The guy who wrote the Bible died last month.

I should clarify: the guy who wrote “The Message” version of the Bible passed away in October. His name was Eugene Peterson. Last January, I made a list in my bullet journal of most of the books he wrote, with the intention of one day checking them all off. And then I’ll start over and read them again. He’s that kind of guy.

As you can see, I’ve only just begun.
Three down, eighteen to go.

One of the things I loved about Eugene Peterson was his humility. He was a brilliant scholar, teacher and pastor, but he never served a church with more than 250 members. It was his belief that a pastor should be able to call every parishioner by name. He spoke forcefully against the “mega-church” movement and “CEO-type” pastors. After years of pastoring and teaching, he went home to Montana where he wrote books and lived in a house without a TV.

Peterson undertook the mammoth task of singlehandedly writing a translation of the whole Bible. It has become a beloved version to many because of its accessiblity to modern readers.

For instance, the Revised Standard Version of Psalm 35:1 says,
“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me.”
Peterson’s rendering in “The Message” reads,
“God, punch these bullies in the nose.” 

It’s fun to read this Bible.
Thank you, Eugene.
Well done.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-3, The Message