May I borrow your brain for a second? 
Kindly tell Steve where to go
WE'RE NOT TALKING POLITICS. This is about the Bible.
I've been spending some time working on the Casual English Bible website, and I'd like you to weigh in on what you think I should do next with this easy-reading paraphrase.
I've already paraphrased Genesis, Luke, and Acts.
Each chapter of every book contains study Bible footnotes along with discussion questions for small-group Bible studies.
In addition, I've already created a 70-page Leader's Guide and Atlas for Acts. It has answers to the discussion questions along with high-resolution maps. It comes as a PDF download for $1.
I'm about to finish a Leader's Guide and Atlas for Luke, as well.
Here's the question
- I have several possible routes ahead, and I'm not sure which one to take. Would you kindly tell me where to go?
- Create a Leader's Guide and Atlas for Genesis, so you have the full-meal deal available for all three books before moving on. Then follow that route, creating the full package for each Bible book.
- Skip the Genesis leader's guide and atlas for now. Finish up paraphrasing the New Testament as quickly as possible. After that, double back and create the leader's guides and atlases for the most-read New Testament books. Then on to the Old Testament.
- Other [fill in the blank]
- Go straight to Revelation before the buffoons blow up the world.
- Go to a happy book, like Ephesians. We need happy now.
- Other [fill in the blank]
I'm trying to finish before Christmas.
Click my name to offer sage advice
Here's the link to my email: Stephen M. Miller. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
—Sample excerpt from the Casual English Bible—
—Sample excerpt from the Casual English Bible—
BETHLEHEM FOR CHRISTMAS. Here are two of the maps I created for the Christmas Story, as it appears in Luke 2 of the Casual English Bible. I'm working now on other maps to appear in the Casual English Bible Atlas for Luke. My question is where to go after I finish these maps. I'm taking votes. I'll let you know what happens next.
LUKE 2
Mary's baby boy Joseph goes home to Bethlehem2:1. About the time Mary got pregnant, Caesar Augustus ordered a census. He wanted to count everyone in the Roman world.
2:2. This was the first census the Romans took after Quirinius became Syria’s governor.[1]
2:3. Folks went to their hometown to register.
2:4. Joseph did, too. He left Nazareth, a city in the region called Galilee. He went south to Bethlehem.[2] That’s where he came from—the hometown of his famous relative, King David.
2:5. Joseph went there to register. He took his fiancée, Mary, who was pregnant.
2:6. They got to Bethlehem just in time for her to give birth.[3]
2:7. Mary had her first child. A boy. She wrapped him tightly, swaddling him in cloth. Then she laid him in a feeding trough—a manger for his bed. She had no choice. Bethlehem’s inn didn’t have any vacancies.
Shepherds get a birth announcement2:8. Near the village, shepherds had set up camp and were keeping an eye on their sheep at night.
2:9. All of a sudden an angel showed up, right there in front of them. Heaven’s glory lit the camp like a spotlight, terrifying the shepherds.
2:10. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel told them. “I’ve got great news—joy to the world for people everywhere.
2:11. Born today, in David’s hometown, is your Savior. He’s the Messiah, your Lord.
2:12. Here’s how you can know it’s him. You’ll find a baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.”[4]
2:13. Suddenly, all heaven broke loose. The lone angel wasn’t alone anymore. He brought company. Angels everywhere— a skyful—happy and saying wonderful things about God:
2:14. “Praise God from here to high heaven. Peace has come to earth for everyone who loves God and wants nothing more than to please him.”[5]
2:15. When the angels left, the shepherds couldn’t stop talking. “What are we doing still standing here? We need to get our feet moving right now to Bethlehem so we can see for ourselves what the Lord told us.”
2:16. They did not walk, they ran until they found Mary and Joseph. There he was, the baby, lying in a manger.
2:17. When they saw this with their own eyes, they were all mouth. They couldn’t not stop talking about what God’s angels had told them about this child.
2:18. The people who heard what the shepherds said were amazed beyond amazing.
2:19. Mary scooped up every word like a treasure and stored them in her memory. Quietly, she pondered all of this in her heart.
