What Type of Bible to Read?

I've always read the New King James Bible, but when I saw a green King James Bible six years ago, well, I decided that maybe KJV was close enough. And then I discovered that I liked the KJV much more than the NKJV. I'd thought that the only difference was in the thees and thous, but there is more diction that's more archaic. Yet it made the lit student in me more immersed and more excited to read (it may not be the most common opinion, but I know I'm not the only one who thinks the King James is exciting).

Since then, I've read it through a couple times. And yes, I mean read through: I've been reading the Bible like a book, cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation. Do I recommend everyone read it that way, no. Is it wrong to read it that way, though, I don't see why. (Especially if you are getting exposure to the Word through other sources, like church sermons or Bible studies or other books or whatnot.) Will I always read it this way, I don't know, probably not. But for now it seems to me good. As I came through to the end this time, though, I thought perhaps to do something different.

So I decided that I would keep the cover to cover style but with a study Bible. The next question became, which study Bible? There are so many--and many will come in a couple of different translations so that you can choose the one you like best. Ultimately, though, I decided to get one that only came in NKJV, which I suppose is just as well because if I want to start memorizing verses (which I haven't really specifically set out to do much before), those do tend to sound a little . . . different if you start reciting KJV. 

Anyway. I chose The Woman's Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson. All of the designs and commentary and articles are by women with a focus on that aspects of the text that apply most specifically to women. Being that in my little experience with women's Bible study books I have found that I don't care much for the style, I did have some hesitation. But being right now just about done with Genesis, I find that that doesn't apply here. This isn't so much about commentary as about reading the text itself, with the footnotes and mini articles providing context and application as you go along. It's more keeping you awake to what you're reading than anything--as well as providing that important historical/cultural context. 

As I have been in that state of reminding myself to look to God for my identity, I have found it refreshing take up a book like this. So as we come to the end of one year and the beginning of another, if getting back into Bible reading, continuing your reading, or taking up Bible reading for the first time, don't be afraid to put some time into deciding which Bible to read. Maybe you want to read a study Bible or maybe just the text itself right now; maybe you want to be cool like me and read the King James or maybe you want to read one of the super modern translations. A big leather-bound or a mini flowery book. You do get to choose. Because we're all different personalities and all at different stages of our lives. The main thing, though, is the Word that we are all reading. 

Theo: Eggnog White Chocolate & Peppermint Mocha Milk Chocolate

Along with the Holiday Caramel Collection from Theo, I also have these two mini holiday chocolate bars. Whenever I come upon small chocolate bars (which, you know, isn't super often), I'm delighted. The one ounce or 25 gram size makes for an easy sampler portion if you're trying out lots of different chocolates at once (as I seem to be this Christmas). It also encourages savoring chocolate as something special. And small things are cute, yes? 

As I mentioned with the caramels, the flagship store confections that you can currently buy online have a slightly different look from Theo's grocery-store-available bars. Though the paper wrappers do have a Theo look to them, the bars inside are wrapped in sax paper with a clear stick seal. So there is definitely more of a handmade aspect here, which is especially welcome for a Christmasy collection.

Starting with the Eggnog White Chocolate, I found the tiny bar divided up into two halves. The style is consistent with Theo's standard bars, just shrunk down to the small size and therefore only broken up twice. You can get one bite or four out of each piece, depending on your bite size (I'm four). The white surface shows little speckles, which often in white chocolate will be vanilla but in this case there might be some cinnamon and nutmeg visible, too, perhaps. 

The aroma is creamy white chocolate and nutmeg. The flavor, too, develops with primarily nutmeg leading the spices; I don't notice the cinnamon as much. There is creamy richness from the white chocolate and the sugar. White chocolate uniquely out of any chocolate can give that thick flavor and texture of eggnog without too many added flavors. There is a warm spiced aftertaste, as well. So flavor-wise, this is a pleasant eggnog chocolate. Texture-wise, though, it is somewhat grainy, as white chocolate can sometimes be. That would be the one drawback. And I would of course prefer a little graininess to the texture than to have the, um, fake white chocolate that is made out of sugar and oil. 

Next we have the Peppermint Mocha, which is made with Theo's 45% milk chocolate. This time it's coffee that you can see within the chocolate. No surprises with the aroma here: it's coffee and peppermint and chocolate. The creaminess of the chocolate hits instantly on the tongue. Theo's 45% milk chocolate is, after all, one of the best milk chocolates out there. This is followed closely by peppermint and then by the coffee. There is a slight crunch from the coffee grounds but otherwise it's smooth. 

