Saturday, July 12, 2008
fairwell for a while
hello lulu, hedy, xixi, and rachel. we will be off now for a week. i just wanted to encourage everyone to keep up with their reading and to continue to post even though it'll be just the four of your writing. we'll be sure to fill out our share after we come back. stay strong!
day 12
wait is it just be or did jacob get renamed israel twice in this passage?
and also during this passage was when joseph got taken to egypt right?
why did jacob wrestle with God? what was the point of that? or what point was God trying to make?
after jacob's sons went and slaughtered the city, he went to bethel and talked to God. and then set up another stone pillar. is that just to signify that God has spoken there? and when God talked to jacob he spoke again of His promise with Abraham. so was that just to reassure jacob that He will still hold true to His promise even if jacob's sons may have incurred the wrath of many people? i suppose i would need reassurance too if my kids angered a bunch of people so much that they may kill us....(well i don't blame the canaanites and perizzites...i mean the sons did deceive, slaughter, and loot a city.... ><)
and also during this passage was when joseph got taken to egypt right?
why did jacob wrestle with God? what was the point of that? or what point was God trying to make?
after jacob's sons went and slaughtered the city, he went to bethel and talked to God. and then set up another stone pillar. is that just to signify that God has spoken there? and when God talked to jacob he spoke again of His promise with Abraham. so was that just to reassure jacob that He will still hold true to His promise even if jacob's sons may have incurred the wrath of many people? i suppose i would need reassurance too if my kids angered a bunch of people so much that they may kill us....(well i don't blame the canaanites and perizzites...i mean the sons did deceive, slaughter, and loot a city.... ><)
Friday, July 11, 2008
biblical perspective
my friends, i think our reading is slowly (or quickly) beginning to hit a roadblock because of the perspective from which we are reading. aside from evan's questions about why God seems to really favor Abram and his descendants so much and screw everyone else, i think our questions are off track. consider this. God did not give us his word so we can criticize what He has done as right or wrong. instead, He gave it to us to teach us about his character and His methods. so instead of asking, "well, why did God do this instead of that?" a more productive question would be, "what can we learn about God from this?"
because remember, we're not reading this as a history book full of events and people. we're reading this as the word of God.
because remember, we're not reading this as a history book full of events and people. we're reading this as the word of God.
...
okay i might be beating a dead horse...but this is just starting to tick me off. okay so Jacob's sons go out and kill a townful of men
Genesis 34:25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. 28They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
and Jacob scolds them for it (hooray for him!). but then in chapter 35
Genesis 35:5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
...okay so this example is a lot more black and white than the Abra(ha)m/Isaac ones. In Genesis 34:13 it even says that they lied to the men. They steal their women and children, take all their belongings, and oh yeah! THEY KILLED THEM, and God helps them get away.
So yeah this is pretty much the same schpeal as before.
props to Jacob for making them leave behind everything that wasn't theirs.
Genesis 34:25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. 28They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
and Jacob scolds them for it (hooray for him!). but then in chapter 35
Genesis 35:5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
...okay so this example is a lot more black and white than the Abra(ha)m/Isaac ones. In Genesis 34:13 it even says that they lied to the men. They steal their women and children, take all their belongings, and oh yeah! THEY KILLED THEM, and God helps them get away.
So yeah this is pretty much the same schpeal as before.
props to Jacob for making them leave behind everything that wasn't theirs.
More on John Eldredge
So I looked up John Eldredge and it seems that I'm somewhat correct. Or that I justified my warning to be watchful for false prophets, not that he is purposely trying to lead us astray, but that we should be weary for what we take to heart from his book. uhh I used wikipedia since it's a satisfactory source for me and I found a section of criticism. If you wanna look it up: John Eldredge.
He was part of a drug subculture and kicked out of high school. dang looks like he had a huge turn-around moment.
He was part of a drug subculture and kicked out of high school. dang looks like he had a huge turn-around moment.
day 11
um the whole deal with jacob making the sheep and goats mate in front of the stripes branches to produce striped/speckeled offspring seems kind of unlikely...aka i don't get it. i mean...put some striped branches in front of the water that the flocks drink and make sure they mate in front of it and they'll produce striped sheep/goats? reading that just made me think, "what the heck?"
Genesis 31:19 "When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole here father's household gods." what does that mean? more the second half of the sentence than the first...what are these "gods" that are mentioned? (they're mentioned later in as well)
also why must these people set up pillars or heaps of rocks whenever a covenant is made or God give them a vision or something of the sorts? is it like us signing a contract now in our day?
