Musings by Melissa

Ah, what a topic, huh?  But you know, if your feet aren’t happy, chances are you aren’t happy either!  It’s irritating to have a small sore on your foot and have to stand on it all day while at work.  When I was in the workforce (before becoming employeed FULL-time with the birth of our oldest), I spent most of my time at a desk, so good footware wasn’t essential, but my husband spends most of his workday on his feet.  So, we tend to spend a bit more and search a bit more diligently for good shoes.

When he was teaching, he liked his Rockports.  They lasted a long time, but after being mended a couple times, they finally gave up the ghost.  So, when this happened, (about two years ago) we went shoe shopping.  This time he got two pairs of shoes.  I believe one of the pair was still Rockports, but I think the other pair is from Clarks shoes.  With two pairs of good shoes, he can alternate between the two pairs, and this is supposed to help them last longer.  (And if one pair needs to go in for repairs, he still has another pair to wear!)  So far, this strategy has been working well.  I just checked the pair of shoes he’s not wearing today, and they’re in great shape.

So, yes, we paid a bit more initially for two pairs of good shoes, but they have lasted him a long time already.  And by alternating the pairs, they should last for a lot longer.  Not only did the price pay for itself by not having to purchase more pairs of cheaper shoes, but I have a happy husband because his feet don’t hurt.  And that is PRICELESS!  ~grin~

Last night I decided to take a soak in the tub, and while I was enjoying the warm water, I finished “Why Won’t the Listen?” by Ken Ham.  Ken Ham is the founder and president of Answers in Genesis, which opened the Creation Museum near Cincinnatti just over a year ago.  He was one of the speakers at the Defending Your Faith in Secular America conference that Wayne and I attended in Branson this past summer.  In fact, this book was one of many that we purchased while we were at the conference.  (Can’t beat those conference prices when it comes to books!)  One of the presentations given by Ken Ham at the conference covered the same material that is in this book.  However, reading it as a review was definitely a good idea for me.

“Why Won’t They Listen?” is about witnessing methods.  I guess that’s how I’d say it.  He starts out by comparing Acts 2 and Acts 17.  When Peter speaks in Acts 2, the result is a tremendous response.  Why?  When Paul speaks in Acts 17 in the Areopagus, the result is minimal.  Why?

Ken boils it down to the fact that in chapter two the people were Jews and in chapter 17 they were Greeks.  The Jews knew the law.  They knew about sin and sacrifice.  They had a solid foundation already in place.  When Peter came in, the Holy Spirit basically connected the dots and put everything into proper perspective for them.

However, in Acts 17, Paul was preaching to the Greeks.  The thing I remember most about this chapter is the altar entitled, “To the Unknown God.”  Anyway, these people did not have the proper foundation.  They had nothing to build on.  Not that the Holy Spirit can’t work in such circumstances!  Ken used the illustration of the sower and the seed.  When Peter spoke to the Jews, he was sowing seed on ground that was ready for planting, but when Paul spoke to the Greeks, he was attempting to sow seed on hard ground. 

When we’re in a circumstance like Paul was in, we need to work the ground.  We need to be able to defend what we believe about the Bible, about God, about Jesus, about sin, about Calvary.  Ken went on to say that our society is not “Jewish” but “Greek.”  To believers I’m sure that comes as no surprise!  The transformation has occurred slowly over the last 100 years.  That’s why crusades in the past could be used to convert large numbers of people.  Typically that’s not the case today.  Why?  Because 75 years ago (or so) prayer and Bible reading were still a part of public school.  Even though all the students weren’t Christian, they had a solid foundation.  In other words, the soil of their lives was ripe for someone to plant seeds.

But today, having removed the Bible and prayer from schooling and having replaced it with evolutionary teaching that denys the truth of the very beginning of the Bible (God created), what are we left with?  Students who don’t have any Biblical foundation at all.  Students whose foundation is not only “not Biblical” but in actuality completely opposed to God.

So, what are believers to glean from all this?  Know the background of the person with whom you are sharing Christ.  Does this person have a Biblical foundation, even though they may or may not know it?  Or does this person have a foundation of evolution/humanism?  (Be aware that church attendance does not at all guarantee a Biblical foundation!)  Knowing what foundation they have is important for establishing a starting point.  It also is important because if they have a foundation of evolution/humanism, they will likely need to hear the truth many times before they can accept it.  Holes need to be punched in their foundation while your foundation needs to be proved.

Take heart.  With God all things are possible.  Whether that be learning to defend your faith or whether that be understanding the issues.  Lean on Him.  He will never let the righteous fall.

I don’t like to write a review as soon as I get something new because, well, “time will tell.”  If in 6 months or a year I am still pleased (or displeased) with something, that carries a lot more weight than an impression made within the first few days of getting something new.

