June. After a couple days er weeks off

I want to apologize that I've missed a couple of weeks.  I just finished a bunch of finals in school. I hope to start updating again.  

Joshua 5:11-12

Manna was a miracle. But it wasn't the end goal. It was a sustainer. Something to get the Israelites from point A to point B. The real miracle, the one that God wanted them to focus on was that he was taking them out of Egypt into the land that he had promised Abraham so many years earlier. So now, when they get to the land, the manna stops.

This can be seen as good and bad I suppose. Gathering tiny little seeds? Probably not a great time. But they were there. Everyday. At least there was forty years of history. Now they had to trust God even more. Would He provide food for them in this crazy new land? The safety of the manna was gone. Things tasted better, they were just harder to come by.

Sometimes we focus on the manna as well. We don't see that a blessing is a means of transportation. Instead of looking to the best thing that is coming, we get stuck in the OK thing we have now. The Israelites were guilty of it... and now, so often, so are we.

May 19th:Joshua 3-4, Isaiah 9 and 1 Thessalonians 5

Throughout the Old Testament, God commanded people to build monuments. Stones stacked on stones to serve as a reminder of what He had done. I wonder how much of this was for them and how much of it was for the people that would come after. Every time they walked by the cairn, they would be reminded of the grace and power of Jehovah.

We don't do this. Instead, we build monuments to our own awesomeness. We build fancy churches and fancy campuses and we name them fancy names. And sure, we dedicate the building to God with a neat hour long service. We say a prayer and ask for God's blessing. But these buildings have a mission; a practical application. They are for our use. But stacking rocks next to the river doesn't serve a purpose other than to serve as a reminder to the Israelites that God stopped the water. Or that God simply showed up. He was at work. Not them. They did nothing. They walked across a dry river bed.

But what about us? What do we do? How do we remind ourselves and those that come after? When God provides for a need what do we do? When God heals some one we love, what do we do? Do making movies and writing books count as our piles of rocks? Are they the stones next to the river? And what does that do for us? Does that remind us? Is it as effective? The next day, the week after, a few years down the road do we have calluses on our hands from doing work for God? Not for ourselves. Not for our own intentions. Not to raise money or "reach the lost," but purely to remind each other that God was in our midst.

I wonder what we can do to establish markers, monuments, simple reminders of the grace and love poured out. Not on other people. But on us.

May 18th:Joshua 2, Isaiah 8 and 1 Thessalonians 3-4

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Yes. Right there, that is the name of my first kid. Doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. That is for-sure the kid's name.

Moving through this chapter there is a verse there that I'm not sure what it means. It says:

"Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son." Is this saying that Isaiah had "relations with that women?" It would appear because it says she conceived. Just curious how I am supposed to understand this passage.

It might make the birds and the bees and waiting talk a little weird with Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

May 17th:Joshua 1, Isaiah 7 and 1 Thessalonians 1-2

When Moses dies, Jehovah comes to tell Joshua. Jehovah. Not an angel. Not a dream. No wonder he goes out and crosses the Jordan.

A couple of brief posts. It's been a long couple of days. Sorry.

May 16th: Deuteronomy 33-34, Isaiah 6 and Colossians 3-4

How often have you heard people say this:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Sounds really great. Usually, when you hear this preached, it's a rally cry to go to change the world. But look at the rest of the passage. Bad news! I wonder if Isaiah thought, "Seriously?" That's a rough message. Would you be willing to give it?

I was at a conference the other day in Burbank, California. Susan Issacs, speaking of Hollywood said this: "If God called you to Hollywood for three good years and twenty-seven bad ones, would you still come?" Because the crazy thing is that God doesn't usually get your consent on the plan before he asks.

So when you say, "here I am send me," remember that you don't get to pick the where or the how or the degree of suck.

May 15th: Deuteronomy 32, Isaiah 5 and Colossians 2

Things I do not understand: Hebrew poetry.

This is a short post. But, honestly, if I was reading through Isaiah for the first time, I would echo the Ethiopian eunuch: "What the crap?"

May 14th: Deuteronomy 31, Isaiah 3-4 and Colossians 1

In Deuteronomy 31, it talks about God teaching Moses a song to pass onto the people. I wonder if God sang it to Moses. I wonder if it just came to him or he heard it. Imagine, hearing God sing. No idea how Moses received it...but I never thought about this before.

May 13th: Deuteronomy 30, Isaiah 2 and Acts 28

"Choose life."

As I read Deuteronomy 30, I imagine Moses almost in tears. Like a father knowing he doesn't have much time, Moses cries to the people to choose not just living over dying but a quality of life. Moses is one of three people alive that saw God bring them out of Egypt. He knows the brutality and completeness of God's judgment. Moses has seen God's glorious righteous judgment. He knows the pain and hardship that can happen. He knows the plagues. The boils, the hail, the flies, the utter blackness... the death. The full scope of suffering. So Moses reminds them over and over of what it was like for Egyptians. He reminds them of who God is. Maybe with a knowing hand, he points at the cloud. And then in one final sermon, he begs and pleads for them to choose happiness, peace and plenty. To chose life.

But in the back of his mind, I think Moses knew. He knew these people he led for forty years. He knows they'll be led astray. But that doesn't stop him from pleading. From grasping to one last truth. If they fall away, if they choose death. God is gracious. When the people realize their error, their stupidity, they can repent. They can come around... and finally... after trying it their own way... they can choose life.

May 12th: Deuteronomy 29, Isaiah 1 and Acts 27

Right now, I feel like the Israelites of Deuteronomy 29. I relate to standing on the edge of the promised land. I "get" what it was like for them. There is this new land. But at this point it was an idea. A hope for something new. Something potentially so much better than the past few years. It was their future. The stuff of dreams. There was boundless potential. There was bright shiny future.

But then there is Isaiah. The promised land is like a used rental car. The interior is stained, nothing quite works like it was designed and there are clinks and clunks as it moves along. The glitter is worn, the hope and joy are gone. The dream didn't pan out.

I think it's the potential Isaiah that makes the crossing the Jordan so difficult. Sure, getting across the river starts with a couple of steps. But every step forward is a step away from the safety of the idealistic dream.

Look at Paul. I bet appealing to Caesar sounded a lot more awesome in Caesarea than it did 14 days into a storm.

May 11th: Deuteronomy 28, Song of Solomon 8 & Acts 25-26

It's amazing what the "great" sermons of the New Testament are. It's people telling their story. Nothing crazy... just their story.

Sure, Paul had the bright flashing light. But Peter didn't. Timothy didn't (although you don't see him preaching). They tell of their encounter with Christ.

That's pretty cool.

By the way, finished Song of Solomon. Reading that was like reading a code that you know is dirty but you just don't get it.

May 10th: Deuteronomy 27, Song of Solomon 7 & Acts 23-24

So on top of taking a bunch of college credits, working a full time job, running a children's theater and being married, I started watching the TV series Lost with Alicia.

Bad idea.

If you haven't seen it, this is a big spoiler alert. You're gonna want to just skip this part. On the other hand if your part of the 12 million people (on average) that have been watching since the beginning, this is kinda old news.

In the 3rd season, a character is given a prophecy that he is going to die. But his death will save people; people he loves. So openly walks into his death with boldness. In a lot of ways, that's what the last few chapters of Acts feels like. It seems as if Paul is knowingly walking into his death. A number of people plead with him not to go to Jerusalem. A prophet even tells him that he's going to be bound...and yet he still goes.

I question this model. Is it smart? I'm not sure, it definitely doesn't make sense. But it seems to be the will of God. I just wonder if instead of Paul spending all those years in jail, he could have planted more churches. I know, this was God's plan not mine. I just wonder.

May 9th: Deuteronomy 26, Song of Solomon 6 & Acts 21-22

I'm constantly blown away by God's concern for the sojourner, the fatherless and the widows. Throughout the Bible, that has to be one of the major themes. As far as things that have stood out to me, I would rank them in this order:

-Remember the past. Remember the things God has done.
-God is extremely jealous for your love.
-We need to take care of the orphans, the widows, and the foreigners.

I wonder how much we've failed in these things. Sure, we thank God for what he's done. And I suppose as Christians, we're OK not making idols out of wood and stone... but that whole taking care of others... we're not so good at that. I wonder if the American dream has taken the place of that here in America?

May 8th: Deuteronomy 25, Song of Solomon 5 & Acts 20

Now for another edition of "Seriously, This Is in Your Bible."

I think Monte Python slipped a couple lines into Deuteronomy. Take a look. In chapter 25, it says that if a man dies, his brother should take his widow. She needed someone to provide for her, someone to give her children to take care of her. It was basically the welfare system of the day. It was meant to protect the widow. It was revolutionary. No other nation looked out for widows like this. It was an act of mercy.

You may be asking, "So, what if the brother-in-law said no?" Well, the widow drags the jerkface down to the elders, takes off his sandal (yep,singular) and then spits in his face. This is where it get's AWESOME. The jerkface brother get's a new Monte-Python-esque name: "The house of him who has had his sandal pulled off." So beautifully literal. That's a business card title right there.

AND by the way. Deuteronomy 25 just get's better. Verses 11-12 are seriously in your Bible. Did this really need to be addressed? Did it ever come up as a court case? I'm not going to write what it says cause I think my blog will get you firewalled at work. But seriously. Look that up. WHY IS THIS IN THE BIBLE!?!

Can you imagine being the judge? Inner monologue: "What am I going to do with this situat...oh wait... Ok, yeah, it's in here. Wow, that Moses was thorough."

And pastors, a little note from Acts 20: Unless you can raise the dead, keep those sermons short. Guns don't kill people. Marathon sermons do. That there is some good advice.

May 7th: Deuteronomy 24, Song of Solomon 4 & Acts 18-19

First of all, Song of Salomon. Wow. I guess the nice thing is that most kids that read through it will have no idea about the imagery and the poetry. Wow, Song of Salomon 4:13-16, wow.