Genesis 31:19 "When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole here father's household gods." what does that mean? more the second half of the sentence than the first...what are these "gods" that are mentioned? (they're mentioned later in as well)
also why must these people set up pillars or heaps of rocks whenever a covenant is made or God give them a vision or something of the sorts? is it like us signing a contract now in our day?
...a couple more recent goals
- win the ijji question contest :]
-become a youtube phenomenon
-write some more songs
-become a youtube phenomenon
-write some more songs
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Journey of Desire (2)
I'm very slow at reading, since I haven't done it since english class but here's what I got on chapters 2:
so far the book has not got to the explaining part. Eldredge is explaining what people are doing with desire and how "unacquainted" (30) with desire we are. I ended and I thought dang he's about to start explaining how to get acquainted. But I'll continue next time.
um there were a lot of quotes I liked. Eldredge uses a lot of his own personal experiences as examples in his book which is what I like, but there are the pros and cons for that. I liked the one where he says "Each time he reached for a rung up the ladder, the rung broke, and he found himself back at the bottom" (20). After that why keep trying to back up? I also have other quotes (they're on my fb) but if you don't have an fb, one says "No man is an island" (26). Which is great because it just says that nobody stands alone. So yeah this chapter jumps around a bit with his ideas on how we're not using desire. But something came up while I was reading
So there's that one guy named Joel Osteen. He's the guy with the biggest church in America or something. Great. A lot of people say what he's saying is wrong. And i dunno if he's wrong or not. Cuz he could be right. He's just not telling everything that God is saying. This goes back to that section in Matthew about the good fruit and bad fruit. You have to watch out for false prophets. But anyway there's this quote "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy" (24). I mean that sounds like something Disney would kinda use, which I think that could be true, but then that means what Eldredge is trying to get at in this book is something very specific and we, as the readers, should still consider all things in the bible as a whole and just use this book as a section of our lives, not our whole life. I don't know if you get what I mean..like Joel Osteen writes books. That one that's like 7 ways to improve your life or something. Like that's great and all, but that's not how a Christian should completely live their life. So yeah that's just some thought...Maybe I should research this guy up to see. This is a pretty vague post so question me up
so far the book has not got to the explaining part. Eldredge is explaining what people are doing with desire and how "unacquainted" (30) with desire we are. I ended and I thought dang he's about to start explaining how to get acquainted. But I'll continue next time.
um there were a lot of quotes I liked. Eldredge uses a lot of his own personal experiences as examples in his book which is what I like, but there are the pros and cons for that. I liked the one where he says "Each time he reached for a rung up the ladder, the rung broke, and he found himself back at the bottom" (20). After that why keep trying to back up? I also have other quotes (they're on my fb) but if you don't have an fb, one says "No man is an island" (26). Which is great because it just says that nobody stands alone. So yeah this chapter jumps around a bit with his ideas on how we're not using desire. But something came up while I was reading
So there's that one guy named Joel Osteen. He's the guy with the biggest church in America or something. Great. A lot of people say what he's saying is wrong. And i dunno if he's wrong or not. Cuz he could be right. He's just not telling everything that God is saying. This goes back to that section in Matthew about the good fruit and bad fruit. You have to watch out for false prophets. But anyway there's this quote "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy" (24). I mean that sounds like something Disney would kinda use, which I think that could be true, but then that means what Eldredge is trying to get at in this book is something very specific and we, as the readers, should still consider all things in the bible as a whole and just use this book as a section of our lives, not our whole life. I don't know if you get what I mean..like Joel Osteen writes books. That one that's like 7 ways to improve your life or something. Like that's great and all, but that's not how a Christian should completely live their life. So yeah that's just some thought...Maybe I should research this guy up to see. This is a pretty vague post so question me up
an observation...
just an observation about the meeting today....
we spent an hour and a half discussing mostly Abraham and his tricks ^^
and randomly in that time, we also talked about RANDOM stuff
and then spent the time AFTER the talk about Abraham talking about RANDOM stuff
so my opinion is that...this meeting was the most amusing one that i think we've had yet >U<
just...an observation (says while rolling on the floor laughing)
the case for christ
i recently just started the book, but im growing a liking to it.
im only on the third chapter, so ive only read about the gospels and their history. but the journalist interviews multiple bible scholars to figure out and prove that the bible is actually the bible. and its pretty good.
in the second chapter, he makes eight tests to question the reliability of the gospels: the intention test (why matthew, mark, luke, and john wrote the gospels), the ability test (whether or not the history was preserved accurately for 30 years), the character test (there is no proof that the authors were horrible people, because they were willing to keep track of everything Jesus did), the consistency test (if you notice, there are similar writing in each gospel, but they always differ in a bit; there is no proof that they are totally different, but it is possible for different writings to be the same because of lack of details), the bias test (if the authors would write lies to make Jesus seem even better than he is, but they would rather tell the truth to show how great he is without lies), the coverup test (whether or not the authors would leave out embarssing details; but they kept it in which shows how great the Lord is by saving them and such), the corroboration test (how historians/archaeologists have dug up some discoveries that confirm the happenings), and the adverse witness test (if other witnesses would correct the writings if they were wrong, but because there is no proof that someone has-it is assumed to be true).
im only on the third chapter, so ive only read about the gospels and their history. but the journalist interviews multiple bible scholars to figure out and prove that the bible is actually the bible. and its pretty good.
in the second chapter, he makes eight tests to question the reliability of the gospels: the intention test (why matthew, mark, luke, and john wrote the gospels), the ability test (whether or not the history was preserved accurately for 30 years), the character test (there is no proof that the authors were horrible people, because they were willing to keep track of everything Jesus did), the consistency test (if you notice, there are similar writing in each gospel, but they always differ in a bit; there is no proof that they are totally different, but it is possible for different writings to be the same because of lack of details), the bias test (if the authors would write lies to make Jesus seem even better than he is, but they would rather tell the truth to show how great he is without lies), the coverup test (whether or not the authors would leave out embarssing details; but they kept it in which shows how great the Lord is by saving them and such), the corroboration test (how historians/archaeologists have dug up some discoveries that confirm the happenings), and the adverse witness test (if other witnesses would correct the writings if they were wrong, but because there is no proof that someone has-it is assumed to be true).
jacob vs esau
day 8:
rebekah gives birth to twins: esau and jacob. in genesis 25:23, it says 'one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger'. i came to the conclusion that esau would serve jacob, so esau will be stronger. but as i read on, it seems like jacob was a whole barrel smarter than esau. then sadly, abraham dies at 175 years oldin the second half of genesis 6:3, it says '..his days will be a hundred and twenty years' but a lot of these biblical people are living way past.
day 9:
i think isaac and rebekah were horrible parents, by showing favoritism-it says that isaac loved esau and rebekah loved jacob. what i found ironic was that isaac lied to abimelech that rebekah was his sister, like abraham lied to abimelech about sarah. im guessing its the same abimelech, but does it mean anything that they both lied, or is it just showing off how smart they really are?
isaac loved esau (favoritism) and told him how he would be blessed by completing a few tasks. but because rebekah loved jacob (favoritisim), she told him what to do. she made him also pretend to be esau, so i guess isaac seriously loved esau and didnt have enough love for jacob (favoritisim)-even though they are flesh and blood. so jacob beats sau and gets isaacs blessing, which i guess he only has one to spare.
too bad, so sad.
day 10:
jacob has a vivid dream while he was running away that the Lord will watch over him, so he build a pillar to honor him-out of his rock pillow. i know oil has a significant meaning in the bible, but how does it relate when he pored it on top of the rock-pillow-pillar?
i think this is where the first baby boom started.
after working 14 years for laban (7 for leah and 7 for rachel), jacob has two wives. and they make babies like theres no tomorrow. woooo
day 11:
laban wants jacob to stay, but jacob doesnt want to. according to the bible, jacobs worked 20 years now and is wages has been changed 10 times. i dont think anyone would want to stay with laban under those circumstances then. so jacob says he will take the striped and spotted and dark colored flocks, and that sneaky laban hides them all. but jacob is one clever cookie! just like his g-pops, abraham. i dont know how this works, but he made striped branches and put them in the trough, so when the flocks mated, their babies would be striped. and jacob took the striped and spotted and dark colored. and in the end, jacob flees from laban (who wouldnt?), but laban literally stalks him and his excuse is that he didnt get to say goodbye to his daughters/grandchildren. and before laban leaves, he and jacob make a witness heap and pillar as a peace offering. hooray world peace
rebekah gives birth to twins: esau and jacob. in genesis 25:23, it says 'one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger'. i came to the conclusion that esau would serve jacob, so esau will be stronger. but as i read on, it seems like jacob was a whole barrel smarter than esau. then sadly, abraham dies at 175 years oldin the second half of genesis 6:3, it says '..his days will be a hundred and twenty years' but a lot of these biblical people are living way past.