Because this is a milk chocolate, you easily have the cream/milk element as well as the sugar of a mixed coffee drink. The peppermint flavor here is slightly lighter than it was in the Peppermint Mocha Caramel because here there is more milk chocolate and that weighs more heavily on the flavor. So the peppermint stays dancing on the edges, enveloping your mouth rather than stays in the center of the attention. This is a latte with the tangy sweetness of peppermint added--or I should say a cafe mocha (because of the chocolate) with peppermint to it. On its own, I would probably have said it was a great peppermint mocha. But having tasted the caramel first, I would say that one made the imitation more closely. Coffee beverage effect aside, though, this is still pretty good. 

So once more, whether your plan is to give these as mini gifts, add them to a gift basket/box, have them as favors at a get-together, stick them in stockings, or eat them yourself, these are pretty little chocolate bars with classic winter flavors carried out with quality. 

Theo: Holiday Caramel Collection

Normally I don't order chocolate online. In fact, I usually try not to do a lot of online ordering in general (this year I keep making Shop Disney purchases but let's not talk about that, shall we?), and with chocolate, well, there is a whole world available online. It's enough to swim in, so I just keep things simple and stick to what I find in person (unless occasionally there is something I really want to order, like Valentine's Day chocolates from Valerie Confections).

This year is a little different, though. Theo has been offering this year some confection options online that they normally only sell in their Seattle store (usually it's just the bars that you see for sale in grocery stores all over). I'll have some of those coming up at some point after I get through the Christmas reviews. Naturally, being currently in the greater Phoenix area, I had to wait until the weather cooled down enough to order chocolate. So I also picked up three Christmas offerings from Theo, starting with this Holiday Caramel Collection box.

The confections that you might order from Theo have more of the small business, handmade look versus the polished, standard look of the grocery store bars. Not to say that these don't look polished, but you get my meaning. The box of caramels is red with white star outlines. There's a little To/From box on the side, all ready for gifting. To open, just slide the inner box out of the sleeve of the outer box.

Inside there, a dozen caramels sit in individual compartments. Little tabs of paper open up between each one so that they don't brush up against one another; it's a unique packaging design that I can't remember ever seeing before. It's also a great idea: it fulfills the purpose of keeping the chocolates in place without using a plastic tray. And it also somehow adds to the cuteness of the little rounded squares. They look like Christmas cookies all decked out in their sugar and icing. 

Sesame (Milk Chocolate) - This is the plainest of the four flavors; it comes decorated with just a couple of sesame seeds on top. While Sesame doesn't scream Christmastime to me, I started with this one because I figured it would be the plainest flavor and therefore would keep my palate clean for the others. Turns out, too, that it's a good way to start because the milder flavor really allows the caramel to shine. It's a chewy yet also quite soft caramel; there seems to be chocolate in it, as well. The sesame flavor came in from the start with its roasted, nutty, seed flavor. There was also a hint of salt. A nice and warm chocolate caramel to begin the set with.

Apple Cider (Dark Chocolate) - Here you'll find the full coating of sugar on top of the chocolate. That isn't a look I see--in fact, I don't think I've ever seen it. It's quite lovely and nostalgic. The sugar creates a delicate hint of crunch as you bite in. Then you discover a warm apple flavor together with the rich chocolate and the sweetness of the caramel. It's like biting into an apple pie. When I heard cider, I was thinking of alcohol, but this is like nonalcoholic apple cider, freshly pressed. The apple flavor is strong and fresh like baked apples. The dark chocolates is a fairly thin layer so it doesn't add a lot of flavor, but being that this is Theo I don't have the hesitancy around its use I've been having lately with some of the mediocre, sweet dark chocolates I've been coming across. This is good chocolate, so anything that it adds is positive. The overall effect of this caramel is excellent. 

Gingersnap (Milk Chocolate) - The icing for this one gives the effect of a gingerbread man, though I suppose gingersnaps are a separate type of cookie--and the taste is definitely different from a gingerbread cookie. There is some sense of other spices, but ginger is in the center. And while the chocolate and caramel are there, again it's the ginger that's the main player. It's a strong and fresh ginger taste, too--great if you like ginger, but for myself I would preferred more of a gingerbread flavor to simply ginger. 

Peppermint Mocha (Milk Chocolate) - A half dose of sprinkles decorate this chocolate's top; they are coffee grounds with a tad of sugar. Because the coffee is right there on top, you can taste it instantly as you begin to bite in. The peppermint comes next, then more coffee accompanied by the chocolate and its sweetness and creaminess. The effect, then, is much like that of a peppermint mocha. That is, a good one that's freshly made with peppermint and cream and not made from syrup. The aftertaste is, naturally, creamy, sweet, and slightly minty with light coffee. Absolutely lovely and an excellent representation of a peppermint mocha. 