And so, I feel qualified to write a review for “The Narrated Bible: In Chronological Order.”  I have the New International Version, narrated by F LaGard Smith, published by Harvest House.

I started reading this Bible in January of this year.  It’s now August, and I’m still reading it faithfully.  That means a lot to me.  The print is a nice size for my 38-year-old eyes, and the pages aren’t parchment thin.  They’re a bit more durable than other Bibles on the market.

One of the features I like about this Bible is that every verse does not have a number with it.  For example, in the margin, it will say Jer. 32:36-41.  But those verses are written in paragraph form, without the numbers 36, 27, 28, 29, 40, and 41 breaking up the text.  I didn’t think I’d like this very much, but it makes it much smoother to read.

I didn’t think I’d enjoy the narration either, but I do.  Before every major section, there will be a short man-written blurb about what will be taking place, along with any significant details that shouldn’t be overlooked.  There’s just enough of these to be beneficial without being overwhelming.

In the back of the Bible is a chart so I can pace myself to read through this entire Bible in one year.  That’s helpful as well.

So, what’s different about a “chronological” Bible as opposed to a regular Bible?  Well, a chronological Bible has all the passages from a regular Bible, but it puts them in the order in which they happened.  For example, most of the Psalms are written by David.  But David lived during the time of 1-2 Samuel.  So, it puts the Psalms in with David instead of coming along much later.

I have enjoyed getting to know the prophets and the kings better.  In my “regular” Bible, the storyline was continually back and forth, and it quickly got quite confusing.  In my chronological Bible, the storyline remains constant, allowing me to better understand the chain of events and the reasons why certain things happened.

One drawback of a chronological Bible is that it takes more time to find a particular passage.  For example, if someone wanted me to turn to Hosea 13:4, I can’t just look for the book ahead of Joel.  I’d have to look in the index in the back of the Bible and figure out which page it’s on.  Not a big deal, but you definitely wouldn’t want to use it for a Bible drill!

I am thoroughly enjoying reading through my chronological Bible.  If you’ve never tried reading through one, try it.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much better things flow.

Just as a note… I got mine on ebay for about $10.

Who?!?  That’s how most people respond when I tell them that one of my favorite speakers is Voddie (pronounced v-oh-dee) Baucham.  We first became acquainted with Voddie when we acquired one of his CDs.  It was an eye-opening, convicting listen.  Then he was a speaker at a conference we attended.  Again, more opening of the eyes and convicting of the heart.

www.voddiebaucham.org is his website.  And if you click on podcast and then on archive, you’ll see some of his messages.  Take a listen.  See if God doesn’t speak to you.

I heard a new song the other day.  At least it was new to me!  It’s called “Speak, O Lord” and it’s by Keith and Krystyn Getty.  I find myself humming it throughout the day.  I love the piano part, and the words are beautiful:

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You

To receive the food of Your Holy Word.

Take Your truth; plant it deep in us;

Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,

That the light of Christ might be seen today

In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.

Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us

All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,

Holy reverence, true humility;

Test our thoughts and our attitudes

In the radiance of Your purity.

Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see

Your majestic love and authority.

Words of power that can never fail–

Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;

Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us–

Truths unchanged from the dawn of time

That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises.

And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.

Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built

And the earth is filled with Your glory.

Take a listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsQ-gMkOSok&feature=related

A year and a half ago I was given some money and told to purchase a Christmas gift for myself.  Hmmm …  What would I get?  I had fun considering my options …  would I pick something just for me, a bit of an indulgence?  or would I pick something practical?

Well, being the practical person that I am, I decided to replace my worn-out pans.  Having been married for about 14 years, I had completely worn out two sets of pans, and I was getting tired of replacing pans every 7 years.  Of course, I do use them daily, so they get quite a workout at my house.  But still …

I did a lot of research, and I settled on a set of Cuisinart Pans.  I don’t recall exactly what I paid for them, but it was around $125. 

The pans I chose were stainless steel.  I worried a bit about that because I was used to teflon.  But like I said, I was getting tired of eating teflon every time I cooked with those old pans. 

Well, I LOVE my new pans.  If I’d take the time to dry them after I wash them, they’d look as new as the day I got them in the mail!  The only exception is that my husband used a metal whisk in one and scratched the bottom.  Other than that, there are no scratches.  (I use only wood, bamboo, or plastic utinsels in them.)

One hint I learned, and I think this has helped me a lot is to never heat a pan on high.  The highest I ever use now is 5.  (Maybe this would have helped my teflon pans last longer.)  Yes, it takes a bit longer to boil water, but things tend not to stick.  And if they do, clean up is a breeze.  I thought I’d spend a considerable amount of time every night scrubbing pans, but I don’t.

If my house burned down and I had to purchase pans again, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase these pans again.  But because they are in “like-new” condition, I don’t anticipate ever buying pans again.