Resource Recommendation: Panorama Bible

An Immersive Bible Reading Experience

Last fall, I started a new graduate studies program at Ozark Christian College, working toward a Master’s Degree. During the orientation, I found a new Bible resource that has proven to be immensely helpful to me.

Panorama New Testament

As the graduate studies program started last fall, I stayed with a friend during the orientation week at Ozark, in Joplin, Missouri. He showed me a new Bible that he had found that he found helpful, and after a quick glance, I knew that I needed this as well.

The Panorama New Testament is a large book, measuring over twelve inches tall, and ten inches wide. The reason for this is so that the pages are big enough to display large quantities of text across a panoramic two-page spread. This can be especially helpful as you seek to study the Bible, because it allows you to trace themes through the text at a glance.

I have found this to be especially helpful in studying Paul’s epistles. Most of them are completely arranged across one set of pages, allowing you to see the whole letter at once.

The first letter I studied using this tool was Ephesians. One of Paul’s main themes running through this letter is our status in Christ. He uses this phrase, or “in Him,” or “in the Beloved,” over and over through this short letter, repeating it eleven times in the first fourteen verses alone.

Resource Review: Samaritan Ministries

Christians Helping Christians With Health Care

Health care is one of those issues that sparks a lot of stress and anxiety in people. Insurance is costly. Medical care is costly. When you have a need, how do you afford it? Where can you turn for help? Insurance may not be the best option, so what do you do?

Samaritan Ministries

Several years ago, my wife and I were becoming more and more frustrated with the rising costs of insurance. In order to keep our payments in a reasonable financial range — which was becoming more and more unreasonable — we had to keep increasing the amount of our deductible. We eventually got to the point where our deductible was so high, I was beginning to wonder if the costs of insurance were even worth it.

So we started doing some research. A good friend of our had just joined a ministry oriented, medical share program. I was a bit skeptical, but we sat down with them and discussed their experience with a medical need not long after they joined. It sounded too good to be true, but the more we talked, the more I realized this might be just what we needed to look into.

Not long after this conversation, we discovered that many of the mainstream insurance companies used the premiums that came in — my premiums — in ways that we didn’t approve of. Many of these companies used this money to pay for abortions and to provide for various other medical procedures that we were uncomfortable with. So we decided to step out on faith and give this new option a try.

The ministry we chose to work with was Samaritan Ministries, although there were a few other options we considered. We talked with several people who had had very positive experiences with Samaritan Ministries, so we submitted our application, and in 2010, we jumped into the world of Christian medical sharing.

Dryden Watch Co.

What’s On My Wrist

If you know me, you probably know that some of my personal interests are pocket knives, pens, and watches. These are all areas that I find enjoyable, and I try to gather a few of the ones I like into my collection.

Dryden Watch Co.

Watches are a relatively recent fascination for me. I have held an interest in knives and pens for several years, but wrist watches have come along more recently, just in the last three or four years really.

It started off with a couple of nicer Timex pieces, and then I found a small group of watch aficionados who took me in and taught me the ropes. That led to an interest in Seiko watches, and a few other nicer brands. (Rolex and Omega are on that list, but I suspect I’ll never own one. They’re too expensive for me. I’ll have to admire them from afar.)

My Seiko Turtle has been my go to watch for a while, being a part of my EDC. I have a couple of other dressier watches, but wear the Seiko most of the time.

Until recently…

Every Day Carry

What’s In My Pockets

Over the past few weeks, I have been asked multiple times what I carry with me on a regular basis. So instead of my usual fare here at JeffRandleman.com, I though I would give a brief synopsis of my EDC.

EDC - Every Day Carry

The EDC, or Every Day Carry, community has been a place I like to hang out over the past few years, mainly on social media, but even in person a few times. I have met and made some excellent friends through the common interest of the stuff we carry and use daily. While EDC is usually confined to what is in my pockets, I have expanded it here to include a few items that I carry with me daily, even though they are not in my pockets all the time.

Most of these are items that I cannot live without, and need some form of them on a very regular basis. Over the years, my tastes have changed, and my list of EDC items has evolved to become what it is currently. Here are the main items that I have with me at all times.

Where possible, I have included a link for each item so you can check it out further. However, with the exception of Amazon, I am not affiliated with any of these companies in any way. I simply like what they have to offer, and I use their products a lot.

Read Through The Bible in 2019

Because It Matters What You Read

I can think of nothing higher on my priority list each day than to spend time in God’s Word. It’s that important. It really is.

Bible on Bench

I have tried over the years to find a Bible Reading Plan that makes a significant difference in my life, attempting and eliminating various options over the years. A few years ago, I found one that works for me quite well, and 2019 marks my seventh year of using it on a daily basis. I’ll describe it below, along with the impact it has had in my life.

Before I get to that, though, I want to reinforce what you probably already know to be true: that a daily Bible reading discipline is a necessity for the Christian life. It is difficult, if not downright impossible, to grow without spending significant time reading and studying the Word of God.

I won’t go into all the details of that in this article. I have written extensively on this over the years. Briefly, I’ll list several of the articles here:

Coffeelogical

Because Coffee Always Makes Sense

If you know anything about me at all, you know that I love coffee. I love everything about it. It started off with an innocent fixation with certain second wave coffee vendors that shall remain unnamed. Soon I started seeking better coffee, and then buying it in bean form, and finally moving to various methods of brewing it, such as the Chemex or the Hario V60. I was hooked.

It wasn’t long before I began to venture into the arena of home roasting, using an air popcorn popper, with excellent results. This is where I have maintained my coffee enthusiasm… Until recently.

Coffeelogical Logo 

During the summer, I decided to see if others liked the coffee I was roasting as well as I did. So I started passing around a few samples, and the feedback was great. So I began to seriously consider launching my own coffee roasting company. And the result is Coffeelogical.

As this idea took off, I wanted a place where I could write and blog about coffee specifically, and display pictures of coffee and brewing methods, and more. But I also wanted to have the freedom to talk about other things as well, things that I like to talk about while drinking coffee, like God and theology. So coffee… and theological discussions… Coffeelogical.

As I was describing this to my wife, and before I could explain the meaning of my new name, she asked, “Coffeelogical? Is that because coffee always makes sense?” Why, yes it does. So we have a double meaning to the name as well.

Hobonichi Techo Cover – One Star Leather

Carrying Your Daily Planner In Style

A few weeks ago, I shared that I was giving a paper planner a shot for 2017, specifically the Hobonichi Techo. And so far I am really enjoying it.

One Star Leather Hobonichi Techo Cover

Back in 2016, I discovered One Star Leather on Etsy, and picked up a knife and pen pocket sleeve called the EDC1. It has become the slip I carry daily in my pocket, and has developed some beautiful character. So when I decided that I wanted a leather cover for the Hobonichi Techo, One Star Leather was the first place I checked. And sure enough, he had one.

In fact, it was structured as a “build your own” kind of deal. So I did just that. And it’s a beauty! I wanted a classy look, so I selected the Black Horween Chromexcel for the exterior, a chestnut Hermann Oak bridle leather interior, and golden thread. After adding a pen loop and a bookmark, I feel that this is the perfect setup.