There are also some that carry the thought process to an extreme by paraphrasing. Then there are those that attempt to amplify terminology, often with synonyms. Finally there are translations that attempt to use the common of a particular group.

It's only practical for each person to have there own preference, buy to really get the meaning from a passage it may be helpful to refer to several different versions during your Bible study. Preachers will often quote verses from different versions to better convey their messages. 

Instead of having multiple Bibles, one way to do that is to get a paper parallel Bible. Another way is to get a Bible app, like AndBible, with multiple versions available. 

Bible Versions

Here's a quick overview of different t translations, most of which are available in AndBible.

Literal 

Among the literal versions is the old King James version. The more recent New American Standard (NASB) is also a literal version. A lesser known literal version is the LSV (Literal Standard Version). Yet another older version is YLT Young's Literal Translation. Published in 1862, it comes from Robert Young, the same person that published Young's Concordance.

My preference is for the literal since you can easily reference the particular Greek word being translated. The app Bible Study (AndBible) enables users to view the Greek Strong's reference for individual words, although not all literal versions in AndBible have those references.

One way to quickly find out if a version of the Bible in AndBible supports Strong's is to select Compare under Commentaries, then select Strong's mode text and links. Versions with Strong's will have numbers. 

Thought for thought

However, a string of translated words often doesn't have the same meaning in English as in the original language. That's the idea behind thought for thought versions. NIV (New International Version) is the most popular version in this category. 

Paraphrased 

Paraphrased versions carry the thought for thought concept to an extreme. They summarize and often elaborate on the text. Popular paraphrases include

• NLT (New Living Translation)
• JB Phillips 
• OEB Open English Bible 

Translation for Translators is something of a paraphrase although it does include Strong's numbers.

Common language

Finally there are versions that attempt to translate the text into easy to read terms for certain readers. One of those versions is the BBE Bible in Basic English (simple words). For example BBE might replace"propitiation" with "offering". Yet another coming language version is the PEV (Plain English Version). PEV is often wordy and could also be considered a paraphrase. One unique text that attempted to present the scripture so that the young crowd of the 1970s could relate to was Word on the Street, by Rob Lacey.

I like to look at common language versions to see how a particular type of person might relate to a passage.

Other versions 

One website that covers a lot of the versions, with different categories is

https://www.bartehrman.com/bible-versions/

Can you trust your version?

I think most of the popular Bible version are true to Scripture, but there are versions of the Bible in circulation that are deceptive propagated by different "churches". Some call them cults, although in the strictest sense Christianity is a cult. The question is whether it is a truthful interpretation or not.

While I could name a few as warning, I'm convinced that God can guide the true believer into all truth, including what Bible to follow. Furthermore, access to the commonly accepted Greek text can help serious students to discern truth from error and deception. 

Avoid Distractions 

One of the churches I attended suggest that you get a paper Bible to avoid distractions when reading a electronic version on your phone. That's a valid point, although you could also get a dedicated device for Bible Study, like a tablet. They are fairly cheap and you don't have to worry about it ringing. With a digital device you have the ability to easily refer to other versions, consult resources like maps or commentaries, and even dig deeper into the original text. 

Not only is a dedicated device important, you will also need to dedicate time for Bible study.

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I'm not a "member" of any of them simply because there is a time consuming process to becoming official as a member, but I do tithe as if I was. When you consider that Jesus is head of the Christian church, I do consider myself a member of that entity. 

Church of the Pines 

When I needed to be back home by 930 I started going to Church of the Pines and I found that to be a nice place. Teaching was mostly solid although the secular comparisons were occasionally a little off. One of the important things was that worship was biblical, that is my they practiced raising your hands and clapping as encouraged in Psalms and elsewhere. That not something you see in the denomination that I grew up in. It allowed you to "worship" practically, not just theoretically by just singing songs. 

Interestingly the pastor was from my home state of Mississippi. Doctrinally they believed in the baptism of the holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and all of the spiritual gifts, but in the year I went there it wasn't demonstrated. The church met in a space at the Time Square Shopping Center, but plans were to build and move to a location in Bullard.

