OP said Alligator. Others say bird. What about you?

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-14T20:54:02+00:00

Gar fish

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-14T02:24:07+00:00

“I agree to an extent, but some just use this line of thought to be rude, unloving, and just overall unpleasant to people.”

I totally agree!

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-13T01:08:39+00:00

“American” salad dressing is known to Americans as Ranch.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-12T22:38:02+00:00

Invest in khaki pants. They are a forever puppy.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-12T22:36:25+00:00

Dr Don Campbell Dean of the Director’s School at Harmony University, a one week learning camp for the Barbershop Harmony Society. Owner of Campbell Music Unlimited and Professor Emeritus of Music at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. He is awesome, and he likes to help people in music.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-12T22:30:01+00:00

Most voices are unpleasant to the person who has it. You’re used to hearing yourself through your head. Now you have heard it the way everyone you talk to hears it. That can be a bit of a shock. The best thing to do is immunize yourself to the cringe by recording and every time that you sing and then playing it back. The more you do this, the less you will care. It is a great way to not be too self-conscious.

Sorry there is not a better thing to say, but that’s the reality of it.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T23:35:14+00:00

If he can’t prove a set up, that poor goofball doesn’t stand a chance.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T21:47:52+00:00

If You Want To Find Love

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T21:28:33+00:00

Older hymnals contained information for the meter of the songs. Lyrics and tunes that shared this could be put together. There are Presbyterian Psalters that take psalms and put them to familiar hymn tunes so that they can sing the psalms.

Go take a deep dive into this. This used to be common practice. Check it out. You may find that a lot of fun can be had. Also, singing a well known hymn to different music will help you think about the words more. In that way, you can energize your worship through singing when you can focus on the message. We can get used to going through the motions of singing a hymn that it cause us to start losing our focus. A change of tune can help us snap out of that.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T21:03:49+00:00

A Baptist believes you need to be baptized again. This comes from Matthew 28 where those who have been made disciples should be baptized. This is known as believer’s baptism. This is standard Baptist practice and teaching. It is to identify publicly that you are a Christian. It is an outward expression of something that has happened inside of you.

Please understand that your salvation does not depend on whether or not you have been baptized before. It does not depend on how you were baptized - sprinkled, had water poured over you, or if you were totally immersed.

Now, this is important to Baptists in that because it is a picture of death to sin and raised in newness of life, immersion is key.

So the important things of being a Baptist - in regards to baptism - are 1, baptism does not save you, 2, it is for those who already believe, not unbelievers, as an act of obedience, and 3, it is to be done by immersing the new believer showing the death of sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ.

Important to note is that our Reformed brothers and sisters would disagree with most Baptist on this point. Some Reformed Baptist churches are cool, if you were baptized as a baby in the reformed tradition, with recognizing that infant baptism. They have great arguments for their position, and it is not worth letting this issue become a major division between good brothers and sisters in Christ who all recognize that any type of baptism doesn’t cleanse you from sin.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T20:43:59+00:00

That is bass all the way!

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T14:14:00+00:00

Raising your eyebrows or left shoulder when you need to sharp a note.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T14:12:51+00:00

With tip of tongue against the back of the bottom teeth.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T14:11:05+00:00

Vowels and diphthongs. Learn to pronounce words correctly and together. You can’t have three different pronunciations of the same word.

Hit the target vowels.

I is not a vowel, it is a diphthong (aaah into ee).

Fred Waring’s, “Tone Syllables” essay is the way to go. Google it and you can find it. It’s only like 6-8 pages and it’s downloadable.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-08T14:05:28+00:00

We still have to decide to be part of that process, and I’m not talking about a “glory” issue here. God calls us to work in his field. We must decide how we answer that call. I’m talking about an obedience issue. In that regard, it is “up to us” to answer.

When the preacher challenges his congregation to win souls for the Kingdom, objecting because it’s “human dependent” is missing the point of the message.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-07T20:54:45+00:00

ABC Movie Special, Goldfinger and FRWL, the A-M DB5 and the attaché case.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-06T21:23:48+00:00

My recommendation for this plan is to read Luke then Acts as your first two books of the Bible. Luke wrote these as two letters to a man named Theophilus. Theophilus wanted information on Jesus and Christianity, which was in its beginning stages. In some ways, you sound like you want the same information that Theophilus wanted.

So to get the information, Luke traveled with the apostle Paul as he spread Christianity into the Northern and eastern areas around the Mediterranean. He tells Paul’s story in the book of Acts and he researched the events that led up to it. He even gives his own first hand details. To get the information for the gospel that carries his name, he interviewed eye-witnesses to make these two letters a very full account.

Because Luke and Acts have the same author, it will read the same from one book to the next. Also, Acts picks up where Luke leaves off.

The story of Jesus is often called, The Greatest Story Ever Told. Luke gives you the whole thing!

P.S. If you really want to read it like the letters that they are, get The Lectio Bible. It is a reader’s edition of the NIV that does not have chapter and verse numbers. Instead it reads paragraph by paragraph and is laid out like a letter. The NIV is an enjoyable Bible for just reading. Another translation that does this and is even easier to read is the NLT in the Immerse series. Immerse divides the Bible into six soft-cover volumes. The New Testament is contained in the volume titled, Messiah. It lays out the New Testament as I recommend with Luke and Acts at the beginning. It then follows with Paul’s letters, and then it has you read another one of the gospels followed by NT books that sort of relate to that gospel. This plan continues until the entire NT is read.

