Bible Post #3 The Ryrie Study Bible KJV

I bought my first Ryrie Study Bible in August of 1997. I had liked how it answered a theological question I had been dealing with. It soon became my favorite study bible; I would take it everywhere and used it so much that by the time I replaced it, the bonded leather was peeling off. I especially liked the nice large typeface on it. Even when I didn't need to reference the notes I liked reading it for that reason alone.  It also has a nice set of cross references, a topical index, and much more.

In 2005 I replaced My burgundy bonded leather Ryrie with a black genuine leather one. I used that one regularly until I moved back to Pennsylvania from Louisiana and the moved again and it got lost in the moving. I still believe I have it somewhere so instead of spending the big bucks for another genuine leather edition, I bought another bonded leather one.  I figured by the time the leather started pealing off, I would of found my genuine leather one.  Well, I've had the bonded leather one for close to a year and still haven't found the real leather one.

I almost forgot to mention that the bible includes a DVD with the Ryrie study notes and several other works by the good doctor including Basic Theology. It also includes the NIV and NASB (1977 and 1995 editions) on a trial basis along with several of John MacArthur's commentaries. The software is Bible Explorer which is scaled down version of Wordsearch. There are also several free (mostly public domain) titles that you can download from their web site, in addition to the ones included on the disc. I wouldn't make the disc a major factor in buying this bible but it's a nice bonus.

As you can probably guess I do recommend The Ryrie. My main complaint is that while they publish it in the KJV, NASB, and NIV; they no longer publish an edition in the NKJV which has become My bible translation of choice. That being said, if you like one of the translations mentioned above and lean towards a dispensationalist point of view; then I would wholeheartedly recommend The Ryrie Study Bible.

PS The first page shows what happens when you have a nose bleed and are reading your bible!

My Bibles 1 The Classic Note Bible

I have over the past 15 years, become somewhat of a collector of bibles. I only have 3 or 4 (depending on how you count) in my collection right now but that's because I've sold, given away, or lost a good many of them.  I know I usually talk about political things on this blog but decided for a change of pace to talk about this hobby of mine. For the next few posts, I'm going to review some bibles I own.  I'm going to start with the oldest one that I regularly use. The Classic Note Bible.

I bought this bible in 2004 while I was attending Hyles-Anderson College.  It was the same type of bible that Jack Hyles used to preach from, though it had been redesigned to be smaller and easier to carry around then the one he used.  It is a plain black text KJV with one big difference;  It has a blank page beside every bible page with the exception of Genesis 1.  It is only made in Genuine Leather. The leather is kind of stiff which I am not a big fan of but it had held up well in the 5 years since I bought it.  It has two bookmarks which comes in handy if you are reading from the Old and New Testament at the same time.  Although Dr. Hyles was the co publisher of The Bible, except for his name on the front, and an introduction that talks about how this bible came about, it doesn't have any notes or commentary from him.  There is a bit of separation going on in Genesis 20 and Revelation 13.  Of course, the main reason that someone would buy this is for the blank pages, so they can write notes and sermon outlines.  I won't argue that it is good for notes, but I have found in my personal experience, that trying to preach a sermon from a two sided page isn't as good as just taking your sermon notes up to the pulpit with you.  I know Dr. Hyles wrote his outlines in his bible but maybe it was easier when the bible was bigger and thus, you had more room on the page to write on. (Though those editions are so thick, it would probably pull your back out to carry one very far.)

Do I recommend this bible? If you are someone that finds that his or her wide margin bible is still not enough to record their notes on, or you want to be able to write notes from sermons you hear then yes;  If you want to use it to preach from, then I would say no, unless you can find one of the thicker first editions on eBay.

Will Caroline run for Uncle Teddy's seat?

I just read that Caroline Kennedy is going to be one of the speakers at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh. Is this the first step in a run for her Uncle Teddy (and before him, her father's) Senate seat? You may say "Yeah, but Caroline lives in New York!" Well, Hillary Clinton was a resident of Arkansas when she began her 'listening tour' to become New York's junior senator and Caroline at least has family ties to Massachusetts. If Vicki or Joe Kennedy decide not to run, look at Caroline to.

My thoughts on Sarah Palin's resignation.

I was shocked when I heard that Governor Palin was resigning as Alaska Governor. I figured that she might not run for reelection, but didn't imagine she would do this. In the short term she is going to take a hit for this, but it is still fairly early in the game if she has her sights set on 2012. By resigning she won't have to worry about further frivolous ethics complaints that have so far, cost her half a million dollars. She'll also have the freedom to campaign across the country for Republican candidates without the 'anklebitters' whining and complaining. We haven't seen the last of Sarah Louise Heath Palin; No, not by a long shot!

Are you prepared to meet Your maker?

Last week two well known men died unexpectedly. Michael Jackson, the 'King of Pop' died just hours after dancing and singing at a dress rehearsal for his London come back. Billy Mays, the 'King of Infomercials' died in his sleep after coming back from a trip. Neither of these men had an idea that this last week would be their last week on Earth. Death doesn't always come when we are in our 70's or 80's, It doesn't always come as the result of a long illness where you have plenty of time to prepare yourself. James 4:14 says "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (KJV) Are you prepared to meet God if you should die today? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord? If you want to be prepared, pray a prayer like this and mean it with all your heart.


Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, please drop me a line. My e-mail address is ces16511@gmail.com.

Liberty University Shuts Down Campus Democratic Party Club

When I read this today, A few things floated through my mind.

#1 If I were a Democrat, Why would I being going to Liberty University?

#2 There are enough Democrats at Liberty to fill a broom closet?

I think that the university made the right choice here; The National Democratic Party is anathema to the values that Liberty was founded on. I wouldn't expect Liberty to endorse meetings of SoulForce, the Gay rights organization founded by former Falwell aide Mel White. Liberty is a private institution and the students knew what they were getting into when they enrolled. If they don't like it, they can either have their meetings off campus, without using the university's name, or they can transfer to a school that shares their values.

Majority of Americans now Pro Life

I was pleasantly surprised when I visited Hot Air this morning and read that for the first time since Gallup began polling it in 1996, a majority of Americans are Pro Life. Here's the link.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/More-Americans-Pro-Life-Than-Pro-Choice-First-Time.aspx

Governor Palin's Speech at Right to Life Dinner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiG72pOls0c&feature=channel_page

Watch this speech. In my opinion it is the best Pro Life speech I've ever heard a major political figure make. I think you get to see a bit of the soul of Sarah Palin in this speech. Please run in 2012 Sarah!

Is Obama Going Off The Rails of The Crazy-Train?

First we had the AIG fiasco which I'm hearing the Obama administration knew about, Then we had the bright idea of making our veterans pay out of their own pockets, for the medical treatment of battlefield injuries and wounds.  I think with that genius idea that Barack Obama has offically "Jumped The Shark".  That term comes from an episode of 'Happy Days' where '"The Fonz" jumps a shark on water skis, with his leather jacket on.  I think that the rest of this administration is going to be Carter Part II (I think Jimmy Carter is a decent man but he wasn't the greatest of presidents).  Even though polls are saying Obama would beat Palin by 20 points,  I think if he continues on this path, that she will win in a Reaganesque landslide.

On The AIG Fiasco

All the politicans on Capitol Hill are outraged at the $160 million dollars worth of bonuses AIG paid their executives.  I am outraged to.  The excuse given is that these bonuses in the execs contracts so they must be paid.  Well if that is the case, I would first suggest to these execs that if they want to keep their jobs, they should give the bonuses back.  If not then they should be told to look elsewhere for work. 

36th Anniversary of Roe vs Wade

Today our country marks the anniversary of The Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion on demand in the United States. Since that date over 40 million unborn boys and girls have been slaughtered in the name of 'choice'. We have just elected the most pro abortion president in our nation's history; One who has said he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act 'FOCA' that would negate any state restrictions on abortion, such as bans of partial-birth abortion, parental notification, etc.


Pray that President Obama's heart will be made tender to the silent cries of these boys and girls. He likes to draw comparisons to Lincoln, well the reason that we admire Lincoln so much today is because he helped free the slaves. Wouldn't it be a great legacy for President Obama to be known as the president who freed the unborn of the fear of death?

Reaction to Obama's Inagural Address

Whatever you think of his politics; one can not deny that President Obama is the best orator we have had as president since Reagan. I thought the address was delivered in magnificent fashion but I didn't hear any sound bites that will join "Ask not what your country can do for you..." or "With malice toward none...". I did think the ending was the strongest part of the speech. Now, if speech making was the only component to a successful presidency Obama would be in good shape, Lets see how he governs.

Today Barack Obama becomes our nation's 44th president. As a conservative, I differ with our new president on several important issues such as abortion, the war in Iraq, bailoutpalooza, etc, etc. Having said that though, this is a day that we will be telling our grandchildren about. The day that the first African American president was sworn in. I wish President Obama well, and hope that if he doesn't see the light, he will in the words of Ronald Reagan, feel the heat. After his inagrual address I will post my reaction.