Rose Heights Church 

When I got a tad more freedom and was able to extend my stay until 1030 I started going to Rose Heights Church, again. They have doctrines similar to Pines, and have been in Tyler for a long while.

The teaching was insightful, although somewhat more isogesic than exogesic, but still applicable. The worship was active with , clapping, and hand raising, and music that was sometimes a bit louder than necessary.

When I started back they were doing some remodeling to the auditorium and foyer, and adding some technology, mostly unimpressive to me but irrelevant. However, with the added lighting, screen and other technology, the longer I went the more it turned into a performance with too many distractions to focus on worship. 

South Spring Baptist Church 

Somewhere in that time I heard the sermon on the radio from South Spring Baptist and visited there once. The Bible study was pretty in depth so I was hopeful. Unfortunately, the worship experience was painful.

While I do worship with lifted hands, I don't particularly like to be noticed, so the only thing I could do there was sing the words and worship "quietly in my heart". After all, it was a Baptist church.

Bethel Bible Church 

One day I found myself limited on time so I decided to go to Bethel Bible Church which was a bit closer and also had an early service. While the sermon was not dynamic, it covered scripture as it was written, intended. The pastor provided insight to the writers knowledge of the readers and culture of the time. I've been there over a month now.

On the down side, "worship" was unenthusiastic, not necessarily from the song leaders but from the congregation. Within the room I saw only a couple of people raising their hands, even though the song lyrics included the words, "I lift my hands".  That apparent lack of enthusiasm was understandable considering my first impression when I arrived. The auditorium was almost empty when services started and people started drifting in during the first song or two. 

When I see such complacency during a worship service I think,  "someone needs to teach them how to worship." A few sessions on the encouragement from the scriptures (Bible) to lift your hands, clap, and shout with a joyful noise might help. Even in Pentecostal type churches, many people don't, but enough to give those who do an opportunity to worship without being the center of attention.

You don't have to be a Pentecostal to make a joyful noise and enjoy worship, praising for what God has done and who He is. Enjoy worship. Make a joyful noise. Or as Psalms says repeatedly, Praise!

Find a church 

I've heard many preachers comment on the tendency of people to hop from church to church trying to find the perfect church, the perfect people. Indeed, church hopping is bad if it's selfish, if you are being critical about the trivial.

But I've also heard preachers encourage listeners to find a church that teaches the Bible truthfully. I concur. I would extend that to encourage you to find a church where you can worship, learn, serve, fellowship. Of course that encouragement may involve becoming a person that wants to worship, learn, serve, and fellowship.

However, if you've spent time researching the field you can be conversant with the doctor, and better judge the quality of care received. The challenge is to adequately research the specific issues.

Clinic sites are okay for basic research, But if you learn the terminology and search articles published in medical journals you get a better idea how treatment measures up to industry practices.

In particular, I've spent a considerable about of time researching and attempting to find some information that would help my wife's case with symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Knowing a little about that specific area of concern, I'm disappointed with the medical care at UT Health East Texas recently provided, at two levels.

Family Practice

A few years ago my wife was complaining about being cold all the time, and exhibited other symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as constipation, and slow wound healing.

When I brought that to the attention of her primary care physician (PCP) she ordered a thyroid test (TSH) and when the results were supposedly normal she had no other concern about that.

When I subsequently brought her symptoms to the attention of her PCP, the doctor simply said she tested and her thyroid was normal and voiced no other recommendations to address the symptoms.

I've since researched a lot and discovered that you can have hypothyroidism with normal TSH, and this year I talked the PCP into getting a referral to an endocrinologist. At first she said she couldn't with normal TSH, but then I convinced her to attempt a referral based on symptoms. I figured a specialist would be more likely to consider more recent findings.

The Endocrinologist 

After the endocrinologist renewed her records the endocrinologist also insisted that her thyroid is normal, but she did order another test, this time FT4 (free Thyroxine) and reiterated that her thyroid is normal, and offered no other advice concerning her symptoms.

