I got an ad in the mail the other day for a new commentary series that claimed to avoid all the weaknesses of previous commentary series while building on their strengths. (!) With how many good “old” commentaries there are, I think commentary users should critically examine new series, and certainly not take claims like … Continue reading Colossians and Philemon (Zondervan ECNT), reviewed
Getting from participles to preaching, from grammar to Good News proclamation, can be a challenge to preachers and teachers when working with the biblical text. But if there is theology in those prepositions, as seminary professors have often noted, careful attention to the morphology and syntax of the text can be key in preparing to … Continue reading Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Colossians and Philemon, reviewed
One of the most promising new commentary projects continues to add new volumes: the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series, covering both Old and New Testament books. Accordance Bible Software has a huge sale on the OT and NT volumes, both as collections and individual volumes. Check out the details here. Want to read more about … Continue reading Zondervan Exegetical Commentary (OT, NT): Big Accordance Sale
Check out this biblical scene as re-told by The New Yorker. The cartoonist reminds us that there are not really any quick fixes in the spiritual life. And our best times with God are not hurried, not like a lunch order to go… but like a carefully prepared meal, where we leisurely converse … Continue reading Reading the Bible in a New (Old) Way
To keep my Greek and Hebrew active, right now I’m alternating between two books (and enjoying them both): Murray J. Harris’s Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament (Zondervan, 2012). Without accepting a so-called “theology of prepositions,” Harris’s guide is readable and illuminating. I found his exegetical guide to Colossians and Philemon … Continue reading What I’m Reading to Keep My Greek and Hebrew Fresh
On the top of my bookshelf at home sits an old, falling-apart, heavily marked-up edition of The New Oxford Annotated Bible. So it has been with anticipation and appreciation that I’ve been able to use the The New Oxford Annotated Bible in its most current, 4th edition. What the Annotated Bible Is The Bible text in The New Oxford Annotated … Continue reading Gentlemen (and Gentlewomen), THIS Is a Study Bible
Now that I’ve been preaching through the early sections of Matthew for 10 weeks, I’ve had a chance to make regular use of a number of commentaries. I continue to value Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Its Matthew volume is very much on par with the rest of the series (which I’ve reviewed here, … Continue reading Matthew (Zondervan ECNT), reviewed
“Read your Bible.” But how? I’ve benefitted from reading large portions of Scripture–whole narratives, books, and multiple chapters–in one sitting. I’ve also benefitted immensely from slowing down and meditatively just reading a few verses at a time. Lectio Divina is a way of reading Scripture that encourages that. It’s reading, as many have said, for transformation and … Continue reading Read Your Bible: But How? (Lectio Divina)
Unfamiliar vocabulary proves to be an enduring challenge for students of New Testament Greek. Even students who understand the rules of the language get bogged down having to look up uncommon words while translating. Nevertheless the correct interpretation of many passages of Scripture hinges on the meaning of its rare words. –Michael H. Burer and … Continue reading A New Reader’s Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Reviewed
On Sunday I led a group of student ministry leaders in worship for an hour. As in the time I described in this post, it was a one hour worship service from scratch. In other words, I was invited to plan and lead the hour of worship from start to finish. In my previous post … Continue reading Creation… Fall… Redemption… Consummation. (Another one hour worship service from scratch)
Words on the Word 