MY FAVORITES

     God has given me many wonderful friends.  You, the reader, are probably one of those friends or, perhaps, you landed on this blog and know little or nothing about me.  You have probably noticed that I have not done a profile.  Sometimes a friend will ask me what my favorite this or that is.  Here are some favorites.
     Translation of the Bible:  The original New International Version of 1978.  The most thorough and largest effort ever at bringing Scripture into the English language.  One hundred and five highly qualified translators from many denominations, plus reviewers for style (like the late Elisabeth Elliot) with multiple cross checks of each others' work.  It was well on the way to being the commonly used Bible in the English speaking world until the Committee on Bible Translation, that controls the text, gradually sabotaged it.  No one seems to have told them "don't fix something if it is not broken".  The changes to the text in 1984 were, fortunately, comparatively few.  But by 2011 the Committee made radical changes, some of them justified of course, but confidence in the newest NIV was less and less.  Evangelicals in droves went to the ESV and so we are deeper than ever into disunity on the wording of Scripture.  ALL CHANGES IN THE NIV SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN THE FOOTNOTES AND THE TEXT OF 1978 SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT ALONE FOR AT LEAST FIVE GENERATIONS WITH NO MORE THAN ONE ONE HUNDREDTH OF ONE PERCENT CHANGE IN THE TEXT IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS!!!!!!  (More on this another day.)


      Commentary on the whole Bible:  The Expositors Bible Commentary;  Editor - Frank Gaebelein;  12 volumes;  based on the NIV text and many of the contributors were also NIV translators;  published one volume at a time from 1979-1992.  Once again, someone cannot leave a good thing alone and I understand the publishers have been tinkering with this also.  Buy the original.


     Food:  I enjoy a great variety.  I love good fish, salads, fresh fruits and vegetables.  An apple a day is shear joy.  I would rather have good breads (French, rye, etc.) than cakes.  But I like my cake without frosting unless it is chocolate and that not too often.


     Recreation, sports, etc.:  I love being in the woods and fields.  I grew up doing a lot of hunting - fox hunting with a good hound on fresh fallen snow was my favorite.  I enjoy hunting now only when it is with a friend or friends.  I regularly enjoy loading ammunition and going back to the range and test firing loads for accuracy.  The word for "sin" in the original text of Scripture is derived from a word meaning "to miss the mark".  Shooting at paper bulls eyes reminds me to 'hit the mark' in doing the will of God.  I have little interest in most spectator sports.  I often say, only half jokingly, I would rather watch paint dry.


     Music:  On one end of the spectrum - Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven.  On the other end of the spectrum - bluegrass.  Readers of my Facebook posts know that I have taken up playing the organ again after about a half century away from it.  Talk about being rusty!  In praise and worship music I am partial to orchestras and choirs with bold, majestic sounds whether the praise music is old or new.   Greatest choral music ever - "Messiah" by Handel.  Greatest instrumental music ever - Symphony No. 5 by L. Beethoven.   Greatest organ composition ever - Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J.S. Bach.  It became even more glorious when it was scored for orchestra in the Disney movie "Fantasia".   Best bluegrass - "Orange Blossom Special".


     Books:  Those of an historical nature - Billy Graham's autobiography, "Just As I Am" and David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman ("Truman") for example, because much that is in books like that happened in my lifetime.  Generally, I want to know as much history as I can, even that which some consider trivial, because it is much more interesting than fiction and because I use it to try to make teaching/preaching the Scriptures as interesting as I possibly can.  The same applies to movies and T.V.  I much prefer documentaries or at least docudramas that are accurate.  For the most part I detest watching actors act.


     Cars and trucks:  Several decades ago I would have said anything Mopar (Chrysler products).   Up until the 70's Chrysler engines and transmissions ruled.  Now, I will take Toyota, thank you.  I think Toyota is now what Chrysler was in quality 50 years ago.


     Favorite Christian speakers/teachers now living:  William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, John Lennox and Hugh Ross.  (Three apologists and one scientist).   Least favorite Christian speakers/writers:  Sorry!  My time is up.  Got to go.  Blessings.