In the past months readings there's been a lot of beheadings, A LOT. I know there's a war going on but this seems violent to the extreme. I wonder what we are to take away from these New Testament readings? I wonder what we are to learn and apply to our lives today.
On the other side of the readings, I am enjoying hearing the stories of Jesus again, and being reminded of His words.
How's everyone doing?
~ Sarah
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Anyone else?
I've not been the most religious reader. I've been known to miss 10 days and spend several hours on a Sunday morning catching up. But this week I've been trying to do better. I found a trick. I've been reading online, at work, when it's quiet and I have a free moment. Or when I need a moment!
So yesterday I had a horrible experience with my boss. He was disrespectful, dismissive, and downright rude to me in front of other teachers, my other bosses, parents and students. I felt it was totally uncalled for and so did most of the other witnesses. So much so that the rest of the day was a constant barrage of, "how can I help?", "what can I do?", "are you okay?" but of course nothing from my boss. Except a backhanded email that I was cc'd on that I feel as another slap in the face.
But I recall this story not to whine, or because I am looking for sympathy, I did plenty of that yesterday. But here's what I also did. I came right back to my office and I opened "my bible" (online of course) and I read. And I felt better. I felt like God was speaking to me and that no matter what happens to me here, I am to know I am loved and frankly, I am a better person for not retaliating as I had initially wanted to do.
I took my moment and I read, and prayed, and remembered what's really important in life. And I can't say a year ago I would have ever done that or even thought about doing that. I am so glad to have been able to have this experience of going through the bible. I find some of it really uninteresting but then comes along a story I really connect with or one I'd always heard about but never read for myself. Very cool.
I hope you all are getting something from this experience whether you're still in March's readings or you're a week ahead. Keep reading, I'm going to, I know God has a plan and I can't wait to read how it all started!
So yesterday I had a horrible experience with my boss. He was disrespectful, dismissive, and downright rude to me in front of other teachers, my other bosses, parents and students. I felt it was totally uncalled for and so did most of the other witnesses. So much so that the rest of the day was a constant barrage of, "how can I help?", "what can I do?", "are you okay?" but of course nothing from my boss. Except a backhanded email that I was cc'd on that I feel as another slap in the face.
But I recall this story not to whine, or because I am looking for sympathy, I did plenty of that yesterday. But here's what I also did. I came right back to my office and I opened "my bible" (online of course) and I read. And I felt better. I felt like God was speaking to me and that no matter what happens to me here, I am to know I am loved and frankly, I am a better person for not retaliating as I had initially wanted to do.
I took my moment and I read, and prayed, and remembered what's really important in life. And I can't say a year ago I would have ever done that or even thought about doing that. I am so glad to have been able to have this experience of going through the bible. I find some of it really uninteresting but then comes along a story I really connect with or one I'd always heard about but never read for myself. Very cool.
I hope you all are getting something from this experience whether you're still in March's readings or you're a week ahead. Keep reading, I'm going to, I know God has a plan and I can't wait to read how it all started!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Chosen
Ummmm.... I am not sure how to say this so I guess I will just say this. God is acting a bit like Hitler or maybe Hitler acted a little like God? Either way God is doing some serious ethnic cleansing in the latest readings. He is taking out everyone except the Israelites and in some gruesome ways. Sarah said it is because they were worshipping other Gods but the chosen ones kept doing that too and then bad things happened to them and then they would cry out "God help us!" and he would send a prophet to save them.
They didn't even have to ask for forgiveness. They whole thing seems shady to me. I don't get it. I guess I am glad I am I live in a post New Testament world and Jesus has saved me from God's wrath.
I promise I will never compare God and Hitler again.
Angela
They didn't even have to ask for forgiveness. They whole thing seems shady to me. I don't get it. I guess I am glad I am I live in a post New Testament world and Jesus has saved me from God's wrath.
I promise I will never compare God and Hitler again.
Angela
Gideon
I have to say I relate quite a bit to this fellow Gideon:
"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" (Judges 6:13)
And as I read I was comforted by how the Lord built Gideon up. Sometimes I wish God would just come down here and have a conversation with me, you know? Sometimes I wish I could just speak to Him face-to-face. Do you ever wonder why we can't?
