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About Sonic Light

Thank you for visiting Sonic Light!

Sonic Light began in 1996 when a church member at Plano Bible Chapel realized that there was an enormous treasure of Bible study lessons on audio tapes that were not widely used, nor were they easily accessible in series form. These tapes were converted to a computer format where they could be easily accessed by others on the internet.

Over the years, hundreds of Bible lessons were converted to the digital MP3 format; many of them are now available for free listening at this website, or they can be purchased on CDs (also known as Study CDs.)

In 1999, Dr. Thomas Constable began publishing his expository (Bible study) notes on Sonic Light for his students at Dallas Theological Seminary. These excellent notes are not only used by Dr. Constable's students, but they also receive thousands of visits per day from a worldwide audience. Beginning in 2002, these notes became available for PDA handheld platforms and have been very popular.

In June 2004, Mark Farstad became the webmaster/owner of Sonic Light. He grew up in Ecuador, South America, where his parents served as missionaries for over 20 years. He trusted in Christ at the age of 12 in Arajuno, Ecuador. Mark's high school graduation took place in May 1973 at The Alliance Academy, a 12-grade school in Quito, Ecuador established in the early 1900s for missionaries' children. Just after high school graduation, Mark moved to the United States, and after the summer break, began his studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from M.B.I with a missions major in December 1977.

During the 1980s and 1990s Mark worked as an editorial assistant to Dr. Arthur Farstad, chief editor of the NKJV Bible translation, in addition to computer related work on the Believers Bible Commentary authored by the late William MacDonald of Scottish descent. In the early 1990s, Mark and his uncle, Dr. Art Farstad, began working on a modern English translation that became known as Logos 21. A Bible organization named Absolutely Free began sponsoring the Logos 21 translation in 1996. In 1998, Holman Publishers contracted to finish Art Farstad's translation (based on the Majority Text), in addition to producing their own translation based on the Critical Text. This Holman Bible translation project thus began with the goal to produce two modern-English, optimal-equivalence translations of the Bible. This later changed, because in August 1998, Art Farstad underwent a quadruple bipass heart operation (his second) and died shortly thereafter on September 1 from an acute infection—only four months into the project. Mark was asked by Holman to continue with the translation project, which he did until his role as technical editor was finished in June 2003. The new Bible translation, much of it based on Dr. Art Farstad's earlier work, became known as the Holman Christian Standard Bible and was completed in late 2003.

In 2004 Mark Farstad was offered the Sonic Light website ministry-business by Sonic Light's original designer and first webmaster, who is the same Plano church member mentioned above. That same individual, who prefers to remain anonymous, also trained Mark the same year to take over the website's reponsibilities. Sonic Light is both a ministry and business, not financially supported by any group or organization, and could be called "self-supporting." And since there is no organizational or dedicated support, the website depends on appreciative students of the Word who visit the site and benefit from using Dr. Constable's Bible Studies. They contribute either by purchasing CDs (audio Bible study series and/or Expository Notes), or by giving a financial gift or prayer support. All of these things are what enables Sonic Light to remain operational and afloat. Donations given to Sonic Light are NON-tax-deductible because of the sales profit tax status. To show our appreciation for your gift of $25 or more, you will receive a complimentary CD. Please click here for details.

Thank you for supporting Sonic Light. Please pray for this work, that it might bless many people; that God's Word will be used by this web site to teach and strengthen many believers in their faith; that people will grow in their knowledge of Christ through these Bible studies and Constable's Notes.

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