Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "hermeneutics"
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! - Part 1
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, is it heresy for some folks, if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, is it heresy for some folks, if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It's Christmas. I'm Inspired! - Part 2
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now lookee here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now lookee here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! – Part 3
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Rude Awakenings – Part 2
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! – Part 1
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV]
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, by the reckoning of some folks, is it heresy if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, by the reckoning of some folks, is it heresy if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! – Part 2
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV]
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now looky here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now looky here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! – Part 3
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV]
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB]
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV]
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Rude Awakenings – Part 2
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