Acts 19 has something really interesting. Take a look at verses 11-20. If I was going to make up something... If I was going to tell a bunch of fictitious stories, I might include a bit about the inanimate articles of a holy man that actually healed people. That's pretty cool. But what is so outlandish, it had to have happened is the next bit (13-20).

There were these seven brothers. They're chillin, drinking sweet tea watching CNN and they see that some dude, used to be named Saul now called Paul is doing some crazy stuff. They turn to each other and say, "Let's get in on some of this noise!" So they go down to the local nutters house and try to cast out some demons in the name of Jesus and Paul.

This is where it goes from a normal "make-a-flannel-graph-for-Sunday-school" to over the top "it-had-to-have-happened-crazy." Here is exactly what it says:

"And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks."

Not just wounded. NAKED and wounded. Injury to insult. At what point does dude number seven not see the fact that Crazy is taking people's clothes off? Seriously. I love it. You can't make this stuff up. Imagine this happening at church now.

(Oh yeah, by the way, this is in your Bible too.)

May 6th: Deuteronomy 23, Song of Solomon 3 & Acts 16-17

If this is my first time through the Bible, I don't expect to come across this line:

"No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD."

They left that out of Veggie Tales. But yet, there it is. Also, in the same chapter, there is this:

"You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you."

Up for a challenge? Walk into a 5th grade Sunday school class and try and tell the boys about this. Oh yeah, and then create an application for them. Oh yeah, it this is literal. Literal. So glad I'm not reading this in a picture Bible.

Why do we make those?

May 5th: Deuteronomy 22, Song of Solomon 2 & Acts 14-15

Wow. This is awkward. I need to ask all of you for forgiveness. I mean, I know this is between me and God... but I just want to go out on a limb publicly. You see, the other day I sinned. This is a big confession. I knew the law:

"Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely bring them again unto thy brother."

And yet there they were, that wandering herd of sheep. But I was busy. I know, I know, being busy is no reason to forsake a brother's herd. I shouldn't have just let them wander past. By the way, do you know how long it takes for a herd of sheep to wander by? Those things don't exactly have a central leadership structure. I had to hide for a LONG time. Seriously, I think I did like four Sudoku puzzles.

Again, sorry I didn't return the sheep. I was...uh...really busy.

Well, there it is. GLAD I got that off my chest.

Love me some "various laws" in Deuteronomy.

May 4th: Deuteronomy 21, Song of Solomon 1 & Acts 13

Three things make me wonder from these passages:

Why God is harsh on rebellious children when He provides so much mercy for women captured in a fallen city?

Why every time the apostles preach in Acts they run through the history of Israel?

And what a green couch, ceder beams and pine rafters have to do with anything. I'm sure it's about fertility and strength...but I'm not sure I want to know.

May 3rd: Deuteronomy 20, Ecclesiastes 12 and Acts 11-12

When the angel rescues Peter, the guards are killed. They didn't do anything wrong. They were doing their job and because of a miracle they were killed. That's rough. We always focus on Peter's escape. But these were at least 4 men maybe with families...with kids. People that died because Peter was set free. Why didn't God do something crazy where Peter just vanished the next day from in front of Herod. Something so that innocent men didn't have to die?

May 2nd: Deuteronomy 19, Ecclesiastes 11 and Acts 10

I think Ecclesiastes 11:1-3 might be advice on investing money. I always thought it was about trying new things or doing good stuff. But the next couple of lines are all about planting and harvesting. So does cast your bread upon the water mean to invest in things and get a good return. Could it be that "give portions to seven or eight" is about mutual funds? Or camel dealers or vineyards... whatever the market of the day was.

Am I way off on this?

May 1st: Deuteronomy 18, Ecclesiastes 10 and Acts 9

"If iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed."

That's from Ecclesiastes 10. What a great way to say, "Step back from the problem, think about it. What would fix the problem? Be smart." There are so many things in my life that I tried to muscle through. I pushed and pushed only to have something fail.

The same guy that wrote this also said in a book of Proverbs: "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

I wonder if he is trying to say, "Guys, ask someone for some help. Be sharper. Stop trying to make everything work your way."

April 25th: Deuteronomy 17, Ecclesiastes 9 and Acts 8

Hello overcommitment. How are you?

It's funny how hard it is to prioritize Bible reading. I've fallen victim to the "I-don't-have-enough-time" excuse. I still have 24 hours. I just need to choose to use them the right way.

I think God knew we would struggle with this. I wonder why He made 24 hours in a day. I wonder why he made us so that we need 7+ hours of sleep. And why He made certain things take as long as they do? Sure, my commute could take less time...if I wanted a ticket. Eating could take less time, if I wanted indigestion. Loving my wife could take less time, if I didn't want to be married.

All these things are important. But obviously not as important as my vertical relationship with my maker. Yet, that relationship takes the back seat some days.

I wonder if this is why in Deuteronomy 17 God commands the king of Israel to...

"write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel."

I'm sure the king of Israel had a little more on his mind than I do. You know, running a nation and all. He wouldn't have had a scribe, a computer, a typewriter, a freaking pencil for that matter. And the Levites were sticklers. One missed letter, one typo and you had to start over. By the time the king got this thing done, he knew the law. He knew what God expected from him as well as what God expected of the people. That's pretty crazy. Pretty cool

I know that God wants me to spend time with Him. To love Him first. To get back into the habit of tithing the first part of my day. It's so hard. I know it's worth it. It just doesn't feel like it at 6 in the morning.

Thanks to all of you who send me emails when I miss a day or two. It helps. I need the reminder. Doing this blog is a discipline... and I'm not very disciplined. Kick my butt when I miss a day... email me at jonathan_reisinger at yahoo dot com.

Thanks!

April 29: Deuteronomy 16, Ecclesiastes 8 and Acts 7

It's interesting how much the Bible refers back to itself. Whether Moses recapping over and over. Or David and the psalmists relating the history of Israel. Then there are numerous times in Acts and in the epistles that the writers refer back to the history of the Exodus and the prophets.

Which makes me wonder, did the people not know the history? I know they knew the Torah really well. Did they just need a refresher? Was Basic-Israelite-History-for-a-thousand-Alex a tough one? Or, and more likely, did the people just need to be reminded of what God had done? I know I forget all the time too.

April 28: Deuteronomy 15, Ecclesiastes 7 and Acts 5-6

One question: How the CRAP did taking an entire year off fall out of style? Sign me up for that noise. And that whole "every creditor shall release his neighbor" part... I'll take some of that too. It worked for the auto-industry, how about me? And hey, I'm 28. Can I just stack my four years together starting right now?

April 25th: Deuteronomy 13-14, Ecclesiastes 6 and Acts 3-4

I am trying to imagine a situation. According to Deuteronomy 13, I suppose it could have happened.

[SCENE OPENS ON AN ARID HILL. A CLUSTER OF HOUSES ARE GROUPED TOGETHER. SHEEP, GOATS AND A COUPLE OF COWS GRAZE WITH A SMALL BOY WATCHING CLOSE BY. IT'S A WEDNESDAY. A MAN WANDERS UP TO THE FIRST HOUSE. HE PAUSES, ADJUSTS HIS ROBE, AND KNOCKS. THE DOOR IS BLUE. IT OPENS.]

Sam: Hey.

Amos: Hey.

Sam. You doing anything?

Amos: I live on a hill with sheep, goats and a couple of cows. I got like ten kids. What do you think. Of course, I'm not doing anything. TV won't be invented for like 6000 years.

Sam: It was a rhetorical question jerk-face.

Amos: You walked 7 miles to make fun of me.

Sam: Wow.

Amos: What do you want? I have to get back to...stuff.

Sam: Right. So me and the boys, we're going over to Shamir to kill everybody, throw all the stuff into the center of town and burn the whole thing up. You interested.

Amos: Shamir? Is that over by Tula?

Sam: No it's over by Gad. Two hamlets past Tula. Look, you in or not I gotta walk 12 mile to Dathan's house.

Amos: Well, if Dathan's coming...

Sam: Look forget it.

Amos: OK, OK, you can count me in.

Sam: See you next Tuesday. Bring some kabobs too. But don't take anything. Remember what happened to Micah?

Amos: Dude. This isn't my first razing.

So this story seems crazy. And it is. Not to mention that it's completely made up. Because I'm sure you were wondering. But seriously, look at Deuteronomy 13: 12-17. This is exactly what God commanded the Israelites to do. If they heard that one of the cities had turned to serve other gods, they were supposed to utterly destroy it. I get that we have grace. But how, HOW do you deal with this in the Bible? God never changes. He's loving. But He's also intensly jealous. How do explain our God to people?

April 25th: Deuteronomy 12, Ecclesiastes 5 and Acts 2

God sets up two things for the Israelites. They are to be proactive and defensive. First up, they are to study God's word. This is the defensive thing. They are to know it so well that it's bound to their minds. This will keep them from drifting away from it. Think of a stop sign. It's the most basic thing in learning to drive. You see a red sign, you stop. One plus one equals two. If they knew God's Word that well, it would be natural. They would do right.

The second thing was proactive. Think of it as a fat kid and cake. You have a lot of cake in the house and Fatty McFatterson get's even bigger. Take the temptation out and Fatty is one step closer to Arnold abs. Right after God tells them to know His Word, He commands them to tear down the idols in the land.

I never noticed that both of these commands are together. I think this priciple of taking a defensive and a proactive approach to temptation is awesome. Now if I can just stop eating that cake.

April 25th: Deuteronomy 10-11, Ecclesiastes 4 and Acts 1

Alicia and I just got a chance to attend the Biola Media Conference. We joke that if being in the media business is all about who you know, we are going to have to meet those people one at a time. I got like a C- for schmoozing.

