"The Voice"

A post on Emergent Village's blog this evening announces the publication of a new Bible translation: the Voice. Here's what Thomas Nelson says about it:

The Voice represents a collaboration of historians, poets, storytellers and songwriters which provides a true interpretation of the traditional Bible text while including historical and cultural expansions of the story. With additional background on setting and characters, the project’s screenplay-like format is ideal for group studies and dramatizations, and the inserted devotional commentary will further help readers understand the context of the biblical story.

About 40 different authors are believed to have been inspired by God to write the Scriptures. The Voice retains the perspective of the human writers. Most English translations attempt to even out the styles of the different authors in sentence structure and vocabulary. Instead, The Voice distinguishes the uniqueness of each author. The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works while remaining true to the original manuscripts.

What's especially interesting is the group of authors chosen to "write" the books. Brian McClaren, Chris Seay, and Donald Miller, all of whom have publicly questioned the truth and authority of the Scriptures are involved.

How does that work?

Memory troubles

I'm really trying to work hard on Scripture memory. Between age and learning a second language (which pushes out everything else you've ever learned), it's not easy. Fortunately, this weeks passage is Proverbs 3:5-6 -- a standard for our family. This gives me another week to work on last week's passage!

Seriously, God is blessing me as I reflect on these passages. These next weeks are busy with new personnel arriving, a visit from one of our IMB trustees, a training workshop in London, and reading for my spring seminars.

Lord, give me straight paths!

Application of yesterday's post

Because of the conviction associated with yesterday's post, I've added a weekly Bible memory passage from ESV to the right sidebar. To see the entire list of verses for the year, go here.

The "M" word

We spend a fair amount of time around here talking, or hearing about, the "m" word. We talk to our kids about the "m" word we often hear on TV or in conversation. It's often translated as a word you'd never hear a believer say in the US, but is much more common over here. Another "m" word we hear about is the one that describes our job. Many of our colleagues cannot, or will not, refer to themselves except as "m"s (instead of as missionaries). It's really not a bad idea around here.

This morning, though, I was reminded of another "m" word -- one I've not ever had much fondness for. Donald Whitney, in Spiritual Disciplines, starts his discussion of practices for the Christian life with "Bible intake." He does a great job talking about Bible reading, Bible hearing, Bible study, and Bible application. But then comes the "m" word.

Memorization.

It's a word that strikes fear in my heart. Why? Because I've never been very good at it for one thing. It brings back too many memories of poems in middle school and the first few lines of Beowulf much later. Kids in France memorize like crazy: songs, poems, stories, grammar rules. We didn't do that much, so I'm not too good at it.

Dr. Whitney, though, reminds me of why I need to try harder. He points out that memorizing Scripture keeps it ready at my fingertips to strengthen my faith, to aid my witnessing, and to foster meditation. Memorizing Scripture is a mental exercise that makes us better able to share from God's word at critical moments that might pass while I'm frantically trying to find a verse I know is there. In our context, memorizing the key passages of the Good News of Christ helps me tell the greatest of all stories with authority. At one point, Whitney asks whether we would work harder at memorizing Scripture if someone offered us a thousand dollars for each verse. Ouch.

My wife, Melanie, grew up going to Bible Drill, where she memorized the books of the Bible and key passages. She still remembers those and they have a tremendous impact on our lives. For her, God's Word truly is a "lamp to her feet." One of my colleagues is a fantastic memorizer of Scripture. He is a powerful man of prayer and the Word. I love being with him because he always has the Bible on his lips.

God give me an insatiable hunger for your Word. Write it on my heart and bring it to my mind.