Going on a Trip

We are taking off tonight or tomorrow for the middle of nowhere.  That could be anywhere around here, or it could be Kansas, so if you are thinking about robbing my house, be careful.  You don't know how long we will be gone.  Besides that, there is nothing, not a thing, here worth stealing. No silver or gold, no electronic equipment (except a couple of old computers), not even a TV. The "diamonds" are all going with us.  So don't even bother.

I was going to take a picture on our way out of this valley, to show you the nice view one has of Mars as he is coming to visit us from the east.  But I got to thinking, the back of the van is going to be packed to the ceiling, so that is not going to happen. No way to get a picture.  Maybe I can remember to get one coming back. I won't have any scenery photos this trip -- there is nothing to see between here and Nowhere, except tumbleweeds, prairie, and the World's Largest Ball of Twine. Oh, and the Grand Canyon, but we won't be stopping.

I have not yet begun to pack and I have a zillion things to do today, and yet here I am blogging.  I did buy a party pack of M&M's yesterday, and split them up into snack baggies to divide among the girls and the parents.  At least I am getting the important stuff done!   So anyway, I tell you all this to say I will miss you.  Keep blogging so I have something important to do when I get home.

Through the Magic Mirror

Does anyone remember the name of the lady teacher in the old morning program "Romper Room"?  It was a really hokey program.  The lady would look into her magic mirror and see all the boys and girls in TV-land who were watching.  She would greet them, and when your child heard his name, he would think she was looking at him through the television. (Were we who were little kids back then really that dumb?  Mine aren't...)  Well, that is who I am today. I am the Romper Room lady.  I really like that Neocounter on my right side-bar.  I want to sit here with my magic mirror and say, "I see you, Iceland! Welcome to the Romper Room, India. Oh, and there's Canada -- so glad you are with us today!  And China and Germany and Denmark, oh! And there's South Africa and Venezuela!  How nice of you to join us!" Now I just wish all these visitors would say Hello!

The NIV Quiz

My husband is responsible for showing me the differences between the various English translations.  Many years ago he challenged me to read the KJB from cover to cover.  I had owned my beloved NIV for many years, and several times I had tried to read it all, but I had not succeeded one time.  So, okay, I reluctantly tried it.  I opened up the KJB and read a little bit, and then I got so angry with the whole preposterous idea that there was only ONE Bible, that I threw it against the wall!  But I did keep reading.  All the way through.  Again and again. And I found that there was power in the King James Bible.  It spoke to me "as one having authority, and not as the scribes".  It was black and white, not leaving moral and doctrinal issues up to me to decide. And it was plain on salvation.  “To as many as received HIM gave he power to become the sons of God.” John 1:12.  I grew up in a church that teaches baptismal regeneration.  Do you know, I could not find that doctrine in the King James Bible? I could find it in my NIV, though.  Now what?  I had to know.  My eternity depended on it.

 

Do you have a Holy Bible or an unholy Bible?  Do you have the whole Bible or a Holey Bible? Doesn’t it bother you when six different people at Bible study give their own revision of a verse, and none of them match? One says, “Baptism now saves us”; in the same verse another says that baptism is a figure of that which saves us.  One says redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, is through the blood of Christ; another leaves the blood out. What are you going to believe?  The issue is final authority.  What is yours?  Either it is God’s Word, or else it is your opinion, or someone else’s opinion. Someone once asked a well-known preacher the question, “Does it matter which Bible I read?”  He answered, “Only if you believe anything out of it.”

 

This quiz is just for fun:

 Try Answering These From Your NIV

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Using the New International Version Bible, answer the following questions to this NIV quiz.

Do not rely on your memory. As the Bible is the final authority, you must take the answer from the Bible verse (not from footnotes but from the text).

1.      Fill in the missing words in Matthew 5:44. "Love your enemies,__________ them that curse you, ______________ to them that hate you, and pray for them that __________ and persecute you."

2. According to Matthew 17:21, what two things are required to cast out this type of demon?


3. According to Matthew 18:11, why did Jesus come to earth?


4. According to Matthew 27:2, what was Pilate's first name?


5. In Matthew 27:35, when the wicked soldiers parted His garments, they were fulfilling the words of the prophet. Copy what the prophet said in Matthew 27:35 from the NIV.


6. In Mark 3:15, Jesus gave the apostles power to cast out demons and to: ____________


7. According to Mark 7:16, what does a man need to be able to hear?


8. According to Luke 7:28, what was John? (teacher, prophet, carpenter, etc.). What is his title or last name?


9. In Luke 9:55, what did the disciples not know?


10. In Luke 9:56, what did the Son of man not come to do? According to this verse, what did He come to do?


11. In Luke 22:14, how many apostles were with Jesus?


12. According to Luke 23:38, in what three languages was the superscription written?


13. In Luke 24:42, what did they give Jesus to eat with His fish?


14. John 3:13 is a very important verse, proving the deity of Christ. According to this verse (as Jesus spoke), where is the Son of man?


