Bible Translations

I started studying the Bible about 25 years ago, as a college student at a Christian university. Up till that point, my only regular exposure to the Bible was at church. I would listen every Sunday, with partial interest, to a few readings and the subsequent sermon interpretations. During my college years, we were required to read through and study the entire King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. I studied and memorized all sorts of chronological facts, names, and history, but did not develop any sort of appreciation for this book for years to come. In my late twenties, I bought myself a New Living Translation (NLT) Bible. Things started getting interesting. Then, a few years later, a friend bought me a Message (MSG) Translation. This version opened up the Bible to me in a whole new way. The plain and simple language of this paraphrased version allowed a deeper and more meaningful understanding of scripture. These days, I use an online concordance to study verses from many different translations side by side. The NLT and MSG are still my favorites.

A few years ago, I ran across the Hawaiian Pidgin translation of the Bible. Native Hawaiians commonly use a pidgin form of English in their regular conversations. It is a dialect that is influenced by the various ethnic groups that immigrated to Hawaii over the centuries—Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, etc. This past week, since I was visiting Hawaii, I decided to read from the Hawaiian Pidgin Translation for a change. Here is an excerpt from Ephesians 6.

“Fo stand strong, everytime, pray an stay tight wit Godʼs Spirit. Pray bout everyting, an aks God fo help you. Make shua you guys watch out, an hang in dea an pray fo all da peopo dat stay spesho fo God. Try pray fo me too, so wen I tell da Good Kine Stuff From God, I tell um da right way an I no scared.” (Ephesians 6:18-19 HWP) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%206&version=HWP

Now, I’m sure some of you are uncomfortable with this version of the Bible. The first time I read it, it made me laugh! Yet, on subsequent readings, it granted me insights into things I hadn’t thought of before. The word ‘Gospel’ is translated to “Good Kine Stuff from God”. This sounds much less intimidating and formal—makes it sound like anybody, including me, could share the gospel. So, I too ask for prayer—that wen I tell da Good Kine Stuff From God, I tell um da right way an I no scared.

Kite Surfing

While on a recent trip to Oahu, I spent a lot of time watching kitesurfers. These surfers were flying large kites while balancing on small surfboards strapped on to their feet. The wind propelled them at great speeds. They harnessed the power of the wind to do incredibly high jumps. Even though I was mesmerized by their acrobatics, their skill and balance, I had no desire to join them. Unlike them, I knew I wouldn’t find exhilaration in letting the wind and waves carry me. The following verse came to mind:

“You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” (John 3:7-8 MSG)

The Holy Spirit is as unpredictable as the wind. I wondered if there was a way for me to harness the power of the Spirit and enjoy it—all while being propelled to great heights and dizzying speeds.

Now, I’m not a thrill seeker. I don’t even understand what motivates some people to willingly take risks for the mere reward of an adrenaline rush. Psychologist Frank Farley coined the term Type T personality to describe thrill-seekers, or those who crave variety, novelty, intensity, and risk. According to Farley, Type T’s are born that way. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and testosterone are factors that determine whether or not you are likely to pursue thrill seeking behavior.

So, maybe God made me this way--to play it safe, to stay rooted, and to be analytical. Maybe He made others who get a rush out of throwing caution to the wind and riding the waves of the Holy Spirit…and I shouldn’t envy them…

God is the Director

The weather is getting cool outside and I’m still feeding the hummingbirds. Now, we live in a northern latitude and I know the hummingbirds typically migrate south during our winter season. I wondered if I was harming them by providing food during autumn. Would the hummingbirds delay flying south because they were confused by my coddling?

I was determined not to hurt these little birds with my meddling. So before I mixed up the next batch of nectar solution, I looked it up online. I was relieved to find that hummingbird migration is not based on the availability of food, but on the length of daylight. As the days get shorter, they naturally know it’s time to leave. Phew, I’m glad God thought of that! It’s a good thing that the universe is not powered by my worry or anxiety.

Some people have trouble taking responsibility for their choices. They don’t recognize the connections between their decisions and the resulting consequences. I, on the other hand, burden myself with guilt over many things that I don’t have any control over. At first glance, this might seem virtuous, but it is just another form of egotism. I actually imagine I have more influence over world than I really do. I forget that God is actually in control. He has prepared in advance, knowing our weaknesses and limitations. He has a disaster plan already in place.

“I’ll go ahead of you, clearing and paving the road. I’ll break down bronze city gates, smash padlocks, kick down barred entrances. I’ll lead you to buried treasures, secret caches of valuables—Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God—who calls you by your name—that I’ve singled you out, and given you this privileged work.  And you don’t even know me! I’m the one who armed you for this work. I form light and create darkness. I make harmonies and create discords. I, God, do all these things.” (Excerpts from Isaiah 45:1-7 MSG)

Going Back For More Abuse

Some people go in for weekly massages, manicures, or pedicures. I subject myself to weekly spankings. Let me explain: I call my parents every week and listen while they berate me. I try to explain my choices and justify my behavior. I even try to modify my actions according to their values. This puts me in a compromising position that is both uncomfortable for me, and yet dissatisfying to my parents. Now, this pattern might be excusable if I were a teenager living in my parent’s house. But I happen to be a 43 year-old woman who has not been dependent on my parents for several decades. So why do allow this? Why do I grant them this level of power over me?

For one thing, I don’t want to hurt their feelings. I want to make them feel loved and respected. Somewhere along the years, I developed a distorted belief that love involved regular castigation. Even though I have desensitized myself a bit over the years, I am still affected by their criticism. It has seeped into my psyche, influencing how I see myself and how I relate to others. I tend to be indecisive. I am prone to self-flagellation. I constantly seek self-improvement. I never feel like I’m good-enough. If this weren’t bad-enough, I inadvertently pass these beliefs onto others around me, repeating the vicious cycle of abuse. I have a tendency to encourage others to ‘improve’ themselves. I eagerly provide advice, suggestions, and information whether or not I’m asked for it.

Now that I am aware of this problem, how do I get out of it? How do I avoid repeating this cycle?

Firm Grip

Distorted beliefs lead to self-defeating behaviors. Even when we are aware that they are false and destructive, these delusions can have a firm grip on us. We can’t seem to shake free of either the enslaving deception or the injurious habits that are its spawn.

It’s like a corrupt code that is embedded in a computer program. It wasn’t factory-installed. Somehow it wormed its way in, most likely during a routine download or by opening a seemingly harmless attachment. Once it has infected your computer, it messes up the entire operating system.

We all have some such corrupt code—and getting rid of it is not easy. I have several false beliefs that I can’t seem to disentangle myself from. Why is it that some people are rehabilitated from addictions and obsessions, while others are not?

The first step to any recovery is awareness. Once we are conscious of the problem and its root source—then we may begin to extricate ourselves. It’s imperative to detach from lies in order to grasp truth. This is our part. We have to stop holding on to distorted beliefs.  

“The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.” (1 John 5:18-20 MSG)

God reaches out His hands to us. Yet, as long as we continue to hang on to the world, and its deceptions, we cannot grasp the truth. We have to disengage from the clutches of evil, in order to firmly grip God’s outstretched hands.

Making Things Plain

One of my good friends is an artist. She and her husband are home builders. She has a knack for design—an ability to visualize how things will look before it is done. She sees nuances in color, texture, and form that most of us are not aware of. She is able to point out these subtle differences and their significance to her clients. She has nurtured this innate talent, and now it is beneficial to others.

"This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message...My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God...has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. When we trust in him we are free to say whatever needs to be said and bold to go wherever we need to go." (Eph. 3:7-13 excerpts)

Wouldn't it be great if we all knew what our life work was? Is it to help people understand and respond to God? Is it to 'make plain' (or explain) what the Holy Spirit reveals to each of us?

We all see things differently because of our inherent personalities and experiences. If our perspective is filtered through the Holy Spirit, it can be beneficial to many.

The following prayer is a paraphrase of Ephesians 3:14-20

Empower us with inner strength through your Spirit.

Make your home in our heart as we trust in you.

May our roots grow down deep into your love keeping us strong.
May we have the power to understand how big and deep your love is.
May we experience your love, although we can't understand it fully.
May we be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You.
All glory to You, God, for you are able, through your mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Cultural Distractions

The other day, I reminded my son not to speed when driving, even if he is running late. He asked me: "What do you consider speeding?"

I replied: "The speed limit, of course...it's not MY opinion. It's the law." 

He explained to me that everyone goes faster, and so he does too.

I think this is how we lose clarity about things. We adapt to what others around us are doing, and cultural mores become the biggest influence on our standards and values. And the further the distance between us and God, the more distracted we become.

Do we consider some people to be 'closer to God' than others?

"Through Him (Christ) we share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father." (16-18 MSG)

My son was describing his college classroom. It's a big auditorium and you can choose to sit anywhere you like—as far away, or as close as you want. Most of the students use laptops in class. My son says that if you are sitting anywhere but the front row, you notice that most of the laptops have one tab open for 'class work' and other tabs open to Facebook, Twitter, and even online shopping sites!

We all have a choice to be closer to God but sometimes we have too many tabs open. Our attention is divided among many things. We choose to detach, to be disrespectful to our Instructor, to not be completely present. If we are not in the 'Front Row', even if we are trying to pay attention, we can be distracted by the choices of others in front of us.