Chalmers' Blog

Saturday Snippets (June 19)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

ESV Search the Scriptures Bible

It’s not very often that I get to review a Bible, but I’m excited to be able to do so today. The ESV has been my go-to translation for years. I like the attention to the original languages that it gives whilst also maintaining a relatively easy to read translation of God’s Word. Therefore, I was excited to receive a review copy of the new ‘ESV Search the Scriptures Bible’.

I’m going to say from the outset; I like this Bible. The cover is a simple and sleek white and gold contrast with a cool crossword design that catches the eye. Inside the Bible, the fun continues. Each book has a short introduction and an analysis of the book itself. The introductions to the books are helpful; outlining some of the big theological or literary discussions about the books. For example, the introduction to the book of Joel describes the differences in opinions around the dating the book. This is helpful because it keeps you up to date with the recent scholarly discussions about each book of the Bible. But the information is only a brief introduction, so you’re not being dragged into lengthy discussions on dates and debates.

But the main feature of this Bible, after all that’s what it’s marketed on, is the ‘Search the Scripture’ element of it. This Bible comes with a reading plan that will take you 3 years to complete. After each short section of reading come a series of short questions designed to get your head into the text and to help you apply it. These questions are great because they don’t put words in your mouth but they helpfully get you wrestling directly with the text of the Bible. In addition to helpful questions, there are also some notes that accompany the readings. These notes are not extensive, but designed to help you understand crucial points of the text and to help you think about the text’s implication for your life.

I think that this could be a helpful Bible for those starting out in the Christian Life and who are trying to learn what having a quiet time / Bible study looks like. You can buy a copy of the Bible here. I’d really like to hear your thoughts if you buy a copy. I really enjoyed it, but I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.

*** I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This does not change the way I rate the book, my views are my own. ***

Saturday Snippets (June 12)

Don’t Hide Behind A Stiff Upper Lip

“I’m fine” We’ve all said it, even when it’s as far from the truth as possible. “I’m fine” We’ve said it even though we’ve just balled our eyes out in secret. “I’m fine” It’s a coping mechanism that portrays an image of strength, but in reality it’s a mask that hides the crumbling emotional life of a broken soul. Maybe you’re like me, growing up in the UK it’s expected that people keep a stiff upper lip. Emotions can often be spoken about in negative terms. Sadly, it’s not much different in the church.

Hope In An Anxious World

Anxiety seems to be on the rise, or it could just be that we’re more educated about it and therefore we see it more. The experience of anxiety is heart stopping, or at least that’s how it feels. Your mind is consumed with all the worst outcomes. Your heart is about to beat out of your chest. Your lungs can’t take in the air that they need to keep you alive. The end of near. That’s how it feels, or at least it did for me when I had a panic attack a few years ago. Everyone’s experience of anxiety will be different. Regardless, living with anxiety is not pleasant.

Saturday Snippets (June 5)

Don’t Cut Corners

Cutting corners, sounds easy but it is not sustainable, it is selfish and it is fraudulent. The other day I was scrolling through Twitter and came across this tweet from Brian Croft;

Trusting God in the Darkness

The book of Job is an interesting one; it can be a book that people run to and love reading, or a book that people sigh about and really struggle with. Job has been one of my favourite books of the Bible for years. I’m preparing to preach through Job over the summer so I really enjoyed diving into Ash’s new book ‘Trusting God in the Darkness’. Ash has written a more in-depth study of Job, which in my opinion, is probably one of the best non-academic commentaries out there on Job.

Saturday Snippets (May 29)

Is It The Fault Of Evangelism?

I recently watched a Speak Life discussion between Glen Scrivener and Paul Feesey, on a subject that I’ve been following for weeks, where they discuss the question “Could the recent issues in the church have been avoided if we placed more emphasis on building the church rather than evangelism?” The video is an hour long, but it is good. Check out Glen’s Twitter thread about it too. It is an interesting discussion, but the concern raised misses the mark, in my mind. Here’s why…