I've been (slowly) working on that project myself, but it's been off and on. Something else that you can do is to cut and paste the internet versions into Word (instead of "paste", do a "paste special" and select unformatted text), then strip out the verse numbers and footnotes. It sounds complicated, but doesn't take long.
Nate has had the same idea and it really does make a difference when you read the Bible straight forward without the chapter and verse divisions - I hope you are able to accomplish this task!
i recently heard of this new thing you can do to protect yourself from identity theft, called "freezing your credit".
apparently, it prevents ANYONE from opening a new account in your name, making a new purchase on credit ie. buying a car (excluding your existing credit card), checking your credit score without authorization, etc.
you can easily do this online for about $10 with each credit bureau.
you can also "thaw your credit" online easily to buy a car, etc...and then quickly refreeze it after you're done.
i am imagining you in a sort of "mr Freeze" outfit, holding a giant freeze gun, glowering over a stack of credit cards and such.
its an incredibly intimidating mental picture.
i wonder if we take the efficiency of our evangelistic efforts into account when considering a course of action, since:
we only have so much time
we only have so much money
put another way: does it make sense to spend $$ on radio programs, mass mailings, etc as evangelistic efforts?
proponents of the above efforts will recall anecdotes of people converted through contacts made through such media, and that of course is a very good thing.
...still, i wonder if the money, time, and effort would be better spent in other ventures, such as:
supporting active evangelists who are undersupported (or unpaid)
i just read an interesting article in the wsj about a a guy who's a "mystery worshipper" (imagine a mystery shopper for churches, and you've got the idea)
i found it both interesting and thought provokative.
i made me reflect on my experiences visiting congregations in the past few years...not surprisingly, some good and some bad.
yeah, i know that some groups overdo it, shall we say, when it comes to attracting members/visitors...however, i can think of many times in the last year where my wife or i was put off or almost left a group because of behaviour identical or similar to what is described (specifically, regarding member's manners, friendliness, etc...i couldnt care less if the physical building/parking lot was spotless)
so, remember those times you were a stranger yourself the next time you see an unfamiliar face in the congregation...and follow the Golden Rule.
Interesting...I think it's a great idea from the standpoint of being "reviewed" on how you're treating your visitors, but I'm afraid that it would turn into just another thing for people to argue over, unfortunately. A lot of great info could be gained.
i saw an article about that several years ago. it seems it was someone in Australia though. i think you are right about the Golden Rule...it applies perfectly to every situation.
its hard ian, thanks for asking. Its hard and demanding in time; the most frustrating thing is that I still have many adjustments to make until I have compentency at what I am doing.
I don't know of anyone in serious condition. I know Dan & Jen Hewitt said they may be w/out power for the next two weeks. Everyone that I know of from Texas up your way is just dealing with loss of power, debris, maybe a fallen tree.