But one thing was emphasized at the conference over and over: do good work. Dan Rupple (yes, that is the guy from Isaac Air Freight--I wore those tapes out!) said this: "put good work out there and let God use it." Remember, Anita Renfroe? She sang the "mom song." She talked about being a Christian comedian. About the stigma that came with the whole "Christian" part. But she emphasised something. She said that people may judge her for being a Christian but if she did quality stuff, if she made it in the secular market, she would be given a bigger stage to talk about Jesus (she has a sitcom pilot being shot right now with ABC).

Likewise, Ralph Winter said, "I don't care if God is pleased with my films. I care if God is pleased with me." If you've ever called Jesus "Lord" then you need to understand that He really cares that you work hard. He's your master. You're slave driver (and yes, that's what the Greek infers with the whole doulos thing). Jesus cares that you represent him well, not only in your speech but in your trade. "Doing" good work is as much about the product as the actual doing. There needs to be graciousness. There needs to be effort. There needs to be concern. There needs to be love.

I know it's not the normal bible365project post. But it's what I'm learning today.

New. And a little shorter!

You can now access this blog by just typing Bible365project.com into your favorite browser.  Ain't that nifty. Imagine all the new things you can accomplish with all that extra time.  I plan on learning Hungarian. 

April 24th: Deuteronomy 8-9, Ecclesiastes 3 and John 20

I'm amazed that God wants to provide for us. Take a look at the Deuteronomy 8 and compare it with John 20. In the John passage, Jesus let's Thomas touch his wounds. He knows the doubt. He understands the apprehension. And he helps Thomas through it. That's huge. Just as huge as appearing to Mary in her lowest moment of sorrow.

On the other hand, God watches out for the Israelites feet. Feet? Yes. He provides them with 40 years of Doc Scholls. Take a look, Deut 8. Their clothes didn't wear out and feet didn't swell. That is crazy. Food? Check. Water? Check. Happy feet? Got it.

God asked told them to schlepp through the desert and he looks out for their feet. It's awesome.

April 23rd: Deuteronomy 6-7, Ecclesiastes 2 and John 19

God was about to give the Israelites this awesome new land. They stood on the edge, about to go in to a land rich with good things. God would give them cities, farms, stuff and infrastructure. It was about to be "the good life." Which has nothing to do with the state motto of Nebraska in case you wanted to know. And God knew this good life could cause problems. It could lead them away from Him. So what does He do? God encourages them remember Him. He gives them practical steps for things they could do everyday that would remind them of His words. Bind the Law to their face. Lash it to their arms. Teach the kids. Morning. Noon. Night. When you get up. When you go to bed. All. The. Time. Remember it. If they did, they would stay in the of the Good Life.

We live in a land flowing with resources. We have the "good life." What can we do? Short of suggesting that I strap a Bible to my face...and maybe that's not such a bad idea...what are some things you can do? What do you suggest?

April 22nd: Deuteronomy 5, Ecclesiastes 1 and John 17

Interesting-non-first-read-through-the-Bible-fact.

It's a long way from the high-priest's house to the garden where Jesus was praying with the disciples. Judas would have had a lot of time to think about what he was doing. Like fifteen minutes at a minimum. He would have walked down into the Kidron valley and then about half way up the Mount of Olives. That's quite a hike probably closer to half an hour. I wonder what he thought about during the hike. I wonder if he kept his head down as he walked past the temple. I wonder if he checked the upper room first. I wonder if he saw the colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. I wonder if he bumped into any of the women or friends of Jesus. I wonder if they asked him what he was doing. Why he wasn't with Jesus?

How devastatingly sad.

April 21st: Deuteronomy 4, Proverbs 31 and John 15-16

Ready? Here come the excuse.

I started school again. Rockin fifteen credit hours.

Sorry to skip out on a couple of days. I'll try and prioritize a little better.

A: I could have skipped Leviticus and Numbers and just jumped right into Deuteronomy. It's like the cliff notes of the Torah.

B: That's some good advice about government. Booze and politics don't mix. Although, that might explain tax code.

C: I wonder what Paul thought when he read John 16:1-3. I wonder if he cried a little. I wonder if he set the scroll down, said, "That's me. He's talking about me." What a tremendously sad moment that would have been and yet what a huge testament to Jesus' ability to transform a life.

April 20th: Deuteronomy 3, Proverbs 30 and John 13-14

"Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man."

Crap. I'm almost 29 and I find myself thinking this. When it comes to people, it sure is easy to be a fool. Seems like there is a lot of wisdom that I need to get. Seems like I still make a ton of mistakes when it comes to dealing with people. And by "people," I mean Christians. I get along with non-Christians just fine. They tend to not be so back-stabby. They tend to not be so selfish. Of course, maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just me being tired and frustrated.

The helper that Jesus talks about in John 14? I could use a little extra of that right now. Of course, I'll just take option B... that Jesus can come back and put an end to all this.

April 19th: Deuteronomy 2, Proverbs 29 and John 12

In the twelfth chapter of the book with his name, John writes:

"Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."

That's still probably one of the hardest problems within the leadership of the our religious leadership. Yes, this passage was specifically about the pharisees. But I see how it becomes a problem now with our pastors. I get it. There is the prestige, the notoriety, the free lunches...it's addicting. And I'm not being sarcastic. OK, maybe a little with the sandwich comment, but seriously, I get how this happens.

And it's brilliant on Satan's part. He get's the men and women who love Jesus to forget why they got into ministry in the first place. Why? All for a couple of free Reubens. They are good. All toasty and tangy... STOP! NO! Focus Jon! Focus!

To all the pastors who toil in obscurity, ministering tirelessly: Thank you. Keep up the good work.

April 18th: Deuteronomy 1, Proverbs 28 and John 11

Having a hard time coming up with something profound tonight.  

I guess one thing that is intruing is that Jesus let's Lararus die.  Brother was tight with Jesus.  He was down-wit-the Son.  He was _____ with _______ (Try it, it's fun).

But Jesus let him die.  Which shows me: bad stuff happens to people who are close with God. There sometimes is a purpose to pain. But sometimes (the NEXT time Lazarus died), there might not be as big of a splash. There might not be something so spectaculur. What then?  Your faith needs to be just as big.

April 17th: Numbers 36, Proverbs 27 and John 9-10

I am struck again by the power of the personal testimony.  For the man born blind, it didn't matter what the leaders with all the degrees thought.  Jesus had done something in his life.  The x-blind man had met God and that's all that mattered.  "He was blind but now he could see."  He told his story. That was all he was asked to do.

April 15th: Numbers 34, Proverbs 25 and John 7

So I got a little out of order.  It's amusing, I'm taking a class on goals and prioritization.  I guess I should have prioritized my reading before midnight.  Oops.  So here is the post that I should have done on the 15th.

If you find honey, eat just enough -- too much of it, and you will vomit.

That's some good advice.

I'm struck by the example that Jesus set for us in John 7.  He goes where the people are.  He teaches.  I wonder what this looks like now.  If we are to be "like Christ," where should we be going?  Or more specifically, if you have the gift of teaching, where should you go?  Jesus goes to the Temple, the gathering place of Israel. I wonder where we should go. I wonder how we should use that medium and platform.  People were talking about Jesus.  There was hype.  It's an interesting thought.

April 16th: Numbers 35, Proverbs 26 and John 8

The cities of refuge are pretty awesome. We take it for granted that this grace was extended. But this is the basis of "a fair trial." That's really cool.

By the way, how cool is the title "Blood Avenger." I know it's a relative that you're avenging which would suck and all but how cool would it be to have business cards that said:

Jon Reisinger
Blood Avenger

April 14th: Numbers 33, Proverbs 24, and John 6

Having just returned from Egypt (so pretentious sounding...sorry), the stations mentioned in Numbers 33 have new meaning to me. 1: That be some rough terrain. We took Toyota Landcruisers around Marah and it was rough even in those. 2: It was ridiculously windy. If you describe the Sinai in two words, the words you choose are windy and dry. And those two elements don't foster clouds for one or a stationary cloud that remains stationary for a year. The Israelites weren't looking around saying, "Which cloud is God again?" He was THE cloud, as in the only cloud in the sky. 3: Camels don't carry any diseases. 4: Alicia drank camel milk 5: Eww.

Those last three points don't have anything to do with the passage but eww.

April 13th: Numbers 32, Proverbs 23, and John 5

I don' think I've ever read the Pentateuch as closely as I am right now. Normally it's blah blah bull's blood, blah blah beget so and so blah blah another place with a hyphen blah blah don't do this blah blah dude married his cousin (again). But one thing is for sure, as I read through it this time, I don't see a bunch of direct references to Jesus. Maybe a couple in Genesis 3 and 12 but not a ton like in Isaiah. But over in the NT, Jesus drops this line at the end of John 5:

"For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

Is Jesus indirectly claiming to be the God of Sinai that Moses writes so often about? I know that's an argument some people raise, that Jesus himself never claimed to be God. But knowing that those Pharisees liked them the some Moses-law, they probably took as Jesus saying he could break the Sabbath... cause he made it.

PS. Read Proverbs 23 verses 29-35. That might be the funniest stuff in the Bible. "They beat me and I did not feel it. ... I must have another drink." Liquid courage at it's finest with a little hangover cure tossed in.

April 10th: Numbers 31, Proverbs 22, and John 4

Massive thing that I didn't realize until today: The Israelites kill Baalam. What?!? Did I miss that part of the flannel board? Let's recap the story arc. The king hires Baalam to curse Israel. He says, "No-can-do watching old DVDs of the Power Rangers that night with Donkey." The king tries again and Baalam says, "I got yoga on Thursday but I'll see what God says, hang tight for a bit." God tells him to go. He goes. Donkey monologues a bit about the current danger level. Angel says, What up B?" And then Balaam does his thing.

