A few thoughts on studying the Bible.

I had an occasion, recently, to enter into a theological discussion about a "hot topic" in some of the more conservative churches. I have no intention in getting into the meat of the matter here, but I did come to some interesting conclusions.

First of all, we make a lot of assumptions. We assume the translations are accurate. We assume that what we are taught is right. And we assume we understand everything. We tend to let things we're taught go without challenging them, or without finding out for ourselves. We get confortable with what we understand and resist being unsettled.

So this discussion I mentioned before, it unsettled me. It challenged a my understanding of the Bible in a way I'd never been challenged before. My reaction? Find out the truth for myself by going back to the source, in it's original form in as much as I can. The problem is, the original form of the New Testament is Ancient Greek, which I've never studied. HOWEVER, I just discovered a fantastic resource available online, that does just that - it takes each and every word from the Bible back to it's original Greek or Hebrew origins. Not only that but each word is linked to its reference in Strong's Concordance; AND it also shows the passage in comparison with the various English translations. In case you're wondering, the website I'm referring to is: bible.cc. If you're the Bible-studying type, you'll want to check it out!

While I realise it's incredibly geeky to confess that I've spent hours doing this kind of study lately, I'm not ashamed to admit that it's been incredibly rewarding. If there's ambiguity in the translation, the original text can provide some clarity. This kind of study is really much richer and deepr than I had ever expected. I've learned so much! For example, in many cases, the gender-neutral pronoun used in the original text is replaced by masculine pronouns by Bible translators. Or, when a pronoun could have more than one meaning (gender-neutral or masculine), masculine becomes the default for translators. Interesting, eh? Ha. Or maybe it's not interesting at all. But it certainly has been enlightening for me.

The resources we have at our disposal in these post-modern times is unfathomable. And it's all at our finger-tips! We should consider ouselves privleged not only to have access to these reources, but also to have the freedom to use them.
...And that will be the final conclusion I leave you with tonight.

It's music monday!

So much for my plans to have a handmade Christmas this year. I have been so busy that I've not spent any time at all on my knitting, and so have nothing to present to family and friends for Christmas. I do have a plan to make something for my Little, but that will be the best I can do this year.

And what has been keeping me so busy? Conference planning. That's what. Phew! It's a big job but I have a great team helping me and it'll all be worth it when it's all said and done.

What else? Well, I had a little fun too.

Last week a friend from work had 2 tickets to the Rose Cousins CD Release in Halifax, and I happened to be the lucky recipient of the the 2nd ticket! We had 2nd row seats and were treated to a fabulous concert. I've listened to Rose Cousins on CBC Radio 3 (and she gets played frequently on CBC Radio 1, too), so I knew I'd enjoy her music. I will say this, the entertainment isn't just in the music; Rose Cousins has a great stage presence and knows how to get the crowd in stitches. She's quite the entertainer. Oh, and of course her new CD is fantastic! Buy it as soon as it becomes available! Afterall singer/songwriters need nice shoes too.


The opening act was also a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't as familiar with Royal Wood as I was with Rose Cousins, though I know now that I've heard his music on CBC Radio 3 fairly often (I just couldn't put a name to the music). But I came out of the concert with both in my head, and CDs from both artists in hand. You should buy his CD/s too. Now my biggest problem is deciding which to listen to!

In the meantime, while you're waiting to get the CD, go to CBC Radio 3 and add their music to your playlist. They're so delightful!

And since I'm on the topic of music, I thought I'd share this with you:
Yes, yes, I was one of the many who waited in line for a looong time to get Anne Murray to autograph her new book for my grandmother. Now, I'm not much of a fan, though I do appreciate her music and find her quite easy to listen to. Afterall, she is a Canadian music icon who helped to put Canada on the music map. So, all in all, this was an errand I did not mind doing for my grandmother. And, though I was completely unprepared for the signing (no knitting to keep myself occupied during the long wait, and no camera document the occasion), the woman next in line kindly offered to take a photo and email me a copy (turns out she knows folks at my workplace). So here it is, evidence that I'll do just about anything for my grandparents...and came within 2 feet of a Canadian icon. ;)

I've spent far too much money on music lately. Between concerts and CDs (I also picked up another kids CD to mix it up a little in the car with the Little; and in Toronto I found a Taize CD that's alright, but not quite what I was hoping for). I will stop music shopping for now, and instead start compiling a list of CDs for my Christmas wishlist.



Hmmm... In the time that it took for me to write this, I've eaten about 7 clementines. Is that too many? Sigh. I'm fighting something, so perhaps I can hope it's not too late to up my Vitamin C and kick the bug! By the way, Clementines are on sale at Sobeys - $3.97 for a 4lb crate! Go buy some!