When Was Jesus Actually Born?

When Was Jesus Actually Born

It doesn’t come as a surprise to most people that Jesus wasn’t actually born on December 25th in the year 0. But if that’s the case, when was Jesus actually born? Is this a question we can even know the answer to? To this day, Jesus’ actual date of birth remains unknown, despite numerous historic …

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What is the Process of Exegesis?

What is the Process of Exegesis?

Not long ago, I wrote a blog post about the goal of exegesis. We talked about what biblical exegesis is and why Christians should take part in the exegetical process. There I explained that exegesis is beneficial for the church as a whole, but not necessarily for every individual Christian. But for those who are …

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Should Christians Vote? A Constructive Approach to Christian Engagement In Politics

Should Christians Vote

With November rapidly approaching, and with it one of the most divisive elections in history, I’ve experienced a lot of inner conflict. The question I’ve been asking myself is this: how active ought a Christian to be in American politics? I grew up in a culture that taught it was inappropriate for a Christian leader …

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Bible Reading vs. Bible Study

link to Bible Reading vs. Bible Study Bible Reading vs. Bible Study

As you probably already know from your own experience, there is a big difference between reading and studying. Many factors come into play here, including the differences in time, effort, energy, and goals. Just like every other discipline, there’s also a pretty big difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. The biggest difference …

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What is the Goal of Exegesis?

link to What is the Goal of Exegesis? What is the Goal of Exegesis

Anytime I tell people that I have a master’s degree in biblical exegesis, I’m often met with blank stares. After explaining that exegesis is the process of applying various disciplines to uncover the original meaning of the biblical texts, the next question I’m often asked is, “Why?” That’s the question I hope to answer in …

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The Why and How to Developing a Daily Bible Reading Habit

link to The Why and How to Developing a Daily Bible Reading Habit The Why and How to Developing a Daily Bible Reading Habit

Many Christians grow up in a church culture that places a heavy emphasis on developing a daily Bible reading habit. However, few churches adequately train their members how to do this in practice, or even why they ought to do this in the first place. I do believe it’s important for Christians to develop a …

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Best Bible Translation for Daily Reading

Best Bible Translation for Daily Reading

For anyone looking for a new Bible, there is no shortage of versions. There are tons of options across a wide spectrum of translation theory, from rigidly word-for-word to loose paraphrase. The Bible you select will largely depend on your purpose. This post is for those looking for the best translation for developing a daily …

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How to Use a Journaling Bible: My Scratch Journal Method

link to How to Use a Journaling Bible: My Scratch Journal Method How to Use a Journaling Bible

Today I want to talk about how to use journaling Bibles to get the most out of your journaling experience. To do that, we’ll talk a bit about the differences between handwritten and digital note-taking processes, the benefits of taking notes while reading the Bible, and my own experience in Bible journaling. In the end I’ll give you my step-by-step process for using my journaling Bible in what I’ve called my “scratch journal” method.

9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Accordance User Notes

Tips to Get the Most Out of Accordance User Notes

One of the most important aspects of any Bible reading software is the notes feature, and Accordance is no different. This program allows you to create your own user notes which are attached to specific Bible verses. You can access these notes across any version of the Bible that you’re currently viewing. Since you can …

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Notion Bible Study Notes Workflow and Free Template

Notion Bible Study Notes Workflow and Free Template

I am on a never-ending quest to find the perfect Bible study note-taking tool. I’ve tried many tools and apps, but the program that has offered the best features for the best price is Notion. It’s an incredible app, flexible enough to be used in just about any situation. And it just may be the …

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Is the NLT a Paraphrase or a Translation?

link to Is the NLT a Paraphrase or a Translation? Is the NLT a Paraphrase or a Translation

The New Living Translation is actually one of my favorite Bible versions, due to its simple reading level and beautiful English composition. But there is a bit of confusion about the title. Is the NLT actually a translation? Or is it just a paraphrase? The New Living Translation is an accurate and legitimate translation from …

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How Many Times Does the Bible Say Be Still?

Be Still

Rest is an important theme throughout scriptures. Especially finding rest in God. One of the most beloved scriptures is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” But this isn’t the only time in scripture that the command is …

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The Best Bible Software for Laptops, Complete With Performance Tips

The Best Bible Software for Laptops

My very first Bible study program was BibleWorks 9, back before its untimely demise. While I still believe BibleWorks was the best value for all the features that came packed into the program, it was a beast. At that time, I was a college student with a cheap Walmart laptop, and BibleWorks was definitely not …

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Which Bibles Use the Name Yahweh and How Often? A Full Table

Which Bibles Use the Name Yahweh and How Often

For centuries, Jewish people have read the title “Adonai” in the place of the proper name “Yahweh” when it appears in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Most modern translations follow this pattern and use the word “LORD” in all caps to designate the Hebrew name of God. However, not all Bibles have remained …

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Which Bible Did Billy Graham Use?

Which Bible Did Billy Graham Use

Billy Graham is one of the most influential evangelical preachers in modern history. He was an excellent preacher and teacher of the Bible. Songs have even been written about this man’s Bible, which raises an interesting question: which Bible did Billy Graham use? To this, there is no single answer, as Billy Graham actually used …

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Mark Up Your Bible With the Apple Pencil Using This App

Mark Up Your Bible With the Apple Pencil Using This App

With the recent rise in the popularity of journaling Bibles, people are writing inside their Bibles more and more. Whether you’re an avid margin-notetaker, an underliner, a highlighter, or a doodler, you may be seeking to take your Bible journaling to the iPad and Apple Pencil. While there is no iPad Bible app that natively …

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The Mnemonic Imagination

The Mnemonic Imagination

What is your earliest memory? Here’s mine. I stood in the dining room of my grandparents’ house holding a tall glass of milk when it slipped out of my fingers. Milk splattered all over the floor. Fear took hold of me as I looked to my grandfather, who had been sitting there at the table. …

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The Baptized Imagination

overcome depression

The human imagination is both a blessing and a curse. When I say “imagination,” I am referring to the human capacity to create images in our minds. Not just picture images, but full sensory experiences. It is a blessing in that I can imagine a warm, freshly baked apple pie. The smell. The taste. The …

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Reading Faithfully

Reading Faithfully

I read this morning from 2 Timothy 3. Listen to Paul’s description of the end times. 1You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of …

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Telepathy

Telepathy

I’ve been reading a memoir on the craft of writing by Stephen King called On Writing. I have enjoyed the few King books that I’ve read; he’s not, however, one of my favorite fiction authors. His dark and creepy style is entertaining, but not something I ever want to emulate in my own writing. Nonetheless, …

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Mythic History in the Bible

Mythic History in the Bible

A large section of the Old Testament is often called the “Historical Books.” This includes Joshua, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. In the New Testament, this typically only includes the book of Acts. However, there is a problem with the term “historical” when we turn to the Bible. History …

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Not Enough Avocados

Not Enough Avocados

I lied to my wife yesterday. Okay, maybe I didn’t lie. But I didn’t exactly tell her the whole truth, either. I work in the produce section at Target. While my wife and I were grocery shopping after my shift, she pointed out that there were no avocados. I told her that we hadn’t had …

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