And that's where the flannel-board-using-Sunday-school-teacher usually ends...but OH NO the stroy goes on. Balaam sans Donkey shows up in Nunbers 31. Where he dies at the hands of the people he blessed.

This is not cool. Dude does what God tells him to, he blesses and curses only as he's directed. He's a prophet of God and yet he's gunned, er, sworded down by the same people he blessed. Why didn't God intervene? Why does He let him die? Is Balaam some kind of disposible prophet? One use and he's doen? Balaam obviously believes in God to the point that he stands up to the current king of the land. I just don't get this. What is the lesson for us in here?

I just decided that I'm not telling this story in Sunday school anymore. My life has been incomplete.

April 11th: Numbers 29-30, Proverbs 21 and John 2-3

Let's think about this first miracle.  It's sometimes said that Jesus made grape juice instead of wine.  I think that's amusing.  Here's why...  The master of the ceremony, the head caterer of sorts, rolls over to Jesus and says, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."  The dude knew wine.  He was probably some sort of AD 30 sommelier. He knows how much it costs, how much to serve and what people are going to like.  And he calls it "good" wine.  My guess is that he's not even saying this so much out of shock as much as in horror.

He knows the chemistry of it all. The more you drink the less you taste.  Alcohol numbs your tongue.  It's the way it works.  Grape juice? Not so much.  And that's a lot of grape juice.  This is a wedding not a bar mitzva. And BTW, why do people argue this?  The point is that he saved some groom some serious embarrassment.  That's probably the real miracle here.

April 10th: Numbers 28, Proverbs 20, and John 1

Being Good Friday and all, I'm going to mix things up. Normally, I don't do a lot of public speaking. But I did today. Alicia shared the story of how we came to Nebraska and then I shared about the importance of Easter in our lives. So instead of the usual post, I want to share a little from our presentation. Here it is:

When my grandmother died, she left me a Bible. Every chapter has a little check mark next to it. Each check represents a time she read through the Bible. Because of this example, I wanted to be like her and actually complete one of those Bible reading guides.

I am now the king of reading to Deuteronomy. I’m like oh for twenty. But I've determined in my old age of 28 that this is the year… I’m gonna make it. The guide that I'm following has me reading some OT, NT and a little from one of the poetry books. And as I’ve read through the gospels this year, I’ve been struck by the humanity of them. They are four guys telling their stories. They’re telling us their encounter with Jesus. It’s how each of their lives was changed by being around this man. And that’s what Alicia just told you (she talked about how we moved to Lincoln from Chicago). This is our gospel. The gospel of Jon and Alicia. The plan of salvation is the same for all of us, but the emotions, the way that we see Christ is different. It's unique. Special.

And Easter is an important part of our story. Not just the fact that we decided to move to Nebraska on Easter weekend, but it’s our bumping into this guy, Jesus, and the way he’s changed our lives. What he did for each of us as individuals.

The last supper in particular is really important to me. Don’t read our culture into it. Forget the painting. Think of a bunch of unruly fisherman sitting around a room doing what they had literally done a thousand times before…they ate a meal together.

They were enjoying community. Enjoying the company of Jesus when he did something special. He broke some bread and said… "every time you do this, every time you sit together and eat, think about us." Think about what we’ve shared. Take a little extra time and make it special. Make it holy. Do this little thing extra.

And now for me, for communion to be what it was for the disciples, I have to know Jesus. I have to have those experiences of him leading me. I need to talk to him…to hear from him. I need to spend time in this book. For that to happen, the Bible can’t be just my grandmothers book. It has to be my book.

And now, through our jobs with Back to the Bible, we are trying to change that. To help people like our friends from Moody see that to know Jesus, to have that last-supper-friendship, they need to be with him to hear from him … through his words in the Bible.

April 9th: Numbers 27, Proverbs 19 and Phillipians 3-4

When we think of leaders, we think of elections or taking power by force. We think of a willing party who desires control. Sure, there arein fact occasions when someone is thrust into leadership. Take Vanilla Ice for example. He was probably some average dude sitting at home straight munchin' on crumpets when the lyrics hit him. "Straight to the point, to the point no fakin' cookin MCs like a pound of bacon." The lyrics took him to a new place. Thrust responsibility on him and the world had a new president of funk.

Vanilla Ice and Joshua share a lot in common. Actually, they share almost nothing in common. Except that similar to Ice, Joshua had responsibility thrust on him. And he does actually have a music career that lasted about as long (7 days). But you don't see Joshua going to the elders of Israel to rally support. He's not seeking time in the spotlight. He doesn't make campaign posters for each tent, "Joshua: They'll Name Their Kids After Me." He doesn't kiss babies or make bumper stickers for the camels. He takes a trip to get some grapes and he trusts God.

And there it is. He is leader of two million Israelites in the middle of the desert about to attack the most fortified city in the Middle East. Lucky him.

Don't read the book of Joshua. That's 20/20. What leadership skills do you see in Joshua BEFORE he's chosen?

April 8th: Numbers 26, Proverbs 18 and Phillipians 1-2

Generally speaking, we tend to focus on the big names. Maybe it was John Wayne, Rambo, Elvis or James Bond the one man army. Whatever it was, we tend to focus on the man in front. We love the quarterback and pay no attention to the offensive line.

Take a look at the letter to the Philippians. When you think of this letter, you think of Paul in chains or maybe Timothy sick and almost dying for the gospel. You may know some back story and know that the Philippians "was good people." They gave to Paul out of their poverty. They were like the super church that did everything right.

But the thing that I missed until today was their leadership. Think about it. Paul wasn't always around. There were community organizers that led after the big names left town. Men and women, nameless, forgotten people that lived and led faithfully in the shadows of these great men.

I think that whoever it was that led the Philippians is a great model/hero for the local pastors. If your church grows, you don't have to create a national radio ministry or write a book or speak at big conferences. It's OK to be a pastor. You can be like the leader of the Philippians church...a faithful follower of Jesus that led the only church that was commended by Jesus. And that is pretty awesome.

April 7th: Numbers 24-25, Proverbs 17 and Ephesians 5-6

Thanks for bearing with me as I traveled over the last month. Y'know, when I started this blog, the goal was to read write about the passage everyday. And although this Israel/Egypt trip was on my radar, I had no idea how hard it would be to complete the task. Jesus talks about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Now I see how hard it would be for a frequent flier to enter the kingdom of I read through the Bible in a year.

None the less, I'm back in this great Corn State that (I tongue in cheek) love. And before I comment on today's passages, business as usual, I want to talk about something I learned over in Israel.

There is a place we visited called The Temple Institute. Their goal is to create all the necessary elements needed for the third temple. So that when it is built, the Jews can resume sacrifice and again have a face to face relationship with God.

Outside of my fascination with seeing legitimate replicas of some of the items, I was struck by one particular item...the tables for the showbread. Remember, God commands the Levites to allways have these loaves of bread inside the temple.

There are twelve loaves that remain for the week. After they are replaced, they are eaten. Week old bread. No preservatives. Eww. But every week, there was a miricle. The bread was fine. Delicious. And not just that, Jewish tradition (according to the Institute employee) claims that these twelve loaves fed all the Levite temple workers...about 1500 of them.

Sound familair? When Jesus fed the 5000, there were 12 baskets left over. He broke the bread and fed the people in a way that says, "Hey, it's me. The God of the Temple. The one you've been worshipping."

Now back to the regularly scheduled reading.

A donkey talks. Don't miss that. It's in your Bible. The one you probably have seven of. It says that a dude was riding an animal and it started talking to him because it saw angels with swords. Do you understand how crazy that sounds to someone that is sober? My car has personality. If it started talking to me about how it never broke down till today, that would freak me out... a lot....like stand-up-to-the-king-who-could-as-easily-kill-me-as-talk-to-me-a-lot.

So next time you're witnessing to someone and they say, "the Bible is a little crazy," you should reply and say, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA!"

What Happened?

Let me assure you of a few things:

A.  I am not dead.

B.  I am still reading each day.

C.  I am in Israel.  Jerusalem to be exact.  Pretty cool.

D.  I will start blogging again as soon as I get back.

E.  The wailing wall is aptly named.

March 15th: Leviticus 23, Psalm 128-130 and Luke 6

I'm not writing a "real" post today.  

Instead, I'm thanking God for making fellowship with friends so sweet.  Tonight, I'm thankful for my great friend Topher and his wife Sarah (my new friend).  I love their hearts.  I love their desire to do what God has set before them no matter the personal cost to themselves  (still can't believe you slept in your office).  And I love their way that friends as good as them can bring joy to my heart no matter how tired, overwhelmed or frustrated I am.  

Thanks guys.  Thanks for driving over two hours to see us. That's huge. Thanks for staying so late that it'll be 3 AM before you get home.  You mean so much to Alicia and I.  

March 14th: Leviticus 22, Psalm 125-127 and Luke 5

Luke 5.  Jesus didn't come to save "the righteous."  He came to save the sinners.  That means he spent time with them.  He took them out to eat.  He partied, er, "feasted" with them.  He loved them in the situations that they would be familiar with.  He accepted invites to parties, even if some people wouldn't be kosher (in the most literal sense of the word, HA!). Remember, Luke 5:29, "Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them."  I'm sure Matthew told his story.  But notice, it freaked out the religious ultra-conservatives.  Something here wasn't safe.

What does that look like for us?  Like Sunday afternoon buffets around the corner from the church?  Maybe, but my guess is that it looks more like O'Patty's on a Tuesday night talking about the hurt of a lost job, the frustrations of a failing marriage or celebrating at an open bar after the Smith and Williams wedding.  

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel like this is a open invitation to overindulge whether in gluttony, alcohol or to escape "normal" responsibilities.  But I think this is a call to seek divine appointments in the haunts of sinners and tax collectors.  A call to say "yes" to an invitation that may cause you to rub with the elbows of sinners... not in our churches, not in our youth buildings... but in their homes. In their 3rd places.