I had no idea what to expect getting caramel chocolates from Theo, and I'm quite delighted with what I found in this set. The caramel itself was good, as was the presentation. As you can tell, the Apple Cider and Peppermint Mocha were definitely my favorites of the four. The latter I call the best of the box. For Christmastime and wintertime flavors, my palate found just the right indulgence in these caramels.

Gollum's Song

I don't sing. But when I was around middle school to high school, there was one song I would sing in the car with my family. It was "Gollum's Song" by Emiliana Torrini from the soundtrack for The Two Towers. And you know what else? At that time when I was very much into The Lord of the Rings, of all of the characters, the one that I felt like I related to most was Gollum.

On the one hand, I think I was mainly considering my own shortcomings. But on the other hand, there was probably something else that I didn't quiet realize. Gollum is the isolated character, longing for satisfaction. He just wants to go sit in his cave with his precious. That's all. But it's this all-consuming, draining longing. Now that I think about it again from years later, it makes sense that such a character would be relatable to a 12-13 year old having trouble finding a place in the social circles. 

Nowadays I like more to relate to Galadriel. And you know what, she has more in common with Gollum than you might think. She also hides away in Lothlorien, as if it's a cave of her own. (Granted, Galadriel was also an adventurer in her youth, making the trip from Valinor to Middle-earth, and she remains a sort of activist involved in the goings on of the world.) She has a bit of a hermit quality, too. But in a good way. She made Lothlorien and she married Celeborn and they have a life there together and she's the keeper of one of the Rings and she uses it to create a little light in an ever-darkening world. She is, too, a hospitable host and shelterer of weary travelers. So from her one little spot, she has a great and positive influence. She takes who she is and what she has and she uses it. 

"I wish none of this had happened. I wish the Ring had never even come to me," said Frodo; to which Gandalf replied, "So do I. And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." 

The Nativity Story & Obedience

Generally, I don't watch Bible story movies. But as the years pass and I continue to watch 2006's The Nativity Story, I find that I like it more and more. These are not the biggest reasons to like it, but it is entertaining that it is directed by Catherine Hardwicke who also directed Twilight (just the first movie), Joseph is Poe Dameron, and Gabriel is Deep Space Nine's Dr. Bashir. All that aside, what I like about this movie is what perhaps other people don't like: its stripped down simplicity. (Tangent: that's also what was good about Twilight that the later films lacked. In fact, Twilight and The Nativity Story have a lot in common--but would anyone even want me to ramble about that?)

The story of the nativity is amazing because it is the story of ultimate love, that God would come down to earth to be with his people. But the details of the story itself are relevant because of how the people involved acted. The people primarily being Mary and Joseph. A young woman whose expectations for her life are suddenly shifted but who gracefully submits to God's will. A man who has his boat rocked because he thought he chose a Godly woman for his future wife--and because he is a Godly man he chooses not to accuse her when she suddenly appears to be anything but. And when he, too, receives the message about the child she is carrying and knows that she has remained true, he goes along with her and helps her.

What this movie so well portrays is the way in which Mary and Joseph each individually submit to God's will for their lives. That will includes their marriage. So as they each separately seek to follow God, they find themselves appreciating each other and growing closer. First there is respect and value, and then there is affection. 

In Mary, there is submission. When she sees that Joseph understands and knows the truth, she is happy to accept him as her protector, shielding her with his name. In Joseph, there is that protection. When he knows what Mary has agreed to, he will stop at nothing to keep her safe. It doesn't matter what other people say or think and it doesn't matter what physical hardships come. They make for quite a graceful pair. 

So that's what I see when I watch this film year after year. The amazing fact of Jesus, God in human form, born on the earth comes in the final picture. But the length of the film shows these two people who allowed God to work through them. And that's pretty inspiring. 

Tony's Chocolonely: Milk Chocolate Gingerbread & Dark Chocolate Candy Cane

When I bought these two bars of chocolate, the cashier and I were talking about whether or not they actually contained Christmas tree ornaments inside. We thought probably not. So if you have been wondering, too, the answer is yes, yes there are actual chocolate ornaments inside of the chocolate bars. Now that's novelty chocolate.

But of course, these being from Tony's Chocolonely, they're more than just novelty. They follow the same fair trade (specifically, their goal is slave free--say it like it is) cocoa guidelines. Both bars of chocolate follow the same design. The usual horizontal style of a Tony's bar becomes vertical to make space for the picture of the chocolate Christmas tree ornament. And the paper, whether the orange of the milk chocolate or the blue of the dark chocolate, is festive with its images of stars, snowflakes, candles, trees, and snowmen. Accents of gold bright up the matte paper. 

