hughbiquitous

J. Mark Bertrand is almost pornographic in the way he reviews Bibles.

I should say he reviews Bible design and binding—not the content thereof (the Jesus Seminar et al hate competition). He makes me smile with gems like this on his new blog:

Like trying to hold water in my hands … that’s what my first experience with the Cambridge Wide Margin Reference Bible was like. I expected the goatskin cover to be flexible, but this was ridiculous. Ridiculously good, that is. Wherever it wasn’t supported by my hand, this Bible gracefully plunged toward the floor, almost like it was wet. I half expected it to be dripping, but of course it wasn’t. That’s the illusion a fine, flexible binding can give.

Am I blushing?

I’ve posted in the past about my wish for the perfect Bible… and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. I tried doing some of my own typesetting with Microsoft Word and the text of the Gospel of John, and I love the way it turned out—but it was way too much work.

But for you ESV folks, Mr. Bertrand follows the “graphic” description above with this: “I’m excited about the prospects of a similar edition using the ESV which may hit the market next year, and if it’s as well-made as this NASB, there will be much rejoicing in my house.”

Al Mohler offers some suggestions on reading books:

1. Maintain regular reading projects.
2. Work through major sections of Scripture.
3. Read all the titles written by some authors.
4. Get some big sets and read through them.
5. Allow yourself some fun reading, and learn how to enjoy reading by reading enjoyable books.
6. Write in your books; mark them up and make them yours.

I was in Toys R Us with the family a couple weeks ago when I saw this abomination on the shelves: Your Best Life Now: The Game!

It occurred to me: if Joel Osteen deserves a board game, there are plenty of others who ought to get on the horn with Endless Games. Here’s a few for starters:

• Desiring God: The Game!
• Don’t Waste Your Life: The Game!
• Mere Christianity: The Game!
• Of The Mortification Of Sin In Believers; The Necessity, Nature, And Means Of It: With A Resolution Of Sundry Cases Of Conscience Thereunto Belonging: The Game!

Any others?

An excerpt from Doug Groothuis on reading:

1. Read often, giving adequate time for the nature of the work.

2. Stop watching TV (if you do). It tends to rot the mind. Read the appendix to Truth Decay on that as well as the contemporary classic, Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman (1985).

3. Mark up your books, underlining key ideas and jotting ideas in the margins. Keep an index in the front of the book of the most important ideas. If the book is especially profound, take detailed notes on it.

4. Try to use the ideas from good books in letters, essays, teachings, and conversations. Form a book club. Keep the ideas alive. Aspire to write a book yourself, if it is needed and you are the person to write it.

(Also see his follow-up: More on reading.)

Scanning the blogs today? Well, Mr. Blog-Surfer, Mark Dever and C.S. Lewis have something to say about our reading habits that you should mark well.

(I must warn you that what I have written here may keep you from coming back to hughbiquitous.com, or any other blog you frequent, for some time.) (more…)