March 13th: Leviticus 21, Psalm 120-124 and Luke 4

"Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

That last phrase "opportune time," is so telling.  Even if we can overcome temptation for a while when we are strong, when we doing OK,  Satan knows when we are weak.  He knows the things that get us.  He knows the times that are the hardest.  He is an opportunist.

That whole seeking to devour part really makes sense here.

What are you doing to stay strong?

March 12th: Leviticus 20, Psalm 119 and Luke 3

Reading through Leviticus 20 for the first time is like reading through Leviticus 20 for the second time.  Confession, I actually read it twice and skimmed it like 3 times because it seemed so familiar.  Why? Take a look at Leviticus 18.  Very similar...except for all the burning with fire, stoning and putting to death.

Talk about repeating for emphasis.

March 11th: Leviticus 19, Psalm 119 again and Luke 2

I love that it says that Jesus was "submissive" to his parents. Sure, he was perfect. He didn't sin. But it doesn't say that his parents didn't sin in the way they raised him. I imagine Joseph coming home after a long day of putting up crown molding. Thumbs a little more bruised than normal. Jesus is playing quietly in the door way and Joseph not seeing him, trips over him on his way in. Of course, Joseph drops his thermos and cooler while yelling, "Jesus-son-of-Mary" (But I'm not sure, I wasn't there). Joseph, already annoyed because of the price of acacia wood, grounds Jesus from TV for a month.

Does he argue? Get mad? Make another TV in his room out of dust and a little spittle? No. Jesus, maker of the universe, honors his parents and submits. It's a beautiful picture of the incarnation. And the whole situation flies in the face of every whiny "but-that's-not-fair" that any kid would ever throw out there.

Yeah, I made this whole scenario up. But watching a lot of parents, I don't think I'm that far off.

March 10th: Leviticus 17-18, Psalm 119 and Luke 1

I love Zechariah's reaction to seeing the angel in the temple.

To fully appreciate it, you probably need to have read the rather long rather mundane laws that governed priesthood found in Leviticus. Convenient, I know.

Anyway, there were bells tied into the garments that the priests wore. The whole point was to make sure that when the priest went in he didn't die. Remember, there were a crap ton of laws surrounding what made you unclean. You go in unclean and they'll be pulling you out with the rope that's tied to your foot specifically for such an occasion.

Zechariah goes in. Chosen by lot. Meaning, in Z's mind, God wanted him in there. God picked him. Old boy goes in and poof, there's an angel. Think Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-burn-your-face-off angel not the creep cute Christian one with the droopy eyes.

Zechariah's day is racing through his mind, the steak was medium well, right? No blood. No touching of prematurely bald men that could turn out to be lepers, right? The incense was mixed with the right proportions? No strange fire. Learned that lesson with Aaron's boys. Nothing had made him unclean. So why was this angel here!?!?! There hadn't been a message from God in 400 years!* But here's this angel. Why him? Why now? Surely, God wan't going to kim him, right?

Now that I understand why a priest would be afraid of seeing an angel in the temple (imagine that), it makes sense why Zachariah was freaking out a bit.

Suddenly, the Jewish culture of the NT is making more sense because of Leviticus. Cool.



*sorry, Bible-college-me knew that

March 9th: Leviticus 16, Psalm 119 and 2 Corinthians 12-13

The similarities between Jesus and the goat sacrificed during Atonement are astounding. I wonder if there was anyone in the crowd that day who believed because of the parallelism.

Take a look...

On the day of Atonement, lots are cast to determine which goat to set free. When Jesus was crucified another man was set free (Did Barabbas bear the guilt of the people into the desert? Maybe not.). When the second goat had been killed, the priest was to take the blood inside the veil to where God resided and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. And that's how the priest would make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins.

After Jesus rose, he sees Mary and and tells her not to hold onto her because he had not yet gone to the father. He had died, he had rose, but the work was not yet complete. The blood had to be take to the Mercy Seat. It had to be taken to God the Father.

It's cool to see that this was the plan from the beginning realized in Jesus.

March 8th: Leviticus 15, Psalm 117-118 and 2 Corinthians 10-11

Unclean.

Being unclean wasn't the same as being sinful. Is that a wrong conclusion? If that's correct, it doesn't make the God the tyrant that some paint him to be. Becoming "unclean" was natural. It was a normal part of life. Sex, menstruation, blisters, shrimp and bacon all are fall under this heading.

God is holy, "set apart." These things weren't to be mixed with holy. Right?

Looking at this list, most of the things were capable of either causing sickness, or were privacy issues that God was protecting the individual from embarrassment.

I could be way off on this... let me know.

March 7th: Leviticus 14, Psalm 115-116, 2 Corinthians 8-9

It's hard not to get caught up in this world.

I suppose the obviousness and cliche-ness of that statement overpowers the reality of it. Reading through 2 Corinthians, you don't get a sense that Paul is bragging about his accomplishments as much as he is bragging about what God is doing. And it just so happens that because Paul is doing God's will, he's at the center of what's going on.

This is hard. I really want to be, as Ron Burgundy says, "kind of a big deal." It's a big motivator. Sure, I do "ministry." In a way, what I do is service for others. But there is a selfish part of me that wants to be know for doing cool ministry. Big ministry. It's for God, but it's still selfish.

Paul notes that Jesus wants us to give cheerfully. I don't think this is just about money. It's about our time. It's about our love. It's about our our futures. My dreams. My ambitions.

Paul's become a servant, a slave. He's turned over his future. I need to be better at doing that.

March 6th: Leviticus 12-13, Psalm 113-114 and 2 Corinthians 5-7

Reading through Leviticus 13 and there is a lot of concern about Leprosy. And I now know more about the biblical understanding of it than I think I really needed to know. It definitely makes me wish there had been this level of detail with a couple other things.

March 5th: Leviticus 11, Psalm 110-112 and 2 Corinthians 3-4

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

This speaks into a lot of the things that I have been thinking about in the last couple of posts. See, I love grace. The concept is awesome. It's a pardon, an over-looking of things done wrong. Unwarranted. Unearnable.* Like Phillip Yancy said, it's some pretty amazing stuff. It really is hard to thing of a negative connotation attached to "grace."

Specifically, in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul is contrasting the law and grace when he speaks of the freedom of the Spirit. We don't need the sacrifices, we don't need the ceremony. We can mess up. And that's awesome. Sure, there is a little mystery lost in the ceremony. There is a holy terror that isn't quite a striking because of grace. Because, there is forgiveness that doesn't require blood to be shed again... because it was covered, once and for all. It truly was finished. Now, there is a lot less, "drag-him-out-of-the-camp-and-stone-hims." What used to be in the shadow of the ceremony and the sacrificing is now illuminated.

I can eat a shrimp cocktail. I can eat scallops wrapped in bacon. I guess I can eat that spotted owl after all. Not really on topic but c'mon! The clean and un-clean list is like the only comedic gold in Leviticus.




*Not a real word... how 'bout some grace? See! The grace thing totally works.

March 4rd: Leviticus 9-10, Psalm 108-109 and 2 Corinthians 1-2

Ok, so the deal is that I'm reading Leviticus as if this is my first time. I get to chapter 10 and Aaron's two sons burn some "strange fire." And God sends fire from heaven (again) and burns these two guys. Harsh. But God is love...right? How do you deal with this? How does this fit into your matrix of beliefs? Is God like a brand new teacher? He had to get His "class" in line then He would lighten up but the cool fun God? But He doesn't change. This is hard.

Is there a parallel for us today?

I would say yes... and no. Uh...sorry...Bible-college-me is saying that because first-time-through-the-Bible-me hasn't read Acts yet. And first-time-through-the-Bible-me is still trying to figure out what "stange fire" is all about. Bible-college-me knows about Ananias and Sapphira. That God struck them down when they lied. But that was a long time ago during the newness of a different age, the age of grace.

The lesson here... When God is doing something new; don't mess around.

March 3rd: Leviticus 8, Psalm 107 and 1 Corinthians 16

Dedicating the temple to God. Quite the ordeal. Full of ceremony. Blood and oil on everything.

Why? Because this is the place where God would live. This is the place on the earth where the physical presence of God would dwell. All the dreadful holiness. All the divine power and love embodied in one place.

Kind of like the Holy Spirit in us... just without the blood and incense and oil.

In his book Till We Have Faces, C. S. Lewis retold the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. The central character, Orual, struggles against a primitive and irrational religion. The religion is full of dark and "holy" things. The ominous temple is filled with a heavy incense and pidgins are sacrificed. And the blood is throne on a massive hideous stone icon that represents the god. When Orual becomes queen, she adopts the prettier, cleaner religion of the Greeks. She constructs a beautiful Hellenistic statue next to the ruddy stone phallus.

In a revelation at the end of her life, Orual is struck by how little comfort the beautiful statue gives people. People flock to the holy fear caused by the dreadful stone. There is comfort in the terror. Something bigger and more wild than them.

Are we missing something in our churches? A holiness? A divine terror? When churches look more like Baby Gap then the blood smeared tabernacle of the Old Testement do we lose something?

I know that we are in the age of Grace. Blood was shed for the final time on the cross. Jesus is the lamb that all the other lambs pointed to. I get that. But how am I supposed to "Fear the Lord" (cause it's the BEGINNING of wisdom) when the only lesson I learn is that Jesus is my homeboy?!?

Is there a way to create the gravity of the ceremony of Leviticus 8 in the church? I mean look at the next to last verse... "do this so you don't die!" We, the church, are a royal preisthood. How do we translate this into our churches in this age of grace? In this day of jeans and t-shirts and iPhone Bibles and mini crackers and grape juice in thimbles...

How do I translate this into my life?

March 2nd: Leviticus 7, Psalm 106 and 1 Corinthians 15

The Exodus of the Israelites was epic. It was so talked about the David mentions it over and over (again here in Psalm 106. Jesus mentions it. Paul mentions it. There is a constant theme of Sinai, the Red Sea and the wilderness through out the Bible, Old and New Testaments.

This made me think about how little I remember the past. Not only do I forget all the amazing blessings God has poured out for me, I also quickly forget the crappy stuff that I've done. Sure, God has forgiven me. The slate has been wiped clean (and other fine cliches). But looking at the Israelites of the Exodus, He forgave that generation. And yet their mistakes still serve as a warning, a landmark.

I think it would be good for me to give God the glory for things done "long ago" in my own life. Remembering both the times God did great things for me and also when I let God down in my own "rebellion."

March 1st: Leviticus 5-6, Psalm 105 and 1 Corinthians 14

Life isn't fair.

That probably doesn't come as much of a news flash. "This just in... Timmy Johnson, eight years old, finds out life is in fact not fair more at five o'clock." You and I learned this lesson early on when you hung out with your friend down the street who had the entire Lego Pirates set and it just sat on his dresser never touched after it had been assembled and even though you treasured Legos, and desperately wanted the Black Seas Barracuda, your parents couldn't afford to buy you it for Christmas. OK, maybe this particular lesson was only me...

The interesting thing in Leviticus 5-6 is just how fair God really is. He knew that not everyone would be on the same level. He knew that some people would easily be able to lose a goat or a lamb every so often (or regularly). He knew how much he had given them to begin with. But other families would never have that ability. A lamb or a goat was a stretch. A huge stretch. They couldn't even afford a pidgin. That's freaking poor. If you can't go out under an overpass and get a pidgin, you my friend are down and out. And God created a fair system for you to come back into a right relationship with Him.

It's the same principle found in the Parable of the Talents. If you've been given much, God expects a lot back either in ROI, or in your sacrifices right now. Kinda sobering. Seems a lot of prosperity guys forget that part. You ask for bigger boarders, don't forget what comes with that... an equal portion of responsibility for the poor, the widows and the foreigners. How's that for fair? I probably would have had to share the Barracuda with my brother and let's just say that wasn't going to happen.

February 28th: Leviticus 3-4, Psalm 104, 1 Corinthians 12-13

Leviticus 3 deals with peace offerings, whereas chapter 4 is about sin offerings particularly sins that are done unintentionally. What is the difference between these two types of sacrifice. I'm not sure I can remember off the top of my head.

I seem to be in a little bit of a lull with focus when it comes to reading and writing. What do you do to help you focus more when you can't seem to focus on the reading?

February 27th: Leviticus 1-2, Psalm 103 and 1 Corinthains 11

Did some reading. Spent a lot of time at work. Hung out with some friends. Sorry for the "no post." Will get back to into the swing of things tomorrow.

February 26th: Exodus 39-40, Psalm 102 and 1 Corinthians 10

This was the theme of the blog when I started. And today, I'm going to explore that "frustrated" part. I think I'm observing something reading Exodus 40 and 1 Corinthians 10 together. The cloud by day and the pillar by night lead the Israelites through the desert. Incredible. And at first, I thought, "wow, wish I had something that obvious to lead me." I pop over to 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, and I'm confronted with how little that mattered. Paul's basically like, "cloud, Red Sea parting, water out of a rock...whatever didn't help 'em." Brutal.

But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about this journey. The frustrations of being dogged at the end of the day. Being so tired (from doing "ministry") that you hit the alarm from 6-7 AM and then running till tne end of the day. I'm doing so much "stuff" for God (or so I think) that I miss my time him... or make it a chore. That's frustrating. That's the cloud that you get use to.

You ever feel this way?

February 24th: Exodus 37, Psalm 96-99 and 1 Corinthians 7

Not really sure how much I want to get into 1 Corinthians 7.  Yikes.  But I will say this, I wonder how many newly wed couples partake in "depriving themselves for a limited time to devote themselves to prayer."  Seems that most pastors leave that out of the vows.

And that is all I'm going to say on that... other than THIS STUFF IS IN THE BIBLE!?! 

February 23rd: Exodus 36, Psalm 94-95 and 1 Corinthians 6

I'm sure when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 6, he had church carpet selection in mind. In fact, I know he was thinking about fish-bowling the drummer. Or even using drums in general. And there is a subtle nuance in the Greek that shows that he was absolutely referring to the need for three point sermons that use KJV and end at precisely noon. These are key elements of our faith. Obviously.

OK, none of that is true but you have to wonder, because if Paul was so concerned about the appearance of the church by those looking in from the outside that he include issues about legal actions involving the court system, I have to think that he would have become increasingly irritated about the hills we'll die on these days, look at the things that split churches and cause strife. Although, he would have smiled and danced a jig of joy at my run on sentence. Besides being the "chief sinner," he was the man when it came to run-ons.

I wonder what the issue was with these guys. It must have been pretty rare... cause I've read Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and I was pretty sure that it's all covered in there. Even this.

Seriously though, with the corporate structure in place in most jobs, the church should be a harbor of love. Not a place where arguments grow, and frustration builds because of passive aggressive actions. Like the great American philosophers, The Black Eyed Peas, said, "where's the love y'all?"

February 22nd: Exodus 35, Psalm 91-92 and 1 Corinthians 4-5

Imagine you're about to go on a long journey. You grab your phone charger, maybe an extra pair of Pumas, your Superman briefs and a couple beams of acacia wood. Wait, what? Yeah, you know, some random decorative wood for our long journey through the desert. Food? Nah. Extra water? Nope. Ornamental wood? Check! Hey, while your at it, can you grab a couple bundles of shingles... Cool? Thanks.

When the Israelites left Egypt, it says they pillaged the Egyptians and robbed them of their weath. I get that. Ten plagues later and I'd give Moses my MacBook, iPhone, Ducati, whatever just to get the guy outta town. So it makes sense that the Israelites picked up some gold, silver and precious gems. But what dude wandered out back and said, "Hey Ramses, mind if I take a couple bunks of acacia two bys?" Yeah, cause that's what I want to haul around!?!

It does show that Moses had some serious faith. Think about it. God told him to build the tabernacle with some pretty specific things. Things that Moses probably wasn't sure existed in the camp. And the closest Home Depot was gonna take some time to get to. But he doesn't question God. He knows that God will provide. And God did. Not only acacia wood, gold and linen but also some serious talent. And plenty of time too. Building this thing would have taken quite a bit of time. And yet the whole time they're building the tabernacle, the ark and making the preist's clothes, they're never attacked. God provided everything.

For people in ministry, there's a neat lesson somewhere in there about the way God takes care of us...

February 21th: Exodus 33-34, Psalm 90-91 and 1 Corinthians 3

Yesterday, I was overwhelmed.

I don't think that sentence can actually be true if today, I am in fact no longer overwhelmed. I would not say that I am a master of many things. Fact is, I'm "OK" at a few things. But there is one thing that I am REALLY good at. I freaking rock at wallowing in self pity. I could host a conference on it and be the key-note speaker. I'm the Cobra Commander of whoa-is-me (no idea what that means--but two points for working CC into this post).

I imagine that our boy Moses could have gotten a little overwhelmed with being "the Dude" in Israel. But I'm struck by this poem he wrote that has become known as Psalm 90. There is a line that says, "teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." It's so easy for me to see a day as leading to something else. So many times, I see one day as a corridor to something else instead of the blessing that it is. "It's X number of days till Y." "Just get through today then we'll go _____."

But this day, this process, this foundation for the next is important. It's one of only so few that I'm allotted. How that really helps to eliminate stress... I'm not totally sure. Other than, it's like opening a dozen eggs. There are a bunch of them till... you go to make a your 4th 3 egg omelet. At that point, there doesn't seem to be as many as at first.

But verse 17 of that same poem helps a little. It says: "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" Nothing that I do is going to fail or be successful without God somehow being involved. That's kinda cool. A big meeting. I can prepare all I want. I can get stressed. I can get overwhelmed. But I'm only going to be as good or bad as God has prescribed.

I need to pray more.

February 20th: Exodus 31-32, Psalm 89 and 1 Corinthians 1-2

It's interesting how similar people are... whether sitting at the base of Sinai with God hovering over the mountain or in Corinth as members of the church with Christ in their hearts. Or now.

We are so quick to forget about God. We'll seek our own purposes as soon as we can.

I want to think about this more...

February 19th: Exodus 30, Psalm 87-88 and Mark 15-16

I think the shock that Pilate has over the quickness of Jesus' death says a lot. Being a Roman official, he probably knew a thing or two about crucifixion. And yet, Mark 15:44 says that Pilate was so surprised, he didn't take Joseph's word for it. He sends for the guy in charge of the operation, asks him and then finally believes.

The thing I draw from this is that Jesus didn't just die. He gave up his life. It was quicker than could be expected. And Jesus wasn't a wimp. We're talking about a lumberjackish-dude that spent 40 days and nights in the desert around Jericho. That is burly. Then, to die faster than expected that's love.

Can you call Jesus a lumberjackish-dude?

February 18th: Exodus 29, Psalm 85-86 and Mark 14

Mark 14:51-52

"And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked."

Seriously. It says that. I really don't know what else to say except that they left that part out of the Easter play at church. You gotta let kids know about that kind of stuff. If you teach fourth grade boys, use this story. Seriously. They will laugh. They may even want to read the Bible. Cause there is a some funny stuff in there. Like all of Exodus 29... I couldn't stop giggling.

OK, not really. But it's interesting that God commanded them to offer the liver and the kidneys. Those organs filter toxins out of the blood. Pretty cool that those organs are also used to filter sin out of the camp.

February 17th: Exodus 28, Psalm 83-84 and Mark 13

If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading this blog and go watch Lars and the Real Girl. Seriously. Don't even finish this sentance... go. I don't care if you're at work, go. Stop. No. No. Stop it. Put down the crappy work coffee. Go watch the movie.

