Ch-ch-ch-changes

Woah.

So, a few years ago, a new version of the NIV was released.

I didn't care much for it then. I preferred the 1984 version. But I'm sure they had their reasons. Whatever. I don't use the NIV normally, so I really only noticed the differences when I was looking up verses people wanted for their prayer cards. I thought most of the changes I saw were a bit ridiculous, but there was no skin taken off my nose.

However.

We've updated the fourth edition T&M booklets to use the NIV translation. And I just looked up Matthew 25:14-30.

The Parable of the Talents is now the Parable of the Bags of Gold.

WHAT?!?!?!?!

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I may be late to the party.

But I can still make some noise.

Editing Ain't for the Faint of Heart

Here's the thing.

OMS is very Wesleyan.

I am not.

OMS is very holiness-oriented.

I am not.

And honestly, that's okay. We both believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, rose again, and is coming back. We believe he is the only path to salvation. We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We believe God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and immutable. We believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God.

So the basics are solid.

But there's a reason there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations around the world (according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity). Believers don't always agree on things, anything from what day to worship to the place of secret societies (the reason for the division of my own denomination). This is also okay, to a certain extent. As long as the fundamentals are in place, I'm pretty okay with most differences.

All that to say this: I'm editing the T&M booklet on the Holy Spirit right now. I don't agree with some of the theology, but not in a life-altering, this-completely-changes-all-religion way. Just in a I-don't-think-that's-what-this-verse-means way.

Makes life interesting. 

Pirate Day

We occasionally do more than work in the office. Because sometimes you just have to.

 

    My pirate name is:
   

 

    Captain Bess Cash  
 
 

    Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine.    Arr!
   
  Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network
 

Live Long... And Tape Your Fingers!

"Hey, Jessica?"

"...hmm..."

"Why do you have electrical tape on your fingers?"

"Electrical tape was all I could find."

"..."

Train & Multiply

It's been a few weeks in the new job, now. So what exactly does a Train & Multiply Production Specialist do?

Well, first, we have to figure out Train & Multiply, or T&M as we call it. T&M is a method of training potential Christian leaders around the world in evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and a variety of other Christian disciplines. You can read more on the website. Essentially, it's a series of 64 booklets covering such topics as baptism, counseling, small groups, love in action, and obedience to Christ.

I came into this project at a good time. Our Theological Education team at OMS just finished a theological review of all the books, making sure they were biblical and consistent in their teachings. Now, we're editing, reformatting, and in some cases, rewriting the booklets to make them more internally consistent in tone and style. This will be the fourth edition of the English version. It can be a challenging task. The books were written by different authors, with different styles, and we have to be mindful of the fact that these books will be translated into more than 40 languages. We try to make things culturally generic, while still maintaining the Truth of its teachings.

So that's what I'm doing right now. I'm reading through each booklet, editing for content, grammar, punctuation, Scripture references, cultural references, and common sense. I'm working on booklet 63 right now (we don't do them in order), which is called "The River of Grace." It's done almost entirely in narrative format, which is different from every other book. One of the great things about working with these booklets is that I get to learn along with the students. I'm editing a section on the differences between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. I never realized just how many references translate Old Testament thinking into a New Testament world. I really enjoy what I'm doing.

Eventually, I'll get to help with formatting the translations. It's a huge project, and I'm excited to be part of it.

It's Official!!!

More details coming soon, but I just wanted to let everyone who was praying for me know that our prayers have been answered in a huge way! Thank you so much for being faithful!