15. What happened each year as told in John 5:4?


16. In John 7:50, what time of day did Nicodemus come to Jesus?


17. In Acts 8:37, what is the one requirement for baptism?


18. What did Saul ask Jesus in Acts 9:6?


19. Write the name of the man mentioned in Acts 15:34.


20. Study Acts 24:6-8. What would the Jew have done with Paul? What was the chief captain's name? What did the chief captain command?


21. Copy Romans 16:24 word for word from the NIV.


22. First Timothy 3:16 is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament concerning the deity of Christ. In this verse, who was manifested in the flesh?


23. In the second part of First Peter 4:14, how do [they] speak of Christ? And, what do we Christians do?


24. Who are the three Persons of the Trinity in First John 5:7?


25. Revelation 1:11 is another very important verse that proves the deity of Christ. In the first part of this verse Jesus said, "I am the A______________ and O___________, the _________ and the _______:"

Conclusion: Little space is provided for your answers, but it's much more than needed. If you followed the instructions above, you not only failed the test, you receive a big zero.

(Ed. These are all missing in the NIV.) So now what do you think of your accurate, easy to understand, up to date Bible?  

If you would like to improve your score, and in fact score 100%, you can take this test using the Authorized (King James) Bible.

By Rex L. Cobb

This is my last Bible version entry for a while (do I hear cheering?!?), since we are going to be away.  It has been mighty quiet here at diamondsintherough… probably some of you are feeling personally attacked for not believing the KJB.  That is not why I have been posting these things. Some of you think I am a nut.  Maybe so, but at least I know what I believe.

"Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them."  Psalm 119:165

The Living Word/The Word of Life

Today's daily devotion from the Institute for Creation Research  fits so appropriately with my recent posts on the Bible!

"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain" Philippians 2:16.

There is such beautiful correlation between the Living Word (Christ) and the written Word (the Bible) that certain Scriptures could well apply to either one. Such is the case with our text. The Philippians were exhorted to hold forth the Word of life, which presumably could mean either Christ, the Living Word, or else the Scriptures, which speak of eternal life.

The same dual meaning can be discerned in such texts as II Timothy 4:2 ("Preach the word") and Hebrews 4:12 ("The word of God is quick, and powerful"). In fact, there are many beautiful figures of speech that are applied in the Bible to the ministries of both Christ and the Scriptures in a believer's life.

For example, Christ is "the light of the world" (John 8:12), but also, "the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light" (Proverbs 6:23). Similarly Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35), but He also said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4).

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37). God also promised that "as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, . . . So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth" (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Both are described as the very personification of truth. Jesus said, "I am . . . the truth," and He also prayed to the Father: "Thy word is truth" (John 14:6; 17:17). Finally, both must be received: "receive . . . the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21), for "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12). HMM

Which Bible? Part III

 

Back to our discussion of “Which Bible?”.  Sorry, my train of thought jumped the track for a few days!

 

Two Bibles that differ cannot both be God’s Word. Either one Bible is, and the other is not, or else neither one is God’s Word.  If you know your Bible has errors and is inconsistent within itself, it can not be God’s Word.

 

 I do not worship the King James Bible, but it is very similar to my Saviour, who is the Word of God himself, in many ways. Like him, it deserves my devotion.  It is perfect and without fault, it has power to save sinners, it is incorruptible, it is eternal.  It is living and capable of imparting spiritual life. It is my Comforter.  It is my Bread. It refreshes me like the Water of Life. Like the Rock, it is unchanging, strong and immovable. When I read the Bible, I know Christ better, because I am reading him. Men have attempted to do away with the KJB for 400 years, and unlike modern flash-in-the-pan revisions, still it lives on.  Some sixty million believers have died for it!  It cannot be destroyed any more than the Lord Jesus could be destroyed.  No, the leather and paper and ink are not God.  But because of them, I know God!  Below are some things to consider about the Bible:

 

n      If modern scholars are smart enough to find “errors” in the Bible, why haven’t they corrected them all and given us a perfect one by now?

n      Where in the Bible is your pastor’s example to use the terminology, “A better rendering would be ______,” or “The Greek says, (or the Hebrew says, or the originals say,)______________.” Jesus, Peter, Paul, James, or John never quoted the Old Testament this way.  Isn’t the Bible supposed to be our final authority in all matters of faith and practice?  Did you ever see what would happen if you just looked up the word in a good English dictionary, such as Noah Webster's 1828? For an English-speaking person, the dictionary sheds much more light on the Bible than a Greek lesson does!

n      If the Bible is not absolutely perfect, how can you call it God’s Word?

n      Who taught you that God’s Word is not infallible or that God has not preserved his very words for us? It was not the Holy Spirit, for he tells us otherwise in the Bible.

n      Many believe that education has improved over the years and that God’s men are more qualified to translate God’s word today than they were in 1611.  How can this be true, when everything else around us has degenerated?

n      Has God lost the words that he gave by inspiration? Where are they today?

n      Why do preachers and teachers of the Bible say they are quoting “the Greek”, or “the Hebrew” when there are MANY Greek and Hebrew texts (many differing from one another), and not just one of each?  Why don’t they tell us there are more? The original manuscripts do not exist.  Why do we think “the Hebrew” and “the Greek” are the standard to which we compare all other translations? What do scholars compare them to? Nothing.

n      Before the first “modern” translation was published in 1881 (the Revised Version), the King James Bible was published, preached, and taught throughout the world.  God blessed these efforts and hundred of millions were saved.  Today, with many new translations on the market, very few are being saved, and we have a fleshly, ungodly impostor Christianity. The great revivals are over. Who has gained more from the new versions of the Bible – God or Satan?