OK, now that I actually told people to stop reading...

The acting in the movie is fantastic, the script is brilliant, and the direction is precise. But more importantly, it's a beautiful picture of the acceptance, grace and unconditional love. If you missed it, you probably heard the premise and shrugged it off. I get that. The title character, Lars, orders a sex doll, falls in love with it and starts dating "her." Say what? Yeah, but there is so much more to the movie.

I won't ruin it for you if you haven't seen it. But let me just say that these "small town" people come along side Lars. They love him. They embrace Bianca (the doll) rather than openly rejecting the obvious misconception that Lars has so fully embraced. The entire time, your expecting people to lash out at him. To shame him. To hurt him. But it never happens.

I can only imagine what our communities would be like if we took that approach. Instead of telling people that they are wrong (that doesn't work in the film by the way), instead of bullying them into our belief system, what if we loved them? What if we sheltered them through the storm that they are traveling through? What if no matter how stupid we felt, no matter how wrong they were, we loved them?

I'm struck over and over again in the Gospels by how Jesus loved the people that had been rejected by the established religion. No matter how wrong the rich young ruler was, Jesus "loved him." He never condones what these "sinners and tax collectors" were doing. But he loved them till they come to an understanding of who he was and what he had to offer. Sure, not everyone. But it was revolutionary. Still seems to be.

I hope I can be like that.

Now what does this have to do with Exodus 28, Psalm 83-84 or Mark 13? Nothing. Sorry about that. If you want a nifty thought though from Exodus 28... imagine Moses sitting on the mountain getting the schematics for the tabernacle and the priests garments (checkered linen, bell pomegranate bell repeat...) . Cause if I got a chance to talk to God for an afternoon that's what I would want to talk about too...

February 25th: Exodus 38, Psalm 100-101 and 1 Corinthians 8-9

Keeping it short. Phone-short. Don't have any idea what that means.

But the fashion forward looking Men's magazine, Details, would probably disuaded Moses against using gold silver and bronze on the temple (that look is just SO very 3070 BC).

Secondly, if you go over to someone's house and they just happen to be eating meat sacrificed at your local neighborhood temple... Go ahead and eat it. Just thought you would like to know. It's cool. Checked with Paul.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 16th: Exodus 27, Psalm 81-82 and Mark 12

Even before the law is completely laid out, there have been a lot of animal sacrifices in the first book and a half of the OT.

So many, that I find myself thinking of them as the norm. Easy. I skim over it. "Abraham built an alter and sacrificed a cow... OK. Neat." But Exodus 27 brings the reality to light. There are shovels, rakes, canisters for ash, grates. Sacrifices were processes. This wasn't just "throw a steak on the grill and over cook." This took time. This was a chore. Burn it till it's gone.

Sin can come easy but the payment took time, money (cows ain't cheap) and effort. I wonder how much I take Jesus sacrifice for granted.

February 15th: Exodus 26, Psalm 79-80 and Mark 11

There is a tremendous level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into the tabernacle. Too bad the level of excellence that went into creating it doesn't go into creating Christian "art."

That was harsh. Uncalled for? Maybe. A broad generalization? Yes. But I think that this passage champions excellence when it comes to things that are created FOR God. If you call yourself a Christian artist, your stuff better be good or just yourself an "artist." Drop God out of it. He seems to be concerned with quality.

And on top of that, those of us not skilled in the arts should "give as our hearts are led" to the artists. Exodus 25:2 isn't about tithes. Those are ALWAYS required. This is about a special thing. Art. Something extra. Something for God. Something only a few people are skilled enough to work on. So we need to help them.

And if it's not good... I really think that we should let them know.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 14th: Exodus 24-25, Psalm 78, and Mark 10

I used to live in Jackson, Wyoming. If you're unfamiliar with that area, Jackson has arguably the prettiest mountains in the US. I saw "arguably" like Bill Clinton says, "I didn't have sexual relations with that women." We can argue, even use late nineties pop-culture references but in the end, the facts are facts. The Tetons are awesome.

But even with these majestic mountains over my shoulder, a mundane task was still mundane. I lived there long enough to forget their majesty. Some days, I even forgot to look up from my work.

I wonder if that's what happened to the Israelites. I wonder if they lived too long with the miracles, saw too much of the pillar of fire, lived too long in the majesty of God. He become normal...mundane.

Saying, "I hope that never happens to me," seems really shallow here. Somehow even without a pillar of fire, flocks of quail, or a stream from a rock, I need to see God guiding me and yet never get too comfortable or complacent with His presence. That's hard.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 13th: Exodus 23, Psalm 77 and Mark 9

I read Exodus 23:3 a couple times before I got it. Take a look, it says: "nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit." Interesting, normally I would think that it would say don't favor the "rich guy."

All through life, I think it's been easier to side with the rich kids, the popular kids, the kids I wanted to be like. But there is a lot of wisdom in this command. As I've grown and struck out into this crazy world, it's become easier to root for the underdog. I really want to see the Cinderella story, the David and Goliath story take place in or around my own life. I want things like Fight Club and more Oscars for indies. Big is bad. Down with the establishment! Down with corporate coffee!

But here, God clearly lays out His plan. He has blessed the rich and brought them to power and influence. Who are we to lie and cheat in order to promote the poor and tear down someone else's work. Sure if the tabkes turn fairly... Great! But if not, don't think power equals corruption. Post-Ramones and post-Nirvana, this is hard to actually do. Weird.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 12th: Exodus 22, Pslam 75-76 and Mark 8

Dear Joshua Harris,

What do you have to say about Exodus 22:16 and 17? I kissed dating goodbye? Hmmm, maybe with a big bag of money.

Seriously though, how do you deal with this set of verses? Is premarital sex OK if you pay her dad first and get married later? Any help?

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 11th: Exodus 21, Psalm 74 and Mark 7

As Christians, we're supposed to be agaist slavery. We're supposed to fight for the rights of humans. Protect the unprotected. Ok, well what's with Exodus 21.

I'm drawing a blank on this one.

These people had just left slavery. We're told they "plundered" Egypt on the way out, so their needs should be taken care of (clothes, sheep, food, water, vast blazing desert to wonder around in). Now I'm assuming that they hadn't even had a chance to get stuck in slavery all over again (hello, learning-from-experience).

It just seems interesting that God would lay this out. Let me clarify, slavery: I'm against it (similar to cancer, starvation and generally "bad" things).

But look at the grace that is instilled here in Exodus 21. Work six years and you go free. Come in married and you leave married. As a women, you're to be treated as a wife or daughter. And there's even the chance that if someone punches you in the face, you can go free.

Now flip over to the Psalm-of-the-day and you read that God purchased and redeemed Israel. That's slave language. Much like the guy that was a debter in the New Testament parable, this passage in Exodus is the way they are to interact with God and Him with them. Work six years and take one off... They are His. There is ownership. A specific relationship. He sets the rules...absolutely. Sounds familiar?

Interesting... (btw, I'm still against slavery)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

February 10th: Exodus 19-20, Psalm 73 and Mark 6

There is a reference to Jesus in Mark 6:3b:  "Are not his sisters here with us?"

Yeah, imagine being that guy's loser brother-in-law.

Jesus'-Sister:  "Carl, did you leave your robe on the floor in the bedroom again?"

Carl:  "Woman, seriously, I've had a long day. First the pigs ran into the water, then there was a massive storm on the Sea that suddenly stopped and now you're yelling at me."

Jesus'-Sister: "My brother never would have talked to me that way."

Carl:  "Your brother made like 70 gallons of wine at the Gould-Cohen Wedding and we took them a stupid clay oil lamp.  We're on two totally different levels here!  Him? Son of God.  Me?  Son of the guy you buy eggs from."

I bet that conversation never happened because it's ridiculous.  

On a serious note, take a look at Exodus 19-20 where Moses takes the people of Israel to Sinai.  The people don't want to be close to God, they shy away from the mountain.  It's too frightening.  It's too holy.  It's been three months since they left Egypt. Three months since they saw the violence but missed the grace.  And now they've been complaining, whining, sinning.  I wonder if it could have been different.  God wanted to be among them.  But they basically denied him.  They started moving away from Him right there.  Tragic.

I love what David says in Psalm 73: "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."  Man, I hope I can say that instead.

February 9th: Exodus 17-18, Psalm 72 and Mark 5

That's some good advice from Moses' father-in-law there in Exodus 18.  You could probably create an entire branch of government based off of these principles... oh wait... That Jethro, smart man, notice he didn't show up until after the plagues?

Who said that God doesn't speak to you through other people?  Just be sure that what they tell you is backed up in scripture. In other words, I probably wouldn't have listened to Marshall Applewhite.  Outside of the shoe selection, that was some really bad advice.  

I'm learning right now that the wise counsel of trusted friends has some serious value.  Just make sure your "Jethro" isn't from the backwoods of Arkansas.*

OK, the conference I'm at is winding down... I'll try to write longer posts next week.

*Sorry Arkansas, nothing personal

February 8th: Exodus 16, Psalm 70-71 and Mark 4

I wonder if we as Christians are like the Israelites when it comes to innovation?  The first time the Israelites face problems during the exodus, they start to grumble. God helps them through it. But when the hard stuff comes again, they are back to square one, and the complaining starts again.  I have to think that initially, they were amped to leave Egypt.  Freedom.  A change. Hope had come to fruition. 

There are huge similarities with the church.  We want to leave the old ways... the familiar... the bondage of our past ideas, frustrations and annoyances (OK, making bricks and having your sons killed more than an annoyance.  I know it breaks down a little there).  But real innovation is scary.  It's exciting at first, sure, but what about when the grumbling starts, when the water runs out?  After the planning, after the big event, what then?  The follow through sure is hard.

