Archive for August, 2011

Video: Marquis Laughlin’s Dramatic Reading of the ESV at ICRS 2011

Crossway hosted a banquet at ICRS 2011 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, its legacy, and its influence in the development of the ESV translation. Just before John Piper spoke on “7 Reasons Why the Word of God is Infinitely Valuable”, Marquis Laughlin did this powerful dramatic reading of Scripture:

August 16, 2011 | Posted in: ESV,The Bible,Translation | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 8:27 am | (3) Comments »

Posted in ESV, The Bible, Translation | 3 Comments »

Crowdsourcing the Psalms

Over the past few years with the rise of technology and automation, data mining has become a popular way to analyze information and discover trends which might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

We at Crossway are pleased that so many ESV Bible readers have made ESVBible.org a part of their day as they meditate on the message of God’s Word.

One feature on the site is the ability to highlight a verse if it has a special meaning to you so that you can come back to it later. After looking under the hood to see how people are using this feature, we wanted to highlight some of your highlights, sharing the joy found in God’s Word.

The listing of verses below are our reader’s most frequent highlights from the Psalms (beginning at 300 shared highlights and above)!

If you find this sort of thing helpful or interesting—or are curious about a particular book of the Bible—let us know!

——

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 27:1,4,14
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 119:11,105
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

August 12, 2011 | Posted in: Digital,ESV,Uncategorized | Author: Guy Fain @ 8:30 am | (2) Comments »

Posted in Digital, ESV, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The Bored Life Isn’t Worth Living

Guest post by Stephen J. Nichols

As the last weeks of summer dwindle down we could add another chorus of voices to the chirping crickets at nightfall, the refrain emanating from our kids, “We’re so bored!” But before we say kids these days, we need to confess our own sins of boredom. If the American Medical Association were to label boredom a disease, we would have to declare an epidemic.

A few decades back, Neil Postman wrote a scathing critique of American culture, indicting us all for, as the title has it, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Now a few decades later after billions of dollars and countless hours spent in the full-throttled pursuit of pleasure, we have amused ourselves right into boredom. What’s left for us to have? What’s left for us to experience?

Boredom begets a loss of a sense of wonder. Our loss of a sense of wonder begets a loss of appreciation. And our loss of appreciation begets a loss of gratitude—quite a downward spiral. Throughout the pages of Scripture you’ll find that God simply wants us to be grateful. In the Old Testament, ingratitude gets put right on par with idolatry. Shocking. Paul states it plainly in Romans 1 when he charges that even though God has made himself known to us in the visible world, we “did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Rom 1:21).

God has placed us in his world. More often than not, we offer up grumblings of ingratitude instead of grateful praises from thankful hearts. God made us and he made us for himself and put us in the world of his design—a world of beauty and wonder. Yet too often we put our hands in our pockets, shrug our shoulders, let out a yawn, and walk off. Since we’ve lost our sense of wonder, we have forgotten to how to say thank you.

Embracing the doctrine of creation, reading creation, is the antidote to boredom and yawning, to ingratitude. How can we yawn at what God has made? When we acknowledge God as creator of all things, we regain our sense of wonder, we regain our sense of appreciation, and we regain our sense of gratitude. We stop yawning. We start hearing the chirping of crickets and we say thank you.

Adapted from Welcome to the Story: Reading, Loving, & Living God’s Word

August 9, 2011 | Posted in: Gratitude | Author: Crossway Staff @ 7:12 am | 0 Comments »

Posted in Gratitude | No Comments »

John Piper – 7 Reasons Why the Word of God is Infinitely Valuable

The International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) is a trade show held every year, bringing together publishers, distributers, manufacturers, and retailers. This year’s ICRS was held in July in Atlanta, Georgia.

During the event Crossway hosted a banquet for authors, retailers, and other partners in our ministry. At the banquet, John Piper spoke on the history of the ESV, tracing its lineage from William Tyndale through the KJV to the present day. He also delivered a short but powerful sermon (15:48) giving 7 reasons why the Word of God is of infinite value. For many present it was one of the highlights of the entire week.

This keynote address is included in its entirety below: