Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty

Day 23: Leviticus 12-15

As I was reading Leviticus tonight, I was struck by how much of these laws have to do with cleanliness--cleanliness in how your home looks, what you wear, what you eat, and what should happen if/when you become ill. It seems to me that these rules and restrictions serve more symbolic purposes now. To them, they were rules for how to live a life--rules for how to be more clean, pure, and holy in the presence of God. For us today, they seem more like a metaphor for holiness. How God views being holy as an essential part of who we are.

I don't think our culture emphasize holiness too much. It emphasizes a lot of things, but holiness is not one of them.

So one way we as Christians can differentiate our Christian selves from our American selves is by being holy. God obviously values holiness: He is holy, and He wants us to be, too. We should strive for holiness--being clean, pure, and righteous. Differentiating ourselves from others. Imitating God.

Symbolism, God, and the Church

Day 22: Leviticus 8 to 11

Over the past two years, I have come to appreciate symbolism, artwork, and beauty in places of worship.

I grew up in a church tradition (Church of Christ) that did not have such symbolism in its places of worship (even the Lord's Supper table was used for functional purposes). No artwork was hung on the walls. No candles were scattered around to set the tone for worship and thus there were no aromas to engage our sense of smell. Windows did not typically have stained glass. No banners, crosses, or tapestries could be seen. The building--the "auditorium" as we called it then--was bare. White walls. Flourescent lights. A podium up front. The building was purely functional; it wasn't at all symbolic.

And this was purposefully so. The people who founded our churches, for whatever reason, wanted simplicity and functionality above all else. Perhaps they didn't have the money to purchase such items. Or maybe they wanted the focus to be on God and not on the human artwork on the wall. Or maybe they didn't want to be like other denominations that they didn't agree with who used such items in their buildings. I'm not really sure.

This tradition was all I knew, so I didn't think too much about it at the time. When I went to college, though, I began visiting a great variety of churches--all in my religious tradition--and noticed that some of the churches had artwork on the walls. Some even had drama and drawings during the worship service. It felt a bit odd to me at the time because these practices were so different than I was accustomed to, but I still didn't consider these practices in a critical manner.

Over the past two years, though, I have thought much more about the place of symbolism, ritual, and ceremony in places of worship. In our church plant, for instance, the order of our Life Groups went like this: First, we met together for worship, prayer, Bible study, and discussion. We then moved on to communion where everyone participated. Finally, we ended our night with dinner.

This may seem pretty typical of a lot of house churches and small groups, but what made this especially important to us was the symbolism of the practice of communion. We broke bread together as a group in Life Group, and then we moved that communion bread and cup over to the dinner tables where we broke bread again through a meal. We loved this association between communion and sitting together with others around a table--just like Jesus did in the Bible.

That is just one example of the many ways in which Shane implemented symbolism into our worship. Through this experience with the church plant, I have come to see just how important it is to me as I worship. And what strikes me from the reading today is how much symbolism and ceremony goes into everything that God does in the Old Testament. When Aaron becomes the high priest of Israel, for instance, God gives explicit instructions about the ceremony and ritual that must go into his appointment. Over and over again God institutes ceremony, ritual, and symbolism. If God thinks ceremony, ritual, and symbolism are important, shouldn't we think so, too?

Reasons I Like Symbolism in Churches:
1. God is the ultimate creative one, and including artwork, symbols, crosses, color, and the like shows how God has passed this creativity on to human beings. We can praise God for the creativity he has bestowed on human artists.

2. It helps focus our minds on worship. When we look at the beauty adorning the walls or the royal colors draped over a cross hanging on the wall, we remember that we are in the presence of God.

3. It engages more of our senses than just aurality. It also engages the visual sense, a sense that today's society makes more and more use of when we process our environments.

4. Symbolism in our churches connects us to the rituals and ceremonies of God. You don't have to read through the Bible long to see how.

5. God is worthy of beautiful things. Even though our symbols may cost money--money that we might rather spend somewhere else--God is worthy of this money being spent on Him. Just think about Jesus and the woman who sat at Jesus' feet and poured expensive perfume on him. Jesus said that she had chosen what was better.

6. It is meaningful. Symbolism brings meaning to us by making connections between our lives, the life of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the life of the church. Symbols mean something to people. 

I hope you will consider where and how you can find symbolism in the place you worship and try to make it meaningful to you.

Giving to God

Day 21: Leviticus 1-7

The first seven chapters of Leviticus discuss the various offerings that the Israelites are to make to God: burnt offering; grain offering; fellowship offering; sin offering; and guilt offering. God gives very specific instructions on the purpose of these offerings, as well as how they are to be carried out.

Today, we can make offerings to God. We can give to God through our church. We can give our money to missionaries, church planters, and non-profit organizations, all of which are meant to promote the Lord's work. We can even give offerings to God by giving him ourselves--our whole selves.

We have been extremely blessed by those who chose to give offerings to our work as church planters. Hundreds of people gave to us so that we could do the Lord's work here in Waco. Some gave $25 one time. Others gave $25 monthly. Still others supported us by giving $100 per month, $250 per month, or even $500 per month! People were so giving. We could not have accomplished what we did without their (your!) offerings!

We feel so blessed. These laws that God set out in the Old Testament for how the Israelites are to give to God carried over into today where people who know us and love us gave money to God (through us) because they believed in God. We are so grateful to you. Those words do not even begin to explain how thankful and appreciative we are to you. Thank you for giving to us. Thank you for giving to God. May it come back to you tenfold.

We will pass on the gifts you gave us to others.

Imagine

Day 20: 31-40

Moses. I respect Moses. Here is a man who obeys God’s commands. Always. He does everything the Lord commands of him and as a result, as 33:11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Wow. That is so cool. Moses got to speak with God in a way that I’ve wanted to my entire life.

Moses even got to see the glory of God while God was shielding him in a cleft of the rock.

God is so creative!! His imagination is like none other. He is poetic, beautiful, and artistic.

Imagine being able to speak to God face to face. Can you do it?

What is amazing is that God has passed these traits on to His people. He blesses His people with this same creativity. For instance, the writer of Exodus emphasizes the craftsmanship and artistry of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the priestly garments, and other things as well. God fills people with his Spirit and they do amazing things for Him. In this case, Bezalel and Oholiab and a whole host of others were put in charge of the artistic designs for all the items God wanted built. The Lord gave them skill and they used it for His glory.

Imagination.

Shane has been preaching on imagination the last two Sundays, and the sermons have really got me thinking about this word. I don’t think I use my imagination enough where God is concerned. I tend to see reality. I’m a realist, you could say. But I don’t dream often enough about how life could be. I don’t imagine life being very different than it is now.

But it could be.

God has an imagination, and He’s given me one, too. He’s given you one. Maybe we should begin dreaming about the possibilities when we imagine.

A world without poverty.
A world without racism.

A world without injustice.
A world without murder, rape, pornography, hatred, divorce, sexual immorality.
A world without sin.

A world full of love and full of people who love God.

Can we imagine it? If we imagine it, it just might happen. But if we don't imagine it, it will never happen.

Imagine.

God's covenant with Israel

Day 19: Day 22 to 30

Laws and laws.

Rules and rules.

Do this. Don’t do this.

The reading for today seems like a bunch of “dos” and “don’ts,” and it’s easy to get bogged down in all the details; trying to do learn all the commands that God gives to Moses on the mountain, commands that Moses then takes to the Israelites. There are a lot of them, and they are very detailed and specific.

But it’s not just about that, I don’t think. First, these laws seem a bit outdated to me. We don’t have tabernacles; nor do we need to know how to make them.

The denomination of which I’m a part doesn’t even have priests, so the talk about the vestments and such isn’t really relevant either.

But what is relevant is the covenant.

God makes a covenant with Israel, and Israel makes a covenant with God. It’s almost like they are making vows with each other. God promises to do things for God, and the Israelites covenant to do things for Him.

Covenant. A promise.

A promise to be holy. A promise to provide.

What promises have I made in my life? Have I kept them? Have I held my word?

I can think of two main vows I have made. One was to God on the day I dedicated my life to being a Christian and was baptized, dying to myself and vowing to live for God. I still live by this vow to God. It’s a covenant I keep. But I also know that I sin—daily.

The other vows were to my husband on the day I married him. Those vows were and still are extremely important to me, but I don’t think I read them enough to remember what I promised to him. He sure puts up with a lot. Although I have kept my vows in the grand sense, I know there are days when I haven’t kept them at the more local level. Just like I’ve messed up with God, I’ve messed up with Shane.

So if I’ve messed up, does it mean that I’ve broken the covenant? Yes it does.

But that’s where God’s grace comes in. That’s where the blood of Jesus comes in to save me. Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross allows me to keep my covenants even though I break them. It allows me to renew my covenant with God and my husband and my children and others. This part of the Bible, though, is important in showing me what covenant is about.

America, America

Day 18: Exodus 18 to 21

In the reading for today, God continues to develop his relationship with Moses. Moses and God seem to be pretty tight, particularly because Moses obeys God and fears him. They have several conversations and Moses functions as the go-between between God and Israel. In a way, Moses foreshadows Jesus. Although Moses is by no means Jesus, Moses serves some of the same function as Jesus does, particularly in terms of speaking to the people.

I really admire Moses. He seems like a great guy who lives his life trying to do the right thing. He’s also the one that God entrusted to take His laws to the Israelite people, laws which included the Ten Commandments.

As I was reading the Ten Commandments tonight, I was struck by how these laws don’t seem so much like “God’s laws” per se as they do laws of human nature, natural laws. It seems that these laws make our world better, no matter in what religion you believe. For instance, the law of Sabbath is not so much about religious practice as it is about the need for humans to rest and reflect so we can function better and be more at one with God, ourselves, and others. In addition, when we have no other gods except the one true God, we realize what other things in our life take up the space that God should hold. These laws, if we follow them, lead us to a greater and fuller existence. One where we sacrifice ourselves for God and for others.

In the United States, we have all these debates about whether or not we should put the Ten Commandments up in our courtrooms, our schools, or our parks. Although I understand why some want to fight so that the Ten Commandments remain in these places so that we can see them and so that our society can be ruled by the, first, we must understand that these commandments are already natural law—whether they’re in government buildings or not.

For me, I don’t think it’s so important that we fight for the Ten Commandments to remain in these places. Rather, I think it’s more important for us to live our lives by following them.

Not killing.

Not coveting.

Not stealing.

Not lying.

Not having other gods.

Not making idols for ourselves.

Not committing adultery.

Not cursing God.

Honoring our parents and grandparents.

And resting and reflecting on God and His word.

If we write these laws on our hearts, we don’t need to see them in government buildings to know what they say. The true testament of our faith isn’t that we’re fighting for them to be written in print; the true testament of our faith is how we live out our lives. Do we obey God and follow the laws that He has established for us—laws that are meant to protect us and not to hurt us? Or do we focus more of our time on trying to preserve an America that probably never existed in the first place rather than truly reflecting and meditating on the laws themselves.

If we live our lives according to the laws, America might see God in us; but if we spend too much energy fighting for the preservation of the laws in our buildings, then they may never see what’s truly inside our hearts.

Regardless, God is in control.

Trusting God Is Hard to Do

Day 17: Exodus 14 to 17

After reading this section of text where the Israelites escape through the Red Sea and then wander in the wilderness, I am annoyed with them, yet I can identify with them. They whine and whine and whine. They doubt God and wonder what He is up to. They complain, complain, complain. And as a reader, this gets old. But as a human, I can totally identify with it because I do the same thing with God. When things are going well, I thank him for his gifts and blessings and when things go poorly or when I don't hear his voice at all, I whine and complain, whine and complain. God must be annoyed with the Israelites, and he must get annoyed with me, too.

Why is it so hard to trust God--to trust in God--to take care of us?

I think part of this answer lies with our American culture. We tend to trust ourselves and look out for number one. If things are going well, we give ourselves credit, and when things turn sour, we blame others. We don't stay in relationships long and when it looks like we aren't going to win, we give up. We also are very self-reliant; we don't want to trust anyone but ourselves.

If we apply these principles to our relationship with God, we may be one to only pray when we need something, or to only remember God in the bad times of our lives. We may even blame God when our poor choices have negative consequences. In addition, we are hesitant to trust others because so often we have been let down. And at times it seems that God has let us down, too, so we are hesitant to trust God.

I think another part has to do with our own insecurity. Would God really let this happen to us? I thought he wanted only what is good for me.

I also think that trusting God is hard because we don't know where trusting him might take us. We may be forced to give up things to which we are attached but that may not be good for us. Or we may be called out of our comfort zones to do things like giving up your possessions, your job security, or your home to move somewhere else.

Trusting God is hard.

But He shows us again and again that He will provide for us. The provision may not always look like we want it to be, but he does take care of us. He will take care of us. I can trust that; you can, too.

Elizabeth and the Ten Plagues

After reading about the ten plagues. I had an idea of an activity to do with Elizabeth. So when I got home from work last night, Elizabeth and I sat down at the table, got out markers, glue, magazines, and scissors, and we went to work. First, I read her the story of each plague. Then, we went to work creating a posterboard of the ten plagues. Here is what she made.

We couldn't find magazine pictures of frogs, gnats, flies, locusts, or hail, so we just drew them ourselves. Note that I'm going to have to go back and change where I wrote "Boils" on #7. That's supposed to say "Hail." As you can tell, she did a great job drawing boils in #6!

I had my computer on the table with us and whenever we couldn't find something in the magazines, I searched for a picture of the item on the internet. Elizabeth said to me, "Mommy, you have A LOT of pictures on your computer. You have pictures of EVERYTHING!" It was really cute.

Some of the plagues stories scared Elizabeth (and me, too). But we talked about that--about why might God choose to kill firstborn children or livestock or fish. While we didn't always have answers, it helps to talk about it and to discuss the topic instead of pretend that it is just normal. We also talked about Pharaoh's choices and how had he made better choices or obeyed God earlier, then he and his people would not have suffered like they did. It's about obedience. Obeying God and humbling ourselves.

Overall, we had a great time doing this together. I like how what I am reading in the Bible is permeating other areas of my life. I'm also thinking and reflecting on what I read and what I write many times during the day.

"He leadeth me"

Day 16: Exodus 11-13

“The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

God freed the Israelites from slavery. He finally persuaded Pharaoh to let them go. And when they were freed, he led them.

God led the Israelites.

Just like God led the Israelites from their enslavement, he also leads us from ours. Not only does he free us, but he also shows us the way out. He leads us just like he led them. I find this very comforting.

And what's more is that he set the example for us on how we are to behave with new Christians. Not only should we show them how they can be released, but we should also lead them afterwards. We should show them how to live. He leadeth me/us, and now we lead others.

Contending for our release

Day 15: Exodus 5-10

God told Moses to say this to the Israelites:
"I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord." (NRSV)

Here, God finally reveals himself to his people. He lets them know what he will do for them.

But, they don't listen because they can't see past their immediate circumstances.

Yet still, Moses keeps doing what God is asking of him.

I really like this section of text where you see a conversation between The Lord and Moses. God asks Moses to do something. Moses goes and does it. Then Moses returns to God, and they make a new plan about how to get the Israelites released from Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardens his heart (and sometimes the text says that God hardens Pharaoh's heart) and a new plague ensues on the Egyptians.

It's interesting to me the reason why God tells Pharaoh to let his people go. God could have wanted them released to save them from the brutal hand of slavery, to save them from pain. Or he could have wanted them released to show them the Promised Land. Or he could have ordered their release because he is God and Pharaoh is not. But no. It's not any of these reasons. Instead, God wants the Israelites released so that they can worship him.

God wants the Israelites to worship him.

God places an extreme importance on worship. He vies for his people's release so that they can worship him.

Does God contend for our release, too? Does he want to release us from something so that we can worship him? From what does he want to release us? Selfishness? Work? Busyness? Depression? Worry? Immorality? Faithlessness?

This metaphor of God trying to save his people is still at work today. In the end, God wants us to worship him. He wants to release us from our worries, fears, anxieties, and everything else that is keeping us enslaved. He wants us to worship him instead.

When we come to worship him (any time and any place), we should remember that God has released us--he has FREED us--from our prison chains. We can now bow down knowing that he has taken away our pain; he has liberated us. For that, we should worship God.

Delivered

Day 14: Exodus 1-4

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for a long time. They must have been wondering where God was during this entire time. They groaned and cried out to God. God heard their pleas and remembered his covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Over this past year, I have felt like the Israelites—-groaning and crying out to God, wondering when he was going to listen to my prayers. I prayed and prayed that God would lead us to a new job—and do so quickly—but he didn’t. Shane and I were both in very low emotional states—depressed, actually—-and for the first time we both got on depression medication (I feel a little awkward admitting that, even though I know it’s common.). I wondered when God was going to take care of us (Technically, I know He always was, but I still wondered where his hand was in all this and why he wasn’t answering our prayers for a new job).

Dreams lost.

Faith tested.

Souls scarred.

What comes next for the Israelites—-God calls Moses to delivery them from slavery in Egypt-—offers me hope. While I can’t see into my future, I do know that God is taking care of me. He has already provided us a new job. Now, I’m hopeful that he will start re-casting our dreams, firming our faith, and healing our souls. And just like the Israelites do at the end of Genesis 4, I, too, will believe in God and bow down and worship him.

Side Note: I’m learning more why these Bible stories (and the Old Testament) are important. They can guide us as we live our lives.

"God Intended It for Good"

Day 13: Genesis 46 to 50

Today has been a good day. The congregation welcomed us warmly, and we enjoyed meeting many people this morning. Shane preached a fantastic sermon about the Christian imagination and tied this idea of “imagine” into the book of Ezekiel. The sermons will be available online soon at www.nccoc.net. This first one was really good.

While Peyton got to go to the nursery during the worship service, Elizabeth had to sit with me during the service since Northcrest doesn’t have children’s church. For her first time sitting there the whole time, she did almost all right, and that’s being kind to her. For those of you who know Elizabeth, you know how she is literally ALWAYS talking. Well, church service was no different. I came prepared with snacks, books, and crayons, but this still wasn’t enough to keep her occupied. Poor thing! She’ll learn how to be quiet, I’m sure. I’m looking forward to that time, so I can pay 100% attention to Shane’s sermons! I’m glad they’re available online. ;)

As we begin this new job—and I say “we” not because I do the preaching or anything but because we see congregational and community ministry as “our” ministry—I am prayerful yet anxious about what’s to come.

I’m sure Joseph never thought his life would turn out like it did. He probably expected to be a shepherd for his entire life just like his brothers. He expected to be near his father, his mother, and his brothers. But he was not. God had different plans for Joseph. Joseph was put in charge, second only to Pharaoh, and took care of the people during the seven years of famine. He grew close to God, and he listened to God’s calling. javascript:void(0)

I want to look back on our ministry as Joseph looked back on his life. While his brothers sold him into slavery and meant to harm him, Joseph has a different perspective about what happened. He tells his brothers, “Even though you intended to harm me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” (Gen. 50:20)

God knows what He’s doing with our lives. He knows what he’s doing with yours, and he knows what he’s doing with mine—even when we are unsure of what that might be. As my family begins life in this new ministry context, I am praying that God intends this experience to be for good so that we can preserve a numerous people. I hope he will use us in the same way he used Joseph. I pray the same for you, dear reader.

Forgiveness heals

Day 12: Genesis 42-45

Tomorrow begins a new journey for the Alexander family. Shane begins preaching at Northcrest Church of Christ. We are really excited about this moment because it marks the end of a very hard time in our lives, yet it also marks a time of hope, excitement, and change. We are really excited about joining this sweet congregation, and we are hopeful about what the Lord will do there with and through us. Thank you, God, for this opportunity. Keep us in your prayers.

On a different note...I love the story of Joseph meeting his brothers in Egypt long after they had sold him into slavery. Joseph must have been quite surprised to see them. He could have sought revenge against them. In fact, in his position as governor, he could have easily had them put to death. But he doesn’t. Instead, he has compassion on them. He shows them love. He shows them forgiveness.

There are a few people in my life to whom I feel bitterness. I was definitely wronged by them, and sometimes I want to dwell in this bitterness. But I can learn from Joseph how to show forgiveness. And what’s important to remember is that the forgiveness didn’t help the brothers; it helped Joseph. Joseph was able to welcome them into his home with an honest and genuine love for them—not a bitterness that no one would have blamed him for holding.

But he didn’t. He forgave. Forgiveness heals.

I, too, should forgive. I need to let go of the past and forgive those people who hurt me. It’s not for them that I need to do this; it’s for me. For my health and well-being. For my relationships with others. Thank you, Joseph, for reminding me of this lesson.

Are you there God? It's me, Kara.

Day 11: Genesis 40-41

After I wrote that post yesterday—in which I was obviously feeling a little crabby—I decided to talk to my husband and get his take on the OT and the purpose of all these stories. He gave me several good ideas about how to think about the stories. One of them is that if you know the stories, you can make connections in the rest of the Bible and see how God often parallels various stories and lives.

One of the things he said that resonated with me the most was that as I read the OT, I should consider what the reading is telling me about God. In a way I have been doing this. God’s absence, for instance, from so many of the stories I’m reading is one of the things that was frustrating me. I expect God to be present and active in much of the reading. I mean, this IS the Bible! But you know what? The same way God is conspicuously absent from places in the Bible is the same way it often seems in our own lives. God seems absent. Sometimes it seems as if He’s not acting at all, at least not in any obvious way. After thinking about the OT in this way, I realize that it’s nice to know that sometimes God appears absent in the Bible, too. We know he’s there, of course, but the extent to which he seems involved ebbs and flows. I find this fact comforting. If he were always mentioned with every single story, I might feel even more distant from God because it would seem that he never acts in the same way he did in the Bible.

I wish that God would speak to me like he spoke to people back then. I mean, Joseph was able to interpret dreams in the name of God and even predict the future through them. Jacob wrestled with God, and with each encounter with God, He grew and changed. Others encounter God and hear his voice. Why did God change the way He communicates with people? Why can't He speak to us like He did back then? I would really like to hear him talk to me is all. To hear him talk back. to have a conversation. To not wonder if he's listening but to really know that he is there and that he cares.

I realize that one of the ways he talks to me is through scripture, which is one of the reasons I'm reading the Bible now. This experience has led me to appreciate

I'm glad to be learning more about God and how he speaks to his people. I like to actually "hear" (read) his voice--what he has to say back then and think about how it applies to me now. I hope you will consider listening to his voice, too.

The Old Testament: What's the Point?

Day 10: Genesis 36-39

The Bible is full of such wicked people. People no different than we are today. I wonder why God thought they were important enough to include them in the Bible. Joseph’s brothers are pretty bad. They want to kill him but instead sell him off to who knows where and then lie to their father Jacob by fabricating this elaborate scheme about Joseph being killed by animals. Then Judah, one of the brothers, sleeps with a prostitute who, unbeknownst to him, is actually his daughter-in-law Tamar. Contrast these people with Joseph, who has values and morals that are quite unnatural for his time. (Apparently it was quite normal to sleep with a prostitute if you were a man—Judah seemed to make this obvious to everyone when he tried to pay the prostitute with a goat. And, when he found out Tamar had slept with someone she wasn’t married to, he wanted to put her to death. Needless to say that I don’t like the double standards here.)

On the contrary, the Lord was with Joseph and everything around him prospered. Joseph was even put in jail because of his values when he wouldn’t succumb to the advances of his master’s wife.

So many people from the line of Abraham behave so badly. I’m not sure what we are supposed to think about these people. I do know that God is sticking with this family. He has not left them. But these chapters just aren’t what you expect from people of God. It just seems like stories about people who have no relationship with God. Really, the only mention of the Lord is in reference to Joseph. The rest of the time, it’s just stories about this family, stories that are mostly full of evildoing.

What is the purpose of the Old Testament in relation to Christians today? This is a question I have been asked and asked myself on numerous occasions. I don’t quite know yet. I hope it’s more than just thinking these people are so evil. Because that’s really all I’m getting out of it right now. Except with Joseph. His story resonates with me in a different way. God watches out for him even when faced with difficult situates.

What are your thoughts on the Old Testament? Why or how do you think it’s relevant for us today? I’m really interested in hearing what you think.

Reeling from Revenge

Day 9: Genesis 32-35

What can I say about this reading today? A lot happened. Esau forgives Jacob. Jacob wrestles with God and God changes his name to Israel. Shechem rapes Jacob’s daughter Dinah and so Simeon and Levi seek revenge on Shechem and his family. Rachel dies in childbirth. Jacob returns back to the land of Abraham and Isaac.

If we look at all these stories together, I’m mostly struck by the contrast between Esau and Jacob’s two sons (Simeon and Levi). Both men were angry and wanted revenge. When Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and the blessing, Esau even vowed to kill Jacob. When Dinah was raped and deviled, the whole family was upset. But with time (at least 14 years), Esau’s bitterness dissipated so that when he meets Jacob on the road, he embraces him. He no longer wants to kill Jacob. The brothers, though, don’t have time on their side. They seek revenge right then and kill hundreds of men as a result. They even loot the town and take the women and children as their own. Jacob condemns their actions and curses them as he is dying. And if I’m recalling correctly, their descendants don’t inherit the part of the Promised Land promised to them. They have to suffer major consequences as a result of their actions. And Esau, because he does not seek revenge, doesn’t suffer.

Here you have two instances with different results. If Simeon and Levi hadn’t taken revenge into their own hands, they would have been blessed. Another reminder not to play God. Not to dole out justice as we see fit and instead let the Lord take care of it for us. God sure has emphasized this idea a lot in my reading so far. I guess this is a lesson that God really wants me to learn.

I do wonder a bit about the application of this chapter for me. I have never been wronged the way Esau or Dinah had been wronged, so I cannot know what it's like to want someone dead. I'm sure if I had ever been raped, I would want revenge. But for someone who has "lesser" evils done to her, I still typically don't want someone harmed or punished as a result. I just try to ignore it and move on. But I can learn more about the practice forgiveness. Forgiving others. Forgiving myself. And expressing my feelings to God rather than trying to deal with them myself.

Reaping and Sewing

Day 8: Genesis 29-31

Reading the biblical narrative in chronological order like I’m doing presents an interesting aspect of the text: it allows you to look at the text in relation to other things that have happened. I’ve just now read the story of Jacob and Laban and how Laban deceives Jacob by giving him Leah to marry rather than Rachel, the one Jacob wanted. I’ve always read this to view Laban as such an evil person, especially in relation to Jacob who was wronged. But reading this story so soon after reading the story of Jacob deceiving Esau makes me view it a little differently. What Laban does to Jacob is no different from what Jacob had done to Esau. The difference is that this time Jacob is on the receiving end of the deceit. Now he knows what Esau must have felt like. Maybe working for Laban for 17 years is the penance that Jacob has to pay for sinning against his father.

God does seem to teach us lessons in interesting ways. In this instance, Jacob reaped what he sewed.

And oftentimes, I do, too. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, though, when I’m wronged, maybe I should consider that the situation is a result of my own actions, my own behavior. Yikes. That’s not exactly politically correct, is it? To say that you get what you deserve. To say that I get what I deserve. It’s more kosher to cast blame than to take responsibility for one’s actions. Maybe I should start reflecting more on how my choices and my behavior influence what happens to me, just like they happened to Jacob.

What will your children do?

Day 7: Genesis 25-28

This evening has been a frustrating one for me as a parent. I've constantly had to discipline one of my children due to her disobedience, whining, and stubbornness. She will not do what she is told and thinks that she knows more than me about what she needs. She has been sent to her room at least twice and has been threatened with punishment, including spankings, too many times to count. I'm about to lose my temper.

So, I took a shower to cool off.

Now I'm m reading the passage for the day. One of the first things I read about is Isaac telling Abimelech that Rebekah (Isaac's wife) is his sister. Does this story sound familiar? Several years earlier, Isaac's father Abraham does the same thing with his wife Rebekah. For the sake of argument, let's assume that Isaac knew about Abraham's actions (it just seems too coincidental not to, righkt?). Years later, Isaac does the same thing with his own wife. Isaac had learned from his father, and in this case, it's not a good thing. Isaac made the same mistake that his father Abraham did--and it could have cost him his wife...and his life!! Children learn from the actions of their parents.

And then in chapter 27, Rebekah encourages Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. She's not a very good example to her son either. It's no surprise that years later Jacob suffers a great deal when the favoritism he shows to his son Joseph is not taken well by his other sons.

Yikes! I don't want to be reminded of this on an evening when I've had enough crying and whining and disobeying for a week!! But I don't want my daughter to behave the same way I did tonight. I want to teach her patience and love above all else. But if I'm going to teach her this, it would help if my actions showed the same. I really do want to pass on to my children good things--things that God sees as good and valuable. What a reminder!

Fearing God: Why Does It Matter?

Day 6: Genesis 20-24

Abraham’s wife Sarah sure is an interesting character. She couldn’t have children, so she gave Hagar, her maidservant, to her husband Abraham so that Hagar could bear Abraham a son. Sarah then mistreated Hagar and was very jealous of her when Hagar had Ishmael. Then later when Sarah was pregnant, she saw that Ishmael was mocking her and so she sent Hagar and Ishmael away into the desert. But God provided for them. The text even says that God was with Ishmael when he grew up. I like how God takes care of the outcasts in this passage. While Abraham and Sarah were going to be the father and mother of many nations, he still provided for and loved the people that they shun.

The sacrifice of Isaac is a very strange story. It’s hard to visualize a young boy agreeing to lay on an altar that was about to be set on fire, and it’s even harder to think of Abraham as following through with this. Whenever I think of this story, I always focus on the fact that Abraham had faith in God and God ended up protecting Isaac from death. However, in reading it today, I notice that there is no mention of Abraham’s faith. Rather, the angel of the Lord stops Abraham and says, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

The emphasis here is on fear. Fearing the Lord. When I think about fearing the Lord, I probably wouldn’t have posted that post from yesterday. Growing up, I was taught to fear the Lord (and my daddy, too!). I was worried about doing the wrong thing. The story of Ananias and Sapphira was stuck in my head (they lied and were struck dead). I feared what God would do to me. Over time, however, and perhaps after becoming a Christian and knowing I’m forgiven for my sins, I like to focus on God’s love and his grace. But so much of the Old Testament so far has been about fearing the Lord. I’m going to keep this theme in the back of my mind as I continue reading. I hope I can learn more about the fear of the Lord and why it matters that we fear God. For now, I think it matters because it shows us that God is more important than us, that God is God and we are not. When we fear God, we realize that we are not in charge of our lives, but that He is. Fearing God forms us; not fearing God forms us, too. I think the outcomes of that fear are evident in the way we live our lives as people who put God's will above our own.

I don't get it

Day 5: Genesis 17-19

Sometimes I don’t understand the ways of the Lord. I don’t understand why God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, an entire city? Sure, they were wicked. But aren’t we all? I just don’t understand where his compassion is. I don’t understand. And, to be honest, I don’t like that God did that. Yes, He’s God. But he also loves his people. Why such violence?

Abraham pleads with God not to destroy the city (the righteous and the wicked). God concedes to Abraham that if 10 righteous people can be found, He will not destroy the city. In the end, though, I guess God couldn’t locate even 10 righteous people because the city was destroyed. Lot’s wife was destroyed and probably a lot of other lives, too. Perhaps Lot and his daughters who had lost their wife/mom.

I’m not going to pretend to know why God did what He did. But I do wonder why he did that. What was the point? What is the point?

Parting Ways through Faith

Day 4: Genesis 13-16

The story of Abram and Lot parting ways has new meaning to me after my church planting experience. When Shane and I were thinking about how to approach our church planting partners about parting ways, we read this story often. Here you had two people who were very wealthy and the land could no longer support them both. Also, strife existed between their herders. But Abram didn’t want strife between the two of them, so he told Lot that Lot could choose which land to take and he would then go the other way.

Shane and I spent a lot of time thinking about this and decided that it was the right way to think about parting ways with the church planting couple. We didn’t know what they would choose, and we didn’t really know what we wanted to do either. Once I began looking at this hard situation in this way—as one where we would just trust God that he would make happen what needed to happen—I felt so much peace about the whole situation. The story of Abram and Lot increased my faith and brought me peace during a very difficult time. I knew that no matter how hard things got—and things got VERY hard afterwards—God would take care of us.

After Abram and Lot departed ways, God blessed Abram and Abram praised the Lord.

Hearing Voices

Day 3: Genesis 9-12

God demonstrates his power once again with the story of the tower of Babel. These people were building a monument to themselves and God didn’t like it. So, he confuses their language and scatters them all over the world. What kind of towers have I built in my life that replace God? Honestly, I don’t really like thinking about this question. Too often in my life, other things come first. Too often, I come first. But God wants to be first in my life, first in your life. He doesn’t want me to put my identity and self-esteem in anything else but him. I find comfort in this. When I’m having a hard day at work, for instance, or when I get rejection after rejection for the articles I’m trying to get published, I can remind myself that God wants me to find my identity in him. And this brings me comfort.

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I wonder how God called Abram. Did his voice come booming from heaven? Or was God’s voice one Abram heard in his head and followed because he knew it was God? Or did God speak to him some other way? I’m not sure, but sometimes I do wish that I would know exactly when God was speaking to me and what he was saying. Abram heard God and followed him immediately. I think I would follow God, too, but I want to hear him. To know for sure that God is speaking to me and that it’s not some other voice I’m listening to (like my own).

At times over these past two years, I have really regretted church planting. Before we did it, we prayed and prayed and prayed about this decision, and we really felt that we were being called to do this. But then it all seemed to combust, and we were left wondering if we really heard the voice of God calling us to do this, or if it was someone else’s. I guess we won’t ever know for sure, but I do find peace in the fact that God has used our church planting experiences to form us and shape us into more mature Christians, into a more mature couple. He also used us to impact others. Some of our best friends are people we met through this experience. God used this situation (and is still using this situation) for the good. I do pray, though, that God will reveal his voice to me more and more every day and that I will be humble enough to hear it.

God's Protection of a Murderer

Day 2: Genesis 4-8

The story goes: Cain and Abel were brothers. Abel offered pleasing sacrifices to God, while Cain didn't. Cain grew jealous and killed Abel. It sounds like something right out of a Hollywood film. Cain must have been dealing with some intense emotions. Anger. Hatred. Embarrassment. Jealousy. Feelings I've had before, too.

After the murder, God confronts Cain about his sin and places a curse on him, a curse of being a wanderer for the rest of his life. Cain will never have a home. He will be nomadic. In spite of this curse, God still does something for Cain: God puts a mark on Cain so that no one can kill him. God actually protects Cain from being murdered by others. I find it a bit strange that God would do that. God could have punished Cain in so many ways. He could have struck Cain down himself right then. Or he could have done nothing for Cain and just let him go, knowing full well that someone else would kill him for what he had done to Abel. An eye for an eye, right? But no. God protected Cain. What kind of justice is that for Abel that his murderer can never be murdered? Cain murdered Abel, but Cain himself could never be murdered. What?!! God’s choice puzzles me a bit because it seems like such a strange choice. Has justice been served here? It doesn't appear so.

Perhaps this story says something to us about who should be the one to dole out justice. God is the ultimate judge, and he chose to protect Cain. Maybe we should think twice before we seek justice for something done to us or someone we love. Maybe this story teaches us to give God the control when bad things happen to us. While we might want to take out our wrath on someone because of the awful and unspeakable things that happen to people in our world, especially when they happen to people we love, perhaps we should let God do the avenging and punishing. Not because that person doesn’t deserve to be punished. And not because we don’t feel anger, hatred, jealousy, and revenge, just like Cain. By no means! We should let God be the judge. God can even take our feelings away. He wants us to be formed in ways that bring peace and purification to our souls and part of this is not seeking revenge. When we do this, we don’t have to carry around those feelings forever, and we will be formed in ways that are holy and good. And, ultimately, we will find peace.

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Genesis 6:5-8 is so powerful. The passage begins with the Lord seeing how great the wickedness on earth had become. It then moves to the Lord regretting that he had made human beings in the first place (I guess God was not viewing things so “good” after all). And it ends with “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” The contrast of Noah with the rest of humanity cannot be missed.

I like the faith of Noah. He built a huge boat because God told him to do so, and God saved him from the destruction of the earth because of Noah’s righteousness. Noah’s family was saved, too—all because of the faith and righteousness of Noah. I want to have faith like Noah. I want to be able to hear God speaking to me and to obey his commands.

Side Note: “Noah’s Ark” really is a violent story. Tell me again why Peyton's baby nursery is decked out in this stuff?!! And why is this story one of the most popular ones we teach our children?!! Maybe we should rethink this approach.

New Beginnings: He Saw That It Was Good

Day One: Genesis 1-3


I’m nervous about getting started on this project for some reason. I’ve been procrastinating all night wondering, what will I write? What will I say? What do I have to add to this conversation that scholars, disciples, theologians, and ministers have been engaging in for centuries? What ethos do I have for writing on such a subject? To be honest, I don’t know.

All I do know is that I feel a tugging to do this. Maybe it’s the Holy Spirit pushing me to do it. Maybe it’s my own guilt at not having read the Bible in so long. Maybe it’s because I want an outlet to share my thoughts and writing really helps me recognize what I think. Or maybe it’s for some purpose other than what I can know right now. Who knows?

I’m going to get started now. I’ll begin at the beginning: Genesis 1:1.

When God created the world, life began.

Beginnings. New beginnings (Is that redundant?). Genesis is the beginning of God’s story unfolding on earth. The word “beginnings” makes me think about the change. Our world changes, and because of that, we all experience new beginnings. That’s inevitable. I think it’s what we do with these new beginnings that matters. How do we deal with transitions and changes in our lives? How do we deal with new beginnings? When God saw the new beginnings he had created—light, earth, seas, vegetation, day and night, living creatures, and humankind—he viewed them as “good.” How often do we think about our new beginnings as being good? Maybe we are excited about the opportunities that will come with our new beginnings. We can have a fresh start. We can do things differently this time. We can learn from what we didn’t like about the last place we were in and seek to alter the outcomes this go around.

Coupled with the excitement, though, comes some grief. Grief over what we’re leaving behind and nostalgia for times past. At least it works this way for me. Maybe it’s old friends. Or a home. Or a church. Maybe it’s a job that you really like or fear of the unknown. I do think there’s a sense in which new beginnings can bring grief for what was before. In spite of God viewing his creation as good, I wonder if he felt any grief about losing the Trinitarian relationship that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had established. Maybe he did, especially after Adam and Eve had sinned. It is an interesting thing to think about, though.

