King James: 400 years old but is he still the "only one"?

I was ruminating with my dad today about Bibles. A while back he introduced me to a neat website you can check out here which led to our discussion. He asked if I have a translation of choice and in thinking about it I realized that I really do not. I grew up on the New International Version and so a lot of the verses I have memorized are that translation though I do not tend to read that one much anymore. I sometimes prefer my New Living Translation, sometimes I want to read my New King James and other times I wish I had a New American Standard because I enjoy that when looking up certain text online. I do however have a translation I DO NOT prefer and in fact, it tends to turn me off. That is the old King James. I believe the reason for the King James Bible at the time was great. He wanted the common man to be able to read The Word in the language of the people. What has always bothered me as an adult is the great "hanging onto", so to speak, of this translation. King James wanted the Bible to be read AND understood by the common person and we do not speak the same way as they did 400 years ago. Therefore why do so many adhere to this translation as "the only one"?
I also must defer to Jesus on this point because, of course, His opinion on the subject is really the most important. Did He say anything that I could relate to this matter? Did He do anything that causes me to believe He may just agree with me on this point? Let me see what I can find. . .

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15.1-3 NASB

To me this is a wonderful example of the "hanging onto" of the King James Bible. If we are so bent on not allowing a modern translation to be used by our pastor, church or congregation for the sake of tradition that we alienate people who do not understand the language how are we following the command of the Great Commission?

What else might Jesus say that relates to this subject?

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22.34-40 NASB

To me this relates in that He is explaining what is most important. More important than what translation we read, what type of music we sing, whether the sermon is topical, expository or a bit of both. What is important is that we allow ourselves to be tools of Christ's love in order to reach the lost of the world. If that means putting our King James Bible aside and pulling out our New Living Translation to be better understood by one who has never read the Bible how can this be a bad thing?! I have heard the arguments that Bible translations have been "watered down" and "meanings get changed". I think that is all a bunch of nonsense, if the Holy Spirit is working we could really be reading (please read with exaggeration and humor) Dr. Seuss and the person would be hearing about Jesus and His love. I am not suggesting we be foolish but instead that we have already been foolish in the "hanging onto" of the old King James. Of course, this Bible had it's place in our history and it was and is a wonderful thing but we must be reasonable and practical, as well. It is not the only Bible that has been God-breathed:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
II Timothy 3.16 NASB

*On another note regarding Bibles in general I highly recommend this particular entry from the aforementioned blog.

Alas, not another list but. . .

just some books worth mentioning I am reading.


I am currently reading Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand and I recommend it to anyone and everyone! I can not believe it sat on my shelf for so long.

"I had the grace to be one of the chosen of God for reasons that I don't understand. These reasons had nothing to do with my character because [it] was very bad."

". . .after having seen the Bride of Christ in prison, I . . .love the Underground Church almost as much as I love Christ Himself. I have seen her beauty, her spirit of sacrifice."
~Richard Wurmbrand

Here is a link to the Voice of the Martyrs website where you can actually request a free copy and explore and support the outreach the Underground Church is doing.

I am also currently reading My Utmost for His Highest. Another classic that I have never read completely. I have picked it up here and there and just read some entries but I have now started from the beginning. It is interesting, I am only on day five and it already seems like several people might have written it and not just one. I have already been uplifted and yet also questioned one passage. I have decided to read five passages every day, a new one and the previous four. It helps me digest them better and already I am finding new things in each passage as I re-read it.
Here are some examples of things that have struck me so far. I pray that I may be able to heed Mr. Chambers words as I pray I continue to grow in the knowledge, grace and love of Christ.

Here is a link to a blog about Oswald Chambers and it includes devotionals.


"Let the attitude of the life be a continual 'going out' in dependance upon God, and your life will have an ineffable charm about it which is a satisfaction to Jesus."

"When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move." ~Oswald Chambers

Book List #7

So, this only includes books that were banned in the United States at some point. I am sure I have read a hundred books banned in other countries. Freedom makes our country great!

Top ten banned books I have read

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
5. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
8. One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
9. The Witches by Roald Dahl
10. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

disclaimer: You may be surprised by what I agree with when it comes to banned books. I do not believe in banned books overall but I believe there are certain exceptions. Hear me out for a minute, if something is against the law for moral reasons ( I am pretty much thinking pedophilia here and not much else ) then by all means ban the book that condones or even praises it. As for subjects like witchcraft, sex, adultery, homosexuality, murder, etc. do you know they all exist in the Bible?! We all know that there have been many instances of Christian books being persecuted against because they "offended somebody". One thing I find funny are the fantasy books by Christian authors ie. Narnia, LOTR, etc. that go both ways, so to speak! I know people exist who will NOT let their children read these books because they have witches/ warlocks in them! I do not necessarily think that parents do not talk to their children about these books, I think it is more a lack of understanding on their part and so they are afraid to do anything but shelter the kids. I have already read all the Narnia books to my 4 year old and he loves them. I will always censor what my own child reads to make sure it is age appropriate and that includes the Bible. I already have removed some of his books for when he is older after they gave him nightmares or I looked at them again and realized he just wasn't old enough to process some of the things in them. It is not always a morality issue either, it all depends on your child. A child who has a fear of bugs would either want to learn more about them to help get rid of the fear or if he is just too afraid you take those books away and work on it later. My point is, it is up to us as parents to censor what our children read. It is not up to the government or whomever.
Happy reading!

Book List Nommer Ses

Top ten ethics/apologetic non-fiction books other than the Bible

1. Mere Christianity by c.s. Lewis (book changed my life so it may show up alot)
2. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
3. What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
4. Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren F. Winner
5. Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman
6. Pensees by Blaise Pascal
7. Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias
8. My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers
9. The Question of God: Lewis/Freud Debate. . . by Armand Nicholi
10. Walking On Water by Madeleine L'Engle

Recent reads

Not a true top ten list just some books I have recently read.
WARNING: these are mainly light reading; I'm talking cottonball, cotton candy, marshmallow light. Sometimes a person needs that amongst the heavy stuff and lately I have been in SPECIAL need of a really good laugh. As you can see I went from some not funny into the funny and now I am back to a NF (non-fiction) about U2. Some of these may end up on lists later. You never know!

~Split Ends by Kristin Billerbeck
~Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
~The Undomestic Goddess by Kinsella (a re-read b.c it is really, darn funny!)
~The Covenant by Beverly Lewis (not funny) I was really surprised that this women was not as bad a writer as I expected.
~Real Sex: the Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren F. Winner (NF)
~Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (not funny)
~The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter (NF)
~Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (NF) This book has A LOT of spoilers so if you want to read the books she is analyzing do not read this first!

Book List Nummer Zes

So I am sticking with the children's book theme. This list will be. . .

Top ten children's storybooks I have discovered since being a mommy

1. One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
2. Olivia/Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer (This one's a toss-up)
3. A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce
4. Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty
5. A Boy Wants a Dinosaur by Hiawyn Oram
6. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
7. Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
8. Sleepyhead by Karma Wilson
9. McDuff & Yoko series by Rosemary Wells (I know, I'm cheating but it's MY list)
10. God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren



This was a hard list to narrow down. We love most of the books by all of these authors as well as so many more. I tried to choose based on both story and illustration. I could probably do a top twenty list. Maybe next time. I will do a classic storybook list later, maybe that one will be a top twenty. . .
I would really, really love feedback on this one with books you love reading to your kiddos.
The top illustration is from Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

Book List Líon na cúig

Hmmm, book list five, what to do, what to do. . .

Let's go with. . .

Top ten children's chapter fiction CLASSICS I have read as an adult



1. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
2. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by Jack Lewis
4. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Jack Lewis
6. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
7. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
8. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10. Stuart Little by E. B. White



I also have affection for 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Also, as usual, there are several books I have yet to read or re-read that may have made the list.

Happy reading!

Book List Zahl Vier

Top ten biography/autobiography books I have read in the last five years.

1. Surprised by Joy by Jack Lewis
2. Tolkien and Lewis: the Gift of Friendship by Colin Duriez
3. Jack by George Sayer
4. The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth
5. Jack's Life by Douglas Gresham
6. Winston Churchill: An Intimate Portrait by Violet Bonham Carter
7. The Tale of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane
8. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit by her son, Sean Hepburn Farrar
9. Confessions by St. Augustine
10. Girl Meets God: A Memoir by Lauren F. Winner

honorable mention: Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces by Tom Clancy (I don't know that this actually qualifies as a biography but it kind of is. . . and it's a great read)

I am working on a new one called The Inklings which may have made the list if I were done with it. I also have a few Reagan bios that have not been read yet including one that speaks about his friendship w. Margaret Thatcher. May just have to make a political bios list later. . .

Book list Numerus Three

Out of town but still wanted to get a list out. It is kind of a cop-out list but hey, I am hanging with my sisters so I am not going to spend all day on the computer. . .

Top ten fantasy novels

1. Phantastes by George MacDonald
2. Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Great Divorce by Jack Lewis
4. The Two Towers by Tolkien
5. Lilith by MacDonald
6. The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
7. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
9. The Hobbit by Tolkien
10. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Okay, I kind of broke the rules here but I had to.

Book List Numero Due

. . .the very nature of Joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting. -c.s. ‘Jack’ lewis

Top ten books written by c.s. lewis. I will label the non-fiction.

1. Till We Have Faces
2. The Great Divorce
3. A Grief Observed NF ; amazing, AMAZING perspective on death and life in Christ, it changed the way I look at both
4. The Pilgrim's Regress
5. Mere Christianity NF ; this book (along with the Holy Spirit, of course) brought me out of absolute rebellion and back to Christ
6. The World's Last Night and other essays; I especially love Religion and Rocketry, mainly NF
7. Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life NF
8. The Dark Tower and other stories; every story in this collection is astoundingly great, in my humble opinion
9. That Hideous Strength; though this is the 3rd book in the space trilogy it is by far, the best
10. The Screwtape Letters including Screwtape Proposes a Toast

I must admit that I have a couple NF that I have started and never finished including: Miracles, the Four Loves and the Problem of Pain. When I finally finish those I may need to switch the list up a bit. Also, following my rules I did not include any of the Narnia books which I ADORE!!