day 9:
i think isaac and rebekah were horrible parents, by showing favoritism-it says that isaac loved esau and rebekah loved jacob. what i found ironic was that isaac lied to abimelech that rebekah was his sister, like abraham lied to abimelech about sarah. im guessing its the same abimelech, but does it mean anything that they both lied, or is it just showing off how smart they really are?
isaac loved esau (favoritism) and told him how he would be blessed by completing a few tasks. but because rebekah loved jacob (favoritisim), she told him what to do. she made him also pretend to be esau, so i guess isaac seriously loved esau and didnt have enough love for jacob (favoritisim)-even though they are flesh and blood. so jacob beats sau and gets isaacs blessing, which i guess he only has one to spare.
too bad, so sad.
day 10:
jacob has a vivid dream while he was running away that the Lord will watch over him, so he build a pillar to honor him-out of his rock pillow. i know oil has a significant meaning in the bible, but how does it relate when he pored it on top of the rock-pillow-pillar?
i think this is where the first baby boom started.
after working 14 years for laban (7 for leah and 7 for rachel), jacob has two wives. and they make babies like theres no tomorrow. woooo
day 11:
laban wants jacob to stay, but jacob doesnt want to. according to the bible, jacobs worked 20 years now and is wages has been changed 10 times. i dont think anyone would want to stay with laban under those circumstances then. so jacob says he will take the striped and spotted and dark colored flocks, and that sneaky laban hides them all. but jacob is one clever cookie! just like his g-pops, abraham. i dont know how this works, but he made striped branches and put them in the trough, so when the flocks mated, their babies would be striped. and jacob took the striped and spotted and dark colored. and in the end, jacob flees from laban (who wouldnt?), but laban literally stalks him and his excuse is that he didnt get to say goodbye to his daughters/grandchildren. and before laban leaves, he and jacob make a witness heap and pillar as a peace offering. hooray world peace
day 10
what the heck?! i just went to edit my post to add a "Genesis" tag and lost like 90% of my entry!!! >:O aaaghh (not the first time it's happened either! D:)
right. so even till now i don't think i'll ever be comfortable with the fact that they used to marry family members...>< and what is with the women and giving their husband their servant to sleep with just to have kids? i agree with evan on this one. the whole competition between the wives and their children was rather amusing. it must've sucked for them though :/
often times in the old testament stories it's hard for me to understand the reasoning or the logic behind things because the customs and traditions were so different. this is probably one of those times.
if it was okay to have more than one wife back then why not now? (not that i'm complaining...not competition in bearing children haha >.o) why did God change His mind? (okay...maybe that can't be answered...)
right. so even till now i don't think i'll ever be comfortable with the fact that they used to marry family members...>< and what is with the women and giving their husband their servant to sleep with just to have kids? i agree with evan on this one. the whole competition between the wives and their children was rather amusing. it must've sucked for them though :/
often times in the old testament stories it's hard for me to understand the reasoning or the logic behind things because the customs and traditions were so different. this is probably one of those times.
if it was okay to have more than one wife back then why not now? (not that i'm complaining...not competition in bearing children haha >.o) why did God change His mind? (okay...maybe that can't be answered...)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Questions and Comments
About day 10's reading, I thought it was kinda stupid...not the Bible!!! (lol) the part where Laban lied to Jacob and gave Leah instead of Rachel...that was kinda harsh---Jacob worked seven YEARS for Rachel><
and one more thing---Leah and Rachel gave Jacob their servants, but when the children were born, they were both like, oh yeah look at MY sons!!! ???? then i feel bad for their servants too.....-_- and the part where Rachel gives Jacob to Leah for the night in return for Reubans mandrakes was kinda amusing to me...wives exchanging their husband for something?? ~^.^~
babies!
