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."