This is a more personal type post that I’m uncomfortable with because I don’t presume that a lot of people should care about these things. But I like to read updates of what’s going on in my blogging friends’ lives and people have asked me to keep them updated on the things mentioned here.
Mental health stuff has been very difficult but steady, other than the ups and mainly downs that Bipolar depression (more of a description than an official diagnosis) presents. Sometimes pretty bad, but that’s part of the program.
I had my second back surgery over six months ago and the recovery isn’t going well. There is no improvement in pain. An extra MRI was negative and I’ll be having an extra CT scan.
I had a difficult time spiritually after surgery and my faith was really tested for the first time in a long time. God has pretty much brought me through that but I still need to learn to “suffer better” and be more prepared for things like the nightmarish hospital stay where they made a lot of mistakes. Progress on worrying less has been slow but positive. It’s a rough road though. I’m accumulating even more good books on suffering to read between other things.
I read through Proverbs several times and read it once in The Message, since it’s supposed to be decent with poetry. It was very good, although I often looked verses up in ‘regular’ translations to see what it ‘really says’. Not much to say about that. I’m still studying Proverbs in our small group Bible study and reading through Waltke’s two volume commentary which has been great. Proverbs is such an important book and now I can’t get enough of it. It helps us to learn how to learn and understand.
I’m still working on Greek. I was supposed to be done with Black’s beginning book in 2010 but I didn’t know I’d be having surgery, which really set me back. I had to go back and reread the whole book and I’m almost back to where I was.
Same thing goes for 2010 being ‘the year of the Old Testament’ for me. In addition to getting slowed down, I’ve acquired more books about the OT that I want to read, so that may take another year.
Along with that, my ‘three year plan’ will stretch out to over four years. I carefully read each book of the New Testament and also a healthy commentary for each, which I love doing, and need to go back and read a couple of whoppers on Luke and Acts. Then I’ll be done with that. Obviously no real exegesis (in-depth study) on my part but just to get any gross misinterpretations out of the way and becoming more familiar with the NT which is part of my three year plan. I intend to study Colossians as in-depth as I can at some point. I’m contemplating on whether I should take the time to read a big commentary on Genesis. There don’t seem to be as many gross misinterpretations to sift through but it’s so foundational for creation, original sin, covenants, God’s sovereignty etc.
I plan on reading most of the OT again this year (all of it last year) and try reading a book of the Bible 20x. I’ve already read Proverbs 6-7 times so I may keep going with that and a short book of the NT. Next year or before I want to start a custom plan that I’m making or one of the other plans. I don’t feel a need to do one of these plans every year. But I now make sure I read the Bible everyday.
I’ve now decided to switch my main translation from the HCSB (I call it the NIV, tailored to me) to the REB. It’s just too good, and it’s not the same old. Secondary, which is a dynamic equivalent or what used to be called thought for thought is the NLT but I’m toying with God’s Word (for the Nations). The NLT will always be special, especially the Mosaic edition.
I’m so thankful for all of my blogging friends. If I didn’t have any, this wouldn’t be worth it.
I better stop there.
