Archive for the Recommendations
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
God speaks your language
I’m so happy, I can hardly sit still. After my last post about free mp3 Bible downloads–in English–I discovered free mp3 audio downloads of the New Testament in more than 150 languages. There were many languages I hadn’t heard of. Since I was looking up their geography, I thought you might want to know too, so I included that information with each listing.
PDV Nouveau Testament Français Parole de Vie African Voices (dramatisé )- French Bible
Arabic New Testament – Kitab al Hayat Version (Dramatized) – Injil
Arabic New Testament – Van Dyck Version (Dramatized) – Injil
Guarayo del Nuevo Testamento – Bolivia (Dramatizadas) – Guarayo Bible
Lyele du Nouveau Testament – Burkina Faso (Dramatisé) – Lyele Bible
Moore du Nouveau Testament - Burkina Faso (Dramatisé) 1988 Version Protestante – Moore Bible
Bissa du Nouveau Testament - Burkina Faso/Ghana (dramatisé) – Bissa Bible
Bobo Madare le sud du Nouveau Testament – Burkina Faso/Mali (dramatisé) – Bobo Madare Southern Bible
Khmer Centrale du Nouveau Testament – Cambodia (Dramatisé) – Ancienne Version – Khmer Central Bible
Bafut du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Bafut Bible
Ghomala du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Ghomala Bible
Kwanja Du Nouveau Testament - Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Kwanja Bible
Douala du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (dramatisé) – Douala Bible
Guiziga Sud Du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – South Guiziga New Testament
Koonzime du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Koonzime Bible
Medumba du Nouveau Testament - Cameroon (dramatisé) – Medumba Bible
Mofa Du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Mofa Bible
Pidgin du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Pidgin Bible
Massana Nuevo Testamento – Cameroon/Chad (Dramatizadas) – Massana Bible
Toupouri du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon/Chad (Dramatisé) – Tupuri Bible
Bamoun du Nouveau Testament – Cameroon/Nigeria (non-dramatisé) – Bamun Bible
Mumuye New Testament – Cameroon/Nigeria (Dramatized)
Yamba du Nouveau Testament - Cameroon/Nigeria (Dramatisé) – Yamba Bible
PDV Nouveau Testament Français Parole de Vie Voix Canadiennes (dramatisé) – French Bible
Buli New Testament - Central African Republic/ both Congos/Cameroon (Dramatized)
Moundang Du Nouveau Testament - Chad/Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Moundang Bible
Chinese Cantonese Bible (Dramatized) – Chinese Union Version
Chinese Mandarin Bible (Dramatized) – Revised Chinese Union Version Bible
Chinese Mandarin Bible (Dramatized) – Chinese Union Version
Iu Mien Bible – China/Laos/Vietnam/Thailand
Guambiano del Nuevo Testamento – Colombia Dramatizadas) – Guambiano Bible
Lahu Bible – China/Thailand/Myanmar/Laos
Guayabero en el Nuevo Testamento – Colombia (Dramatizadas) – Guayabero Bible
Inga en el Nuevo Testamento - Colombia (Dramatizadas) – Inga Bible
Huitoto Minica Del Nuevo Testamento – Colombia/Peru/Brazil (Dramatizadas) – Huitoto Minica Bible
Tshiluba du Nouveau Testament – Democratic Republic of Congo-Kinshasa (Dramatisé) – Tshiluba Bible
Amharic New Testament - Ethiopia (Non-Dramatized) 1988 Common Version
Borana New Testament – Ethiopia/ Kenya (Dramatized)
Guji New Testament – Ethiopia/Kenya (Dramatized)
Oromo West Central New Testament – Ethiopia/Kenya/Somalia (Dramatized)
Fiji-Hindi New Testament (Dramatized)
Fijian New Testament (Dramatized)
Suomalainen Uuden Testamentin (ei dramatisoitu) 1938 Versio – Finnish Bible
Georgian Bible – Republic of Georgia (Dramatized)
Bimoba New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Kusaal New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Birifor Southern New Testament -Ghana/Burkina Faso (Dramatized)
Adele New Testament - Ghana/Togo (Dramatized)
Dangme New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Ga New Testament - Ghana (Dramatized)
Gikyode New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Hanga New Testament -Ghana (Dramatized)
Sehwi New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Vagla New Testament – Ghana (Dramatized)
Akan Fante New Testament – Ghana/ Ivory Coast (Dramatized)
Ewe New Testament – Ghana/Togo (Dramatized)
Achi de Cubulco del Nuevo Testamento – Guatemala (Dramatizadas) – Achi de Cubulco Bible
Ixil San Juan Cotzal del Nuevo Testamento – Guatemala (Dramatizadas) – Ixil San Juan Cotzal Bible
Cakchiquel Yepocapa del Nuevo Testamento - Guatemala (Dramatizadas) – Cakchiquel Yepocapa Bible
Mam del Norte del Nuevo Testamento - Guatemala (Dramatizadas) – Mam Northern Bible
Rabinal Achi en el Nuevo Testamento – Guatemala (Dramatizadas) – Achi Rabinal Bible
Kekchi del Nuevo Testamento – Guatemala/Belize (Dramatizadas) – Kekchi Bible
Crioulo Alta Guiné Novo Testamento (Dramatizada) – Crioulo Upper Guinea Bible
Bhojpuri Bible - India/Nepal (Dramatized)
Bahasa Indonesia Terjemahan Baru Perjanjian Baru (formal) Versi (didramatisir) – Indonesian Bible
Sunda Perjanjian Baru -Indonesia (Didramatisir) Versi Sunda Formal – Sundanese Bible
Txitxopi do Novo Testamento - Indonesia (Dramatizada) – Txitxopi Bible
Hebrew New Testament Modern Hebrew Version - Israel (Dramatized)
Baoulé Nouveau Testament - Ivory Coast (non-dramatisé) – Baoule Bible
Bete Daloa du Nouveau Testament - Ivory Coast (dramatisé) – Bete Daloa Bible
Ebrié Nouveau Testament – Ivory Coast (dramatisé) – Ebire Bible
Tagbana du Nouveau Testament - Ivory Coast/Mali/Burkina Faso/Ghana (Dramatisé) – Tagbana Bible
Japan Bible (Non-Dramatized) – New Interconfessional Version
Gikuyu New Testament – Kenya (Dramatized)
Ruhaya New Testament – Kenya/Tanzania (Umetiwa Chumvi) – Ruhaya Bible
Digo New Testament – Kenya/Tanzania (Non-Dramatized)
Kikamba New Testament – Kenya/Tanzania (Dramatized)
Kalenjin New Testament – Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda (Non-Dramatized)
Maasai New Testament – Kenya/Tanzania (Dramatized) Biblia Sinyati Version
Luo New Testament - Kenya/Uganda/ Tanzania/Ethiopia/South Sudan (Dramatized)
Latvian Bible (Non-Dramatized)
Bassa New Testament - Liberia/Sierra Leone(Dramatized)
Bassa New Testament - Liberia/Sierra Leone(Dramatized)
Malgache du Nouveau Testament -Madagascar (Non-Dramatisée) Version Protestante – Malagasy Bible
Chiyao New Testament – Malawi (Dramatized)
Chitumbuka New Testament - Malawi/Zambia/Tanzania (Dramatized)
Chichewa New Testament – Malawi/Zambia/Mozambique/Zimbabwe (Non-Dramatized) 1997 Buku Loyera
Tamasheq du Nouveau Testament – Mali (Non-Dramatisée) – Tamasheq Bible
Bambara du Nouveau Testament - Mali/Burkino Faso/Senegal (dramatisé) – Bambara Bible
Chinanteco de Palantla del Nuevo Testamento – Mexico (No Dramatizada) – Chinanteco de Palantla
Huave de San Mateo del Mar del Nuevo Testamento – Mexico (Dramatizadas)
Mixe del Istmo en el Nuevo Testamento – Mexico (No Dramatizada) – Mixe del Istmo Bible
Purépecha Del Nuevo Testamento – Mexico (Dramatizadas) – Purepecha Bible
Tzeltal Bachajón del Nuevo Testamento – Mexico (Dramatizadas) – Tzeltal Bachajon Bible
Tzeltal de Oxchuc en el Nuevo Testamento - Mexico (Dramatizadas) – Tzeltal Oxchuc Bible
O’othham New Testament – Mexico/Arizona (Non-Dramatized)
Xitshwa do Novo Testamento – Mozambique (Dramatizada) – Xitshwa Bible
Navajo New Testament (Non-Dramatized)
Zarma du Nouveau Testament – Niger (Dramatisé) – Zarma Bible
Limbu New Testament – Nepal/Bhutan/India (Dramatized)
Hausa New Testament – Niger/Nigeria/Ghana/Benin/Cameroon/Ivory Coast/Sudan (Dramatized)
Kanuri Central New Testament – Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon (Dramatized)
Bura New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized)
Ebira New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized)
Edo New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Efik New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized)
Gokana New Testament -Nigeria (Dramatized)
Igala New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized)
Igbo New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized) Union Version
Igede New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Itsekiri New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Jju New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Kalabari New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Mada New Testament – Nigeria (Dramatized)
Margi New Testament -Nigeria (Dramatized)
Urhobo New Testament - Nigeria (Dramatized)
Yoruba New Testament - Nigeria/Benin/Togo (Dramatized) 1960 Version
Mambila du Nouveau Testament – Nigeria/Cameroon (Dramatisé) – Mambila Bible
Urdu New Testament (Dramatized) for Pakistan
Ese Ejja del Nuevo Testamento – Papua New Guinea (Dramatizadas) – Ese Ejja Bible
Tok Pisin New Testament - Papua New Guinea (Dramatized)
Chamacoco del Nuevo Testamento - Paraguay (Dramatizada) – Chamacoco Bible
Guaraní de Paraguay en el Nuevo Testamento (Dramatizadas) – Guarani Paraguayan Bible
Nivaclé del Nuevo Testamento – Paraguay/Argentina (Dramatizadas) – Nivacle Bible
Quechua Ayacucho del Nuevo Testamento – Peru (Dramatizadas) – Quechua Ayacucho Bible
Quechua de Lambayeque en el Nuevo Testamento – Peru (Dramatizadas) – Quechua Lambayeque Bible
Ashaninca del Nuevo Testamento - Peru/Brazil (Dramatizadas) – Ashaninca Bible
Bora en el Nuevo Testamento – Peru/Colombia (dramatizadas) – Bora Bible
Cebuano New Testament – Philippines (Dramatized) Revised Popular Version
Hiligaynon New Testament -Philippines (Dramatized) Hiligaynon Popular Version
Koronadal Blaan New Testament – Philippines (Dramatized)
Manobo Western Bukidnon New Testament – Philippines (Dramatized)
Polsko Nowy Testament (Non-Udramatyzowana) Wersja Millennium - Polish Bible
Português Novo Testamento Tradução Interconfessional (dramatizada) – Portuguese Bible
Russian Bible (Dramatized) – Russian Asian Version
Russian Bible (Dramatized) – Holy Synod Version
Tatar Bible – Russia (Dramatized)
Saint Lucian Creole New Testament (Dramatized)
Krio New Testament – Sierra Leone (Dramatized) Good News for All Men
Themne New Testament – Sierra Leone (Dramatized)
IsiXhosa Nuwe Testament – South Africa (Gedramatiseerde) Hersiene Unie Weergawe – Isixhosa Bible
IsiZulu Nuwe Testament – South Africa (Gedramatiseer) – Isizulu Bible
Jur Modo New Testament – South Sudan (Dramatized)
Español Nuevo Testamento Nueva Versión Internacional (dramatizadas) - Spanish Bible
Samami Hindi Nieuwe Testament -Suriname (Dramatized)
Chigogo New Testament (Tanzania) Umetiwa Chumvi)
Kimashami New Testament - Tanzania (Umetiwa Chumvi) – Kimashami Bible
Thai Bible (Dramatized) – Thai Standard Version
Bassar Ntcham du Nouveau Testament - Togo/Ghana (Dramatisé) – Bassar Ntcham Bible
Moba Nouveau Testament – Togo/Ghana (Dramatisé) – Moba Bible
Kabiyè du Nouveau Testament - Togo/Benin/Ghana (Dramatisé) – Kabiye Bible
Karimojong New Testament – Uganda (Dramatized)
Luganda New Testament – Uganda (Dramatized)
Acholi New Testament - Uganda/South Sudan (Dramatized)
Wayuu en el Nuevo Testamento – Venezuela/Colombia (Dramatizadas) – Wayuu Bible
Vietnamese Bible (Dramatized) – Vietnamese Old Version
Cymraeg Testament Newydd Da Newyddion Beibl (ddramateiddio) - Welsh Bible
Chitonga New Testament – Zambia (Dramatized)
Lamba New Testament – Zambia (Dramatized)
Kaonde New Testament - Zambia/Congo-Kinshasa (Dramatized)
Lozi New Testament – Zambia/Zimbabwe/Botswana/Namibia (Dramatized)
Shona New Testament - Zimbabwe/Zambia (Non-Dramatized) Union Version
Kalanga New Testament - Zimbabwe/Botswana (Dramatized)
Didn’t find the language you were looking for? Did you notice that almost all these downloads are from Faith Comes by Hearing (Facebook)? I was astounded by what I found there: Faith Comes By Hearing offers audio Bible in 712 languages, reaching more than 5.7 billion people in more than 187 countries. And they’re working to make more available in other languages.
I went to the Select Language dropdown menu at their Free Audio Bibles page to see if I could find a couple of languages I’m interested in. I found:
- Kachin, the Burmese language into which Ola Hanson translated the Bible in the years around the turn of the 20th Century. Ola and Minnie were sent out in 1890 by !st Swedish Baptist Church (our church’s name until the mid-1940s). In the last decade, a strong connection has grown between Bethlehem Baptist and the Kachin church.
- Ngiemboon, the Cameroonian language whose Bible translation was begun by my brother-in-law in the 1970s. I was there in 2007 at the dedication of the Ngiemboon New Testament (video of music & dancing during the ceremonies). Of all the speakers during the long celebration, Steve was the only one who actually spoke in Ngiemboon. The pleasure of the people when he spoke is a testimony to the fact that nothing speaks to people like their own language, no matter how well they can speak the official language–French in that area of Cameroon.
Having always had the Bible in my own language, it’s hard to imagine what a gift that has been. But the Ngiemboon New Testament celebration gave me new eyes. After hours of French-language speeches, suddenly their own language flows into their ears. Drowsy eyes open wide and hearts open. You can watch the first couple of minutes of Steve’s address to see it in their faces.
If a foreigner’s speech does that, imagine what impact there is in reading and hearing God’s word in your own language.
It’s taken most of 2 days for me to put this list together. It’s given me great pleasure and it’s my Easter gift to you.
Would you give me a gift in return? Have you found your own heart language here or at Faith Comes by Hearing? Or what’s spoken where you live or work? Or a language that someone you know is learning or speaking where they work? In other words, have you found here a language in which you have a special interest? Your gift to me would be your comment at this post. It could be as simple as naming the language or if there’s more to tell, I would be blessed to read it.
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Tuesday, March 26th, 2013
Free mp3 of complete Bible
Faith Comes by Hearing: What a perfect name for audio albums of the Bible.
I know people who listen to the Bible when reading isn’t holding them anymore. I know people who listen while they read along. I know people who listen because they can’t see or physically can’t turn pages. I know people who listen while they drive.
Right now the Old Testament and New Testament are offered free in several versions.
English Standard Version is what we use at home and church, so I noticed that one in particular.
Some of you will be drawn by the beauty and familiarity of the words in King James Version.
All of these are dramatized, which means different voices speak for different characters of the Bible, but the words are the same words you read in your Bible. This style may not be everyone’s preference, but you might be surprised–and it doesn’t cost anything to try.
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
__________
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Friday, March 22nd, 2013
Advice from Louisa May’s uncle
This advice from a father to his son away at university in the late 1800s is a worthy challenge to us all.
I hear indirectly that you’ve been called on to deliver an address or lecture or speech of some sort. Let us know all about it. The more thoughts you express, the more you will have, and there is no exercise of the mind that is so quickening and strengthening to all our mental faculties as carefully ranging and clearly expressing our thoughts on any subject worth thinking about.
I hope you, too, will take pains to acquire an excellent locution. Do learn to read well and speak well. Accustom yourself to speak extempore in common
conversation. Cultivate the habit of saying exactly what you mean to say, of using clear and appropriate language, and of finishing your sentences. A slovenly, slipshod style in conversation will be very likely to insinuate itself into one’s extempore speeches.
Samuel Joseph May, brother of Abigail May Alcott.
Taken from Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother, by Eve LaPlante
I’d say this boils down to:
- Say what you mean;
- Mean what you say;
- Say it so it can be understood;
- Say it well (complete sentences and all).
Have you received or given any similar or very different advice?
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
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Please visit my travel blog too–Tell Me When To Pack
Saturday, March 16th, 2013
Brushing up on the classics
Pop quiz!
Who was Theseus? How did the Aegean Sea get its name?
If you can’t remember, perhaps our 8-year-old grandson can remind you.
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
Black History: Talitha’s DVD recommendations
(Originally posted 2 years ago, and worth mentioning again.)
These DVDs are recommended by our daughter Talitha off the top of her head. She wants to make clear that there are other really good movies too.
I agree with her in recommending these.
As with all movies, it would be wise for parents to preview before watching with their children, especially considering the tension, language, and frightening experiences that are part of stories from this swath of our history.
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Glory Road — Story of “the groundbreaking achievement of Don Haskins, who coached the 1965-66 team from Texas Western University to the NCAA championship, using the first-ever all-black lineup in the championship game and forever changing the rules of college basketball. Texas Western’s underdog season is followed from anxious start to glorious finish. . . . This typically wholesome Disney film doesn’t flinch from the harsh realities of racial tension (including player beatings and vandalized motel rooms) that Texas Western’s black players had to struggle against as their victories began to draw national attention” (Amazon.com review).
Selma, Lord, Selma — It’s 1965, segregation is still the order of the day in the South, Martin Luther King Jr. is leading voter-registration drives, and an Alabama schoolgirl gets caught up in the civil rights movement. . . .Being forced to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to vote and being gassed and beaten for marching are just some of the indignities Sheyann and her friends endure. Parents should know that two prominent characters are murdered. . . . Appropriate for kids 7 and up with adult guidance” (Amazon.com review). Based on the memoir of the same title by Sheyann Webb.
And the Children Shall Lead — “In 1964 segregation is a reality in Catesville, Mississippi, but 12-year-old Rachel doesn’t notice it because she has many white friends. When a group of civil rights activists comes to town, the tension between black and white citizens grows. It’s now up to Rachel and her friends to persuade the adults to overcome the racial barriers that divide them” (Amazon.com review)
The Great Debaters — “Inspired by real events, The Great Debaters reveals one of the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement in its story of Melvin B. Tolson and his champion 1935 debate club from the all-African-American Wiley College in Texas. . . . The film is also about the state of race relations in America at the height of the Great Depression. With lynchings of black men and women a common form of entertainment and black subjugation for many rural whites, the idea of talented and highly intelligent African-American young people learning to think on their feet during debates would seem almost a hopeless endeavor” (Amazon.com review).
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
__________
Please visit my travel blog too–Tell Me When To Pack
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
Black History: Children’s books
For Martin Luther King Day last month, Jill Swanson made the following list of relevant books she’s reviewed at Orange Marmalade, her blog that’s devoted to children’s literature–what a great resource! You can use the search box there at her website to find her posts about any of these you’re interested in.
FICTION:
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson – Betty Bao Lord
Jackie & Me — Dan Gutman
The Lions of Little Rock — Kristin Levine
One Crazy Summer — Rita Williams-Garcia
NON-FICTION:
Belle, The Last Mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story — Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud, illus. by John Holyfield
Child of the Civil Rights Movement — Paula Young Shelton, illus. by Raul Colón
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave — Laban Carrick Hill, illus. by Bryan Collier
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights — James Haskins, illus. by Benny Andrews
Frederick Douglass (Picture Book Biography) — David A. Adler
I Have a Dream (Book & CD) — Martin Luther King, Jr., illus. by Kadir Nelson
Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told— Walter Dean Myers, illus. by Bonnie Christensen
I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Walter Dean Myers, illus. by Leonard Jenkins
Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary— Elizabeth Partridge
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (Caldecott Honor Book) — Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Kadir NelsonA Nat
A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis — Matt de le Peña, illus. by Kadir Nelson
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change — Michelle Cook, illus. by various artists
Rosa — Nikki Giovanni, illus. by Bryan Collier
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) — Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Brian Pinkney
Through My Eyes — Ruby Bridges
Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad— written and illustrated by Henry Cole
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights — Russell Freedman
When Marian Sang:The True Recital of Marian Anderson — Pam Munoz Ryan, illus. by Brian Selznick
POETRY:
The Negro Speaks of Rivers — Langston Hughes, illus. by E.B. Lewis
Thank you, Jill!
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
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Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
Blind date, and silent
I have a terrible time remembering the titles of books I’ve read. But decades later I still remember this one: How to Talk with Practically Anybody About Practically Anything, by Barbara Walters.
I also have a terrible time remember much about what I’ve read. But I still remember one point from that long-ago book: Show interest in your conversation partner by asking questions. When I remember that advice, I get along much better.
But I will never be as adept as the young woman in this Kid History video (“kids talk, adults act”). Maybe I should be glad I don’t have her “skill,” and I’m definitely glad that my dating days are behind me. Conversationally, I was much more like the guy here.
Monday, December 31st, 2012
Kindle Fire or Kindle Paperwhite?
Our anniversary and my birthday are less than a week apart, with Christmas in between. Sometimes that means one larger gift that covers all the occasions. I guess I wasn’t very subtle about what was on my wish list this year for Christiversaday–a replacement for the Kindle I couldn’t find when I returned home from a trip a while back.
I’d played around a few minutes with a friend’s 
Kindle Fire and was impressed by the colors and apps. So that’s what I was crossing my fingers for. And that’s what my husband blessed me with on our anniversary. We enjoyed getting acquainted with it together.
Though the apps and games would be fun, my main use of a Kindle is for reading. So my heart sank when I realized that reading on the Kindle Fire is missing the same 2 important features that are lacking on the Kindle app for various devices (iphone, android, iPad, PC, Mac, Blackberry,Windows Phone 7) –features that were a normal part of my earlier Kindle experience:
- Unbroken continuation of a highlight from one page to the next.
- The ability to organize my books into Collections.
Highlighting. On my earlier Kindle, to continue a highlight to the next page, I just kept the cursor moving to the bottom corner of the screen and the page automatically turned and the highlight continued. By contrast, when I’m highlighting in the Kindle app on my phone or on an iPad, I can’t drag the highlight beyond the bottom of the screen. That means if the passage continues on the next page, I have to start a new highlight on the next page. So when I go later to my notes and highlights, I find it saved as if it were two highlights rather than as one passage. That’s the way the Kindle Fire does it too.
Collections. Some people keep only a few books at a time on their Kindles and store the rest in “the cloud” until they want them (I know that’s an accepted term and shouldn’t need quotation marks, but it sounds like a nebulous–pun intended–metaphor to me.). But I keep pretty much everything in my device. So I want a way to organize my books and not have to page through several hundred hoping to find the one I want. The Collection feature on my earlier Kindle let me create categories that are most useful to me–fiction, Christian living, China, biography, etc. That feature is not available in Kindle apps or in the Kindle Fire.
I had made the big mistake of assuming that every new Kindle product was an upgrade–keeping the great features and making them better. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It was too subtle for me that the Getting Acquainted with Kindle page was showing a Kindle Fire Family of devices and a Kindle E-reader Family. I thought Kindle meant Kindle.
I returned the Kindle Fire and ordered instead a Kindle Paperwhite E-reader. Now that has what I wanted and more.
What I wanted:
- Collections.
- Highlighting that continues to next page.
And more:
- Noticeably smaller size and lighter weight than the Kindle Fire and earlier Kindle e-readers.
- Touch screen.
- On-screen keyboard that pops up as needed.
- Higher resolution (62% more pixels)
- Adjustable built-in light that is not a backlight (page down here for a more technical description).
When it comes to reading, the Kindle Fire is in competition with iPad, not with Kindle e-readers. If you want color and don’t care as much about the reading features, a Kindle Fire is probably what you want.
But if you’re like me and want the possibility of 1000 books in one 7.5-ounce device you can drop in your pocket, purse, or carry-on, go for a Kindle e-reader (Kindle E-reader Family on this page). My choice is the Kindle Paperwhite.
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
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Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Dear traveler
If you love a traveler or love to travel, you might want to take a look at the gift ideas at Tell Me When to Pack.
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
Advent: Looking backward and forward
Last Sunday, I asked, “What is Advent?” But that answer was only half the answer. I quoted this passage, which looks back to all God’s people who were waiting for God’s salvation, which came to us through Jesus, born at Christmas:
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
But if we keep reading, the very next verses turn our eyes forward in Advent, looking toward the return of Jesus–his second coming.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
There will be another advent of Christ; he will come again.
Advent is a season for introspection. Peter gives us God’s high standard as we contemplate our standing with him: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). This is a time to ask ourselves questions like:
- Am I clear-thinking and sober-minded, or are my concerns mainly trivial? (verse 13)
- Is my hope set fully on the grace I will receive from Jesus at his Second Coming, or do I cringe at the thought of leaving behind the life I love? (verse 13)
- Am I an obedient child of my Father, or am I still shaped by the passions that drove me before? (verse 14)
If regular personal devotions are not part of our lives, this would be a time tailor-made to begin. We remember that God charged the adults in Deuteronomy 11 to “lay up these words in your heart and in your soul” (verse 18), and that he expects us to “love the LORD [our] God” (verse 1). The living water in our own hearts is the fountain from which we shower Christ on our family. Our time with God and his preparation of us is a necessary foundation. Without it our Christmas activities will degenerate into hoopla.
But however much we want a significant Christmas celebration for our families, that is not the primary reason for our contemplation and self-examination. Our deeper motivation is the strengthening of our ultimate hope in Jesus, “so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28).
May this time be a reflection of what our lives are—gratitude for the promises that were fulfilled when God gave us the gift of his son and anticipation of and preparation for Christ’s coming again.
Adapted from Treasuring God in Our Traditions
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
Lots more books for boys (and girls too)
After my list of books for boys a few days ago, here are a few more I thought of:
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Then wow! Thank you so much for your many, many suggestions. Let’s start with books actually written by a couple of you:
By Hannah McKay and her father, Jeff Roth
To be released in January — 1st in a series
All they wanted was a little adventure. What they got was the adventure of a lifetime.School is out for the summer and Jack, Ben, and Jeb can’t wait to go exploring. Packing their knapsacks and saddling their horses, the trio sets out. But when they stumble across a hidden cave, they also discover the remains of an old Spanish soldier. And a valuable treasure they never could have imagined! But soon they are being followed by a stranger who wants the treasure. In the chase, the brothers end up trapped in an underground river bed, fighting for their lives. They must find their way out before they perish like the Spanish soldier. The boys have trusted the Lord to help them in the past, but will they trust Him now? Join Jack, Ben, and Jeb as they fight for their lives and learn to trust God in Tahosa Treasure! (Amazon Description)
By Bryce Morgan and Mitch Martin
Rescue Me! is a comic book that helps kids connect classic superhero themes with the amazing message of the Bible. This is not what some might think of as a Christian comic book! This is a classic comic book hero in a classic (family friendly) comic book story, interspersed with lessons connecting themes in the story to the timeless truths of the gospel. Kids of all ages won’t be able to put it down! (learn more at www.itscaptainsun.com) (Amazon description)
Here are a bunch you’ve told us about, many of which I haven’t read, but some of you like them and so I pass them on:
![The Mad Scientists' Club Complete Collection by Bertrand R. Brinley published by Purple House Press (2010) [Paperback]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/618atY1KLbL._SL160_.jpg)
Each of the following image links represents either a series or one of several books by the same author:
Now I’m picturing hundreds of boys hidden away in their secret reading nooks–the space between bed and wall, a loft corner, up a tree in clubhouse or on a wide branch, behind the sofa or garage . . . Too bad for you if you were hoping they’d take out the trash or dry the dishes.
Please keep those suggestions coming!
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If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
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Friday, November 30th, 2012
Are there Advent calendars?
“Mommy, Mommy! May I open the next window on the calendar?” A simple pasteboard Advent calendar with one flap to open on each day in December is probably the most familiar way to help a child understand the wait until Christmas. In the stores, several themes are likely to be available, including Swiss mountain villages and Santa’s workshops. But since the Advent—the coming—we’re waiting for is Christ’s, let’s make sure our daily countdown has a real Christmas setting. (from Treasuring God in Our Traditions)
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To all who have asked, I’m sorry. I don’t have Noel Advent Calendars anymore.
There’s been a pang of regret every time I have to say that. For a season I was making them myself. After that, I contracted the work. Now the last few years, plans just haven’t worked out to continue producing them.
That pang somewhere in the area of my heart was because I felt I was fulfilling a mission to help families treasure God in their CHRISTmas celebration. It gave me great pleasure to hear of God’s work through the Noel Calendar.
But this year there’s been a lightening of my heart because I’ve seen other Advent Calendars that I’d be pleased to use myself, and even the most expensive costs less than what I’d need to charge for mine.
Here’s the story that goes with the Noel Calendar. You may have lost yours or you may find a way to use the story with another Advent calendar. Blessings as you count the days till the day we remember Jesus’ birth.
Here are an assortment of Advent calendars, sorted somewhat by price. Some are for one season’s use. Others could become part of your family’s tradition.
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The familiar sort of Advent Calendar with one door to open each day.
Come to Bethlehem and See — Advent Devotions and Stickers with Advent Pamphlet
The Magnet Advent Calendar is fun for kids to play with even if you’re not using it in the usual day-by-day Advent calendar routine.
Advent Calendar and Story Book
Nativity Advent Banner with pockets
Nativity Fabric Advent Calendar
Wooden Nativity Advent Calendar Set with Wooden Stable
Wooden Nativity Advent Calendar with 24 Magnetic Figures
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Subscribe to NoelPiper.com by using the one of the Subscribe links to the right or by clicking here.
If you decide to purchase an item here, I do appreciate it if you link through from this site or from the sidebar at my travel blog. That way, I receive a small commission, which costs you nothing extra. I recommend only items that I think will be of interest to my readers and that I probably have used personally or wish I did.
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Please visit my travel blog too–Tell Me When To Pack