A past TSH was high normal, and the current FT4 was low normal. I would've expected a thyroid specialist to order a complete thyroid panel including T3 and antibodies.

This particular endocrinologist, however specializes in diabetes not hypothyroidism.

Her UT Health bio mentions her continuing study of diabetes technology and I don't doubt her expertise in diabetes, but it doesn't translate into a expert knowledge of thyroid disease. 

Also, unlike the other physicians in the department, based on UT Health biographies, this endocrinologist was neither board certified in endocrinology, or affiliated with a professional organization like AACE, Endocrine Society, or the American Thyroid Association.

Research ignored 

At the appointment I had prepared a couple of sheets of thyroid research i had done. I'm not talking about individual blogs, and patient opinions, or even clinic websites (which may not be updated).

The research I'm taking about was mostly research articles published in medical journals specific to that specialty. Additionally, it was not usually research of an individual doctor, but often teams of researchers.

When I presented it to the endocrinologist she simply ignored it and repeatedly insisted that her thyroid is normal and has always been normal.

Research 

As previously mentioned, what I've found first off is that you can have hypothyroidism with normal TSH.

Even more significant was the research that recommended updated TSH test ranges, with upper limits ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 mIU/L.

I've prepared similar research and presented it to other doctors only to be routinely ignored. In the hospitals, one of the hospitalists viewed hypothyroidism as a chronic issue while the hospital is only there for acute issues. 

ATP, I anticipate presenting the details in a later post.

Symptoms ignored 

While there is some debate on what is normal TSH reference range, the upper reference range combined with the symptoms should warrant more investigation. Yet, with the PCP and the endocrinologist, there was little interest in addressing the symptoms. 

There's a number of symptoms related to hypothyroidism, directly or indirectly. Those symptoms could also be due in part to other diseases, but with her specific combination of symptoms, the Wed MD symptom checker found them to be a strong match for hypothyroidism.

I attempted to share those symptoms to the endocrinologist. 

BMI dispute 

The Endocrinologist made no comment about her cold intolerance, but when I mentioned recent bloating and weight gain she quickly calculated a number for BMI (body mass index) and said that was normal. One of the problems with that is that she did not consider that my wife is a paraplegic amputee. 

It should be obvious that traditional BMI would not be an accurate guide for an amputee. Some guidelines recommend reducing the weight for calculation based on the level of amputation.

It's also been suggested that BMI is not a useful guide for paraplegia, and recommend calculating ideal weight by adjusting for the level of paraplegia.

Finally, BMI is only a guide and you have to consider body build (frame) and composition (fat, lean muscle, etc) such as percentage and location of fat. 

So I pointed out, based on research, that the ideal weight should take paraplegia and amputation into consideration. For someone of normal build (frame), ideal weight for paraplegia should be 10-15 percent less. After that you have to account for the aka amputation, in this case about 10 %. 

Although that is noteworthy, the biggest problem was not her weight, but her weight GAIN, and location around the waist. That's what makes her weight an issue when diagnosing hypothyroidism.

I mentioned a couple other symptoms with no response.

The Referral

Finally, I question the wisdom of providing the referral. There are physicians in the department that do treat thyroid problems, but she was referred to this endocrinologist with seemingly no more expertise in thyroid problems than a family practice doctor. Maybe she was the only one taking new patients.

Although there are family doctors that do successfully treat thyroid disease, particularly hypothyroidism.

Summary 

My wife's symptoms may indeed be the result of one or more other medical issues, but adequate testing was not done to rule out hypothyroidism.  

Caveat 

This is not meant to be a criticism of UT Health East Texas as a whole. I have found the services of the Wound Healing Center at UT Health East Texas to be excellent on multiple occasions. The doctor had a plan and carried it through with good results. The center has three doctors and a nurse practitioner, each of them with at least one board certification in wound case.

That is in contrast with more recent experience of home visits with Wound Management Specialists. With them we had a nurse practitioner, graduated less than two years ago, with no board certification. She knew about treatments but didn't seem to have a good plan of care. Maybe I can write about that and White Rock Medical Center in a later post. 