...so I found today's reading hilarious. It goes on for like an entire chapter about how Rachel and Leah try to see who can have the most kids, like it was a competition or something. Which i guess it was, since they were competing for Jacob's love, but still it was amusing.
day 9
lotsa well-digging in today's(/yesterday's) passage...
i never really understood why isaac could only give one blessing over his sons...well one really good one i guess? i mean i don't get why the first blessing would make that brother lord over the other? a lot of the customs and traditions in the old testament are rather foreign to me. i suppose that's why i don't really know what's going on here. anyone care to enlighten me? and is there a study-bible or something of the sorts online that i could read? i think that the footnotes may help me understand what's going on...
i never really understood why isaac could only give one blessing over his sons...well one really good one i guess? i mean i don't get why the first blessing would make that brother lord over the other? a lot of the customs and traditions in the old testament are rather foreign to me. i suppose that's why i don't really know what's going on here. anyone care to enlighten me? and is there a study-bible or something of the sorts online that i could read? i think that the footnotes may help me understand what's going on...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Mere Christianity
I just went out and bought Mere Christianity and a chronological bible ( yay me). I've read the first chapter of Mere Christianity, and I did not understand a word of it. C.S. Lewis doesn't actually use big words, but it's just the way he puts them together... I tried reading the 2nd chapter, and it made more sense, so hopefully it'll get easier. btw, what's a herd instinct? In the book they were talking about listening to your herd instinct and stuff like that...
Memory Verse!
alright folks, i hope you're all having a splendidly humid and damp Tuesday. as part of our group, i'd like us to be memorizing scripture. it's one thing to read it and know it, but it's something else altogether to be able to cite it and use it from memory. for now, we'll attempt to do one verse every week.
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10
day 9? i think....
so Isaac went to the philistines, and told them his wife was his sister....sound familiar?I dont understand why Isaac and Abraham lie about these things.
Genesis 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.
and in Abra(ha)m's case:
Genesis 12:16-17 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.But the LORD inflicted serious disease on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.
...for real? not even a slap on the hand? and not only that they end up getting things from the people they lied to. Call me crazy but it seems like God is playing favorites. I know there's probably some explanation for this, but it just seems unfair to me.
Genesis 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.
and in Abra(ha)m's case:
Genesis 12:16-17 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.But the LORD inflicted serious disease on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.
...for real? not even a slap on the hand? and not only that they end up getting things from the people they lied to. Call me crazy but it seems like God is playing favorites. I know there's probably some explanation for this, but it just seems unfair to me.
day 8
When Abraham and Ishmael died, the Bible said that they were "gathered to his people", what does that mean?
I think that may be my only question for today. the reading was pretty straightforward to me...informative but...kinda dull? lotsa lists -_-
i've yet to start reading a book....soo i haven't much else to say >.<
i'm thinking about getting "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis sometime this weekend. more on that later ^^ we'll see how it goes
I think that may be my only question for today. the reading was pretty straightforward to me...informative but...kinda dull? lotsa lists -_-
i've yet to start reading a book....soo i haven't much else to say >.<
i'm thinking about getting "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis sometime this weekend. more on that later ^^ we'll see how it goes
Monday, July 7, 2008
Case for Christ
Yeah so, about Case for Christ (and this is for anyone who has read the book or is reading the book) im really confused about "the Q" part...like, everytime i open the book, i start there, and i get so confused that i slam the book shut and wait for tomorrow. that, or i keep reading but im not actually concentrating now, and i just give up...-_-
okay...yeah..
yea..since i haven't really done this yet
(and i have to post something or larry will kick me out)
1. contribute more on this blog
2. finish (or try to finish) Mere Christianity
so far, it's been really confusing, but i guess i'll sparknote it like larry suggested
3. read my bible when i'm supposed to
at the second meeting i had no clue that we had bible reading for the days before
4. pray everyday, even when i don't feel like it
5. save money for Reason (or just illegally download it)
6. record an album, get famous
=D
edit: problem, there's no Mere Christianity on spark notes
gahh
Days 4 and 5
Day4::
Immediately in 11:6 I realized how great people are.
"...then nothing they plan to do is impossible for them."
Maybe this might not be a good thing or else God wouldn't have mixed up our languages and such, but if even God himself says this, I'm thinking about the great things that just us could do if we plan. Maybe it won't be as great as if we had the whole world with us, but we can aim for the world.
One thing I noticed in 11:27...
Abram's brothers are Nahor and Haran.
Nahor marries Haran's daughter.
HE JUST MARRIED HIS NEICE!
Okay I know, in the bible times it happens...it was just a little weird.
12:7
So Abram was just walking and...BAM! The Lord is right in front of him! (If I were Abram I would be like, "WARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!", running in circles and hitting myself in the head...)
