conviction of sin is the violent sweetness of God opposing the sins lying comfortably undisturbed in our lives. Conviction of sin is the merciful God declaring war on the false peace we settle for. Conviction of sin is our escape from malaise to joy, from attending church to worship, from faking it to authenticity. Conviction of sin, with the forgiveness of Jesus pouring over our wounds, is life.

The reason we see so little repentance in the world is that the world sees so little repentance in the church.

The church survives because God saves sinners. He sees what we would become, left to ourselves, and in mercy he stretches out his hand and says, “I will not let you go.” That is why the evil inside every one of us doesn’t explode with its actual power, to our destruction (Romans 9:29). Apart from God’s preserving grace, we would relive the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are what they were. We deserve what they got. That’s what God says. And the only reason we’re still here is his overruling mercy saving us from ourselves. 

From chapter three: Our Urgent Need: A New Self Awareness II

Rebellion against God is our problem. But God saves rebels. And true worship is rebels like us waving the white flag of surrender before our rightful Lord in repentance.

Let’s ask ourselves, what do we think is unbearably repulsive to God, to his very soul, right down to the depths of the Divine Being? We might answer, hard-core crime, the exploitation of children, terrorist mayhem —that sort of thing. It might not occur to us that what the soul of God hates and is burdened and wearied by is the worship we offer him, if we are not in repentance. 

The problem with worship — it must take some form or other — is this: The more Biblical and beautiful its form becomes, the more useful it is as a mechanism for evading honest dealings with God and the more plausible as a substitute for repentance. 

From chapter four: Our Urgent Need, A New Self Awareness III

What is redemption? Redemption explains how God saves us. How does he? By paying a personal price. In real life, we sin our way right into bondage, and there’s no easy way out. If we try to cover it up or make excuses, we dig ourselves in deeper. Every day we create the conditions in which we literally deserve Hell. But what does God do? He offers to get us out of trouble at his own expense. He offers to absorb within himself the consequences we have set in motion. He pays the price, so that we don’t have to, because we can’t anyway. That’s redemption. If you have sinned your way into helplessness, where you deserve to reap what you have sown, you can be redeemed. God is not only willing to pay the price, he already has — at the cross of Christ. You can enter into redemption freely, by his grace.

We add nothing to the value of Jesus’ sacrifice, but his love does claim all that we are. The flip side of God paying the price is that we are no longer our own (1 Corinthians 6:19b, 20a). What else can we do but repent? We need to repent of our sins every day. We need to repent of our fifth-rate righteousness every day. We need to receive afresh, with the empty hands of faith, real righteousness from Jesus Christ every day. The cross becomes a redeeming power for us as we learn what it means to repent. 

From chapter five: The Transforming Power of Hope and Humility

We think too well of ourselves and too poorly of God to believe that his love for his glory and his love for us are one love, drawing him on to the final day when we will be forever happy with his glory alone. But how could it be otherwise? Human fulfillment is union with God.

Do you believe that there is enough glory in God to make you happy forever? If you don’t, why? What failing have you found in God? The gospel promises that his glory will remake the whole world. Stop valuing the idols you not only might lose but inevitably must lose. Learn to enjoy God. The triumph of his glory is enough to make your complete happiness forever invincible.

From chapter eight: 

If your heart does not leap at God’s grace in Christ, what you need is more grace. Nothing else can save you from your own deadness. Therefore, fear your own hardness of heart more than anything else.9 Beware of rigidity, ingratitude, a demanding spirit. Beware of an unmelted heart that is never satisfied. Beware of a mind that looks for excuses not to believe. Beware of the impulse that always finds a reason to delay response. Beware of thinking how the sermon applies to someone else. God watches how you hear his Word. If you are ever again to receive it with at least the capacity for response that you have at this very moment, hear it now.

From chapter thirteen:

The heart sings when we accept how little it matters that we are in control and how much it matters that God is in control for us, when we discover how little it matters that we are able and how much it suffices that God is able on our behalf. The day we step into the messianic kingdom and find that God has been true to his word, we redeemed will erupt in music as never before.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Thoughts on My Mini/Many Horner Bible Reading Plan

I have adjusted, readjusted, re-readjusted, many, many times. This time around I decided to go with FIVE bookmarks instead of ten. (This time being the key word). I have long since learned that I am so fickle with this system that it is best to just handwrite on slips of paper my "bookmarks." Each "reset" involves a LOT of experimenting. I have yet to find the perfect-perfect adjustment.

This time I kept the Tanakh order of the Old Testament in mind.

My first four bookmarks were:

The Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

Nevi'im Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings)

Nevi'im Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

Ketuvim "The Writings" (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles)

My fifth bookmark was the New Testament.

Now usually in my adaptations and adjustments I stick with ten bookmarks or perhaps eight or nine. 

But this was my "mini" system. It was also my "many" system.

For whatever reason--for better or worse--I did not want to read one chapter per bookmark. I did not even want to read two chapters per bookmark. I set out--especially in the beginning--to read five chapters per bookmark. I was reading MORE in fewer places. I didn't stick with this five per bookmark rule. But I did try to keep the twenty to twenty-five chapters per day "guideline." (Think Pirates of the Caribbean). 

