HERE’S THE UTTER SHOCK OF IT.
I was just getting started writing this article to promote the baby-brand-new Casual English Bible New Testament Atlas that I self-published through Amazon on Friday.
(No, publishers didn’t turn me down. I didn’t invite them to the party. I’m inviting you, instead.)
I wanted to promote the book and show you where you can look inside the Bible atlas and see every page of it.
And I wanted to introduce a way for people who enjoy the Casual English Bible paraphrase and related study resources to help support the work.
Well, I went to Amazon to check the link to the Bible atlas.
That was just a few minutes ago. I saw—to my absolute delight and de-lovely surprise—that the book is the #1 NEW RELEASE CHRISTIAN BIBLE ATLAS IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE, and in a hotly contested category.
How’d that happen?
The deal
For the first 50 souls to respond between now and midnight on Valentine’s Day,
- If you donate $10 or more
- and promise to review the book on a site like Amazon or GoodReads (for better or worse)
- I’ll send you a copy of the book.
Just tell me where to mail it.
As for the 10 words, it’s a short review of the atlas. Maybe something like this:
“Boy is this handsome book the cat’s meow. Meow. Meow.”
Or, more sadly:
“It’s not Raymond in Gilead. And it’s not Old Gezer.”
A little help, please
We’re at the point where we need to bring on more hands. We want to move this Bible project more quickly. And we want to widen it more broadly, producing more Bible study leader’s guides, maps, and other easy-reading Bible study resources.
We want to get this entire Bible in print. We’re doing this paraphrase especially for people who haven’t read the Bible.
We’re trying to make it engaging enough that even non-Christians will find it easy to follow along.
Hounded
I think my wife is weary of telling to stop working at 9 o-clock. PM. I know Buddy the Dog is. He wants to rest at my feet in the media/recording room at night. So he comes to hound me by resting his chin on my mouse-moving right arm. He messes with my mouse, to stop me from typing.
I work a full workday, with an apple or something else light for lunch, then a break for supper, and back at it usually until Buddy the Dog comes to get me.
I’m at the point where I need to go bigger or go fishing.
If you’re willing and able, here’s the donation link: STEVE, BOY DO YOU NEED HELP.
If you’re in on this, send me a note. Just say,
“I donated and here’s my address.”
I’ll have Amazon send the book to you.
But write the review, please. In the past I’ve discovered most people don’t. I’m sure most intend to, but time gets away from them.
Wouldn’t it be terrible if someone got to the pearly gates and St. Peter said, “You can’t come in. You didn’t write that book review you promised Steve.”
I would feel so guilty. I would intercede. Most likely but not necessarily.
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dear mr. miller,
thank you for sharing your mom’s story. i shared it with my children. bless you for honoring your mother with you time and caring.
i found your website searching for a map of deuteronomy 1:7-8. your map is impressive and thank you for quoting genesis 15:18 in it. i only started looking for maps recently as i read through the chronological version of scriptures.
so i went to view your book, the complete guide to the bible. again, impressive is how i can describe the book cover ^_^. what a word smith you are. the introduction and the word of thanks were delightful to read. very different. very fresh. i totally agree with your not using jargons. i do not like jargons anywhere when used for communication. i like to read and speak the english language as most people understand it or as latest editions of dictionaries define them. i had this smile all over my face (instant facelift) from viewing the cover to reading what’s in the preview pages of the book.
will this book be in a binder like the “rose book of” series? i like it because it makes the pages lie flat. easier to read.
the layout of each page is wonderfully thought out. yes, the art and the pictures are also well picked except that of jesus. it is abominable to god for an israelite to have long hair unless he has a nazarite vow for an extended period of time after which he will wear the normal length of hair. the devil also has never been described as two horned, ugly etc. in fact, he is stated to appear as an angel of light and thus able to deceive even the elect. it is best to leave him as that if we are to present what is truth.
as for the image of jesus, isaiah has it that he was not good looking. his appeal is in his mien, in his love that exudes from his entire being. if we can write about god without representing him, we surely can do the same with jesus. remember, the golden calf was supposed to represent god? what did god do to the israelites who worshipped it?
