Archive for the ‘Christian Supplies’ Category
New American Standard Bibles
The Bible was the first book to ever be mass produced by means of printing. Thus, it is also the oldest book ever written – The Gutenberg Bible. Since its original version, the Bible has taken on many new editions. Some even include and a workbook and reader’s guide. But the important factor to really focus on is that it’s the Bible’s popularity and an undying faith of the Christian religion that has caused such an expansion of followers.
One version in particular, the New American Standard Bibles, has emerged as a terrific source to study the word of God. Ultimately popular with prayer groups and Sunday school classes, this new bible has totally revamped the way we come to learn and understand religion. Just ask any devoted church-goer, and I bet they will have heard of this wonderfuly new religious tool of grace.
Spreading the Word of God Near and Far
Last spring my church, The Sanctuary of Universal Life, organized a missionary project to help build clay huts for the families of who had lost loved ones to the deadly and vicious disease malaria. Our journey began in a small village outside the African Congo. Traveling only by bus or foot once we had reached our new continent of exploration, we journeyed through rainforests and deserts in an effort to reach out to as many shelter-less people as we could. After three weeks of hard labor and nearly sleepless nights we had built more than 85 huts from the ground up.
Once the strenuous work had been completed, we stayed an additional week to spread the word of God. During our twice-daily prayer sessions, all the villagers gathered around Pastor Boba Fett in awe of his pressed white robes and authoritatively squeaky voice. For hours on end they sat atop a tattered, burlap blanket and listened. Before parting ways with our newly beloved Christian pen pals and heading back to the land of the mighty, we granted their wish of a concrete wisdom of the Lord. And thus, we gave them bibles.
Inspiration on the Road
My job as a salesman requires that I travel more than 200 days out of the year. As a result, I miss a significant amount of quality time with my family. Although I’ve struggled with the thought of missing my son’s baseball games and my daughter’s dance recitals, I know that my income is helping them to live safe, comfortable lives. Whenever I begin to miss my wife and kids, I turn to the Holy Bible for strength.
There are plenty of biblical parables that remind us about the importance of family, and the simple act of reading helps take my mind off of external matters. Typically I can find a Bible in a motel room’s desk drawer, but I like to carry my own just in case. It’s also good to have a pen and paper handy so that I can take notes on the passages that I find to be especially inspirational.
Origins of Holiday Gift-giving
These days, it’s commonplace to give and receive gifts during many of the major holidays. Birthdays wouldn’t be the same without a few thoughtful presents, and Valentine’s Day would be dull and a bit less romantic if it didn’t involve flowers and chocolates. But Christmas is the granddaddy of all gift-giving holidays. But how did that particular tradition begin?
It all started with the gift of the magi – the three wise men who came to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As we now know, they brought presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh – a fragrant resin that was in high demand during biblical times. Ever since the very first Christmas, the holiday has been associated with the joyous practice of giving and receiving gifts.
Portable Inspiration
Christians often look to Scripture for guidance in their everyday lives. Some people prefer to read a few chapters of the Bible every night before bed, giving them something to think about the next day. Believers with hectic schedules might not have the chance to set aside a block of time for study each day; they can take an abridged reference bible with them as they go about their business, however.
A Bible reference is relatively slim and portable, slipping easily into most pockets and handbags. These smaller, sleeker versions of the holy book contain the same uplifting spiritual messages, but they are distilled into more concise language. Reference Bibles are perfect for those moments of refuge between deadlines and business meetings. Even the busiest of professionals can spare a moment or two and refresh themselves with God’s word.
A Tradition in Common
Christians and Jews have been coexisting for thousands of years. Although the two religions have had their differences over the ages, both are based on the same set of moral laws. What Christians call the first five books of the Old Testament are fundamentally the same as the Jewish Torah. Jews and Christians harbor many of the same ideas about charity and kindness toward the less fortunate, and both groups ostensibly attempt to live in a way that pleases God.
Even though Jews and Christians celebrate different religious holidays, many of them still appreciate the sentiment behind a thoughtful gift. Certain gifts even transcend the boundaries of each religion. For instance, a hand-carved figurine of Moses carrying the stone tablets could be enjoyed by anyone with Judeo-Christian leanings. Jewish gifts can be Christian gifts in some cases, and vice versa.
Why the Bible?
Many Christians, Muslims, and Jews regard the Bible as inspired by God yet written by a variety of imperfect men over thousands of years. Many others, who identify themselves as Bible-believing Christians, regard both the New and Old Testament as the undiluted Word of God, spoken by God and written down in its perfect form by humans. Still others hold the Biblical infallibility perspective, that the Bible is free from error in spiritual but not scientific matters.
Belief in sacred texts is attested to in Jewish antiquity, and this belief can also be seen in the earliest of Christian writings. Various texts of the Bible mention Divine agency in relation to prophetic writings, the most explicit being 2 Tm 3:16: “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Translation Information about the New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard (or NAS) Bible is widely regarded as the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations. According to the NAS Bible’s preface, the translators had a “Fourfold Aim” in this work:
⢠These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
⢠They shall be grammatically correct.
⢠They shall be understandable.
⢠They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized.
As its name implies, the NAS bible is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. This translation was begun as an alternative to the Revised Standard Version (1946-1952/1971), itself a revision of the ASV, but considered by many to be theologically liberal. Using the ASV as its English base, the NAS Bible’s translators revised the ASV as literally as possible.
Seeing the need for a literal, modern translation of the English Bible, the translators sought to produce a contemporary English Bible while maintaining a word-for-word translation style. In cases where word-for-word literalness was determined to be unacceptable for modern readers, changes were made in the direction of more current idioms. In such instances, the more literal renderings were indicated in footnotes.
The greatest perceived strength of the NAS Bible is its reliability and fidelity to the original languages, which, along with other literal translations, also allows for ambiguities in the text’s meaning.
Gifts of the Magi
The Three Wise Men (also referred to as the Three Kings and as the Magi) has always been a part of a nativity scene included in the celebrations of Christmas. The three Wise Men, three Kings or Kings from the East are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts.
The three gifts of the magi are explicitly identified in the book of Matthew: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That they are all ordinary gifts for a king – myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable.
New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard Bible did not start out as a complete Bible and was published in stages. The New Testament was first published in 1963 and the complete Bible was published in 1971.
As its name implies, the New American Standard Bible is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. This translation was begun as an alternative to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible which is also a revision of the American Standard Bible. The New American Standard Bible is widely regarded as the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations.
The New American Standard Bible did not start out as a complete Bible and was published in stages. The New Testament was first published in 1963 and the complete Bible was published in 1971.
As its name implies, the New American Standard Bible is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. This translation was begun as an alternative to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible which is also a revision of the American Standard Bible. The New American Standard Bible is widely regarded as the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations.