Everything's bigger in Texas!

Including the crosses! Groom, Texas, about half an hour east of Amarillo, is home to "The Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere." And boy is it big! The land is so flat that you can see it from miles and miles around. I mean it is huge.

We never intended to stop, but when we saw how big it really was, we decided we had to go see it. Originally it was for laughs, but once we reached it we were quite surprised! It's not just a big, huge cross; it's in the center of a plaza, with the bronze statues for the Stations of the Cross circling it. A path at one side leads straight to a tableau of Jesus, John, and Peter at a table, with Jesus breaking the bread for the Last Supper. Behind it, wide steps lead up to three bronze crosses, depicting Jesus and the thieves. At the base of the stairs, a path leads around to a replica of the Empty Tomb; the angel atop it is visible from the crosses.

I'm not Catholic, so the Stations of the Cross weren't something I'm used to, but it was still beautiful. The sculptor was obviously talented, so the faces are expressive. And across from the parking area is the Pilgrim Center, with a gift shop (we didn't shop). Visible from the parking lot is a beautiful fountain with waterfalls, the Fountain of Mercy. At the center stands another statue of Jesus. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but it's really quite beautiful, and I thought, "I wish Grandma Lucy could have seen this." She would have loved it.

Craft Wonderland for Christian Crafters!

Well, my friend Ishy of TechnoChicks has started up another new forum: Craft Wonderland! So far, I've racked up thirty-eight posts in four days, and we aren't even "really" up and running. But feel free to come join; we DO have stuff going on.

Since it's a "Craft Wonderland," the theme is Alice in Wonderland. And in case you were wondering, yes, we ARE all mad. In fact, Ishy is the Mad Hatter; I'm the Queen of Hearts. OFF with your head!

Okay, all better. :)

On a serious note, we have some great features. The most interesting one to me is our Member Showcase, which is just that: a subforum where every member can create a thread to showcase all their creative stuff, whether it's digital art or photos of your work; you can also include writing, whether it's creative writing or short essays.

Speaking of creative writing, Ishy is working on the Creative Writing forum. Should be fun; Ishy is a very creative person, and quite a good writer. I'm working with the Art and Digital Art section, as well as Papercrafts (which is currently part of the Other Handicrafts section. Ishy and I are both working with the Knitting and Crochet section, too.

Know what we have that other craft forums don't? Faith Talk and Prayer Requests. That's right: Craft Wonderland is a Christian-oriented craft site. You don't have to be a Christian to join, but you do have to respect our faith. So, we'll be keeping it clean. Yay!

For the low price of nothing, all this can be yours. So come join us!

The World English Bible

Some people would say there are already enough (or even too many) versions of the Bible. But the World English Bible is an interesting new translation: a totally public domain, modern English translation of the Bible!

I don't want to get involved in the whole "King James vs. New International Version" debate, but I will say that this is a really great project. The idea is excellent, and the translation is based on three public domain texts: the American Standard Version (first written in 1901), the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. The primary translation work is done by Michael Paul Johnson, with proofreading by many, many volunteers.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with having copyrighted versions; proceeds from the NIV, for example, help fund further translation of the Bible into new languages. And, of course, the proceeds from all the major modern translations enable scholars to pursue such work as a full-time vocation (which is unbelievably important).

The WEB, on the other hand, is entirely public domain. So authors can quote Scripture extensively in their works; programmers or webmasters can include the entire Bible in a program or website; and individuals or small groups can create their own tracts and literature—all without royalties! It's a great option for small, independent authors and the like, since royalties can be prohibitively expensive for such projects.

The full version of the World English Bible is a work in progress, due out around Christmas, so the verdict is still out. But the motives of the translators are definitely to be praised.

Xandria

The Bible on an iPod

I just found a great new way to use my iPod: to listen to and read the Bible! A new company called BiblePlayer has found a way to use the "Notes" feature to deliver both an audio and text version of the Bible!

I just downloaded it fifteen minutes ago, but so far I love it! I'm trying out the freeware version first, but I'll probably buy the Deluxe version. Here's how it works: first, upload the audio files onto your iPod. Next, install everything else into the "Notes" folder (just make sure disk mode is enabled). Now disconnect the iPod and navigate to the Notes section. Wait for the notes to load (it takes a while; even the totally free version contains the full Gospels). Then, choose what you want to do: "Read the Bible", "Hear the Bible", "Bible in a Year", "Devotionals", or "Bible Stories".

The totally free version, "BiblePlayer Lite", contains the full Gospels, "Gospel in a Year" (twice through, I believe), Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" devotionals for January, and fifteen or sixteen Bible stories. There are also three sample audio files: Proverbs 5, in King James, World English, and Reina Valera (which I believe is the Spanish New Testament).

The $5 version contains the full text of the Old and New Testament, complete year of Faith's Checkbook, eight more reading plans, over one hundred Bible stories, and a "God's Promises" module. The deluxe version, which is only $20 this month, contains all that, plus full audio files.

I like that each text file has a link to allow you to listen to the audio for it (for the Deluxe version, of course), without going through Playlists. (Though I would assume you can create playlists with the audio files; after all, to iTunes, they're just mp3 files.)

Only downside: the iPod is limited to one thousand notes, so you can install the Old Testament or the New Testament–but not both. To switch, you must uninstall one before installing the other. (Though it should be no problem to install both sets of audio files, disk space permitting...)

Just for reference, I chose the World English Version: I don't already have it, and no one in my Sunday School class ever has it, so it will be useful for version comparisions. I'll research it more before I buy one, of course, but I can always download the KJV for the freeware, if I want. (My study Bible is a New King James, so it's pretty easy to switch over to KJV. But all the "eth" and "est" and "wherefores" can get tiresome, so I doubt I will. Besides, if I already have my Bible, I don't need to use my iPod!)

I'll post again once I've given BiblePlayer a more thorough trial.

Xandria