Once you unwrap the paper, you will find on the inside instructions about breaking out the chocolate tree and silly suggestions about where to hang it. They say you get extra points for adding it to a nativity scene; I say they get extra points for mentioning the nativity scene. I had considered also cutting out the tree on the inside of the paper for some pictures, but I hated to cut into the paper. It might be fun to do, though, if you have kids, or as a consolation if your chocolate tree breaks.

That's the next big question, right? After finding that there was in fact a chocolate ornament in my chocolate bag, I wondered if I would be able to get it out without breaking it. It doesn't seem possible, does it? All those little corners and angles. No way. But I just took it one chunk at a time and what do you know, out came my chocolate tree. Naturally, of course, you'll find some chocolate still in the inner corners, but not bad at all. The raised style that Tony's normally uses for their chocolate bars (plus perhaps also the extra thickness) makes it possible. Both the milk and dark trees came out nicely. 

I made a messy pile with the milk chocolate but kept the edges nice and neat for the dark. Unless you're planning on eating it all at once (given the large size of these bars, that'll probably only be the case if you're doing this with friends/family), I recommend keeping it all neat. And you might need a bag or container ready because it's still kind of hard to rewrap in the foil afterwards. Because given all the emphasis on fair trade, we certainly don't want to waste any of this chocolate; we want to make sure it all gets eaten and enjoyed.

Of the two, I was easily more excited about the 32% Milk Chocolate Gingerbread. Pulling away the foil reveals an enticing ginger/chai aroma mixed in with the scent of the milk chocolate. Little tiny chunks of gingerbread are visible in the chocolate once you begin breaking it apart. They're crispy, like bits of cookies. I make gingerbread cookies soft (well, that is, if I take them out of the oven quick enough), though a crispier style might be more common and is in any case what is easier to stick into a bar of chocolate. The texture is pleasant, though.

I do find that the chocolate itself, even carefully tasted without any cookie pieces, is still full of gingerbread flavor. The ingredients imply that there are no spices added to the chocolate, just what is in the gingerbread itself; chocolate is, after all, perfectly capable of absorbing flavor from close companionship. So whatever type of bite you get, you'll get plenty of ginger and cinnamon and clove and nutmeg. The milk chocolate feels sweet and rich, not cheap or watered down. So this is an easy win for gingerbread lovers or fans of those warm spices. It makes me happy. It's a perfect Christmas chocolate.

Next is the 51% Dark Chocolate Candy Cane. The aroma this one gives off is simply of middle range dark chocolate, not really with any peppermint. You can see it, though, not just on the broken sides of the chocolate but also on its surface. Despite the lack of minty aroma, I did begin to feel the mint as I was beginning to take a bite but before the chocolate was quite touching my mouth. So it is there. The visible candy pieces are in fact slivers of candy canes, cut up nice and small so as not to be too hard and crunchy within the chocolate. 

The flavor is light, though. Maybe I say this because I'm not a fan of sweet, middle range dark chocolate. But this chocolate has thick flavor that pretty much consumes all the attention. If the candy canes themselves didn't add much mint flavor, I would perhaps have preferred adding a little extra peppermint to the chocolate itself. Just a tad more so that I would taste the chocolate less. 

I did have fun sticking ribbons in the chocolate trees and hanging them up on my tree. They have a look like gingerbread ornaments, which works particularly well for the gingerbread chocolate. So perhaps you might buy one of these bars and break it up on Christmas Eve, leave it out on the tree for the night, and then eat it on Christmas morning. I wouldn't want to leave it out too long because chocolate does get stale when it's exposed to air. And I do hope we'll all still eat the chocolate after playing with it. But have fun and be silly. And then munch away.

And so that I can get extra points, here are the trees snuck into my nativity scene. The angel had to hold them up. 

                         

Nibble Chocolate - Vegan Bonbons

Five years ago, I reviewed two chocolate bars from Nibble; now I have the chance to look at some of their truffles. Before, I had noted something of a discrepancy between the casual-sounding brand name and the more serious approach to the chocolate bars. With this box of truffles, though, I see more cohesion. The name and the bright colors imply fun and indulgence, while the classic look of the truffles and the vegan label bring in consciousness. Very California (Nibble, you'll remember, is based out of San Diego).