I am more than halfway through the Bible with this system. I have finished three of the five bookmarks. I have the "Writings" bookmark and the New Testament going strong still.

I don't know that I'd repeat these bookmarks exactly. Probably this revision was better. I did like reading twenty-five-ish chapters per day. I liked reading more in fewer places. So that was something that I definitely liked. And I liked having less bookmarks overall. Five may have been too few, but ten may be too much. Next time I might combine the Former and Latter Prophets together. I might add a bookmark to the New Testament section. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #13

Current Bible reading:

1 Year KJV for women: Deuteronomy 21-34; Joshua 1-4; Luke 9:51-14:35; Psalms 74-80; Proverbs 12:12-28; 

ESV Creeds (finished this week!!!) 1 Kings 10-22; 2 Kings; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles;  Ezekiel 40-46; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; 

KJV Cambridge: Proverbs 18-31; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel 1-2; Acts 23-28; Romans; 1 Corinthians

NASB 1995 (Thompson Chain) Psalms 116-150; Proverbs;  2 Kings 10-25; Proverbs; Jeremiah 15-52; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Romans 1-11

NIV 2011: Numbers 17-36; Deuteronomy; 2 Kings 5-25; Job; Song of Songs; Proverbs; Ezekiel 21-48; Hosea; Acts 16-28; Romans; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; 

NKJV Word Study: Amos; Obadiah; Exodus 24-40; Jonah; Matthew 1-19; Leviticus 1-14; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Thoughts on my M'Cheyne 52 DAY reading plan

I have so many conflicting feelings about the M'Cheyne reading plan. I know for many--for centuries--it has been THE plan. It was first published in 1842. 

I would imagine plenty of people have used the plan without reading the original tract which lists the dangers and advantages of using a bible reading plan AND then continues to give specific directions on how to use his plan. I do encourage you to take the time to read the tract. This was my first time to do so. I have not used the plan with M'Cheyne's actual directions. 

The M'Cheyne reading plan has you read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. (One also reads through the book of Psalms twice). There are two readings for "family" devotions and two for "secret" devotions. 

The Gospel Coalition article I read (published in 2019) shares that in 1837, M'Cheyne compiled a plan for reading the Bible in a month! Now THAT is the reading plan I'd dearly love to get my hands on! 

My main issue with the original plan is that it is too slow or too drawn out. I read at a faster pace; feast at a faster pace. Whether "reading" or "feeding" on the Word of God, I don't want a tiny, dainty, delicate portion. 

In 2020, I read through the Bible using the M'Cheyne reading plan and was able to stick with it because I combined it with reading through Matthew Henry's complete commentary. I'd read the Scripture and then the commentary. That worked, but I didn't love it enough to repeat it.

In 2023, I attempted to read through the Bible with the M'Cheyne reading plan again. This time using a Bible app. I found myself skimming lightly and not engaging. Whether it was because it was a digital bible OR because of my translation choice OR my vision issues, I gave it up in August. 

In the fall of 2023 I fooled around with the idea of turning the YEAR-long plan into a 52 day reading plan. I spent a lot of time typing it up and doing math. The math was the worst part. (Well, maybe not. I apparently had typos as well. When I actually used the plan this spring, I circled so many corrections.) 

What I liked: I really LOVED reading so many chapters at a time. It just makes for a much better reading experience to read in longer sections. For example, to read Genesis 1-7 in one sitting instead of one chapter at a time over seven days. It makes better SENSE when it comes to comprehension. It requires less effort. That could so easily be taken out of context. When you break up sections of Scripture into dainty, bite-size pieces AND mix sleep into it...you have to recall what you read the day before and the day before and the day before and the day before. You build momentum as well. I also appreciated reading from four different sections of Scripture. That works great. 

What I didn't like: Because I was trying to group each week's reading into one day's readings, there were some unusual breaks. There would be no weirdness in the original plan, but it was introduced in the super-quick speed run. It also made less sense in the speed run to read through Psalms and the New Testament twice. 

Would I repeat my super-quick-speed-run???? Probably not. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

4. ESV Creeds

ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions. Crossway. 2020. 1424 pages. [Source: Review copy]

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

How do I feel about the newly published ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions?! I absolutely love, love, love, love, love, crazy love and adore this one. [ETA: I do wish the pages were less glaring or shiny when read under bright light. I have had to choose *where* to read this one so it is read in dimmer light.]

I read the TruTone edition of the ESV Creeds Bible. It was without a doubt the best FEELING Tru-Tone I've ever held in my hands. It is LOVELY. I typically make covers for my Bibles--this one won't be getting one. I love the feel of it too much. 

It is the text of the ESV translation. I do love the ESV. It is in my top three definitely. I love, love, love the ESV, the NASB, and the KJV. Those are my top three--have been for the past decade--and they take turns being the top. A little friendly competition between translations, I suppose! [ETA: I have found myself liking other translations more these days. The NKJV has moved up and the ESV has moved down one notch.]

