Category: Faith & life

Driving with the Bible

February 9, 2024

One of the things I have been doing over the past year is listening to the Bible as I drive to and from school. I live 110km from my school I work at, so I have to find things to keep me entertained on the 75 minute drive.

I have listened to all of the New Testament in the last year and I am on my second go. The other day on my drive home I listened to Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. I turned on Galatians as I left school and as I drove down my street I finished Colossians.

Recently as I was driving it really hit me afresh that all of these books are actually letters that were read out to the churches at the time. Not everyone could read or write, but they could all listen and take it in. So in a way I am hearing the text just like the people 2000 years ago.

I actually use the YouVersion Bible app as it connects via Bluetooth to my car sound system. I set it up before I leave and I can put my phone in the glovebox, so I am not tempted to look at it while driving. We have big fines for this where I live and it is not safe too!

Next time you are going on a longer drive I would encourage you to give it a go. It is a great way to be filled up on God’s Word and renew your mind as you drive.

Just before I finish I need to make comment on the beautiful red Corvette Stingray pictured above. Yes it is me, but no it is not my car sadly. Someone drove through town and I got talking to them. He asked if I wanted to have a photo in it. I jumped at the chance!

Most important invention?

February 8, 2024

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

This is a tough one to answer. As I am in my mid fifties I have seen some pretty cool new inventions in my lifetime. It is a close run race for me.

1. The home computer – I can remember only using a mainframe computer at work and the introduction of personal computers at work. That was a really big change, but the biggest change was having a home computer. You could create and save new documents. It made study so much easier.

2. The mobile phone – I remember only having a work phone number and a home number. If you were out and about and you had to make a call, you had to find a phone box. We only got a “family” mobile phone when my wife was pregnant. Whoever left the house took the phone. Now most people have their own they take everywhere.

3. The internet – Although this was first used in the early 1970s for scientists, I never used it until the mid 1990s. I used it for research at work, then a few years later I worked as a Webmaster for 10 years. This changed my life and paid my house off! There is hardly a day goes by that I do not use the net for something. Usually 100 times a day!

So if I had to pick one of the above three things, I would have to say the internet. It has changed everything we do. We pay bills, check our bank balance, the weather, sports scores and we communicate with those we love. We can also research just about anything. So yes, it would be the Internet for me…but just by a tiny margin.

Side by side comparison

February 4, 2024

One of the things I was taught to do at Bible college is to use side by side comparisons of biblical texts. This can be especially helpful if you are unsure of what the text is saying or you need clarification.

In the above example I have John 3:3 open in five different translations. It talks about being born again to enter God’s Kingdom but it uses slightly different wordings.

In years gone by I had to do this manually with seperate Bibles. I would go to the library at Bible college and get out a number of versions. If I was at a Bible study I would ask friends to read their versions out to compare them.

These days it is a lot easier with programs like e-Sword (pictured above) and Logos, you can just open them and easily compare them. I generally use a plain English version, a literal word for word translation, a paraphrase idea for idea translation and a devotional translation.

Using this variety sometimes helps us to understand the text and what it is saying. It gives us a wider view of things and broadens our understanding. This helps us to apply God’s Word to our hearts and our lives.

My original Bible

February 2, 2024

This year I have decided to go back to my original Bible. It was a hard cover Good New Bible. I must say that when I say my original Bible, I do not mean my first Bible, but my main first one that I used most.

I remember I got it on holiday when I was visiting my sister in Queensland. We went to her local Christian store and I looked for about half an hour until I made my choice.

We then went back her house and we put the Bible tabs on it. It seemed like it took hours to do, but it was probably not that long. It did not matter anyway as we talked a lot.

I chose a Good News Bible as it was very simple and plain English. I was not a big reader so it was perfect for me. I probably used it for the first five years of being a Christian.

It is funny how when I picked it up again recently it felt so familiar. It felt good in my hands and the pages opened nicely to my favourite passages. In many ways it feels like meeting an old friend again.

Over the years I have used a variety of translations. I started with the Good News, went to the New International Version at Bible college, then changed to New Living Translation for my devotions. I found I had so many verses memorised in the NIV that I was not reading the text deeply enough.

So why the change back to the GNB? I guess just for a change. It is nice to switch things up every now and then to give you a fresh perspective. It is very similar to the NLT, but different enough to make me read closely.

If you are interested here is some information about the translation style from their website…

“The Good News Translation (GNT), formerly called the Good News Bible or Today’s English Version, was first published as a full Bible in 1976 by the American Bible Society as a “common language” Bible. It is a clear and simple modern translation that is faithful to the original Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Aramaic texts.

This Bible uses simple everyday language and vocabulary shared by everyone regardless of age or background. The “dynamic equivalence” in translation communicates the meaning and style of the original in a unique way.”

Hear God’s voice

January 30, 2024

One of devotions I do regularly is The Word for Today. Todays one was about hearing God’s voice. I thought I would share it…

Hear God’s voice

‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.’ Revelation 2:11 NKJV

You can read the same Scripture on different occasions, and it will speak to you in totally different ways. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is attributed with saying, ‘You never step into the same river twice.’ And you never read the same Bible verse the same way twice. That is a testament to its heavenly author. And His illumination is based on His intimate and unlimited knowledge of your circumstances, your desires, your fears, your past, your personality, and your destiny. But you must take time to listen and cultivate your sensitivity to what He is saying. The story is told of a music trainer hired to work with opera singers who could not hit certain notes even though they fell within their vocal range. It was a musical mystery. The trainer did extensive testing on their vocal cords, but he couldn’t find any reason why they couldn’t hit those notes. Then, on a whim, he tested their hearing. And what he discovered was that these opera singers could not sing a note they could not hear. The problem wasn’t singing. The problem was hearing. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.’ (Revelation 2:11 NKJV) Until you hear the voice of God, you won’t be able to sing His song. Why? Because you’re out of tune. That’s how we get trapped in sinful lifestyles and negative cycles and destructive patterns. But when you open up the Bible and truly hear the voice of God – His loving voice, His affirming voice, His graceful voice, His convicting voice, His authoritative voice, His powerful voice – your life begins to harmonise with the Holy Spirit.