Based on some things I’ve been reading online, as well some recommendations from friends, I decided to pick up a copy of the 2007 revision of the New Living Translation, 2nd edition. I understand that original Living Bible was a paraphrase (sort of The Message before The Message) and that the first edition of the New Living Translation was not without its problems…but word on the street (er, ‘net) is that the NLT 2nd edition, and especially the 2007 revision, is pretty top-notch–undoubtedly one of the best “dyanimic equivenlce” (thought for thought) translations available.

So far I have yet to convinced that it’s the best of its breed, but I have to say I’ve really enjoyed reading from it. My understanding is that the goal of the NLT was to keep things simple, clear, and very easy to read. So you won’t find lots of big words, and you’ll find it a pleasure to read aloud. Unlike “essentially literal” (word-for-word, as much as possible) translations, Paul’s letters are modified to that the sentence structure makes a bit more sense to English speakers…and it makes a world of difference. While reading my ESV and NLT together, I immediately felt like I had a better grasp on what Paul was saying from the NLT. Part of that is because the NLT adds implied words, where as the ESV, being essentially literal, doesn’t. This is especially helpful in certain sections of Romans, where Paul is talking specifically to/about certain people groups. The NLT provides helpful headings and modifies some sentences with things like, “So, for the Israelites…” or “Remember, Gentiles…” This keeps things straight in your head…with an essentially literal translation, it can be easy to get confused by Paul’s giant run-on sentences and think that he is either speaking in a global sense to or to different group of people.

That being said, there are tradeoffs. After years of study with the NASB and ESV, the Pauline epistiles–while easier to understand–don’t sound like Paul to me. Many of his strongly phrased arguments and rhetorical devices get reworded in a way that seems softened. For example, the repeated exclamation “By no means!” (ESV) throughout Romans is translated “Of course not!” in the NLT. In Romans 9:20, the ESV states,

“….who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ “

The NLT renders the same verse like this:

“No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ “

While the essence of this verse is certainly intact, we also lose the sense of admonishon from the ESV and  the word-picture of God as potter or “molder” of our lives. I’ve noticed this about a few passages throughout the Old and New Testaments in NLT; the essence of the meaning is there, but some of the symbolism/word meanings are lost. This robs the scripture of some of its original and intended literary richness.

See how the venerable 23rd Psalm loses a bit of its grandeur…. Here’s the NLT rendering of  Psalms 23:1-4:

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valleys I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

And the ESV:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The more formal language of the ESV is both more familiar and more meaningful to me. Phrases like “…paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” and “the valley of shadow of death” just seem more like the way Holy Scripture should be. Naturally, I recognize that in this specific case, my thoughts are highly subjective and based mostly on a certain set of aesthetic preferences.

One thing I really appreciate about the NLT is how it makes certain culturally awkward (or even incrompehsible) verses accesible to the English speaking crowd. Take Ps. 147:10 in the ESV, for example:

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man…”

Okay, that’s awkward ;). Here it is in the NLT:

“He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.”

That makes a little more sense, doesn’t it?

Obviously, neither the ESV as an essentially literal translation, nor the NLT as a dynamically equivalent translation are  perfect. But, from what I can gather, they are both great translations each in their own right, and accomplish each of their very different goals well. So I’m very glad I picked up my NLT…I anticipate many blessings by using it alongside my trusty ESV, and I’m now more convinced than ever that both essentially literal and dynamically equvialent translations are needed and should be studied by all Christians.

Have you read the NLT? What are your thoughts?

Further reading:

• Who Translated the New Living Translation? (And More Thoughts on Advocating English Translations)

• Words in the New Living Translation (Thoughts about dynamically equivalent translation in the NLT)

Oh wait, it’s not there. Look, I know hope Tyndale is trying to do a good thing here…but this really rubs me the wrong way. Since when is the Bible about helping ourselves? I thought it was about God bridging the gap to himself for us, since, you know, we’re finite and sinful and all that.

I’m virtually certain that the materials inside (I couldn’t check, ’cause it was shrinkwrapped in the store) probably say something amounting to “we help ourselves by depending on God for help,” but there was nothing like this on the front 0r back cover. It just seems shady to me–what do you think?

Went for an ultrasound today, and found out we’re having a little boy!! The doctor said everything looked just perfect, and we are so happy to get the news! Ultrasound/doppler technology has come so far since my youngest brother was born 10 years ago…I was extremely blown away by detail that was availble in the live video…we could clearly see each of the four chambers of our boy’s heart, every single little bone in the his spine, and even blood flow to his stomach! It was really amazing…makes you take a step back in awe and in gratefulness for God’s creation.

It’s Software Freedom Day 2009! Many of you know I love me some open source software…and today is great day to learn more if you’re at all interested. From the official Software Freedom Day Website:

In an increasingly digital age, more and more of our everyday experiences depend upon software. Software influences how we interact with each other, enjoy different media, vote, get paid, and even navigate our roads. Software underpins our very way of life, our basic freedoms such as freedom of association, freedom of thought, freedom of choice and much more, yet many people do not realise the importance and influence of software and other technologies on their lives.