Font size vs. Weight. I thought this was PERFECTLY BALANCED. The weight of the overall bible is just about perfect. The font size is 10.5. That is so much larger than the average Bible being printed nowadays. (The ESV Prayer Bible is 9.25; the ESV Study Bible is 9 point; ESV Student Study Bible is 8 point; The ESV Reformation Study Bible is 9 point.) It's light enough that you can hold the Bible and read--as opposed to a Bible you HAVE to read at a table because it's too heavy for the lap to sustain. Because it's light weight, the font size was very manageable even though my vision is poor.

Double column. The ESV Creeds Bible is double column. The bleed-through was on the minimal side. I didn't need to use black construction paper. I think the text was blocked in such a way that it helped prevent bleed-through.

Black letter. The ESV Creeds Bible is a black letter Bible. The words of Christ are not printed in red. I am thankful for this!

The Creeds and Confessions were found in the back of the Bible. They include the Apostles Creed (ca. 200-400), the Nicene Creed (325), the Athanasian Creed (381), the Chalcedonian Definition (451), the Augsburg Confession (1530), the Belgic Confession (1561), the Articles of Religion (1563), the Canons of Dort (1618-19), the Westminster Confession (1646), the London Baptist Confession (1689), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Westminster Larger Catechism (1647), and the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647).

I loved the variety of what they included. Some were familiar to me; others were new-to-me. They didn't include every single creed, confession, or catechism. One they did leave out was the Scots Confession (1560). Another was the Second Helvetic Confession (1566). 

It does include more creeds than the ESV Reformation Study Bible which only includes the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, the Westminster Confession, the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the 1689 London Baptist Confession. 

It also has more creeds than the KJV Reformation Heritage Bible which only includes the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort, Westminster Confession, Westminster Shorter Confession, Westminster Larger Catechism.

I think the ESV Creeds Bible would make a great Bible to carry to church. It would be a great only Bible as well.

I think ESV should publish a Bible perhaps with families in mind and include the full text of the NEW CITY CATECHISM.

ETA: I read the ESV Creeds Bible the second time (I believe) in February and March of 2024. Start date was February 14, 2024 and end date was March 27, 2024.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #12

Current Bible reading

1 Year KJV for Women: Deuteronomy 4-20; Luke 6:39-49; Luke 7-8, Luke 9:1-50; Psalms 68-73; Proverbs 11:28-31; 12:1-10;

KJV (Cambridge): 1 Chronicles 21-29; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Psalms; Proverbs 1-17; John 9-21; Acts 1-22

NASB 95 (Thompson Chain Reference): Psalms 86-115; Judges 19-21; Ruth; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 2 Kings 1-9; Jeremiah 1-15;

NIV 2011: Leviticus; Numbers 1-16; 2 Samuel 6-24; 1 Kings; 2 Kings 1-4; Psalms 95-150; Jeremiah 31-52; Ezekiel 1-20; John 11-21; Acts 1-15

ESV Creeds: Judges 13-21; Ruth; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1-9;  Jeremiah 26-52; Lamentations; Ezekiel 1-39; 

NKJV Word Study: Ezekiel 21-48; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Genesis 37-50; Exodus 1-23; 

BSB Isaiah 46-54; John 15-17

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

25. In this Moment

In This Moment. (Timeless #2) Gabrielle Meyer. 2023. 416 pages. [Source: Library] [Speculative fiction; historical romance]

First sentence: Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal. I was a twenty-year old woman searching for my place in the world, trying to decide my future. The only difference was that I had three normal lives, and on my twenty-first birthday, just eight and a half months from now, I would have to choose which one to keep and which to forfeit. Forever. 

Our heroine is "Margaret Wakefield," "Maggie Hollingsworth," and "Meg Clarke." Her timelines are respectively 1861, 1941, and 2001. In each timeline she has an interest in medicine be it as a nurse or doctor/surgeon. A little bit of backstory, she is the daughter of TWO time slippers or two time travelers. She bears two birthmarks which signify that she has this special ability; one is inherited from her father and the other is inherited from her mother. 

This is the second novel in the series. Unlike the first book, I really LOVED this one. Mainly because it was so much improved from the first novel. What I appreciated about his novel is the characterization and storytelling. Characters are fully fleshed out in all three timelines. Well, mostly. Two of the timelines definitely get more attention to detail. However, I felt that the stories in all three were actually engaging and well-balanced. I did not feel that there was a super incredible obvious choice within the first three or four pages. I did not feel that there was one obvious HERO that would be THE ONE within the first three chapters. I think the balance between the three storylines, the cast of characters in each timeline, were well done. Most importantly, I think the heroine was actually likable. And that makes all the difference in the world. If you can't stand to be anywhere near the main character and you think she is off-putting, it's hard to like a book well enough to finish it.

Loose lips apparently don't sink ships in the world Meyer has created. Our main character can't really keep her abilities to herself. She confides in friends, family, and love interests. In every timeline she has a support system in place which allows her to talk relatively freely about her other lives, other families, other love interests. I don't know how I feel about this to be honest. 

