Newsletter of Christian author Stephen M. Miller Steve writes books about the Bible. No preaching.for Monday, 5 January 2015
Newsletter of Christian author Stephen M. Miller
Steve writes books about the Bible. No preaching.
Happy 2015
WELCOME to the first Monday in a New Year. This year, as in every year to come, may God make the people in your life glad to be in your life.
Amazon's #1 Bible handbook
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BIBLE IT SURPRISED ME. i was checking my website for broken links. I clicked the Amazon link for Complete Guide to the Bible, and there was a little ribbon under the 4 1/2-star rating:
#1 Best Seller in Christian Bible Handbooks
Wow. I wrote that book several years ago. It's probably my most thorough Bible guide, if you measure by the number of words.The lavishly illustrated handbook runs over 500 pages. I'm now zeroing in on some of the most popular books in the Bible, to give you an even deeper look into the Bible background. Again, with lots of pictures and maps. Lively, fun writing, too. At least I'm having fun with them.
Deluxe edition with new maps
Coming February 1, a deluxe edition of the Complete Guide to the Bible. We've added a 16-page section of illustrated maps and wrapped it all in a new cover of long-lasting, leather-like DiCarta...perfect for folks who use the book a lot. No animals were harmed in the making of this book.
Family album favs, 2014
WITH 2014 YEAR in the rear-view mirror, I decided against churning out a list of professional and personal highlights. Instead, I thought it might be more fun to simply post a few of my favorite family photos of the year. I hope that's okay.
GRANNY'S HOUSE. We managed to get almost everyone on the Miller side of Mom's and Dad's family together this past summer. Dad is off the planet, but Mom is seated near the front, center. I'm standing right behind her. My son and his wife, Brad and Jill, are to my left with Brad just behind me. My daughter and her husband, Becca and Jon, are sitting on Mom's left, beside the porch pillar. My wife Linda is almost completely hiding behind the right side of the pillar. Every other human is either a brother, sister, or some kind of relative by blood or by law. Sarah, my sister's golden lab, is family, too.
SODBUSTERS. Laying sod is a dirty, backbreaking business, I found out the hard way. My brother-in-law-, Jerry, and I are smiling because we're finally done laying two flatbed trailer loads of sod on my mom's lawn.
FRIENDS. My dog, Buddy the black lab, politely waits in the background for me to throw the ball. In the front are my daughter's and son-in-law's border collies: Tucker, left, and Bailey. It gets lively with they come to visit.
PACK OF THE SON. My son Brad and his wife Jill bring their dogs for a visit. Mosby is the black lab. Juneau is the Siberian husky. We haven't had the courage yet to get all five dogs together at one house. When my son was still living at home with his then pup, Mosby, she got into some Tylenol. Our vet did what she could and then rushed us off to the Doggie ER across town. I held young Mosby on my lap, fearing it would be a one-way trip for her. Of all the dogs we have in the family, I loved Mosby first. Memories of that drive still melt me.
THE WIFE. Linda planned a weekend retreat for our church Bible study group. We took an Amtrak ride to the German-style town of Hermann, Missouri. A wonderful weekend.
GEN NEXT. After the Thanksgiving meal it was time to kick back. Front: My son-in-law Jon Eck and my daughter Becca. (Yes, I call her Bec Eck). Back: Son Brad and my daughter-in-law Jill Miller. Good souls, each one. I'm glad God put them in my herd, on this journey through life. How lucky am I.
Coming in August
A QUICK GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE BIBLE A BIBLE ATLAS IN DISGUISE. That's how I thought of this book as I was writing it and filling it with color pictures and illustrated maps. I'd tell you how many maps, but I don't know. More than 100. The designer is still putting the book together. We may run out of pages before we run out of maps and pictures. That's often the case. I've written Bible handbooks before. But none with this many maps, which are 3D-style, to give you the lay of the land.
I'M ALWAYS CURIOUS about which blog articles folks seem to read most. The one about Jesus is the most popular at the moment. The one about Barney Fife gets repinned on Pinterest most often. I post new articles every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To subscribe to this free feature:Sign me up.
Here's proof Jesus lived on earth
WHERE’S THE PROOF? Some folks who say Christians are flakes for believing a book written by bored herders 2,000 years ago ask to see evidence that Jesus existed. Try this for starters. Painting by Andrey Mironov.
DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU there’s no proof Jesus was real. Jesus shows up in Roman and Jewish history books, including two books written during his own century when people who knew him were still alive. Jewish historian, Josephus (about AD 37-101), wrote about Jesus in two books from his encyclopedia series called Antiquities of the Jews. Death and resurrection. “There was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good….Pilate condemned him to be crucified…His disciples didn’t abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive.” Death of Jesus’ brother. “Ananus [Jewish high priest]…called a meeting of judges [the Sanhedrin Jewish Supreme Court] and brought into it the brother of Jesus who is called Messiah….James was his name. Ananus accused James and others of breaking the law, and he sentenced them to execution by stoning.” Then there’s the report in Annalsby a Roman official named Tacitus (about AD 55-118) who said he hated Christians. Read more.
WHERE’S THE PROOF? Some folks who say Christians are flakes for believing a book written by bored herders 2,000 years ago ask to see evidence that Jesus existed. Try this for starters. Painting by Andrey Mironov.
DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU there’s no proof Jesus was real.
Jesus shows up in Roman and Jewish history books, including two books written during his own century when people who knew him were still alive.
Jewish historian, Josephus (about AD 37-101), wrote about Jesus in two books from his encyclopedia series called Antiquities of the Jews.
Death and resurrection. “There was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good….Pilate condemned him to be crucified…His disciples didn’t abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive.”
Death of Jesus’ brother. “Ananus [Jewish high priest]…called a meeting of judges [the Sanhedrin Jewish Supreme Court] and brought into it the brother of Jesus who is called Messiah….James was his name. Ananus accused James and others of breaking the law, and he sentenced them to execution by stoning.”
Then there’s the report in Annals by a Roman official named Tacitus (about AD 55-118) who said he hated Christians.
“Emperor Nero, to stop the rumor [that he ordered the fire that burned much of Rome] blamed and punished in the most horrifying ways…the crowd called Christians. The founder of this name, Christ, had been executed during the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate.”
Another Roman historian, Suetonius (about AD 70-130), seemed to refer to Jesus in The Lives of the Caesars. Suetonius blamed “Chrestus” for causing the riots in Rome in AD 49. Many scholars say this is probably a reference to the riots caused when tradition-minded Jews clashed with open-minded Jews who embraced the teachings of Jesus. Claudius Caesar quickly “deported all Jews from Rome,” (Acts 18:2).
An article in the current issue of Biblical Archaeological Review, January/February 2015, plows deep into the detail: “Did Jesus exist?” It’s written by Lawrence Mykytiuk, history librarian and prof at Purdue University.
According to Mykytiuk, here are the facts we know about Jesus, based on reports outside the Bible, written by Roman and Jewish historians within a century of Jesus.
He existed as a man.
His name was Jesus.
People also called him Christ. That’s Christos in Greek, Messiah in Hebrew, and Anointed One in English.
His followers included Jews as well as people outside the Jewish faith.
Jewish leaders of the day criticized him.
Roman governor Pilate order Jesus executed.
Romans crucified Jesus.
Jesus died while Pilate served as governor of Judea (AD 26-36).
Jesus had a brother named James who was stoned to death.
Each of these facts confirm reports in the Bible, but they show up in Roman and Jewish writings that had nothing to do with the Bible and were reported by writers who weren’t Christians.
This is worth knowing, in case anyone asks.
Jesus wasn’t fiction. He was fact.
Random book winner this week
Brad Elsberg.
I give away one free book a week to a randomly selected subscriber to my free blog and quarterly newsletter.
Brad is random this week.
The theology of Deputy Barney Fife
CRIME-BUSTER. Actor Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show,” 1960′s. Photo by Wikimedia.IT STARTED with yesterday’s blog. I had mentioned jokingly that I’d have trouble with the Sermon on the Mount if Jesus had the squeaky voice of Deputy Barney Fife. Then an old friend of mine said Barney’s take on the Jesus line “Go and sin no more” might work just fine: “Nip it. Nip it in the bud.” That got me wondering how Barney might react to some of the other teachings in the Bible…or how he might paraphrase them…or what his comeback might be. So I put him side-by-side with a few Bible verses, just to see what kind of theologian he might make. I don’t think I’d hire him. But I find him fairly engaging, and sometimes dead-on...
