Isn’t it strange how things happen sometimes? I posted about Red Letter Days on January 9th, and then again two days later, after Kath’s email reminding me of Red Letter Bibles. On Friday Bob had a visitor who brought a gift for us. This gentleman’s mother died last year [she was a member of our Ladies Fellowship] and he has been making regular visits to the village to clear her house prior to its sale. It is now cleared, and sold, and the local Hospice has benefitted greatly from his generosity – but he came round to bring us her Bible. He didn’t want to just send that to the Charity Shop.
I am aware that many people are not keen on using versions such as the NLT, or The Message, because they are paraphrases rather than translations. For myself, particularly when preparing sermons, I usually use the NIV as I feel it is the translation I get on with best. I sometimes, go back to the old KJV. Bob uses that one too [but he also has the skills to read scripture in the original Greek and Hebrew] However I do like to read different modern translations and paraphrases now and then just to hear a familiar passage with a fresh ear, perhaps in slightly more ‘contemporary’ language. But certainly I wouldn’t use them as a basis for my theology.
But what I was really excited about is that this really is a Red Letter Bible! How cool is that? And it arrived within a week of my wondering about what had happened to my Nana’s RLB.
Bob has just started a sermon series on Colossians and last Sunday he set us three challenges
- To pray for him as he prepares the sermons, and for all those who will hear them.
- To read through the book of Colossians every week during the series [it only takes 5 minutes or so] so that we are familiar with the passages he is preaching about
- To write down any questions we might have about the epistle.
This morning, before I go to church, I shall read through Paul’s letter in the new Bible. [I’ve done #1, and #3 may follow later]
I like the ESV best but I really like the Message version too and so I am reading through it as a book and I really like the fresh take on some of the language- it makes me understand some bits I often get a bit puzzled over!
ReplyDeleteI now have a bible app on my phone which is great!
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I use a lot of different translations, and now seem to use Bible Gateway at least as often as any of my hard copy ones. For church and for general looking up around the house I have a red letter, large print NLT. For devotional reading and for a different take on things I have a message version (which stands on the back of my desk). For study I tend to use the NIV and still have the study version my parents got me when I was at uni. I also like to use the RSV for comparison when looking at serious study.
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