There was one scene that I thought was theologically iffy. But I think the theology of this speculative fiction is just necessarily iffy. Because it is all make believe and has a different set of rules. God somehow seems less sovereign and less in charge of his universe. Like he's waiting on his special time-travelers to figure out how the story is going to play out. 

"Sometimes I wish God would just choose for me."

"You wouldn't really want that, would you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It would be easier." 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

24. This Special Blessing for You

This Special Blessing for You. Eric and Meredith Schrotenboer. Illustrated by Denise Hughes. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book, children's book]

First sentence: Today is the day the world gets to see the beautiful person God made you to be. Wherever you go, it's God's love you're expressing, so God sends you out with this special blessing. May the Lord bless you with strength from above and fill you with power to give and to love. May God protect you all through the day. God's always close--that's where God will stay.

This picture book is a VERY loose adaptation of Numbers 6:22-27. It is absolutely a beautiful blessing from Scripture. It is grounded in a time and place, and, like many other blessings found in Scripture, it isn't unconditional. [This is absolutely not the position taken by the authors. They don't really address the context of these verses at all. That isn't their aim or mission.] 

The picture book is inspired by this bit of Scripture. It is a soft, warm, fuzzy, comfy, cozy. It is reassuring and self-affirming. It sometimes reads vaguely, intentionally unoffensive.  It is written in rhyme. 

I have read this one twice now. Each stanza [or spread] hits differently when I read or reread it. I think each stanza could lead to some substantive discussion. But I'm not sure that in actuality that is how the book will be used. And there isn't really a "wrong" way to read this one with little ones. 

It is inspired by Numbers 6:22-27. These verses are from the Old Testament. The gospel isn't necessarily obvious and straightforward in this passage. What this book is missing--and this is my personal opinion--is Jesus Christ and the gospel. Again, it isn't that the authors removed the gospel or twisted the gospel. They just didn't add in the gospel. There were phrases that just hit slightly off--again my own personal opinion. 

"So God has a plan--it's you that God sends to share with the world that God's love never ends. So be kind to others, your sister and brother, to show what God's like as we love one another. May your life be "good news" to all those that you meet--your family and neighbors and friends down the street." 

There are at least two ways to read the book. One way is to give the authors the full benefit of the doubt, to assume that they were not implying anything weird theologically or equating God's expression of love in Jesus Christ with our expression of love as we share tacos with everyone. The second way is to have doubt, to begin to question every statement to see how it lines up with Scripture. 

It is a very loose adaptation. You can't pair up stanzas with specific lines or phrases from Scripture. And the picture book goes above and beyond the words and their meanings. It expands the theology from Numbers 6:22-27. Part of me is like--show your work. Where in Scripture does it teach this, show that, which verses led you to make this statement as fact. Many of the statements--surface level at least--sound true, feel true. But just because something sounds nice, sounds true-ish doesn't necessarily make it theologically sound. 

The note to parents reads,

The Hebrew understanding of "blessing" is that it is a "divine filling." When the priests raised their hands and spoke these words, God's Spirit flowed through the priests on to the people. With this blessing, God's people were filled with power to live out who God called them to be in the world. The same is true today. God sends us out into the world so we can show everyone what God is like. We get to carry God's name with us wherever we go. Use this book as a resource to speak God's blessing over the children in your life. With this blessing, you will equip them with God's power to live out who God is calling them to be and what God is calling them to do as they go through their day.

The note just feels theologically iffy, off, strange. One of the authors is a certified Enneagram coach and facilitator. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

23. Live Your Truth and Other Lies

Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted and Self-Obsessed. Alisa Childers. 2022. 240 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: My finger was literally on the button. Everything in me wanted to click Like and Share. Why am I not doing it? I thought. The author of the meme was a Christian, the quote sounded positive and life-affirming, and it would surely encourage and uplift my social media friends. I still can't do it. But why? 

Live Your Truth and Other Lies is a book that challenges so-called "truths" of society and culture. Childers is encouraging her readers to logically, reasonably, thoughtfully examine their world views and beliefs, the truths by which they live. To do so in light of Scripture I might add. This whole book is essentially be discerning at all times, don't just soak up any and every "truth" that you hear--especially if it comes in a bite-size quote shared on social media. Not that lies can only be found on social media. Lies, half-truths, barely-truths can be found anywhere and everywhere in our lives, our cultures, our circles. Childers encourages--promotes--study of God's Word and reliance on it. 

This book is not unique. There are probably a few each year along these same lines. Books that are calling out the LIES and half-truths of our culture and society. Books that encourage living in the Word and by the Word. Books that promote living counterculturally, not compromising with the world but holding to Scripture. This one is in some ways basic. But here's the thing, there doesn't have to be one and only one book on this subject. Just because it's been said before doesn't mean it's less important if said another time. There are people who will pick this one up and be blessed by it. 