Paul: “Be considerate of those who are sensitive” (Romans 15:1, NLT). Barney: If there’s anything that upsets me, it’s having people say I’m sensitive.
Disciples to Jesus: “Finally! You’re giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech” (John 16:29, The Message). Barney: I’ll say it right to your face, Otis, you’ve got a pickled liver! Read more.
CRIME-BUSTER. Actor Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show,” 1960′s.Photo by Wikimedia.
IT STARTED with yesterday’s blog.
I had mentioned jokingly that I’d have trouble with the Sermon on the Mount if Jesus had the squeaky voice of Deputy Barney Fife.
Then an old friend of mine said Barney’s take on the Jesus line “Go and sin no more” might work just fine:
“Nip it. Nip it in the bud.”
That got me wondering how Barney might react to some of the other teachings in the Bible…or how he might paraphrase them…or what his comeback might be.
So I put him side-by-side with a few Bible verses, just to see what kind of theologian he might make.
I don’t think I’d hire him. But I find him fairly engaging, and sometimes dead-on.
Paul: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11, CEV). Barney: All I’m saying is that there are some things beyond the ken of mortal man that shouldn’t be tampered with. We don’t know everything, Andy. There’s plenty going on right now in the Twilight Zone that we don’t know anything about and I think we ought to stay clear.
An ancient proverb: Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NKJV). Barney: Well, today’s eight-year-olds are tomorrow’s teenagers. I say this calls for action and now. Nip it in the bud. First sign of youngsters going wrong, you’ve got to nip it in the bud.
Paul: “Be considerate of those who are sensitive” (Romans 15:1, NLT). Barney: If there’s anything that upsets me, it’s having people say I’m sensitive.
Disciples to Jesus: “Finally! You’re giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech” (John 16:29, The Message). Barney: I’ll say it right to your face, Otis, you’ve got a pickled liver!
Job: “When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape” (Job 12:14, NLT). Barney: Boys, when that steel door slams shut, that’s the end of the happy days. No more fishin’, no more ball playin’, no more peanut butter sandwiches.
King of Moab to a seer named Balaam: “A nation has just come here from Egypt [Moses and the Exodus Jews]…. Please come and curse these people for me” (Numbers 22:5-6, NLT). Barney: “Fly away buzzard, fly away crow, way down south where the winds don’t blow. Rub your nose and give two winks and save us from this awful jinx.”
Jephthah, a hero of the Jews: “‘Say the word shibboleth.’ If the fugitive would say sibboleth, because he couldn’t pronounce the word correctly, they would grab him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River” (Judges 12:6, NLT). Barney: [wearing a motorcycle helmet, leather jacket] If you ride with your mouth open in the wind and put your tongue against the roof of your mouth, it’s impossible to pronounce a word that begins with the letter ‘s.’
Jesus: “Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow” (Matthew 5:42, GWT). Barney: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Can you let me have $5?
God: “Show respect to old people; stand up in their presence” (Leviticus 19:32, NCV). Barney: Oh boy, you’re just full of fun today, aren’t ya? Why don’t we go up to the old people’s home and wax the steps?
ROBERT WAGNER Winner of this week's random drawing
You and all other subscribers to my free quarterly newsletter or my 3-articles-a-week blog are automatically entered in a weekly drawing for a free book. I'm waiting to see which book Robert will pick from a stack of half a dozen.
I'm going to keep giving the books away until I run out of books. It should take a while. I've got boxes of them stacked behind me.
Want one? These are free to anyone who hasn't gotten a free book from me before. Beyond that, all I ask is that after you read enough of the book to get a feel for it, you post a short review on a site that sells books, such as Amazon. Just a sentence or two is all you need."It's great!" or "It stinks up the joint!" Hopefully not the latter. But do keep it honest. First come, first served. Hit the email button below to make your request, or email me: steve@StephenMillerBooks.com.
Trust God with everything you plan to do. Then watch it get done. Proverbs 16:3 Steve's Bible Translation
That's not a guarantee. It's a general observation from a wise ol' sage in Bible times. He's passing it along as some of his best advice to up-and-comers of the next generation.
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