So this only loosely ties into the passage, but it's on my mind right now

February 7th: Exodus 15, Psalm 69 and Mark 3

Exodus 15.  I wonder if this is the first time people sang songs of praise to God?

Also, I feel bad for the Egyptians that died in the Red Sea.  Sure some were bad... but probably not all of them.  

Sorry this is short. I'm a little tired.  Sorry.

February 6th: Exodus 13-14, Psalm 68 and Mark 2

Three things:

Imagine getting used to a massive cloud or a pillar of fire that went ahead of you and showed you where to go.  Those crazy Israelites, how silly are they?  Now imagine, getting used to having the body of Christ always around you or a leather bound edition filled with God's Words... oh... wait...

Psalm 68:21.  Funny phrasing:  "But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways."  ... Hairy Crown?  Really?  

In Mark 2, Jesus is accused of hanging out with the "sinners and tax collectors."  Apparently back in the original '30s that was social suicide. Similar to admitting a love for the band Creed. Horrible bands aside, Jesus was revolutionary in his love.  He went outside the norms, outside the standards. He loved the overlooked.  He loved the people that needed it the most.  People shunned by the church.  I wonder who those people are for me.

February 5th: Exodus 11-12, Psalm 66-67 and Mark 1

The passover is recorded in Exodus 11 and 12.  

This is a major event.  Huge.  Like create-a-week-long-festival-to-remember-it-huge.

They forgot the God of the passover only a little while later in the story.  Their situation got desperate (in their eyes) and they forgot who God was and what he was capable of. 

I wonder how often God provides and we forget only a little while later when things get crappy (in our eyes).

I wonder if I should enact a festival when God provides.  Think that would help me remember?

February 4th: Exodus 10, Psalm 64-65 and Romans 15-16

When it comes to this story in Exodus, in every chapter, I feel like I could say, "I never thought of that before."

Today, I'm amazed by the pattern that Pharaoh follows. Imagine, that you have a sin in your life that you repeat. Maybe, it's telling lies, murder,or not letting God's people leave your country... take a look at Pharaoh, nine times, he commits the same sin. He wars against God for like three chapters and yet he is spared over and over. Sure, there are consequences. But never, does he take the express elevator to Hades.

Something else I noticed in the beginning of chapter 10 of Exodus. There is a huge emphasis put on generations. What took place was to be enshrined in history. They were to tell the story of God's power with movies, wax museums and Bible themed t-shirts. Seriously though, this display was specifically designed to help the Jews while they were in the desert. Cool. Too bad they forgot.

February 3rd: Exodus 9, Psalm 62-63 and Romans 13-14

I don't know why I never thought of this. But there is grace in the plagues. God could have killed all of Egypt. He could have just wiped them all out. He could have killed every single person in Egypt. For God, killing is just as easy as creating boils, locusts, or hail. But God had another plan. A plan to protect Israel and preserve the Egyptians. When the ancestors of Jacob eventually leave Egypt, this reputation about their God goes ahead of them. Potential enemies leave them alone not because of their military abilities, but because the name of Jehovah demands respect. Pretty cool.

I wonder about the correlation between the story of the plagues and the stuff in Romans 13 about submission to authority. The Israelites never rebel against Egypt. They never form a militia and start fighting. They submit. They make bricks and God takes care of them. Seems like Christians these days need to take a little lesson out of the that. Too often we fight when we should probably just make bricks.

I have no idea what "bricks" are in this illustration.

February 2nd: Exodus 7-8, Psalm 60-61 and Romans 12

Never thought of this before... the magicians in Exodus repeat the miracles that God is doing through Moses and Aaron. Is God doing the miracles through the magicians as well? Or is it Satan giving the magicians the power? God said that HE would harden Pharaoh's heart, that it was a part of His will. Is this the way that He does it? I can imagine I would think Mo and Aaron were a bit nuts too if my boys could get the job done too.

The implications for now are a little nuts. Does God allow things to happen to mislead us? I'm not saying he causes bad things... but does He give power to opposing forces in order to accomplish His will?

February 1st: Exodus 5-6, Psalm 58-59 and Romans 10-11

Made it through a month. Way to be almost-30-me...

Moses cracks me up. He's like the old guy at the church that starts to tell you a story then stops in the middle to show you pictures of his grandkids. Take a look at Exodus. He's laying out one of the coolest stories in the Bible (pretty tragic too) and right there in the middle, a genealogy. Seriously, Mo?

Bible-college-me knows that some of these names are going to creep back into the story. But why throw out this list right here?

Any help?

(By the way... big shout out to the Steelers.)

January 31st: Exodus 3-4, Psalm 56-57 and Romans 9

Moses is a lot like me.

Ok, not all that "let my people go" and bearded Charlton Heston-ness, more like his random reactions. Take a look at Exodus 3. The bush is on fire and he says: "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up." Awesome. Here , let me imagine it. Moses: "Hey, look at that. A diminutive tree that's a light and yet magically not turning to ash. Wow, I've never seen anything like thaaaaaaa OH CRAP! I'm taking off the Pumas. There off. There off. Don't smite me." (And yes, in my head Moses has an English accent)

Then a few minutes later and Moses' staff turns into a snake and he runs away. He's not scared by asbestos tree but God turns his staff into a snake and he runs like a girl. Seriously? C'mon Mo. Me on the other hand? No fear of heights, the dark or snakes. Oh no, I just worried that the Russians would attack me. Seriously. As a kid, I would hide under the blankets and pray that Red Dawn would not happen in my backyard. Both reactions to unfounded fear are a tad illogical.

Here is what I love about this story. God made a tree burn but not burn. He gives Moses a message to deliver. And it's kinda important and all. Then God turns a wooden staff into a freaking snake and then at that point Moses freaks out. Does he seriously think that God is going to do two crazy cool miracles and then use the snake to kill him? That wouldn't make much sense.

But then again... circumcision.

January 29th: Genesis 48-50, Psalm 51-52 and Romans 5-6

There is something to this fatherly blessing thing. Not sure why it isn't used anymore. You see it with all of the patriarchs: Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob and then Jacob to each of his twelve sons (plus Ephraim and Manasseh). Why did it fall out of favor? People stopped wanting to see their kids do well? Where did this practice go? I would have been much more impressed though if when Jacob got to Reuben, he said: “My son, you will be the namesake of a delicious sandwich that is the perfect combination of otherwise gross elements.” Now that would have been a sweet prophecy.

I wonder though, how the sons took it. I wonder if each of them went home and pondered what had been said. I wonder if any of them sloughed it off as crazy-old-man-talk or if Zebulun went home to his wife with plans to build a boat and buy property with an ocean view.

I wonder mostly, because I’ve wondered what I would do if I got the inside scoop on the future. I wonder how I would take it… I wonder if I would outright question the prophet or if I would trust God. Like I said, I'm pretty pessimistic so I think I would be filled with doubt and critisim.

Or, I’d probably write a book and go on Oprah. And that’s exactly why the prophecies are rolling my direction.

January 30th: Exodus 1-2, Psalm 53-55 and Romans 7-8

Struck again today about the issue of telling lies in the Old Testament. Exodus 1:19-20. Midwives lie to pharaoh. And God blesses them? I thought that lying was bad? Seriously? Suddenly, I understand proponents of situational ethics. Well, I understand how they came up with it. How do we as Christians, as parents, as mentors or leader... how do we deal with verses like this?

And one other thing... If I never read the Bible, are you telling me you put a baby in a boat in the river? What's up with that? This is no joke, I got a ticket for having a kid in a boat without a life jacket (well, not me... the guy that OWNED the boat, but I was there). Moses? Nope. Nothing. No questions.

Normal situation:

Girl: "Hey look a baby in a boat... Can I keep him?"
Mom: "NO. That thing's probably covered in diseases. Do you know where that thing has been? Seriously, put it back. And wash your hands. Those things are expensive and it'll probably grow up and lead a massive rebellion freeing all the slaves and we'll have to start doing real work around here."

OK, so that last part wasn't very normal.

Little heads up for my single friends: There is a serious connection in the first couple books of the Bible between wells and dudes hooking up with chicks. Start digging stat!

January 28th: Genesis 46-47, Psalm 50 and Romans 3-4

Real short today:

Abraham's faith in God was counted to him as righteousness. It's right there in Romans 4. I just read through Genesis. That guy, Abraham, he worried, he lied, he messed up. He was like you and me. But when God called him, he went. When God made a promise that was hard to understand, Abraham believed him.

Sure he messed up. He was human. But he had faith and God blessed him for it. It's nice to know that a slip here and there doesn't doom us. It's about our faith.

That's comforting.

Lectio Divina

This is like a midday update...
I say "like" because I've only been awake for like an hour and that would mean I'll be back in bed by nine. Something tells me that my employer would not appreciate that.

So have you heard of Lectio Divina? Have you ever done it? What do you think? I'd be curious to know.

January 27th: Genesis 44-45, Psalm 49 and Romans 1-2

Life lesson # 37:

If someone ever accuses you of stealing a silver chalice, never, I repeat never throw in a "who ever stole it will die." It's always a bad idea. You look silly.

I must not be that smart. It's official. There is a high school calculus teacher sitting in a bar saying, "Yes. See, I told you. I always said that Reisinger kid was special needs. Finally admitted it though."

Romans was a letter, read out loud to a church (imagine being eight that day when this scroll rolls in). No sitting and studying it, no pouring over verb selection. You get one shot, one listen. And you probably understood more than me. Same with the Psalms. I just don't get them. Give me some OT historical books. No problem. But I don't get Paul's style.

I had a talk with a group of people the other day, we discussed the Bible as an answer book. I mean, part of my job is telling people to read this thing. That it's a road map to life. But when the dude next to you at Outback starts choking on his Bloomin' Onion, don't flip open Song of Solomon, cause you will not find what you're looking for. Trust me.

So how do you read it better? How do you grow a relationship with God from Bible reading? Any thoughts?