Given the focus on ingredients, I do want to make one note (I'll get the complaint out of my system, then I'll be done). On the front page of Nibble's website, there is a line saying that there truffles are made with just two ingredients plus the cacao and cane sugar, followed by ellipsis and a link to see more. Now, these are made with 72% Brazilian chocolate, cane sugar, coconut sugar, cashews, almonds, cacao butter, coconut oil, and the additional flavors (that is, spices or fruit or such) for each one. Even if you combine all the chocolate products into one ingredient and consider the coconut sugar and coconut oil one ingredient, how does that equal only two ingredients? Two ingredients plus ellipsis. Well, by that logic M&Ms only have two ingredients plus, as well. Maybe I'm missing something. 

While both coconut oil/sugar and cashews are on my avoid list, there is certainly an increasing amount of the population who appreciate a good vegan product. Vegan chocolate isn't as much of an issue because dark chocolate doesn't contain milk, and even if milk chocolate is your preference there are now a good amount of companies making vegan milk chocolate. Vegan truffles are, in my experience at least, still a little behind. The ingredient you have to sub, of course, is cream. So here we have the coconut and the nuts in place of the cream. Alter Eco already does their coconut oil truffles. But what does the addition of almonds and cashews do?

Dark - This is the classic style truffle, rolled in bitter cocoa powder. With all the coconut products I've been trying lately, I do begin to imagine I can taste a slight bitterness from the coconut. But it may just be my imagination. Overall this is classic cocoa flavor. The main difference is in the texture, which is much firmer than in your average truffle. The closest comparison I can make would be to some truffles I had ten years ago from the Momotombo Chocolate Factory (you can read that review back on Chocablog), though these probably aren't quite so dense. 

Raspberry - Sprinkled with red raspberry powder, this one has a good use of an earthy/couture duality. The dense ganache gives the earthy vibe, while red dots within it make for colorful little bursts of raspberry flavor. Either I'm warming up to raspberry after having it so much lately, or this was just a really great way to include it in a truffle. The chocolate is thick and rich but the raspberry is fun and whimsical, making for a satisfying combination. 

Coffee - Yes, those are coffee grinds on its top. So you have crunchiness from there but not from anything inside the ganache. This one feel creamier than the first two, though still rich. Creamy rich chocolate plus coffee is an easy win, and the very thick texture works well with these flavors. 

Pomegranate Sea Salt - Naturally, of course, this will be the one with salt on top. The salt flavor comes first, followed by a small fruity hit. As near as I can guess, the salt is only on the top, not anywhere on the inside; so this isn't as salty a chocolate as some (which is fine). What it is, though, is excellent salt, extremely flavorful. I haven't seen the combination of salted chocolate with pomegranate (or even any fruit, I think) before. The pomegranate, like I said, is a slight flavor. So this is more salted chocolate accented by pomegranate than the other way around. It's a unique approach. 

Oat Vanilla - Perhaps this oat-topped truffle is inspired by the current oat milk obsession. It has a definite oat taste, you know, that flavor that isn't quite sweet or earthy but somewhere in that range. The vanilla is there as the element of sweetness. If this were a drink, it would definitely be lovely. I have mixed feelings about it as a truffle, though. The taste is pretty nice, but it's just so dense and that makes these flavors feel heavy. If, however, you like to sit and savor slowly (maybe treating your truffle like a kind of lollipop), then it works. 

Chai - A sprinkle of dark spices form a band around this truffle's middle. There is rich chocolate flavor followed by a couple of beats of warm chai spices. In this case, the richness of the chocolate and even its thick creaminess pair well with the hefty spices. I could just be biased because I do love chai, but this one is quite nicely done. 

Lemon - I had been going in order, but I switched the last two chocolates because I figured that the Mexican truffle would be quite strong and I wouldn't be able to follow up with another after it. The Lemon truffle is topped with white snow that reminds me more of coconut than lemon. It quickly brings a sweet lemon flavor that is soft like lemon candy rather than a strong, citrus zing. Probably it is especially less harsh given that strong chocolate base. So this is one of the instances in which I find lemon surprisingly nice. 

Mexican - I was right to switch these two, as this is quite a strong one. The warm sprinkle of red-orange on its top is in fact quite a spicy topping. At first, I was going to call it medium-high spice level. Perhaps, though, it is stronger--and it increases rather than fades as the bite continues. I could taste the spices and the cinnamon and the chocolate, but I couldn't take a second bite. This definitely isn't a subtle use of chile; it's too strong for me. I do say that with some regret because the style of these truffles is perfect for these flavors. If you're into spice, enjoy. 

Overall, these are a nice batch of truffles. The vegan element is either a positive in itself if that's one of your aims or it gives them a unique, slightly rustic style. That style pairs well with the San Diego culture of a flavor choice like the Mexican truffle, which can even lead into the more standard flavors, as well. The Chai was my personal favorite and maybe the Raspberry and Pomegranate Sea Salt were the most interesting to try out.