I liked the conversational tone of this one. I do love her YouTube channel and podcast. This was a pleasant, enjoyable read for me. I did like some of the charts within the chapters. I do wish it was easier to see which "lie" was being addressed in each chapter. The chapter titles could be more helpful. It isn't that they were horrible the first time through--when reading cover to cover. But if I wanted to use this as a reference, to come back to specific chapters to find something again, or to try to find a specific quote to share with someone, the chapter titles are not going to be helpful. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #11

Current Bible reading:

1 Year Bible for Women, KJV, Numbers 26-36; Deuteronomy 1-3; Psalm 60-67; Luke 2:36-52; Luke 3-5; Luke 6:1-11; Luke 6:12-38; Proverbs 11:15-27;

NASB 95 Thompson Chain Reference: Psalms 50-; Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges 1-18; 2 Corinthians; Galatians;

KJV Cambridge: Joshua 18-24; Judges; Ruth; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 2 Kings; 1 Chronicles 1-20; Luke 2-24; John 1-8;

ESV Creeds: Deuteronomy 16-34; Joshua; Judges 1-12; Psalms 103-150; Isaiah 43-66; Jeremiah 1-25; Revelation 13-22; 

NIV 2011: EX 6-40; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel 1-5; Psalms 50-94; Isaiah 50-66; Jeremiah 1-30; Luke; John 1-10;

NKJV Word Study Bible: Genesis 1-36; Colossians; Lamentations; Ezekiel 1-20

BSB: Isaiah 38-45; John 11-14;

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

22. When the Day Comes

When the Day Comes. (Timeless #1) Gabrielle Meyer. 2022. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: For as long as I could remember, my mama had told me that my life was a gift. But at the age of nineteen, I had yet to see how this life I was living--or rather the lives I was living--could be anything other than a burden.

Premise/plot: When the Day Comes is a "timeslip" novel I believe. The premise is that there are a select number of human beings gifted/blessed by God with an unusual ability. They live two lives. When they fall asleep in one life, they wake up in the other. That's the keeping it simple summary. On her twenty-first birthday, the individual--in this case, Libby--must choose between her two lives and commit to living in one time period. Libby lives in Colonial Williamsburg in 1774--so essentially the country is on the verge of the war--and New York in 1914--again, Libby is living on the verge of war, though she probably doesn't know that bit. Her mother is also a "time traveler" (her lives were Colonial America and the 1990s). 

Libby is 100000000% certain that she knows her choice already. She is going to stay with her widowed mother and siblings in Colonial America, and, above all she is going to stay with her much beloved sweetheart, Henry. She hates almost every moment of her "modern" life in 1914. She doesn't hate her father, she might miss him a little bit. But she has no bond or connection with anyone else. Everything is a drudge.

But God may have different plans for her life. Will He work all things out for good?

My thoughts: I don't hate the premise. I don't. I actually think it has a LOT of potential. I do. I think it could be done really well. There could be great characterization, immersion into different time periods, and genuine tension and conflict. Like what if she *equally* enjoyed/loved both lives. What if she actually cared about both families. What if she actually lived life to the fullest in both lives. What if she authentically belonged to both timelines. But as it is, the characterization just isn't there. The characters lack fleshing out. The relationships feel flat, for the most part. The book does not read historical for either time period because the main character doesn't really 'belong' anywhere. She knows too much about Colonial America [and American history up through 1914 at least]. And through conversations with her mother, she has hints of even more. At one point her mother gives her a brief overview of the twentieth century. 

I think the biggest problem for me was the NON love triangle. We have one of the weakest love triangles ever. Which is fine, completely fine. Many people hate love triangles. But when you've got the main character in relationships in both timelines, but she loves one madly and despises the other...then it is just wearisome. The modern timeline depicts S.A. 

I take back what I said about the biggest problem. The solution tie-a-bow-on-it-ending was 1000000% convenient and felt cheater-pants. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #10

Current Bible reading:

1 Year Bible for Women KJV: Numbers 10-25; Mark 14-16; Luke 1-2:1-35; Psalms 51-59; Proverbs 10:31-32; Proverbs 11:1-14; 

Thompson Chain Reference NASB 95: Exodus 29-40; Leviticus; Numbers;  Psalms 15-49; Acts 9-28; Hebrews; 1 Corinthians;

KJV Cambridge: Exodus 18-40; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua 1-17; Matthew 17-28; Mark; Luke 1;

ESV Creeds and Confessions: Leviticus 26-27; Numbers; Deuteronomy 1-15; Psalms 33-102; Ecclesiastes 9-12; Song of Songs; Isaiah 1-42; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation 1-12; 

NIV 2011: Genesis 6-50; Exodus 1-5; Joshua 6-24; Judges; Psalms 7-49; Isaiah 6-49; Matthew 5-28; Mark;

BSB Isaiah 29-37; John 8-10; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

21. Rand McNally Book of Favorite Stories of Jesus

The Rand McNally Book of Favorite Stories of Jesus. Mary Alice Jones (according to GoodReads). Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe, Eleanor Corwin, Manning de V. Lee, and Janet Robson Kennedy. 1981. 109 pages. [Source: Bought]

This book consists of four previously published (presumably) children's books: The Baby Jesus, Jesus and the Children, Jesus Who Helped People, and Friends of Jesus. These books were originally published in the 1960s between 1961 and 1964. (IF I read Roman numerals correctly.) The first story, as you can surmise from the title, is the Christmas nativity story. The other three titles are thematically grouped narratives. Jesus and the Children focuses in on passages of scripture in which Jesus interacted with children. Jesus Who Helped People has the broadest narrative. Readers get a series of vignettes. Friends of Jesus tells two stories. First it tells of the calling of [early] disciples Peter and Andrew. Second, it tells the story of Zacchaeus. 

