The Guardian have written about a man in New York who has been inspired to write out the entire Bible:
“I hadn’t counted on the fact that it would end up being beautiful,” Patterson said. “Or that it would be so exhilarating. And so long.”
Patterson, 63, might seem like an unlikely scribe for the King James version of the Bible. Tall and bald with a hearty laugh, the retired interior designer is neither monkish nor zealous. He goes to church but has never been particularly religious. Health issues – including Aids and anemia – have sent him to the hospital and slowed the work. He relies on two canes and will lean on walls and furniture to get around his apartment near the Massachusetts border. More from the Guardian article.
He’s been writing the Bible for interest and for the beauty. But there are people in some part of the world writing for their lives – writing the Bible as the only way to share hope. For example, we’ve shared this account from Open Doors before:
CHINA: “We took shifts copying for 20 days continuously, two copying and two correcting. By the last night, we finished and went to return the Bible. Exhausted, we fell asleep on the way. Morning came and we rushed to return it to the elderly woman, constantly apologizing. We started reading our hand-copied Bible immediately. At the time we had 10 churches, and we used that Bible during meetings. This copy was lent among the churches. This Bible is very precious to us. We hid it at a meeting place by digging a hole, putting it in and covering it with a rock. I used it for 10 years, until it was discovered and confiscated.”
Writing out the Bible in a language that truly speaks to you is a brilliant thing to do, and if you’re interested, we’d encourage you to get on board with the Write the Word programme our partners The Seed Company are running. As you read and write, think about how much we have and remember that there are many people still waiting for their first verse! Give God’s Story.
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5th March – Psalm 118:24
3rd December – Daniel 2:2-3
2nd February – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
19th September – Psalm 9:8

Far and near