And Be Ye Thankful

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE

WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,

BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,

AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND

WHO IS ON THE SOFA

BEING A COUCH POTATO,

BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME

AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER

WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES

BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,

NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE

BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,

WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,

AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME .

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING

I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT

BECAUSE IT MEANS

WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. .

FOR THE PARKING SPOT

I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING

AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR MY HUGE AIR CONDITIONING BILL

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM COOL.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH

WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS

I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES

AT THE END OF THE DAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN

CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF

IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MANY COMMENTS BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Throes of Three

It seems that each of us has had an attitude problem to overcome this week.  First, Math Girl (post below), then me (I don't do at all well with the strife of hissy fits), then one girl musician and another girl NOT doing her English.  Here is the BIGGEST attitude problem we have to fix (ironically she is the smallest person):

 

You see, Preschooler does not appreciate it when everyone else is doing school, and she is left to her own devices.  Thankfully I am twice her size, or else this photo would be plain scary, don't you think?  Twenty times a day I hear, "Mom, I have NOTHING to do," which, to my thinking, should not even be in a three year old's vocabulary! I don't remember it being this bad with the previous sisters when school started.  I can't believe this is the same cute-as-a-button little girl that I posted earlier:

All this, to say HELP!  Give me all of your Keep-Preschoolers-Busy ideas and resources!

A Math Problem Solved

We started school yesterday.  Yes, I know, some of you just got into your vacation, but there is nothing to do around here in the heat, so we start school in the summer and break in the spring, when the temps are nice.  Anyway, school started just the way we all expected it to, with one of my girls (can't tell you which one -- she would be mortified) throwing a big fat hissy over her math.  This has gone on daily on school days for the past two years, and I got to the point where I told her to leave all the division problems for "later", which, of course, never came. Finally I almost decided it wasn't really important whether she could divide with two- and three-digit divisors, as long as she know how to use a calculator.  Right?  Uh, well, that didn't totally sit right with me, but it was really tempting.

I began to look for an alternate method to doing long division, and behold double division, also called 1-2-4-8 division!  I told Daughter to forget everything she has ever learned (or not learned) about division. We sat together at the computer and deciphered the new method. This is an interactive site, and you can either follow the steps for the problem they give, or else enter your own numbers into the division problem in the sample, and then repeatedly click on "next step" until you get it. After about two problems a reluctant smile began to crack my daughter's face.  Then, "Let me do it myself, Mom," and soon after that, "This is fun!"  In the last 24 hours she has done three days' math assignments with joy and confidence.

I wanted to post math "before" and "after" pictures.  The "after" photo is easy, but I can't get her to stage a fit for the camera for the "before" pic!

UPDATE:
For those of you who have come to this page from www.doubledivision.org, I posted the following entry at a later date:

Long division problems, anyone?

My Weblink Wednesday site for you is doubledivision.org. I mentioned this site in an earlier post, but it was so helpful to my daughter, I want to be sure you didn't miss it! For those others of you who have two- and three-digit division "problems", I am sure you will find a "solution" here also. Large division problems require estimation (sometimes just plain guessing), and lots of frustrating trial and error. Double division, however, eliminates the guess work, and has resulted in nearly 100% correct answers and a much happier and confident math student in my house.

The site is interactive.  You can click repeatedly on "next step" to see how the sample division problem is solved, or else you can plug in your own numbers and see, step by step, how to work your problem using double division.

One of the criticisms in the comments at this website is that the double division method only uses subraction and multiplication by 2, and that it does not reinforce the higher multiplication facts.  (What will the poor child do when it comes time to divide polynomials??  That is no concern to me.  How many polynomials do you divide each day??) Don't your children continue to practice the upper multiplication problems in their daily assignments, anyway? My daughter will learn to do long division the normal way when she is ready.  As a matter of fact, she is beginning to try a few of those "IMPOSSIBLE" problems on her own now! Ah, another one of the beauties of homeschooling, letting them wait to learn a concept when they confident that they can do it.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I don't know if anyone ever reads this page, but I just want to let you all know that the anti-division daughter can now do any division problem on her own, the old-fashioned way.  The previously hated subject, MATH, is now her favorite.   As a matter of fact, her very favorite math activity is DIVISION.  It is because of double-division that this is possible.  I am so very thankful for the confidence that this new method gave her!