2:20. The shepherds went back to their flock. They didn’t go quietly. Still talking. Still laughing. Still thanking God for everything he let them hear and see on that remarkable day.
Notes[1] 2:2. Roman records report that in AD 6, perhaps a decade after Jesus was born, Rome appointed Quirinius as governor of Syria and ordered him to take a census of his district, which included what are now Israel and Palestinian Territories. Rome wanted this body count of Jews so they could estimate future tax money the empire could expect from them. There’s nothing on record yet about Quirinius conducting a census earlier, when Jesus was born. One theory is that Quirinius served two terms since this was “the first census,” implying another one came later.
[2] 2:4. This was about a four-day walk along the shortest caravan routes through the hilly, central part of the country, roughly 70 miles (110 km).
[3] 2:6. Just in time to add one more name to the census register: Jesus.
[4] 2:12. A feeding trough for livestock.
[5] 2:14. Literally, “to those favored,” a religion tech phrase at the time referring to people God has blessed—those who embrace God’s Son. The phrase is possibly a reference to a line in Mary’s song, Luke 1:50.
Casual English Bible Leader's Gude & Atlas for Luke coming soon.
New books in 2016
Still Amazon's #1 bestselling Bible handbook
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BIBLE
FOR THREE YEARS Amazon has listed the Complete Guide to the Bible as the best-selling Bible handbook. Each day, it battles with a couple of other less expensive books for the #1 slot.
Deluxe leather-bound edition with new maps
Last word
Christians are equipped for troubled times. Suit up (Ephesians 6:10-18).
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Copyright © 2016 Stephen M. Miller Inc, All rights reserved.
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PO Box 2712
LUKE 2
Mary's baby boy Joseph goes home to Bethlehem2:1. About the time Mary got pregnant, Caesar Augustus ordered a census. He wanted to count everyone in the Roman world.
2:2. This was the first census the Romans took after Quirinius became Syria’s governor.[1]
2:3. Folks went to their hometown to register.
2:4. Joseph did, too. He left Nazareth, a city in the region called Galilee. He went south to Bethlehem.[2] That’s where he came from—the hometown of his famous relative, King David.
2:5. Joseph went there to register. He took his fiancée, Mary, who was pregnant.
2:6. They got to Bethlehem just in time for her to give birth.[3]
2:7. Mary had her first child. A boy. She wrapped him tightly, swaddling him in cloth. Then she laid him in a feeding trough—a manger for his bed. She had no choice. Bethlehem’s inn didn’t have any vacancies.
Shepherds get a birth announcement2:8. Near the village, shepherds had set up camp and were keeping an eye on their sheep at night.
2:9. All of a sudden an angel showed up, right there in front of them. Heaven’s glory lit the camp like a spotlight, terrifying the shepherds.
2:10. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel told them. “I’ve got great news—joy to the world for people everywhere.
2:11. Born today, in David’s hometown, is your Savior. He’s the Messiah, your Lord.
2:12. Here’s how you can know it’s him. You’ll find a baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.”[4]
2:13. Suddenly, all heaven broke loose. The lone angel wasn’t alone anymore. He brought company. Angels everywhere— a skyful—happy and saying wonderful things about God:
2:14. “Praise God from here to high heaven. Peace has come to earth for everyone who loves God and wants nothing more than to please him.”[5]
2:15. When the angels left, the shepherds couldn’t stop talking. “What are we doing still standing here? We need to get our feet moving right now to Bethlehem so we can see for ourselves what the Lord told us.”
2:16. They did not walk, they ran until they found Mary and Joseph. There he was, the baby, lying in a manger.
2:17. When they saw this with their own eyes, they were all mouth. They couldn’t not stop talking about what God’s angels had told them about this child.
2:18. The people who heard what the shepherds said were amazed beyond amazing.
2:19. Mary scooped up every word like a treasure and stored them in her memory. Quietly, she pondered all of this in her heart.
2:20. The shepherds went back to their flock. They didn’t go quietly. Still talking. Still laughing. Still thanking God for everything he let them hear and see on that remarkable day.