Concerning UT Health East Texas, as a university hospital I thought the physicians there (often also professors of medicine) would be more in tune to recent research and be more thorough in their diagnoses. In some schools I know the professors are expected to also publish research. That type of inquisitive mind is what is needed in medicine.

The accusation came after I played TRITER. I hadn't studied that word but if trite is a word, more trite would obviously be triter.

Then I reviewed some of the other unusual words I played. 

EPEE, is easy to remember if you've studied vowel heavy words.

ULU, is also vowel heavy but I also learned that by studying words with two Us.

FRESHING, wasn't that obvious. FRESH is a word and thought maybe it takes an ING, just as FRESHEN does.

OAKY, okay, I did know that, but not sure if I learned it studying high 4s (words beginning or ending with a 4 point tile), studying 2-5 Ks, or simply high value 4s.

In a different game someone questioned how I knew ZEATINS. That's one of the words you'll learn by studying just the top three stems. 

Knowing words that are not common gives you an advantage in Scrabble, particularly OTB play. Likely to be challenged. At lower levels in online play they may raise some eyebrows. And these aren't that uncommon for anyone who studies at all.

Switched Keys uses the b2evolution CMS. Although b2evolution hasn't been updated for a few years it meets all my needs. It also requires an older version of php to work. Now it uses MariaDB instead of the original MySQL and apparently it was changed from MyISAM to InnoDB. While both MariaDB and MySQL support the keyword DELAYED in MyISAM, InnoDB doesn't support it.

I wondered how much work was involved to get this fixed. Database modification, code editing, etc. I found the simple fix in the file _hit.class.php found in ...\b2e\inc\sessions\model\.

I only needed to take DELAYED out of the line

$sql = $delayed ? 'INSERT DELAYED INTO' : 'INSERT INTO';

As an afterthought I could have simply replaced it with the instruction

$sql = 'INSERT INTO';

Maybe some other b2evolution user will find this quick fix useful.

One of the tactics I've been using is to find alternate spellings of common (from a Scrabbler's point of view) words by replacing one letter. Alternate spellings are nice because it seems easier to remember two words for the price of one. 

I found that there are several alternate spellings of Q words. There are 26 words where the Q can be replaced by a C, from CAT/QAT to QABALISTIC/CABALISTIC.

In Hoot you would use the Replace search option for that, searching for Q?C. In standard search you can have Hoot include the original and the alternate by selecting that in Settings. Power search only returns the original.

Replacing Q with K returns 69 words and G can replace Q in 41. Of course many of them are different words with different definitions, but that doesn't matter that much. I knew a few already.

In that study I wondered if QINDAR/QINTAR had an alternate spelling so I searched for the pattern "?IN?AR" and only got 4 matching words. 

LINEAR
MINBAR
QINDAR
QINTAR

Still curious, I searched for "?IN?AR?" and found that there were 11 matches, a short enough list to remember several words in it, particularly ZINGARA/E/I/O, and of course QINDARS and QINTARS.

Note: If you are returning the alternate spelling and there are a lot of results it may take a long time and may not be helpful. Cancel and narrow the search. One such search is where Y replaces I. Limiting it to just 4 letter words yields 116 pairs, although there are some interesting ones there.

Gestures are what you do with your fingers on the screen. Most folks understand tapping (or clicking) an icon or button and using the back or home button. But there are other gestures that can apply to a button, section of the screen, or whole screen. Following are the most common gestures.

• Click (or tap)
• Scroll (touch and move your finger before lifting)
• Double click (rapidly tap twice)
• Long press (tap and hold for a second on two)
• Swipe up, down,  left, right (basically the same as a scroll but in different directions)
• Fling (rapidly touch and move before lifting)

You can see all of these in use on the And Bible main screen. This is a preliminary catalog of gestures that apply to different items.

Device screen and windows

A few gestures apply to the device screen in general.