We talked about how earlier God would just walk through the gardens or just talk to Cain and such did he always just APPEAR?
Abram in Egypt.
Wouldn't God be angry at Abram for lying?
I just realized I am a very list it person...
Day5::
Okay, so you probably have not noticed but I'm going to write in that lovely paragraph form, not the list thing I usually do. Argh, I just pressed enter (then backspace of course). Day 5 starts with the covenant, oh, I like this part because I watched this in a video once. As a little notice it thing in 15:7 God says the same thing to Abram as he did to Moses except with different places. OKAY! Starting at 15:8, God already told Abram that he ould give him an uncountable amount of offspring, and now Abram is unsure and kind of asks God to prove himself. I learned a lot about this offering so EXCITING and gross. So basically after these animals are cut in half he layed them oppsite of eachother. Now the land he layed it on was a bit slanted like a V so all the blood would flow into a river like thing.
Yea...I had more but it erased.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuaweiland/1768364964/
Immediately in 11:6 I realized how great people are.
"...then nothing they plan to do is impossible for them."
Maybe this might not be a good thing or else God wouldn't have mixed up our languages and such, but if even God himself says this, I'm thinking about the great things that just us could do if we plan. Maybe it won't be as great as if we had the whole world with us, but we can aim for the world.
One thing I noticed in 11:27...
Abram's brothers are Nahor and Haran.
Nahor marries Haran's daughter.
HE JUST MARRIED HIS NEICE!
Okay I know, in the bible times it happens...it was just a little weird.
12:7
So Abram was just walking and...BAM! The Lord is right in front of him! (If I were Abram I would be like, "WARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!", running in circles and hitting myself in the head...)
We talked about how earlier God would just walk through the gardens or just talk to Cain and such did he always just APPEAR?
Abram in Egypt.
Wouldn't God be angry at Abram for lying?
I just realized I am a very list it person...
Day5::
Okay, so you probably have not noticed but I'm going to write in that lovely paragraph form, not the list thing I usually do. Argh, I just pressed enter (then backspace of course). Day 5 starts with the covenant, oh, I like this part because I watched this in a video once. As a little notice it thing in 15:7 God says the same thing to Abram as he did to Moses except with different places. OKAY! Starting at 15:8, God already told Abram that he ould give him an uncountable amount of offspring, and now Abram is unsure and kind of asks God to prove himself. I learned a lot about this offering so EXCITING and gross. So basically after these animals are cut in half he layed them oppsite of eachother. Now the land he layed it on was a bit slanted like a V so all the blood would flow into a river like thing.
Yea...I had more but it erased.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuaweiland/1768364964/
Sunday, July 6, 2008
day 7
i don't really get the treaty at beersheba part. what's the significance? what was it about really? was it just to say that Abraham dug the well? why is that important? i think that part was one of those passages that i would just read before and not think too much about it...but now that i do think about it...i don't think i understand it.
God testing Abraham really made me think. Isaac was his only son (with him) and so he must have meant the world to Abraham, i mean God said that Abraham would have so many descendants through Isaac and they would become a great nation! before i just kind of took the story for granted but now i'm kind of surprised that Abraham didn't question God on bit. i thought, "if it were me would i be able to do that?" if God asked me to give up everything that meant anything to me and everything that may have been my hope for the future, would i be able to do it? well...if He talked to me personally like He did to Abraham i might be shocked enough to...but other than that i'm sad to say, probably not. this is when i realize how small my faith really is and how much and how easy it is to rely on things that we can see and touch and things that are logical to this world. i guess this is something i need to work on, and sometimes just take that leap of faith.
that servant's prayer was pretty darn detailed about how he was going to find a wife for Isaac, and what do you know? it was answered! how great is God. sometimes i wonder, if we were that specific in our prayers, would they be more effective?
