My Favorites - January - CARRIED AWAY MINISTRIES

Today I will be sharing some of my current favorite things. This post guarantees to be random, but that’s part of the fun. So, without further ado, I give you …

#1: this pillow

ok yall. This pillow.

My husband and I were waking up every morning with all kinds of neck problems, so I finally asked my chiropractor if there was a pillow he recommended. This one is it! It’s a cross between the softest, most sink-into-bed pillow you’ve ever laid your head on and a water bed for your head. Bizarre, I know, but it works.

We’ve had ours for over two months now. Although we still laugh a little when water sloshes as we hit the bed, we are both big fans. No neck pain and a comfortable night’s sleep all night long. I highly recommend!

<<<We bought ours here. >>>

#2: this yogurt

If you’ve eaten a meal with me, you know what a picky I am. Mostly, I eat like a child. In fact, it was only a couple of years ago that I tried yogurt for the first time. When I started hearing talk about Greek Yogurt, I was unmoved. I’m sticking with my vanilla yogurt, thank you very much.

That was until I got a hold of Oikos Greek Yogurt in orange cream flavor. (Cue heart eyes)

I eat one of these babies each morning after I work out. With twice the amount of protein, it lasts me until I’m ready for lunch and is way better than my normal coffee-for-breakfast routine.

#3: this book

At first this book was just a good, interesting read, but eventually I couldn’t put it down. I learned so much about the Muslim faith and my own. The story stretched my thinking and made me cry. It is a timely read, to say the least. I highly recommend this book.

Click here to view the book trailer.

#4: these Bible translations

I have been a die-hard NIV translation Bible reader since my first Bible. It’s the one I keep buying because it’s the translation that runs in my head. Every verse I have memorized is from the NIV.

However, I’m also currently obsessed with reading multiple translations at a time. When I read a passage of scripture, whether I’m studying or not, I have to read it in multiple versions so I can gleam better understanding of the context and content.

Using Biblegateway.com, it’s easy to quickly click through multiple translations as you read. Besides my NIV, I like to read from the ESV (English Standard Version), NLT (New Living Translation), and NET (New England Translation), but my favorites are AMP (Amplified Bible), MSG (The Message) and VOICE (The Voice).

The Amplified Bible does just what it says: it amplifies the text. It takes the original Hebrew/Greek words and their meanings and expands them, giving you greater understanding of the text.

The Message is a paraphrase of scripture in modern day language. When I was all uptight in my Bible-snobbish ways, I steered clear of this translation. Now I have a serious crush on it.

The Voice is somewhere in between a word-for-word translation and a paraphrase. When content matters, it’s word-for-word. When context matters, it’s paraphrased.

Here’s an example of each and how they compare:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17 NIV)

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him[as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17 AMP)

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. (John 3:16-17 MSG)

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction. (John 3:16-17 VOICE)