Notes[1] 2:2. Roman records report that in AD 6, perhaps a decade after Jesus was born, Rome appointed Quirinius as governor of Syria and ordered him to take a census of his district, which included what are now Israel and Palestinian Territories. Rome wanted this body count of Jews so they could estimate future tax money the empire could expect from them. There’s nothing on record yet about Quirinius conducting a census earlier, when Jesus was born. One theory is that Quirinius served two terms since this was “the first census,” implying another one came later.
[2] 2:4. This was about a four-day walk along the shortest caravan routes through the hilly, central part of the country, roughly 70 miles (110 km).
[3] 2:6. Just in time to add one more name to the census register: Jesus.
[4] 2:12. A feeding trough for livestock.
[5] 2:14. Literally, “to those favored,” a religion tech phrase at the time referring to people God has blessed—those who embrace God’s Son. The phrase is possibly a reference to a line in Mary’s song, Luke 1:50.
Casual English Bible Leader's Gude & Atlas for Luke coming soon.
New books in 2016
Coming in 2017
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BIBLE
FOR THREE YEARS Amazon has listed the Complete Guide to the Bible as the best-selling Bible handbook. Each day, it battles with a couple of other less expensive books for the #1 slot.
Deluxe leather-bound edition with new maps
Last word
Christians are equipped for troubled times. Suit up (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Stephen M. Miller
FacebookWebsite
Subscribe to blog
Forward to a friend
Copyright © 2016 Stephen M. Miller Inc, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Stephen M. Miller Inc
PO Box 2712
Olathe, Kansas 66061, United States
------- The Bible’s take on immigrants by Stephen M. Miller Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
The Bible’s take on immigrants by Stephen M. Miller
IMMIGRATION ON PARADE. A couple of souls march in a Los Angeles parade, in a plea for immigration reform. The reform they had in mind wasn’t mass deportation. Photo by Ray S, flickr, CC2.
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY in my church got up at 5:45 a.m. last Wednesday.
He asked his mom who won the election.
When she told him, he burst into tears.
He’s terrified that two of his friends, who are Hispanic, will get deported.
He asked why the president-elect would do such a thing, and then he declared something that at least half the nation seems to have concluded: “He isn’t a nice person.”
I don’t know if the parents are here illegally. I would assume so. I know of some who have been here for decades. With a work ethic that we could use more of.
“If they’re here illegally,” an accountant once told me, “they should be deported. They broke the law.”
I said, “You can write a law making it illegal for someone to run out of a burning building onto your property. That doesn’t make it right.”
Many families have come here illegally out of desperation, for fear of their lives, often. They just want to survive.
I understand the argument that would send these people back to where they came from.
Absolutely, I would expect to hear that argument from secular-minded folks unfamiliar with the Bible or with the teachings of Jesus.
But what I don’t understand yet, is why I hear it coming from so many people who call themselves Christians.
We’ve talked about this in my Bible study class, which includes people who say they want illegal immigrants deported. We tried to list the Christian principles behind both arguments.
There were none for the deportation argument.
We could come up with plenty of secular, “we gotta look out for us first” arguments.
But there’s nothing of Jesus in that, as far as I can tell.
For Christians on the fence about this topic, I’ll post a few Bible verses that are pretty important guidelines.
But I’ve noticed that to a great extent, Christianity doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way people talk, vote, or live.
It’s as though many folks figure if they believe in Jesus, they can call themselves Christians.
Others argue that it’s probably a good idea to act like one, too.
From the Bible of Jesus
“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21).
“Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land” (Leviticus 19:33).
“He [God] ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).
From the mouth of Jesus
“When someone asks you to give them something, give it to them” (Luke 6:30).
“Be compassionate, like your Father is” (Luke 6:36).
“I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me…Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me. Then Jesus said, ‘Those people will be punished forever’” (Matthew 25:42-46).
The post The Bible’s take on immigrants appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
Recent Articles:
-------
The Bible’s take on immigrants by Stephen M. Miller Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.The Bible’s take on immigrants by Stephen M. Miller
IMMIGRATION ON PARADE. A couple of souls march in a Los Angeles parade, in a plea for immigration reform. The reform they had in mind wasn’t mass deportation. Photo by Ray S, flickr, CC2.
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY in my church got up at 5:45 a.m. last Wednesday.
He asked his mom who won the election.
When she told him, he burst into tears.
He’s terrified that two of his friends, who are Hispanic, will get deported.
He asked why the president-elect would do such a thing, and then he declared something that at least half the nation seems to have concluded: “He isn’t a nice person.”
I don’t know if the parents are here illegally. I would assume so. I know of some who have been here for decades. With a work ethic that we could use more of.
“If they’re here illegally,” an accountant once told me, “they should be deported. They broke the law.”
I said, “You can write a law making it illegal for someone to run out of a burning building onto your property. That doesn’t make it right.”
Many families have come here illegally out of desperation, for fear of their lives, often. They just want to survive.
I understand the argument that would send these people back to where they came from.
Absolutely, I would expect to hear that argument from secular-minded folks unfamiliar with the Bible or with the teachings of Jesus.
But what I don’t understand yet, is why I hear it coming from so many people who call themselves Christians.
We’ve talked about this in my Bible study class, which includes people who say they want illegal immigrants deported. We tried to list the Christian principles behind both arguments.
There were none for the deportation argument.
We could come up with plenty of secular, “we gotta look out for us first” arguments.
But there’s nothing of Jesus in that, as far as I can tell.
For Christians on the fence about this topic, I’ll post a few Bible verses that are pretty important guidelines.
But I’ve noticed that to a great extent, Christianity doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way people talk, vote, or live.
It’s as though many folks figure if they believe in Jesus, they can call themselves Christians.
Others argue that it’s probably a good idea to act like one, too.
From the Bible of Jesus
“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21).
“Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land” (Leviticus 19:33).
“He [God] ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).
From the mouth of Jesus
“When someone asks you to give them something, give it to them” (Luke 6:30).
“Be compassionate, like your Father is” (Luke 6:36).
“I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me…Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me. Then Jesus said, ‘Those people will be punished forever’” (Matthew 25:42-46).
The post The Bible’s take on immigrants appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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Babylon as “babble on” by Stephen M. Miller Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.Babylon as “babble on” by Stephen M. Miller
The city is Babil, Iraq today. It’s most famous name is Babylon, as in “babble on.” But it’s first known name was Babel, which means “confused.” That’s where Genesis says God stopped people from building the Tower of Babel by making them speak different languages. Words sounded like babble.
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CHIN UP. This has been a tough week on Christians who minister to people at greatest risk in our country. Photo by Isabelle Gallino, flickr, CC2.
I’M NOT SURE it’s a good idea to urge American Christians to remember who they are this week.
It looks like they already forgot, some say.
Christianity Today magazine has reported the results of interviews with evangelical Christians who voted in the presidential election on Tuesday. Tally: 8 out of 10 white evangelicals voted for the winning candidate—a man whose words and actions shred Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are looking for the counterpoint to the Son of God, the remaining 2 out of 10 white evangelicals might say, we have found him—and we put him in charge.
Looking at the popular vote, with the loser actually winning by a slim margin, it seems obvious that half of our nation feels miserable, while the other half probably feels buoyant.
Perhaps some of the most miserable are the 2 out of 10 white evangelicals who wonder where all those Judas’ came from, betraying Christ and the compassion he asks of his followers.
Those 20 percent include evangelicals weeping in their pews this week because they minister to souls at risk, including immigrants, refugees, and others disparaged by the man who now represents what some might call, descriptively, the Immoral Majority—Christians who favored the candidate who admitted to groping women, who was televised ridiculing the handicapped, and whose ego seems to present as clinically sociopathic, if the Mayo Clinic checklist can be trusted.
To the 20 percent who are demoralized and to the 80 percent who think they did the smart thing, just one word of advice.
It comes from a tweet I read on Tuesday from a Christian college gal who supported Hillary Clinton, and who was quoting her dad, a friend of mine:
- “No matter who wins the election, remember who you are.”
Take some time. And possibly Paul’s advice to Timothy: “You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach” (1 Timothy 5:23).
The post Remembering who we are appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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