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.