now on to the comments on your coverage of genesis:
maybe you just mean to make “scientific” minded people comfortable to have that picture introduce the book of genesis. but god created the universe by the word of his mouth, a universe with living creatures which have irreducible complexities and interdependence that ripple throughout the universe. no being can be more “scentific” than that and gets the “sun to rise and set every day” and gets the earth to experience the same seasons year after year; humans giving birth to humans and not donkeys; etc., etc.
that picture, you pointed out answers the question of who created the universe. it does not. it settles the question that the universe was started by a being. as to who this being is, we can only know from scriptures.
also, we know scriptures describe how god created it which is in the manner entirely beyond finite mind can concieve and the “sicentific” theorizing that this picture proposes completely debunks what scriptures declare.
as you know science can only deal with matters it can observe and test and then stablishes that as true or as a principle in the universe that only then is discovered. it absolutely cannot deal with the origin of the universe ^_^.
i propose, any theory/theorem that opposes what can correctly be understood (a prayer for understanding all who study and write about scriptures need) what scriptures teach is a waste of energy, resources and most importantly, of time, the resource that can never be recovered once passed through use, misuse or abuse. these are theories like evolution, that man has the capacity of having more than two genders (false-genetically fixed) as it has the capacity to have several skin colors (true-gene adaptation capability), etc.
as for the freedom god gave his human creatures: it was a design necessary of his character of love. his whole creation of man was out of love and love can only be truly exercised if it is out of free will.
the thing is, since creation cannot be equal to its creator, in case of god and man, man cannot be god, cannot be as perfect in knowledge, in wisdom, in power etc. so man, created with finite minds can make the wrong assessments and wrong moves.
on the section on “the main point”
the book went on stating that god went on to rebuild this relationship leaving out mentioning that god already planned for this undesirable reality with the consent of jesus, for him to be the goel of mankind from even before the start of creation (the lamb slain from the foundation of the world) as all these was for him.
on the section of “the writer”
scriptures declare that the whole book is written by humans (like ghost writers) inspired by god, moved by the holy spirt. god uses creation as part of the resource as it makes the writings more understandable as each account is to convey his divine message. so, moses may have lifted from stories but the holy spirit guided him to choose only what served god’s communication purposes and that these were factual, not legendary nor mythical nor fables.
your simply stating what bible “experts” declare is going beyond what is the truth about scriptures as these “experts” ignore what the bible declares about is authorship. this is foundational. can you rely on something that is purely manmade account for your eternal destiny? also why include suppositions “they say.” if your book is to educate unbelievers, it needs to avoid such statements. scriptures teach absolute truths. let’s stick to that kind of mindset. if anything is not declared by scriptures, nor can be ascertained from principles that can be derived from what is written, then it should not be included. it is a waste and can mislead or confirm false knowledge or understanding.
on the section “did people really…”
scientific principles establishes a young earth. the rate at which the sun is shrinking would have the earth swallowed in it in just 100k years or so. scientific principles establishes the life on earth is due to very specific factors that include distance from the sun. so, including the summerian prism in that section on “did people reall…” is not educational. again, this fosters doubt on the veracity and accuracy of biblical account and scientific principles of a young earth, not hundreds of thousands, millions, billions of years old.
as we are dealing with scripture accounts, it makes more sense to understand how moses accounted for time. he wrote that god told them when to start their lunar calendar: tomorrow is the beginning of the month of the year for you. and this calendar is synchronized with the seasons (adding 30 days every 2-3 years and becoming synchronized with the solar calendar in 19 year cycles) which is a good way to count the passing of years. with the guidance of the holy spirit, scriptures is able to declare certainty of times of events.
this very unusual calendar does not lend to the pagan practice of astrology that involves birthdays. it is abominable to god to ascribe to his creation what he does. divination, conversation with the dead (saints for example) had the highest penalty laid down. it is not that these are no longer operant. it is that mankind no longer lives by the law of god, generally. of course, it is absolutely certain that there is reckoning before god would have his new heaven and new earth for those who live by his law as jesus did (that is why he is declared as sinless. he also declared that god’s law remains until the heavens and the earth pass away).
my bible study time is about over. thank you so much for the map on the inheritance of israel. it is the most accurate i have found so far and well illustrated too. i am very grateful. i downloaded it and inserted it in my daily bible chronological reading files.
in the lord,
grace