What do we mean by Software Freedom? Software Freedom is about a technology future that we can trust, that is sustainable, and that doesn’t negatively impact on the basic human freedoms we take for granted. Untrusted electoral systems can lead to civil unrest and a lack of trust in governing bodies. Spyware that watches what we listen to, our banking details and who we email can be installed on our computers without our knowledge. Region encoding of movies introduces an artificial barrier to the international content; where is our personal choice? Proprietary data formats can mean lockout to accessing our own information! Software Freedom can be maintained by transparent systems (such as Free and Open Source Software) that are based on open, secure and sustainable standards including data formats and communication protocols.

Software Freedom Day is a yearly celebration of Software Freedom and why it is important; our purpose is public education about these important issues.

If you’d like to learn about why I like free software and the free software that I use most, check out my Choose Freedom essay, and my Top 10 Reasons I Use Linux post. Did you know companies like Google and (gasp!) Apple leverage lots of free software to make their products? Google literally couldn’t exist without its vast computer farms running Linux, and Apple depends on free software for such basic functions as printing, networking, and web-browsing.

Here are some quick links to some my favorite free software projects:

• Ubuntu – a free operating system that can replace Windows or Mac OS
• MuseScore – a music notation editor that’s helping me complete my master’s degree in music theory and composition
• OpenOffice – the free office suite that has saved me lots of time and money!
• Firefox – the best browser around
• WordPress – the blogging software that is now the industry standard
• The Sword Project – Free Bible study software and tools

All of this software is available completely free of charge, runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers (even Ubuntu can be tested on a Windows or Mac computer without changing a thing about your existing configuration), and is free as in speech. Why not try some of it out?

Today is great day of celebration of how far free software has come…I hope you’re able learn something about the fun, power, and importance of free software. If you have questions or thoughts, feel free to leave a comment!

After doing a lot of thinking about focusing on the most important things, I’ve decided that I really do need to make some more time in my day. Since I’ve extracted virtually all my extraneous hobby activities from my daily routine, really the only thing left that I can take out is sleep.

Ok, you can stop laughing now…those you that know me well know that I have no problem sleeping late…in my younger years sometimes ’till 2, 3, 4, or even 5 in the afternoon! I am not a morning person. But…I’ve been doing pretty good lately…I’m usually up before 8am. Now I want to take it to the next level. My goal is to be out of bed each morning by 6am, adding an extra two hours to my day. (I thought briefly about attempting polyphasic sleeep, but I quickly dismissed the idea ;)

What am I going to do with the extra time? Get my required tasks out of the way, that’s what. I’m certainly not going to fill it up with the hobbies I just cut out. No, I’m going to focus on doing what I’m doing now,  just doing stuff better. A bit of extra time composing, taking longer to really absorb the non-fiction I’m reading, giving myself permission to linger over dinner to enjoy my wife’s company–these are just a few ways I hope to make use of the extra time in my day.

I’m actually on day two of this exercise, and it hasn’t been easy. I’m following Steve Pavlina’s method (get up at the same time each day, go to bed when tired) and it’s definitely taking discipline. I’m sure it will take at least a couple weeks for my body to adjust, but man…it’s tough rolling out of bed! That being said, I’ve already been so much more productive during my morning that I really do think it’s worth it so far. Amber has committed to do this with me, so we’re trying to keep each other accountable.

Are you an early riser? Would the productivity/stress relief benefits of getting up early even be worth it to you? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victius/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I recently had a nice long video chat with a really good friend. We spent a pretty significant amount time talking about priorities and the things that were really important to us…the things really worth our time. I noted that while I am passionate about Free Software and Linux (don’t get me wrong…I believe software freedom is a critical issue in our culture) I am ultimately more fulfilled spending most of my time composing music and pondering things that help me become a better minister.

My friend and I talked about the hard truth that there are only so many hours in a day, and sometimes you’ve got to give up things that you really enjoy–in his case sportswriting, in my case Linux blogging–for things that you know add more long-term value to your life. Of course, some people would give up their music hobby for their technology career, and that’s totally fine. I’m not saying that music has more intrinsic value than technology–so if you’re a tech buff, don’t get mad :) What I’m saying that is that for me, music and ministry are the greater passions, and so I’ve chosen to focus on those things in order to really give them my all. So I quit blogging about Linux. I cleared hundreds of Linux news RSS feeds out of Google Reader, and I unsubscribed the vast majority of software development mailinglists I was on.

It’s still tough though…old habits die hard. I still spend way too much time making sure I’m totally up-to-date on the latest and greatest news from the Free and Open Source Software world, and even though my computer works perfectly fine, I end up tinkering with it quite a bit…because, for me it’s just so fun! I have no desire to purge Linux or the enjoyment I get from using it from my life…on the contrary, I plan to remain a vocal advocate for Free Software, and I’ll probably always use Linux exclusively as much as I can. But I still really need to cut back, to care a bit less. Sounds kind of silly writing it out, but I’ve really built up some habits around my hobby that are–ultimately–huge time sinks that I do need to purge. Instead of endlessly fiddling with themes, scripts, and the latest-and-greatest web browser release, I should be tinkering with melodies, memorizing Scripture, and honing my ear training skills.

I don’t want to be a workaholic, but I do want some of my “leisure” habits to feed more naturally into those things I am most passionate about.

Have you ever had to scale back on something you really loved, to focus on things you love more? Did you find balance in the midst of it all, or did you have have to draw a hard line in the sand?

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fixe/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0