Bibles

How many Bibles do you own? How about if you add in those of your spouse and children? We have a lot - different versions and sizes, with commentaries and without. Last week I read a little children's book written by David Hazell and was, again, reminded how special it is to own even one. The Hazell family has been involved with Bible translation for a long time and David's book - God Speaks Numanggang - is the story of Bible translators and how one family worked for over thirty years to translate the New Testament into Numanggang. And how this family is still working on translating the Old Testament. It also stresses how important it is to have the Bible in everyones heart language.

Did you know that there are 6,909 languages in the world? Interesting, isn't it? But what about this: Only 438 have a complete Bible. Only 438 out of 6,909! That is not interesting; that is sad and downright shameful. But let us keep going. Only 1,168 have a New Testament. Yes, that is better than 438 but let's not pat ourselves on the back yet. 2,393 do not have a completed Bible, a New Testament or any sort of Bible translation in process! 2,393. 2,393 languages include bajillions of people and those people have no way of reading God's Word or learning about Jesus Christ.

Next time you pick up your Bible say a prayer for those who don't have the Scriptures in their language and ask the Lord to raise up people willing to devote their lives to Bible translation so that one day all people will have His Word in their heart language.

Statistics from Wycliffe Bible Translators and God's Word for the Nations

Ups and Downs

Growing up, Chutes and Ladders was one of my favorite games. We had the board where the ladders and slides actually meant something - good behavior=ladder and bad behavior=slide. (I say that only because I recently saw a version that wasn't about behavior, just cute little pictures.) And, actually, the board in the photo is hanging on the wall in our home. Yes, that's right, on the wall - near the tricycle wheel, old suitcase and - oops, I digress, this post is not about what is on my wall; it is about ups and downs. While playing Chutes and Ladders players spin the spinner, move their person and, depending where their person lands, climb up, slide down or stay on level ground. The path to square number one hundred is never the same - and it is never boring.

I find that to be true with life, as well. Each person's path is different even when the destination is the same. And with God, it is never boring. There are ups and downs, bumps and potholes, straight stretches and curves. There are times when we climb, slide and stay on level ground. Sometimes we can't see where our foot will fall when we take our next step and other times we are allowed a glimpse of where the path is taking us. And like playing Chutes and Ladders, sometimes we feel like we are winning and sometimes we feel as though we are losing. But when we commit to play, we know we will make it to the finish eventually. And that is where I am now - simply living in my commitment to play.

May we learn to walk with passion, embracing the ladders and slides, and may we wholeheartedly commit to play.

Please Pray

Last night I learned the following. Two Christian Pakistani men were abducted from a hospital in Pakistan. One thirty year old missionary was abducted in Yemen. Both of these incidents happened last month and no one knows their whereabouts. These are our brothers and sister. Please pray - right now - for them, their families and their kidnappers. May we stand together.

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." Hebrews 13:3