Right now, I am embarking on a new beginning. Not only am I beginning this task of reading and reflecting on the Bible in a year, but I’m also moving soon to a new town where my husband will be starting a new preaching job. I will be keeping my job where we are now and commuting back and forth each day (about 45 minutes one way). I’m experiencing both of those emotions right now—excitement and grief. Excitement over what’s to come…the unknown…and all the new changes that come with moving and beginning a new job. But I’m also grieving. I’m grieving over leaving the place we now live. A city that I love. Neighbors that are some of our best friends. Great schools. The familiar. Mostly, though, I grieve over giving up something that has become very dear to me over the past three years—church planting. I’m sure I will speak more of this later, but for now you can know that my husband and I planted a church and after a year and a half we have decided to move on to another ministry context.

While I may be grieving over a lost church plant, I’m also excited about gaining a new church and anticipating this new beginning on which I’m embarking. I’m most looking forward to having a church family that we can serve, love, and share our lives with. I also look forward to building new friendships and being in a place where my children can grow in the Lord. I know that God will use this new beginning for good. It may not be “good” in the sense that I think of the word, but he will use the times in my life—in your life—“for the good.” To sharpen me. To mature me. To call me to a deeper faith. In looking back over the past three years, I can see he was doing this all along.

I hope that you will share a story about one of your “new beginnings” and reflect on how God has used or is using it for “good.”

My Route: Beginning to End

After much thought and contemplation, I've finally chosen the method I will be using for this upcoming year in approaching this task. Drumroll, please..........

I've decided to read the Bible from beginning to end.

Although there were advantages to all methods, ultimately it came down to the approach that was the easiest and quickest to implement. So, I'll be starting with Genesis 1:1 very soon.

What Approach Should I Take?: Reading through the Bible in a Year

So here’s a recap. I’ve decided to venture into a project of reading the Bible and blogging my reflections online, all within one year. I’m not saying that I’ll read and blog every day (although I’ll try!). I am committing that I will consistently read and post. Ideally, this would happen every day, but realistically I’m going to cut myself a little slack if I don’t get to post.

Now, the next task is to decide how to break up the entire Bible into one year for reading. I recognize that this task is not an easy one. Not only is the Bible rather long, but it can also be really dense. Many parts of the Bible contain deep material that needs time for processing and reflection.

In spite of this challenge of reading a long, dense text in 365 days, I need to decide how to break up the reading. There are 66 books in the Bible that contain 1189 chapters. That’s an average of 3.25 chapters per day. So here are the options:

1. I can read the Bible from beginning to end, starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation. This option would provide ease in remembering what I’m doing, focusing on one section of the Bible at a time, and making sure I’m on track to finish in one year.

2. There’s also the chronological approach. This option entails reading the Bible in the order that historians think the events occurred. I like this option in that I see the biblical narrative from the beginning and events are placed within the historical context of when they occurred. But I don’t like how difficult this one is to organize.

3. Another option I have is to read different sections of the Bible each day. For instance, I could read a section of the Old Testament, a section of the New Testament, and passages from Psalms and Proverbs. I like the variety that this approach offers (that is, when I’m reading a part of the Bible that I don’t understand or—should I say it?—is boring, I can take a break from this reading and go to other reading that I either like better or understand more). However, this approach also worries me in the sense that my blogging wouldn’t have as much focus as other approaches and may be disjointed.

4. Another approach is to read the NT first and the OT second. Reading the NT first would allow me to read about Jesus, the apostles, the church, and the early Christians at the beginning of this project; however, I fear that I wouldn’t have the historical context that the OT brings. I do like this one, though. It’s different.

Well, I’m sure there are other approaches but these are the four I’m choosing from for this task.

What do you think I should do? Do I have any readers out there yet?

Explaining the Reading Goal

When I was a child, I read the Bible almost every day. My dad required my siblings and I to read at least one passage of scripture every day. He even bought us new new Bibles each year so that we could start afresh and see the Word with new eyes. My dad even asked us to sign the pages we had read for the day as evidence of our reading. This practice was one that was very important to my father, probably because of his grandmother's knowledge and understanding of scripture. From early on, I knew that scripture reading was an important practice.

Over time, however, I have gradually stopped this practice of reading the Bible. I still call myself a Christian. I go to church. I minister to others, and I try to live my life as a follower of Christ. I'm even a preacher's wife (Wow! Should I be admitting this?!!). But I have to admit that I have not been a faithful reader of the Bible. Part of my reluctance is because I'm married to a preaching minister who has a BA in Bible, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry. That's a lot of degrees in Bible. How can I compare with someone who knows so much about it? It's really easy for me to use that as an excuse for not exploring the Bible from my own perspective. But I do think that I might read parts differently. Even though he has all this theological training, surely God could speak to me through the text as well.

The other part of my sporadic Bible reading has to do with the busy nature of my life. I am a full-time professor at a prestigious university where I have to publish or perish. Work takes up so much of my time, and when I'm not working, I'm thinking about work and all that I should be doing to prepare for researching or teaching. I also have two small children (under 5). I cook dinner almost every night. I want a little relaxation time. And my husband is a minister, so we spend a lot of time with people. All this "already-filled" time takes away from reading the Bible (and other spiritual practices, such as prayer, fasting, and quiet time), and you might say that I have let my Bible reading slide. And what's strange is that I do see reading and meditating on scripture as important, especially since the Bible is God's word to us and a unique way that He speaks to us.

I was thinking the other day that if I read the Bible now, I bet I would have a different understanding of God, the church, people, and everything else that I'm dealing with in life. And that made me want to read it again. And then I got this idea to write about my journey. Partly because it would discipline me to do it, but also because I really want to read the Bible anew through my perspective today.

So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to read through the Bible in 365 days and write about what I'm reading and learning. I hope that when these 365 days come to an end that who I am right now--on September 7, 2009--will be a person who has learned more about God and people one year from now. I'll be starting tomorrow, and I hope you will join with me on my journey.

Signed,
Kara