God testing Abraham really made me think. Isaac was his only son (with him) and so he must have meant the world to Abraham, i mean God said that Abraham would have so many descendants through Isaac and they would become a great nation! before i just kind of took the story for granted but now i'm kind of surprised that Abraham didn't question God on bit. i thought, "if it were me would i be able to do that?" if God asked me to give up everything that meant anything to me and everything that may have been my hope for the future, would i be able to do it? well...if He talked to me personally like He did to Abraham i might be shocked enough to...but other than that i'm sad to say, probably not. this is when i realize how small my faith really is and how much and how easy it is to rely on things that we can see and touch and things that are logical to this world. i guess this is something i need to work on, and sometimes just take that leap of faith.
that servant's prayer was pretty darn detailed about how he was going to find a wife for Isaac, and what do you know? it was answered! how great is God. sometimes i wonder, if we were that specific in our prayers, would they be more effective?
abraham!
day 5:
in the beginning of genesis 15, the Lord promises abram a son and abram is first neglectful. then the Lord says to look up at the heavens and count the stars-how does this relate to abrams uncertainty of a son? then, the Lord asks abram to bring him a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon; but how does that ensure his possession? sarai tells abram to sleep with their maidservant (disturbing.) to build a family. but now, abram knows he will get a son, and he still sleeps with hagar. and in a nutshell, abram becomes abraham, the Lord tells him all men must be circumcised to estabish a covenant, sarai becomes sarah, and they will have a son.
day 6:
are the three men who visited abraham supposed to symbolize the Lord? i also found it ironic that sarah lied when she feared the Lord, and sometimes we lie when we are afraid too. once again, abraham lies about sarahs relationship with him, but abimelech finds out before he does anything. we know abraham is a clever cookie, but how does his lies always benefit him? abimelech ends up bringing sheep, cattle, and slaves to him. what a lucky duck. and then-good news! sarah gives birth to isaac. hooray
and one more thing i found ironic-sarah refers to laughter at the end.
day 7:
at beersheba, where the treaty occurred, why does abraham need abimelech to swear that abraham dug the well? and when god was testing abraham, he was this close to sacrifice his son. crazy cookie. when sarah dies, abraham wants to buy the land from the hittites to bury the dead, but why were they so willing to just give up the land? is it only because theyve heard about abrahams wonderful doings and just praised him so much? and on a happy note, isaac finds a wife. who needs eharmony when you have abrahams servant. im totally inspired by the story on how after he prayed, rebekah appears and was the answer to his prayers, literally.
yea i know, lots of questions.
in the beginning of genesis 15, the Lord promises abram a son and abram is first neglectful. then the Lord says to look up at the heavens and count the stars-how does this relate to abrams uncertainty of a son? then, the Lord asks abram to bring him a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon; but how does that ensure his possession? sarai tells abram to sleep with their maidservant (disturbing.) to build a family. but now, abram knows he will get a son, and he still sleeps with hagar. and in a nutshell, abram becomes abraham, the Lord tells him all men must be circumcised to estabish a covenant, sarai becomes sarah, and they will have a son.
day 6:
are the three men who visited abraham supposed to symbolize the Lord? i also found it ironic that sarah lied when she feared the Lord, and sometimes we lie when we are afraid too. once again, abraham lies about sarahs relationship with him, but abimelech finds out before he does anything. we know abraham is a clever cookie, but how does his lies always benefit him? abimelech ends up bringing sheep, cattle, and slaves to him. what a lucky duck. and then-good news! sarah gives birth to isaac. hooray
and one more thing i found ironic-sarah refers to laughter at the end.
day 7:
at beersheba, where the treaty occurred, why does abraham need abimelech to swear that abraham dug the well? and when god was testing abraham, he was this close to sacrifice his son. crazy cookie. when sarah dies, abraham wants to buy the land from the hittites to bury the dead, but why were they so willing to just give up the land? is it only because theyve heard about abrahams wonderful doings and just praised him so much? and on a happy note, isaac finds a wife. who needs eharmony when you have abrahams servant. im totally inspired by the story on how after he prayed, rebekah appears and was the answer to his prayers, literally.
yea i know, lots of questions.
Case for Christ/ Prayer Request
Hehe, playing with the font stuff is kinda fun ^.^
anyway, about Case for Christ, i sorta feel depressed...i mean, when im reading it, its pretty good, but when i set it down, its like, "ugh~i dont really want to read this right now---maybe later..." and the same thing goes through my head every single day.
im really hoping to start reading it every day and be done by september...but right now that goal is looking a little far-fetched...-_-
also, i sorta have a prayer request for everyone---i know that you some of you guys will be going on the missions trip, so i'll be praying for you guys to be safe, but i have to ask everyone to ... um... pray for my mom, cuz shes taking a plane to Switzerland tomorrow to meet with my dad. they're coming home this friday i think...im just kinda worried cuz you know its just my mom going to Switzerland...and yeah...but most of all, its SOLOMON driving my mom to the airport!!! +_+ the horror...
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