The first two books seem to go together well. The last two books seem to go together well. 

I bought the book because I have a weakness for vintage children's books. The books have a narrative style that reads vintage or old-fashioned. For better or worse. I'm not saying it is always, always, always better. But it's definitely not for the worse in this instance in my opinion. The books almost have the same narrative flow as Dick and Jane. These are books meant to be read by kids. 

First paragraph of The Baby Jesus,

Mary and Joseph were going to Bethlehem. Mary was riding on a little gray donkey. Joseph was walking, leading the donkey. Soon it would be dark. Mary was tired. She knew it was time for her baby to be born. She drew her shawl closer about her to keep warm. "There," Joseph said. "There is Bethlehem. It is not far now." Mary looked up and saw the town. "We are almost there," she said. Mary and Joseph came to the town. They went to the inn where the travelers stayed. The door was closed. Joseph knocked at the door. He knocked again and again. 

I appreciate older texts and seeing snapshots of the times.

I know there can be some debate among Christians on if [artistic] illustrations are a violation of the second commandment, but, for those that are not so convinced [at least not in regards to bible story books for children as opposed to art hanging in sanctuaries or icons] vintage art can be quite delightful. The first two books in particular I really enjoyed the artwork. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #9

Current Bible reading:

KJV -- One Year Bible for Women -- Leviticus 19-27 Numbers 1-9; Mark 8:11-38; 9-13; Psalms 42-50; Proverbs 10:17-30; 

NASB 95 TCR -- Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel, Job; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum, Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; Psalms 1-14; Exodus 1-28; Acts 1-8

KJV (World) -- Mark 8-16; Luke; John; Acts; Romans; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John

KJV (Cambridge) Genesis; Exodus 1-17; Matthew 1-16; 

BSB -- Isaiah 17-28; John 6-7; 

ESV Creeds -- Exodus 15-40; Leviticus 1-25; Luke 18-24; John; Psalms 1-32;  Job 33-42; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes 1-8;  2 Corinthians 3-13; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; 

NIV 2011 -- Genesis 1-5; Joshua 1-5; Psalms 1-6; Isaiah 1-5; Matthew 1-4; 

LSB Revelation 9-12

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

20. Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day

Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day. Leslie Kimmelman. Illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich. 2023. [October 24] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was Eve's first day in the Garden of Eden. Actually, it was her first day anywhere, since she was newly created. God had made her wonderfully well. Eve was not afraid of anything. She was not afraid of the wild green tangle of the garden. Not afraid of the tall leafy trees soaring up into the sky. Not afraid of the vivid, rainbow-colored flowers growing all around her, their sweet scents perfuming the air.

Eve is the star of the show in Leslie Kimmelman's light-hearted retelling of the creation story. (Note the shift from Adam and Eve to Eve and Adam. Adam perhaps should join Ken in singing "I'm Just Ken." Adam is introduced four pages into the text.) 

The main theme seems to be that Eve (and Adam) were created by God and lived fearlessly (well, mostly).  (And to give credit where credit is due, I do think that Adam and Eve were free from fear--as we know and experience fear. I do think fear is a result of sin, of the fall of creation.) 

Eve finds Adam super cute and adorable but a little lacking in imagination and intelligence. Quote from the text, "Maybe it was because Adam had been first. Eve came second, and, well, practice makes perfect." (To be fair to the author, Eve does admit she is NOT perfect two seconds after saying that she was perfect.) 

About a third of the way through the story, the pair are startled and frightened by rain, thunder, and lightning. This is the first time they've experienced fear but they turn to faith in God that all will be well...again. (I suppose theologians might have differing opinions on IF rain occurred before the Flood or not. I suppose this isn't the most critical issue one could have in the evangelical faith. [Note: when I say evangelical I do NOT mean anything related to politics.]) 

Soon one fright leads to another. Turns out ADAM is afraid of the dark. Good thing Eve isn't scared of the dark and can help calm him down. But as the darkness becomes truly darkness, even Eve becomes worried. Though not as bad as shivering Adam. The stars eventually make their appearance and the two nestle up comfy-cozy together. (The whole book presents Eve and Adam without clothes. So this nestling picture seems an odd choice. It is in some ways sweet. But in other ways, a little daring for a children's book.) 

The book ends with Eve (and Adam) declaring everything GOOD. Here is where I go from mildly perturbed to indignant. God has been an "extra" at best in this little play of creation. Definitely not front and center. The book itself has been very cutesy and light-hearted. In a way. Perhaps not a harmless way. Definitely a more pointed way. A way that makes Adam look weak, pathetic, a sidekick to Eve, her companion sure enough but not her equal. But I think the "slap in the face," if you will is when the author takes Scripture--God's declaration of creation's goodness [see Genesis 1:1-31]--and ends her story this way, "Eve and Adam saw that it was good." God barely registers as a footnote in the text. In Genesis 1 and 2, God is on the move--he is ACTIVELY creating, speaking, working, declaring. Make no mistake, any [intelligent] reading of the text reveals that God is front and center, the "main character" if you will, the whole point. This picture book pushes out the Creator and makes CREATION--specifically Eve--the focal point. 