• Swipe from the left margin to show the application menu (This is the same as tapping the three line main menu).
• Swipe back to the left to hide application menu.
• Double tap anywhere on the screen to switch between standard and full screen. In full screen the taskbar, the document icons, the Android status bar, and the software navigation buttons are all hidden.
• Touch or tap to select a window and make it active. The icons at the top work on the active window.
• With multiple windows shown, press and drag the separating bar to resize the windows.

When multiple documents are loaded there are document icons at the bottom right of the screen. Tapping will restore that document/window if minimized or minimize it if already displaying. See Document icons later.

When a window is active you can tap and move up or down to scroll through the document.

Bible text windows

When a window displays the text of a Bible a number of gestures are available to speed the navigation.

• Swipe left for next chapter,  right for the previous.
• Touch or tap in a selected window for bookmarks, notes. A dialog box will be shown to allow you to select a function. Press the X to close the dialog.
• Long press to select text. When you do, the text markers will be shown and a dialog box will ask what you want to do with the selected text, or if you want to select the whole verse. Here you can drag the markers to select more or less of the text before interacting with the dialog box. Press somewhere else to cancel.
• Touch or tap on a superscript within the text for footnotes or x-refs in a pop-up. Yellow letters generally refer to cross references while purple numbers refer to footnotes, explanations, or alternate translations. Colors may vary with your color scheme.

Commentary text windows

When a window displays a commentary, the text covered is displayed at the top. Usually, the commentary refers to the synchronized Bible verse, though it could refers to a section of multiple verses. The gestures vary from the Bible text windows but they are intuitive.

• Swipe left for the next verse or section, right for the previous.
• Tap on a reference in blue to open in special window.
• Long press on a reference in blue for option to open in current or new window. 
• Long press on text in the window to copy, share, etc.

Note on synchronization: When the Bible window is synchronized with a commentary, when you navigate with one window the other window goes to the matching verse.

Icons

The controls and icons at the top of the screen are generally intuitive. They change the verse, the Bible version, or the commentary for the active window, but there are other gestures you can use for them.

Verse reference

The most common use of this element is to Tap to select a new passage if a Bible is displayed, or section for other documents. This is how you select different maps if you are looking at an atlas. There are three other gestures you can use on this element.

• Long press to select a different document (any) from the document screen.
• Swipe up or down to select a workspace from the screen.
• Swipe left or right for previous,  next workspace.

Strong references

When some Bible versions are shown, Greek or Hebrew letters make up the next "icon". This refers to the Greek and Hebrew words in Strong's Concordance that are represented by the text. Tapping, the most common gesture will rotate between showing strong references as an underline, showing strong references as numbers, or not displaying either.

Alternately, you can long press on the icon to show a menu to select the mode you want.

Bible icon

The Bible icon lets you select a different version of the Bible from a dialog menu that uses abbreviations. Alternately you can long press to select a Bible document from the document screen with more information about that version.

Commentary icon

Like the Bible icon, the Commentary icon lets you select a different commentary from the menu. Long press to select a commentary document from the document screen with more details.

Options menu

The three vertical dots at the top right is commonly called the Options menu. That is where you select a variety of options, including formatting that apply to the all windows. (Actually, if a particular window overrides the option, it is ignored). The only gesture is a click.

Window menu

The window menu is a faint button icon at the top right of each active window. It has options to maximize, minimize, close, pin, or synchronize that window. This menu also allows you to override the main program settings for formatting. While you can tap to select options, there are other gestures you can use here.

• Long press to minimize the window
• Swipe down to minimize the window
• Swipe up to maximize the window

After you maximize the window there is an icon at the bottom right corner that lets you restore it to the original size.

Document icons

I call the icons for each window document at the bottom document icons, though technically they may be window icons. You may remember that windows are either pinned, unpinned, or special windows. Pinned windows are shown independently and you can view as many as you want. Unpinned windows share a visible window so only one is visible at a time. They are grouped together and displaying one minimizes the currently active window.

• If a window is showing, tapping the icon will minimize it. If it is not showing, tapping will display (restore) it.
• Long press the icon to show the window menu.

Show me more

If you know of other gestures that may be useful let me know and share it.  Yes there are other gestures that can be used in other sections of the app; this only covers the main screen.