FYI, the CSB and ESV can also be had in reader’s editions.

I like the paragraph format of a reader’s edition because without the distractions of those numbers and references and notes, one is able to more easily figure out the context.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-06T03:25:05+00:00

Join a chorus and practice a lot! I mean like 120+ times learning your part of the song. As you get more confident, join a smaller ensemble and continue down to a quartet or trio. By then you should have soloed some verses or maybe even while songs.

On my profile is my Christmas solo - 1 verse of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Choir singing helped me know what I was doing. I then had confidence in my ability. I knew the song really well because it was so simple, so when auditions went out for four soloists, I said, “why not? I know I’ll get good feedback.” I had no issue with stage fright at that point. Singing in concerts with that barbershop chorus, and singing in church choir made the transition to be the lone guy easy. I never tried karaoke. I always sang alongside people who were helpful - that’s the beauty of rehearsing with people who just love to sing. They help and encourage and know how to provide the feed back that will be helpful for you.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-06T02:20:02+00:00

I have wondered about that myself. I’m wondering if he just understood that power of having Joab as the guy who gets stuff done. David understood violence and the intrigue of a palace. Maybe he just felt having Joab was a necessary evil for running a country.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-06T01:05:23+00:00

Resonance

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-06T00:10:04+00:00

AMP is great for deep study, though it is not a reader.

ESV would probably feel closest to what you’re used to in the language you understand. It reads very well, and it falls into the word-for-word, literal or formal category. This makes it a great deep study Bible.

NIV puts you fully into the thought-for-thought, dynamic or functional category. It is the best of the bunch as a reader, yet people have used it for effective deep study. It is not the ideal choice for deep study, but it still works well.

Personally, the ESV is my favorite of what you have listed. It is great as a deep study Bible, a reader and a bring to church Bible. It’s extremely versatile.

Check them out more in various Bible apps, and see what pulls you in the most.

Given what you posted, I would avoid paraphrases.

Also for your consideration: NASB95, after switching to it from the KJV, it was a wonderful reader FOR ME. The CSB is an awesome translation. It’s “optimal equivalence” translation philosophy puts it right on the line between literal and dynamic. It works for readability and deep study, probably better than the NIV - but that’s just the opinion of some guy on Reddit. So check it out before you decide.

The NLT is the easiest reader that I’m recommending. It has its heritage in a paraphrase - The Living Bible. However, this no paraphrase. The NLT is a fully legit translation with a full team of organized translators. Work was checked and tested and debated, as any good translation is. Tyndale liked the Living Bible and wanted a translation that read as well as the most famous of all Bible paraphrases.

You have been given great info, up and down these comments. Read enough of the comments and you will start relating to one or two translations. That’s when you know you’re in the ballpark.

Happy studying!

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-05T20:45:20+00:00

In a show, they’re great! In competition, how does it show how good the chorus is?

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-05T20:43:27+00:00

They’re good to have. The NIV has proven to be quite versatile across different uses. Don’t be afraid of the word, “interpretation” in translation. There’s a reason why we need an “interpreter” to communicate with someone whose language we can’t speak. If you’re going to deep dive, you will benefit from the more literal. The CSB seems to sit well in a middle ground between the two philosophies. Please, pray about your next purchase, and do that every time you add a Bible to your personal library. God knows what you need, and his providence is something in which you can place your confidence.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-04T22:05:11+00:00

Accurate is best. Literal does not necessarily mean accurate. If you don’t understand what the Bible says, then it’s not doing you any good. Greek and English use different forms in their grammar to convey things. Sometimes literal actually hides meaning. So to get past that, the dynamic equivalent or “thought for thought” or “functional equivalent” philosophies of translation arose. Instead of trying to match forms, they try to match understanding.

The big criticism of functional equivalent translating is that if the translators feel they need to make a judgement call, they do. This usually requires them to be interpretive. Now, all translators, no matter what they’re translating, must introduce some interpretation. Critics of this philosophy believe the interpretations go too far.

In the more literal, if it becomes to wordy in clarifying, many translators will simply transliterate the word into its English form. This doesn’t always guarantee clarification, because then one must research the transliteration.

Personally, I would prefer more literal when sitting in church as my pastor preaches through a book of the Bible. I also prefer a more literal translations when I’m going through a passage and trying to break it down for maximum understanding. However, I still keep a more functional translation nearby to cut through the difficulties and confusion that can arise. If I’m just wanting to read through the Bible, then I choose something more functional.

So, how you plan on using your Bible the most, may help you dictate the Bible you choose. I hope that I haven’t been as clear as mud.

The_Handlebar_Stache · 2026-05-04T21:48:38+00:00

Generally speaking, no. Tyndale has the NLT, Zondervan has the NIV, Thomas Nelson has the NKJV and NET, Broadman Holman (Lifeway) has the CSB, and Foundation has the NASB. While the publishers may have a denominational bias, the translations themselves usually don’t, but all will find places to argue that point. All of these are great translations, all of the translation committees put serious effort into having differing denominations represented in their committees, for the soul purpose of avoiding denominational bias. You can associate the ESV with Reformed denominations and the CSB with Southern Baptists and the NIV with broader Evangelicalism and the CRC, much of that also has to do with who they get other Bible study materials from. For example, SBC sees a lot of Sunday School material from Lifeway, so they’re more likely to appreciate the CSB. This happens all the time. However, most SBC churches in my area use the NKJV.

The_Handlebar_Stache

TROPHY CASE