Book List Numero Uno!

Okay, so I agonized over what to make this 1st book list. I am still not sure it is the right choice but well, it is MY list for you to take from it what you will.
Also, I have set some rules for myself:
~No kiddo books on adult book lists (although what some may call children's literature I may disagree with and vice versa)
~I will DO MY BEST not to repeat books but on certain lists that may be necessary
~I will ONLY include books that I have actually read at some point in my life which may skew the lists a bit because there are definitely some EXCELLENT classics that I have not gotten around to yet
I think that is it so without further ado I give you the First List

Top ten classics with a female lead character:

1. Till We Have Faces by c.s. lewis
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
5. the Book of Esther from the Bible
6. Antigone by Sophocles
7. Emma by Jane Austen
8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
9. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
10. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

So there you go. I welcome comments or other suggestions.

Why read?

It stimulates your brain in ways that watching television does not.
"* Neuroimaging studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have revealed regions of cerebral white matter with decreased microstructural organization (lowerfractional anisotropy or FA) among poor readers. We examined whether 100 hr of intensive remedial instruction affected the white matter of 8- to 10-year-old poor readers. Prior to instruction, poor readers had significantly lower FA than good readers in a region of the left anterior centrum semiovale. The instruction resulted in a change in white matter (significantly increased FA), and in the very same region. The FA increase was correlated with a decrease in radial diffusivity (but not with a change in axial diffusivity), suggesting that myelination had increased. Furthermore, the FA increase was correlated with improvement in phonological decoding ability, clarifying the cognitive locus of the effect. The results demonstrate the capability of a behavioral intervention to bring about a positive change in cortico-cortical white matter tracts."

Altering Cortical Connectivity: Remediation-Induced Changes in the White Matter of Poor Readers; authors Timothy A. Keller and Marcel Adam Just
Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

It sparks your imagination to actually work.
It is enjoyable.
You can not curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a television in your lap. (I do NOT want to hear about how you could do it with an IPOD; that is hardly the point!)
There are a vast number of wonderful books that have been written and never been made into movies.
You can do it anytime since it will not wake anyone in the house.
You can do it anywhere; well do NOT do it in the car but other than that. . . and not at a wedding or a funeral. Okay, okay there are some places you should NOT do it but. . .
It may prevent Alzheimer's disease.
"Reading Reduces the Risk of Alzheimer’s

In his landmark study into Alzheimer’s disease, The Nun Study, David Snowdon reviewed biographies that the nuns wrote in their early twenties. He discovered that the grammatical complexity and idea density in the autobiographies reflected the woman’s potential for Alzheimer’s late in life (the nuns who entered the study had to be at least 75 years of age).

Nuns with higher grammatical complexity and idea density in their writing were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s in old age. Those nuns whose autobiographies were less complex were at a greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s.

When Snowdon and his colleague Susan Kemper shared their findings with another colleague, his response was not that of a scientist but that of a father. “What does this mean for our children?” Happily, their response provides a simple solution; read to your children.

The key that reveals a person’s potential resistance to Alzheimer’s is revealed by a person’s ability to write with a high level of idea density. Idea density relies on vocabulary and reading comprehension. Susan Kemper said it this way “the best way to increase vocabulary and reading comprehension is by starting early in life, by reading to your children.” (117)"

This one reminds me to tell you: READ TO YOUR KIDS!
It actually slows the aging process.
It prevents wrinkles and age spots and varicose veins. . . okay I made that up.
Just try reading. For recommendations try the lists I will begin making up with different labels in later posts. I welcome any comments of books you love.
Thanks to Duff for the idea for this latest post.

Things I Like (Chiefly because I wish I could write as well as my sister so now I am just going to copy her)

I like arguing, almost as much as Heather does. I will not expound because she already has.

I like books. I like the feel of a nice linen covered hardbound. I like the smell of a great old book when it is not musty but just old. I like the look of pages when they are yellowed with age. I like when a book has interesting or beautiful cover art even if it is not hardbound. There is something so distinctly different about books published over thirty years ago.

I like Audrey Hepburn. Sabrina with Will Holden and Humphrey Bogart, Charade with Cary Grant, Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper, Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Breakfast at Tiffany's with George Peppard and Mickey Rooney. She made so many great movies but these are my favorites. She also had a life that meant something beyond Hollywood. She did her best to live for her family and serve others less fortunate. She was still an actress with the usual problems but I think she tried to live a beautiful life to the best of her knowledge.

I like chocolate. Really, A LOT, it's a PROBLEM. I prefer dark chocolate but will eat semi-sweet. I have lost my taste for milk chocolate since my affair with dark chocolate began but I still enjoy a Heath bar, Reeses PB in both forms and Twix. I am not a fan of white chocolate but in certain situations it works and I will eat it happily.

I like days off. I don't just mean days where I do not go to my outside of the house job. I mean days where I do not do anything that is the least bit enjoyable. Days where I play with my boy, hang out with my honey and/or my sisters and/or the 'rents, maybe enjoy some art or craft project. No dishes, no laundry, no cooking, no scrubbing of anything. And definitely no outside of the house working.