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I was thinking recently and decided I wanted to add a section to my website to blog about issues of church and faith. It's interesting to consider what role the Internet might have in the lives of today's and tomorrow's young people -- could it be a catalyst for encouraging kids to explore and share their faith?
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, JudgesSeptember 28, 2008
I'm a ways behind in my reading schedule, but it felt good to finish Judges today. I have lots of thoughts to share, too many to realistically write them all down! Overall, I've really enjoyed reading the Bible as a story. The Old Testament comes to life when you read it this way, connecting the dots as you go. At times it is breathtaking following Jacob's descendants on their long and remarkable journey. How amazing is it to hold in your hands scriptures that are thousands of years old... following along on the journey of man's relationship with God from the very beginning. Here is a list of topics that have struck me, and I could probably go into a lot more detail on some of them.   | Moses: One of the most striking figures in the Old Testament is Moses. Before he enters the scene, the Israelites are a group of slaves in Egypt. By the time Moses dies, Israel is a nation of 600,000 people with a complex set of laws handed down from God, and together they have shared one of Earth's most amazing adventures. They witness God's mighty hand in some of the most remarkable displays of supernatural power recorded in the Bible, they share 40 years of soul searching in the desert, and after it all, they're crouched at the door of the promised land. |
| The promised land: Talking about story, it is extremely satisfying to read about the Israelites, at long last, entering the promised land: a journey, several generations long, finally coming to fruition. |
| Human interaction with God: Another attribute of Moses is his remarkable interactions with God. I can't think of another human figure in the Bible that has such an intimate relationship with God, relaying countless numbers of things to the Israelites. Besides Moses, it is intriguing to read about all of the mysterious encounters with God in the Old Testament. |
| Eternal life: A curious fact about the first books of the Bible is that eternal life isn't really mentioned. Sure, Methuselah is taken away, but that's about it. Strange. |
| Hell: Likewise, the first books of the Bible don't really mention hell. Curious. |
| Violence and war: I'm probably more sensitized having attended a Mennonite church these last few years, but the violence of the Old Testament is a little hard to take at times. On one hand, you have examples of communal stoning, commanded by God, and on the other, you have the sweet mood of the promised land tainted by the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of opponents, including women and children. We understand that part of God's motivation for wiping out these peoples were their detestable behavior, which including child sacrifices, but surely not all of these people were wicked. Many of them would have been not-to-distant relatives of the Israelites. |
| Women: It is pretty clear reading the Old Testament that woman played a very different role in society than men, and a few of the laws sound very odd given our modern day mindset. |
| Polygamy: Today there are two primary models for sexual relationship: The monogamous relationship (marriage + common law) and casual sexual relationship. But during Biblical times, it appears that polygamy was very much on the scene as a very mainstream thing. |
| Unlawful sexual relations: Some striking text in Leviticus that I had never read before. Leviticus 18:22: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman: that is detestable.", and Leviticus 20:13: "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Sounds pretty clear to me: God detests homosexual relations. |
| Idolatry: And of course, there is idolatry, one of the most significant themes in the Old Testament. It's hard to understand the temptation, several thousand years ago, to cast an idol and worship it, but it's clear that the temptation was huge. It's very sad, especially in the book of Judges, reading about Israel's failures, to the point of the tribe on Benjamin getting nearly wiped off the map. |
Being thankful for energySeptember 6, 2008
When I'm faced with getting a bunch of stuff done, it can feel a little daunting, but I'm learning to say thanks to God for the energy, fitness, and motivation to be productive. I guess I find this thought novel since perhaps we're tempted to thank ourselves / pat ourselves on the back for getting things done, but it's good to remember that energy and abilities are actually a pretty great gift. Acknowledging GodSeptember 2, 2008
In watching the men's Olympic marathon this year, I was touched to see the winner, after crossing the line, stop and kneel down, drop his head, and pause for half a minute, crossing himself. Several of the top finishers also acknowledged their Heavenly Maker. When I was a kid and saw athletes do this, it always felt as though it was some kind habitual thing without much meaning. But as I watched these athletes, and felt the emotion of the situation, it was somehow different. Part of what makes it more meaningful now is that I relate it to to how I felt finishing the marathon, wanting to praise God for the achievement, to deflect the feelings of joy and satisfaction toward the one who makes all good things possible, and ultimately, say a big THANK YOU! older >>
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