As the title suggests, the picture book is "the first day, first night, second morning." The scene fades before Genesis 3.

I think I could be unimpressed but not particularly disgruntled if the picture book did not end with the phrase, "And Eve and Adam saw that it was good." I think it isn't so much the sentiment behind the literal words. I am 99.9% sure that Adam and Eve did look at God's creation and see goodness. It is the parroting of the biblical narrative and attributing God's declaration as originating from Eve that is unsettling. 

The book is in the difficult position. On the one hand, it isn't theologically or biblically sound enough for [some] Christians to want to share with little ones. And Adam and Eve narratives abound in Bible storybooks. This one isn't remarkable enough to be better than those. Will every Christian see this one as twisting Scripture? Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not. On the other hand, the subject matter itself--Adam, Eve, Garden of Eden, God--makes it a difficult sell to a general audience, a secular audience that may not want any hint of religion. For those wanting an Eve that more closely resembles the Barbie character from 2023's Barbie movie instead of the book of Genesis from the very Word of God, this one may be a good fit. 

Now, I will say--and I doubt anyone is still reading--that I did not dislike the artwork. I think the story is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, playful, light-hearted, fun and silly. I don't think the author truly has made a decision to play around with the truth of Scripture. It may come off as irreverent to me, but I don't assume that that was authorial intent. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

3. King James Version, World Publishing,

The Holy Bible, King James Version, Red-Letter Edition, Self-Pronouncing Text. God. 1769. 1246 pages. [Source: Bought]

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

I am hoping that this will be the only "messy" review of a Bible. Messy in that I literally read from three different physical Bibles--all the King James Version. I do typically try to read physical bibles cover to cover. I don't usually mix-and-match physical bibles. However, circumstances. I read from the RAINBOW STUDY BIBLE, the KJV Creedal Bible, and a vintage KJV published by World. I read probably fifty percent from the World one. There is NO copyright date. It is not in GoodReads or Amazon's databases. 

I love, love, love the King James Version. I especially love older editions of the King James Version. The print seems to be blacker, darker. The paper can often be nicer--better quality. The gilding of this one is red. It is double column. Words of Christ in red. Self-pronouncing text. No cross references. Separate pagination for Old and New Testaments. 954 for the Old Testament. 292 for the New Testament. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

19. The Bookends of the Christian Life

The Bookends of the Christian Life. Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. 2009. March 2009. Crossway Publishers. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Most of us have experienced the difficulty of putting books on a bookshelf without having a set of bookends to keep them in place. You know what happens.

The Bookends of the Christian Life is one of my favorite books. I've read it three times now: once in 2010, once in 2013, and once in 2024. The bookends of the Christian life are justification and sanctification. These two fundamental, essential doctrines are incredibly helpful when understanding and applying the gospel. One can understand these doctrines without knowing the doctrine's name. It's not the fancy theological terms that make the doctrine wonderful. Some may be unfamiliar with these essential doctrines, however. Sometimes gospel presentations are more on the shallow end. Sometimes one thinks, well, I've heard the gospel once...I'm saved...I don't need to spend any more time thinking or studying the gospel. But the gospel is something that we need to live in, grow in, saturate ourselves with. The gospel is relevant and timely every single day of our lives. The authors encourage readers to preach the gospel to themselves daily. The book is in some ways a thorough going over the gospel--in all its wonderful glory, both simple and complex. 

From my previous review(s):

 The Bookends of the Christian Life is a) short b) straightforward c) relevant. It is written to be understood and applied. Though the subject is theological in nature, it is PRACTICAL theology. It introduces a way of thinking about your life by introducing the notion of bookends. If you don't want your faith to be a complete mess, you need bookends for your faith. One of the bookends is the righteousness of Christ; the second bookend is the power of the Holy Spirit. The book never assumes that readers know what "the righteousness of Christ" is. Or that readers understand what "the power of the Holy Spirit" is. It does not assume that readers have a working understanding of the doctrines of justification, imputation, or sanctification. It explains essential doctrines in a friendly non-condescending way. It is very refreshing. 

The book is ALL about the gospel. But it also spends some time addressing three serious gospel enemies: self-righteousness, persistent guilt, and self-reliance. How can believers fight against these three enemies? By preaching the gospel to themselves every day. By leaning on the bookends of the faith. By relying on Christ's righteousness and the POWER of the Holy Spirit. This book is all about TRUSTING the promises of God. 