~ Sarah
"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" (Judges 6:13)
And as I read I was comforted by how the Lord built Gideon up. Sometimes I wish God would just come down here and have a conversation with me, you know? Sometimes I wish I could just speak to Him face-to-face. Do you ever wonder why we can't?
~ Sarah
Friday, April 11, 2008
Friendship
Proverbs 12:26
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
(Footnotes: Proverbs 12:26 - Or man is a guide to his neighbor).
This passage left me curious last night. "Is cautious in friendship" - what do you think that means? At first thought I guess it means you choose your friends caferfully, with, obviously, caution. But when I went online today I saw the footnotes for this passage and that got me wondering again. So are we supposed to set a good example? Is that what it means? What do y'all think?
Hope it's going well - I'm doing much better reading each passage on it's assigned day this week:-) It's a start!
~ Sarah
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
(Footnotes: Proverbs 12:26 - Or man is a guide to his neighbor).
This passage left me curious last night. "Is cautious in friendship" - what do you think that means? At first thought I guess it means you choose your friends caferfully, with, obviously, caution. But when I went online today I saw the footnotes for this passage and that got me wondering again. So are we supposed to set a good example? Is that what it means? What do y'all think?
Hope it's going well - I'm doing much better reading each passage on it's assigned day this week:-) It's a start!
~ Sarah
Sunday, April 6, 2008
New Testement Query
All along I thought it would be the Old Testament that would give me the most to think about having studied the New testament the most. But today I have a question about the New Testament reading. When Jesus and the disciples were in the boat and Jesus was sleeping and the storm comes up....we all know the story. The boys get scared, they wake Jesus up and he calms the storm down, and he says - you of little faith. Today when I was reading that (I was a little behind) I started to think, would they have been ok if Jesus hadn't been woken up? Would the storm have gone away and everything been fine on its own? Now I realize that would not have been a story for the Bible but I was wondering. Were the disciples making a mountain out of a mole hill. Is that what Jesus was telling them, telling us? Is that a given and it just went over my head all the other times I heard it? Just curious.
Also - in regard Deuteronomy 15:16-17 If the servant does not want to leave after seven years the master is to take and awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become a servant for life. What on earth is an awl????
Thanks, Angela
Also - in regard Deuteronomy 15:16-17 If the servant does not want to leave after seven years the master is to take and awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become a servant for life. What on earth is an awl????
Thanks, Angela
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Around in circles
We have kept up pretty well. A few days behind here and there, but still plugging along. Does anyone else feel that the Israelites have been going in circles since they left Egypt? They don't like being in slavery to the Egyptians but when they get the chance for freedom and the land of milk and honey they question the Lord at every turn.
We thought that the bible said that the Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years. But in Numbers 33 v 38 it says that Aaron died in the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. After that we are reading that they are still not at the promise land. Are we adding our years wrong? I guess that might be another question for Chuck.
Another verse that we really connected with is Luke 12 v16. Jesus often withdrew to a lonely places to pray. Jeff and I were thinking that maybe we should do this more often. I don't think we take enough time to quiet our hearts and be still with the Lord. We are going to try and work on that.
Leviticus and Numbers has been a tough read for us. I read all of the daily reading out loud after we eat dinner. Some of my pronunciations are very funny and I have been skipping the run downs on the tribes and the names of the elders. So many rituals for what we would call minor infractions. Boy am I glad the Lord chose to put me in this time and place.
On to Deuteronomy!!!
We thought that the bible said that the Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years. But in Numbers 33 v 38 it says that Aaron died in the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. After that we are reading that they are still not at the promise land. Are we adding our years wrong? I guess that might be another question for Chuck.
Another verse that we really connected with is Luke 12 v16. Jesus often withdrew to a lonely places to pray. Jeff and I were thinking that maybe we should do this more often. I don't think we take enough time to quiet our hearts and be still with the Lord. We are going to try and work on that.
Leviticus and Numbers has been a tough read for us. I read all of the daily reading out loud after we eat dinner. Some of my pronunciations are very funny and I have been skipping the run downs on the tribes and the names of the elders. So many rituals for what we would call minor infractions. Boy am I glad the Lord chose to put me in this time and place.
On to Deuteronomy!!!
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