Favorite quotes:

What is the righteousness of Christ, and why do we need it as the first bookend? The word righteous in the Bible basically means perfect obedience; a righteous person is one who always does what is right. This statement assumes that there's an external, objective standard of right and wrong. That standard is the universal moral will of God as given to us throughout the Bible. It's the law of God written on every human heart. It's the standard by which each person will ultimately be judged. Our problem is that we're not righteous. (19)

We know we need a Savior, so we trust in Christ to redeem us from the curse of God's law. But though we believe we're saved as far as our eternal destiny is concerned, we may not be sure about our day-to-day standing with God. Many of us embrace a vague but very real notion that God's approval has to be earned by our conduct. We know we're saved by grace, but we believe God blesses us according to our level of perfect obedience. Consequently, our confidence that we abide in God's favor ebbs and flows according to how we gauge our performance. And since we sin every single day, this approach is ultimately discouraging and even devastating. This is exactly why we need the first bookend. (21-2)

At the cross, Jesus paid the penalty we should have paid, by enduring the wrath of God we should have endured. And this required him to do something unprecedented. It required him to provide the ultimate level of obedience--one that we'll never be asked to emulate. It required him to give up his relationship with the Father so that we could have one instead. The very thought of being torn away from the Father caused him to sweat great drops of blood. (Luke 22:44). And at the crescendo of his obedience, he screamed: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The physical pain he endured was nothing compared to the agony of being separated from the Father. In all of history, Jesus is the only human being who was truly righteous in every way; and he was righteous in ways that are truly beyond our comprehension. (23-4)

Even though in ourselves we're completely unrighteous, God counts us as righteous because he has appointed Christ to be our representative and substitute. Therefore when Christ lived a perfect life, in God's sight we lived a perfect life. When Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, we died on the cross. All that Christ did in his sinless life and his sin-bearing death, he did as our representative, so that we receive the credit for it. It's in this representative union with Christ that he presents us before the Father, "holy and blameless and above reproach." (Colossians 1:22) There's an old play on the word justified: "just-as-if-I'd never sinned." But here's another way of saying it: "just-as-if-I'd always obeyed". Both are true. The first refers to the transfer of our moral debt to Christ so we're left with a "clean" ledger, just as if we'd never sinned. The second tells us our ledger is now filled with the perfect righteousness of Christ, so it's just as if we'd always obeyed.... The news of this righteousness IS the gospel. (26)

Faith involves both a renunciation and a reliance. First, we must renounce any trust in our own performance as the basis of our acceptance before God. We trust in our own performance when we believe we've earned God's acceptance by our good works. But we also trust in our own performance when we believe we've lost God's acceptance by our bad works--by our sin. So we must renounce any consideration of either our bad works or our good works as the means of our relating to God. Second, we must place our reliance entirely on the perfect obedience and sin-bearing death of Christ as the sole basis of our standing before God--on our best days as well as our worst. (28)

Every day we must re-acknowledge the fact that there's nothing we can do to make ourselves either more acceptable to God or less acceptable. Regardless of how much we grow in  our Christian lives, we're accepted for Christ's sake or not accepted at all. (29)

There's an important lesson here for all of us. Genuine love for Christ comes through 1) an ever-growing consciousness of our own sinfulness and unworthiness, coupled with 2) the assurance that our sins, however great, have been forgiven through his death on the cross. Only love that's founded on both of these foundations can be authentic and permanent. (34)

We need to intentionally bathe our minds and hearts in the gospel every day. (40)

Self-righteousness turns grace on its head because it views the sinner as deserving God's blessings rather than as undeserving. (43)

To the very end John Newton remembered both his sin and the gospel. On his deathbed at age eighty-two, he said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior." (59)

Thomas Wilcox put it like this: "The gospel is for sinners, and only for sinners." (68)

But it's not enough to merely see the righteousness of Christ as all-sufficient; we must see it as all-sufficient for us. Jesus was perfectly obedient in our place, as our substitute. Have we lacked purity? Jesus was pure in our place. Have we lacked patience? Jesus was patient in our place. In every area we see failure and sin, Jesus was successful at providing a perfect obedience that's credited to us. Whenever we see Christ's righteousness as all-sufficient for us, shifting our dependence to it should be almost irresistible. (70)

Although all of God's blessings are in Christ, they're distributed and applied to us by the Holy Spirit. (83)

As we look to the Spirit to work in us and enable us to work, we should realize that he uses various spiritual instruments, often called the "means of grace." They're the means by which we're "strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus."... We have a responsibility to respond to each means of grace the Spirit provides. We're to participate in using them to our spiritual advantage. The term spiritual disciplines is used to describe this process and to emphasize our responsibility. Through practicing the spiritual disciplines, we avail ourselves of the means of grace.... the disciplines themselves are not the source of spiritual power. Only the Holy Spirit is. The disciplines are his instruments to transmit his power. (99)

The Holy Spirit uses our growing appetite for enjoying our relationship with God as a powerful encouragement in our battle against sin... When we enjoy God more than sin, we give him an even deeper level of glorifying love, a level he alone deserves.  (117)

Just as by nature we assume we earn our salvation by our good works, so by nature we assume we grow spiritually by our own effort and willpower. What's wrong with this kind of self-reliance? Everything. (125)

John Stott described the best place to find the basis for such humility: "Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves...until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there at the foot of the cross that we shrink to our true size. (143)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible