Bold Readings

Ack!

2010-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm really embarrassed about this... but truth to tell, I only just remember that this blog was here! My life has been quite busy and exciting, I honestly forgot about the reading! Fortunately, I've read the book enough times that I'll just be able to pick up where you guys are, and hopefully start contributing to the blog extremely soon. =D

Later,

Sadie

5+6

2010-04-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to type up my thoughts on three-six last week, but as I am obviously behind, I'm going to skip three and four. And then this week we are doing seven and eight, right? Or am I off? What are you guys doing?

One thing really stuck out to me in chapter five. Screwtape is talking about World War 2, and he says, "If we are not careful, we shall see thousands turning in this tribulation to the Enemy, while tens of thousands who do not go so far as that will nevertheless have their attention diverted from themselves to values and causes which they believe to be higher than the self." I thought this was really interesting. We always see war as a really bad, and terrible thing, and like Satan would really be rejoicing during a war. And yes it is a terrible thing, but I thought it was insightful that he mentioned that through the suffering of a war, so many people turn to Jesus, and ultimately that takes away the "joy" (if the devil ever has joy idk) the devil has in a war.

I think it's also really fun that this is more than just a spiritual-help book, or whatever. It's like a story and I can't wait to see what happens to the guy!! :)

Conviction

2010-03-19T01:02:00.001-07:00

Wow, there's a lot in the next two chapters that I really, sadly, relate to. Like Wormwood mentions in chapter 3, I say things that aren't bad in and of themselves, but it's how I say it. So many times the way I've stated my words have been so harsh and unkind that I might as well have said something completely horrendous in my verbiage. It's incredible how this book gives a fresh perspective on how the spiritual realm can/does affect and view our lives. It sure does makes you think twice about things.

How Wormwood describes feelings in chapter 4 on prayer is something that I may be guilty of. Trying to make myself feel how I'm praying. I can see why that's so dangerous because of the focus change it does to you. Instead of focusing on the Lord and his promises, we focus on how we feel and start to base our prayers on that, which could even lead to getting mad at or blaming God because he hasn't made us feel right in our prayers. Sad indeed. It really opens your eyes to how patient, gracious, faithful, and loving our God is!

~Tiffany

Appearances

2010-03-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hello,
First I'd like to thank Erica for inviting me read Screwtape Letters and participate in this study. So far I'm enjoying the story, and the Lord is convicting me of some of the ways I let Satan work in my life. I can't wait to see what else He has to teach me through this book.
For those of you who haven't met me, I'm Annie P. and I'm 17. I live in a small town in Nebraska, and I've been homeschooled for most of my life (I'm finishing up my junior year of high school). Okay, enough about me...
The Lord really impacted me with something I read in chapter 2. I found the section on page 12 about appearances quite convicting. In case you don't remember, Screwtape is telling Wormwood to use appearances to trip up his person and distract him from the Body of Christ. Instead of viewing the neighbors in his pew as brothers and sisters in Christ, Wormwood wants his person to see their imperfections.
This got me thinking. As humans why do we get so caught up in outward appearances? Well the simple answer is because we are human. But as Christians we need to focus on a person's heart more so than what they look like on the outside. The Holy Spirit can't work through us until we learn to disregard outward appearances. I'm not saying that the outside doesn't matter (because it does: it reflects what's in a person's heart), but we can't let our opinion of them be ruled by what they look like.
I'm finding that the enemy uses outward appearances to trip me up quite often. As hard as this is to admit, I'm finding that I'm guilty of judging people in our church based primarily on what they look like on the outside or how they act. This is exactly what Screwtape was trying to get Wormwood to do. I don't want to let the enemy have victory in this area of my life anymore. I want to see the heart of these people in my church.

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1st Samuel 16:7

"Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that as he is Christ's, even so are we Christs." 2 Corinthians 10:7

Chapter 1 & 2

2010-03-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

So now it's my turn to give you some random thoughts... :)

1st Chpater:

One of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that one of the demons' tactics was to make words and ideas seem ambiguous and obscure. That way, the person does not think of the meaning behind the ideas or words and is able to believe in many different things without coming to an actual conclusion of what he really believes or is saying. I was also made aware of how important logic and argument (in the good sense) really is! God created those things and they all point to Him! So when people start connecting that logic with the Creator, that's when it becomes the 'dangerous' thing. And so another tactic that Screwtape and the others like to use are what I would call the more-important-distractions. Things that seem more important to us at the moment than discovering the truth. And that's exactly how Screwtape gets one of his persons to continue to be an Atheist. Instead of letting him dwell on thoughts that could lead him to the Enemy, Screwtape distracts him by putting into his head that going to get lunch is more important and the actual 'real life' things like that than thinking about truth (or even ideas that would lead to truth). And so Screwtape's person continues to be an Atheist and has a dreadfully fatal end (in the fullest sense of the word!)

2nd Chapter:

In the second chapter, you find that Wormwood's person had actually, horrors of all horrors, become a Christian! But what's interesting, is that Screwtape doesn't really seem to find that too much of a problem. Of course, he chides his nephew for letting it happen, but it's as if he rather likes that Wormwood's person has become a Christian, because of all the things that are in their favor to get him back. Especially since he's such a 'young' Christian and has all these particular ideas of how Christianity should be, and of course the Church (not the spiritual one, mind you) helps greatly in spreading these ideas.

Isn't it amazing the perspectives this book gives you?? Wow! I can't wait to read more! This is certainly an exciting adventure for sure!

~Tiffany

Thoughts on chap. 1&2

2010-03-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

Wow. I've only read two chapters and I'm already hooked! I will try really hard not to race ahead!

There were two things in the first two chapters that especially stuck out to me. One was this sentence: "Never having been a human (Oh that abominable advantage of the Enemy's!), you don't realize how enslaved they are to the pressure of the ordinary." It's not really the sentence itself that stuck out to me, but instead what is in the parenthesis. Think about that! It is exasperatingly frustrating to the devil that God has such an advantage over him - he has been a human! He understand how we work! I just think that the way that is structured - a devil being frustrated about God understanding the human view - is really neat.

The other thing that stuck out to me was when Screwtape was talking about the people in the church. He was telling Wormwood to make sure the guy kept focus on the congregation's outward appearance, without ever thinking about how mighty they might be in God's kingdom. That kinda struck me...cause that's the way I look at a lot of people at church. I don't see their heart or their relationship with God...I just see their fatness or their ugly clothes or whatever it is, and I judge. So that part was really good for me to read!

Oh, and one more bit I really liked: "I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy." Wow. I love that description of the Church!

(btw I think it is kinda cool that the book is dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkein. :)

New Book!

2010-02-27T22:30:00.001-08:00

Yes! We are beginning The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. Starting on Monday, we'll be reading two chapters a week. Post your thoughts!

options

2008-10-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay. We need to make some decisions here. If you hadn't noticed, I don't really like things to just hang out in the no-zone. So! Here is what we need to think about:

Is anyone going to take the time and energy to actually post here? We've had some good ideas: keep it open as a book discussion blog (which we could also use shelfari for if we wanted to have a book discussion or something), and keep it open as a Bible Study sharing-type blog. Those are both good ideas, but there's no point in doing them if no one is going to take the time.

So I think everyone needs to kind of make a decision about that. If no one has the time (which is totally understandable!), I'm not sure there's any point in keeping it. Ana, if you think the name is cool (which it is. :), I could make you the admin so I didn't have to worry about it. If some people are done here, we could remove them from the authors list, and if someone else wants to use it for something else, they can be in charge of recruiting other people for whatever they want to do with it! As long as one of us originals are in charge, I really don't care how it's used, for what book, and for which people.

What are you all thinking about this? I really need some input!

are we done?

2008-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm just wondering...should I delete this blog?

Diligence

2008-08-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Thou has commanded us to keep they precepts diligently." Psalm 119:4

As I was reading in Psalms a few days ago, I came across this verse, and I noticed I had underlined the word "diligently." Somewhere in the margin of the page, close to this verse, I had written this: Are we becoming illiterate Bible students, or are we diligently being in the word? This instantly reminded me of the 90 day challenge. I just want to encourage you all, that even though we are behind it's the diligence that's going to pay off. If we are diligently reading our Bibles, even if it's just a little bit here and a little bit there, we are still hiding God's word in our heart (Psalm 119:11).

Soooo.....

2008-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

The goal for finishing the challenge was yesterday........I'm sure most of you met it, but I am still deplorably behind, being barely finished with Joshua *blushes greatly* So, where is everyone? How did the study go? If you haven't finished it, how is it going?? Can't wait to see some comments!!! =)

~Sadie

psalms

2008-08-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

I've really struggled with the challenge (ha! funny, struggling with a challenge...) over the last couple of months. Between being gone for almost two weeks in July, and everything else that has been going on, I haven't spent as much time on it as I should've. It's been rather depressing, actually, but yesterday as I was thinking about it, the verse that says "though I fall, I shall rise" came to my head. So! Though I've fallen a bazillion times with this challenge, I'm going to keep trying.

I'm actually only in Psalms. :/ I copied over part of the schedule where I am right now, and I'm going to try to do two days' worth in one day. I don't know if I can do it, but I'll try.

I found a couple of cool verses towards the beginning of Psalms.

5:11-12 is simply wonderful!

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

5:8 is also a really good verse. Part of it says "depart from me, all you workers of iniquity." That comes to my mind sometimes when I'm struggling to overcome what the devil is brining against me. It's quite helpful, actually! :)

So, that's what I have. How is everyone else coming on the challenge?

(Oh, and as soon as someone needs the next week's schedule, let me know!)

week 8

2008-07-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Here is week 8...sorry it's late. (haha!)

Monday: Isa 14:1 thru Isa 28:29
Tuesday: Isa 29:1 thru Isa 41:18
Wednesday: Isa 41:19 thru Isa 52:12
Thursday: Isa 52:13 thru Isa 66:18
Friday: Isa 66:19 thru Jer 10:13
Saturday: Jer 10:14 thru Jer 23:8
Sunday: Jer 23:9 thru Jer 33:22

How is everyone getting along?

week 7

2008-06-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's week 7...three days late. I don't think any of us are this caught up yet, though.

Monday: Psalm 89:14 thru Psalm 108:13
Tuesday: Psalm 109:1 thru Psalm 34:13
Wednesday: Psalm 135:1 thru Prov 6:35
Thursday: Prov 7:1 thru Prov 20:21
Friday: Prov 20:22 thru Ecc 2:26
Saturday: Ecc 3:1 thru Song of Solomon 8:14
Sunday: Isaiah 1:1 through Isaiah 13:22

2008-06-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

"respected group leader," my foot!

Anywho, has everyone but Sadie and me died? Well, I guess Tiff hasn't, because I just skyped her yesterday...

Where is everybody? Just because you're behind doesn't mean you're allowed to not share what God has been speaking to you through the reading!

I'm behind too...I'm only in Second Kings...*blushes mightily*

Has this reading been good for everyone? Are you glad you started; are you disgusted with it? What is everyone thinking?

Erica's post.....

2008-06-18T12:51:00.001-07:00

OK, this is me posting for our respected group leader =) since her internet is down.

"One little story stuck out to me, from 1 Kings 12:6

“Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, ‘how do you advise me to answer these people?’ And they spoke to him…But he rejected the advice the elders had given him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”

He takes the advice of the young men, and rejects the advice of the elders.

Sounds like part of what the Rebelution is about, doesn’t it? Listen to your elders; take their advice!!!

The other stories I really liked were the one everybody knows about Elijah. First drinking from the brook and being fed by ravens, and then asking the widow woman for a cake, and her flour and oil never were empty.

Anybody else getting anything interesting out of their reading lately?"

~Sadie and Erica

ahem

2008-06-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is so late...our internet at home is dead in the water, and I have just now gotten to the library to get the new schedule up! I don't have time right now to put it on the sidebar, in case you're wondering why I'm not up-to-date on that. But here is week six!

Monday: Nehemiah 13:15 thru Job 7:21
Tuesday: Job 8:1 thru Job 24:25
Wednesday: Job 25:1 thru Job 41:34
Thursday: Job 42:1 through Psalm 24:10
Friday: Psalm 25:1 thru Psalm 45:14
Saturday: Psalm 45:15 thru Psalm 69:21
Sunday: Psalm 69:22 through Psalm 89:13

How is everyone doing?

This is Amazing!

2008-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks for adding me on to the team! I started reading Genesis last night and reached chapter 30 today. Reading it as a true, infallible story this time around is fascinating. I am jotting down quick notes in my journal, but not stopping too much. It's great getting the big picture for a change, instead of stopping and pondering on all the nit-picky stuff. That's not to say theological correctness in unimportant, but I believe both enjoying God's magnificent plan for mankind and studying theology should be pursued.

God bless your bold readings this week!

One more Check-in!

2008-06-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

I know how you feel, Tiffany! I'm still in Deuteronomy, *blushes*, but I am catching up. And I'd just like to say "Thank You" to everyone for the wonderful encouragement! You all are great!

~Sadie

Checking In...

2008-06-03T01:43:00.000-07:00

You girls have no idea what it means to be behind! :P I'm still in Exodus! But I'm almost done with it, and I am reading my Bible everyday- even if it is just a few chapters!! :) So I'm doing good, and I don't feel discouraged!

You gals are asking so many questions, and I would like to answer them!! But I'm not having the time to lately! Though, I feel the same way, Anne, about Christ being the sacrifice for us today!! I'm soo thankful that we don't have to do all that!! Oh, so gross and so much work! :)

Well, I better be going! Sorry I haven't posted more! Love you all!

~Tiffany

The Anne Girl is Checking In

2008-06-02T14:47:00.001-07:00

Here's my reply to Erica's question about how 90 Challenge is going for me.

Well, I'm sure I'm the most behind of you all; I just started Joshua today. I'm finding it really interesting, and I'm enjoying it so far. I can't believe I read all the books of Moses in two weeks!! Wow! That's quite a feat for me. I think I liked Genesis the best. I basically struggled through Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. All that stuff about the law was kind of dry reading. So I was excited to start a new book (Joshua). Most of what I read today was story like, and that was easier to read.

What are your thoughts on Old Testament law?? Do you think it pertains in any way to our everyday life today? After reading about sacrificing animals, I was thankful that the Lord was the ultimate sacrifice for us, and that we don't have to sacrifice animals in this day and age.

I guess for now the Lord hasn't really shown me anything from what I've been reading. But I'm praying that the Lord would show me something, so I can post. How is the challenge going for the rest of you??

check-up time! :)

2008-06-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

How is everyone doing? I haven't talked to any of you about the reading lately, so I just thought we should all report our status and encourage each other! :)

I am currently in Judges. I know that's behind, but I should be all caught up by the middle of this week. The whole story of the Israelites has been wonderful to follow...and to learn from.

What about all of you?

(Oh, and here is this week's schedule)

Monday: 1 Sam 28:20 thru 2 Sam 12:10
Tuesday: 2 Sam 12:11 thru 2 Sam 22:18
Wednesday: 2 Sam 22:19 thru 1 Kings 7:37
Thursday: 1 Kings 7:38 thru 1 Kings 16:20
Friday: 1 Kings 16:21 thru 2 Kings 4:37
Saturday: 2 Kings 4:38 through 2 Kings 15:26
Sunday: 2 Kings 15:27 thru 2 Kings 25:30

battle and business

2008-05-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Posting here will display how terribly behind I am, but oh well. I am absolutely determined to be caught up by the end of the week. Just you wait and see!

But anyway, lookie what I found!

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God
is with you, who brought you out of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'

Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: 'what man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.'

That passage, to me, is just awesome. If you think about in terms of God's people today, it is so relevant! First, when you go out to battle against the powers and principalities of darkness, don't even bother thinking about how great they are compared to how little you are. We have God on our side, so the seemingly mighty enemy is really nothing!

But I like the second part better. If you have a house you haven't dedicated, go and dedicate it...if you have a girl you haven't married, go marry her. Get your business finished up! We can't be going into battle with unfinished business. One of Mr. Schneider's most used phrases is "let's deal with unfinished business." If we have "unfinished business" with God, how can we go into battle?

Cool litttle picture, huh? I don't want to leave any business unfinished before God. We *are* in a spiritual battle - but the enemy is nothing in the face of our God!

Just a question I had...

2008-05-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

Does Leviticus 5:1 sound confusing to anyone? It says:

And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

It seems a little funny to me that Christ would blame the hearer of someone else swearing or taking his name in vain. And when it says "then he shall bear his iniquity" whose iniquity are we talking about? I did look up the Greek for the word "hear" and it said,

"a primitive root; to hear intelligently

(often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness."

So perhaps if a soul hears someone swear and proclaims/regards/or declares it he shall bear iniquity? The word witness also means "testimony; specifically, a recorder", so....maybe it has something to do with gossiping to someone else ( i.e."you know what I heard Mrs. Smith saying???")

And another thing...how much of the OT law is still true for our lives now? Obviously, making sure that our burnt offering's head is turned towards the northeast isn't something we have to worry about....but why was that stuck in the Bible?

As you can tell, I'm running in circles here so any input would be helpful :)

Thank you! I really love reading all of your thoughts, and having you here has helped me stay on track with my reading...mostly... :P

The finish goal.......

2008-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

I just realized that we've specified that we're reading the Bible in 90 days, but no one has as yet provided the actual finish date, as far as I can see. :P Anyway, we're supposed to be done by August 9th........Not too far off! And while I'm on the subject, I'd better go do some reading! :p

~Sadie

So What's All in a Name?

2008-05-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the promised post!! I'm sorry if it's a bit short..

I guess what's really been standing out to me in the Old Testament is peoples names. Most of the time they are so silly sounding and strange. But then I started to notice that most of the peoples names came from what happened at their birth. The story that really got me started on a name search was the story of Tamar and her birth of twins (Gen. 38:27-30). I thought it was kind of funny that the midwife tied a red string to one of the twins hands, so I wanted to know if the name "Zarah" meant "red string" or something. So I got on Power Bible CD, and looked up the name "Zarah" in the Bible name dictionary. The name "Zarah" means "east, brightness." His twin's name "Pharez" means "division, rupture." I was kind of scratching my head at Zarah's name because it doesn't seem relative to the last part of the story.

"And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, this came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had a scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah." Gen. 38: 28-30

Here are some other names I looked up:
Ex. 2:10- The name Moses means taken out; drawn forth. That makes sense because we know he was drawn out of the water.
Ex. 2:22 - The name Gershom means a stranger here. That one also matches up with the story.

I wish I had written down more names when I came across them and looked them up. But I didn't so, I'm apologize that I only have three examples.

More on Leaven

2008-05-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

After quite a bit of digging around, I think I have found the answer to the unleavened bread thing. :)

"So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leaven from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel." (Ex. 12:14-15)

"Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven e seen among you in all your quarters." (Ex. 13:7)

Those are just two passages, but there are multitudes in Exodus and Leviticus.

Here's what the New Testament says about leavean.

"Then Jesus sadi to them, 'take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Saducees."' (Mat. 16:6).

"Then he charged them, saying 'take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.'" (mark 8:15)

From those two verses, it sounds like leaven isn't such a good thing. But what does it represent?

"Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Saducees." (mat. 16:12)

So, the leaven that Jesus is warning against is the doctrine of the Pharisees/Saducees. This doctrine could be the Old Testament law of Moses, or it could be the fact that they were so religiously puffed up. But the reason they were religiously puffed up was because they were stuck in the OT law...

Galations 5:9 says "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."

So that makes me think that maybe leaven isn't such a bad thing, if it is in small quantity! So perhaps the "leaven of the Pharisees" is the OT law, because, though we have a new law of grace, the OT law is still good to know and understand.

"...do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrified for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor. 5:6-8)

There are a couple of verses that still confuse me; maybe one of you all will have some insight on them. :)

"Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven..." (Amos 4:5)

"Another parable he spoke to them: 'the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." (matt 13:33)

Thoughts from me

2008-05-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

:)

Ok, I had a ton of questions swirling around in my head, but like a dummy I didn't write them down. So here are some of the only ones I remember -- Though the first one is certainly applicable to a lot of Exodus and Leviticus.

I am just so amazed at how many and how complicated instructions God gave to Moses. I mean, the directions for the making of the Tabernacle are like five gazillion pages long, with measurements and colors and details and all. (Not to mention the instructions for the garments, the sacrifices, the festivals, etc.!) I'm wondering if Moses wrote it all down while God told him, or if being told something by God just kind of burns itself into your memory, or if Moses could just remember more than normal people, or what? What do you think?

I would like to echo Erica: what does the whole 4:24-26 part mean??? Even my Reformed commentary is confused. It says that the Hebrew is so odd at this point that they can't even tell if it's talking about Moses or Moses' son most of the time.....and then what Ziphorah is incomprehensible. What do you girls think??

OK, this question harks all the way back to Genesis. In 31: 34-35, where Rachel is sitting on the idols to hide them from her father, she tells him that she can't get up to greet him because she is having her menstrual period. And I was just wondering what that has to do with anything at all.....I mean, is she saying that she is too weak to stand up or something?? Or maybe that she was having really bad cramps. ;) Anyway, thoughts?

~Sadie

thoughts from most of exodus

2008-05-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Why am I the only one posting thoughts these days?! TIFFANY!!!!!! Emilie and Annie, you can always post thoughts/questions! :)

Did you all notice I put the current schedule on the sidebar? Pretty handy, huh? ;)

Anyway, I still haven't quite finished Exodus (today I'm supposed to go through Leviticus 26, I think), but I'm determined to be back on schedule by tomorrow!

Anywho, here are a few thoughts/questions I had from Exodus:

2:18 says "And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?"

Then in 3:1 it says "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian."

Soo...both Reuel and Jethro were "the priest of midian." (2:16-18 and 3:1) I guess Reuel and Jethro must be the same guy (priest of midian, seven daughters, Moses's father-in-law), but it is rather confusing...

???
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 4:11-12: "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what to say."

Maybe it's only after seeing that scene in The Prince of Egypt that it seems so powerful. But wow.
I really don't understand 4:24-26...it makes no sense whatsoever. Help!
In chapter 14 the Egyptians are pursuing Israel, and they panic. In verse 15 it says: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.'"

There is a time to cry out to the Lord , but sometimes we have to just rise up in the power of God and move foward!!!
What does 29:19-20 mean??

And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
The story of the golden calf gets more unbelievable every time I read it. After the calf is made the children of Israel say "This is your god, oh Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt." That is almost unbelievable. It's an image they made by melting down all their earrings and shaping it into a calf, and they say that it brought them out of Egypt? wow.

And then: "When Aaron saw it [the calf], he built an alter before it....and said, 'tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.' Then they rose early on the next day, offerened burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

Right in the middle of this huge sin against God, they put on this little religious act and offer sacrifices to the Lord!

Since the Israelites are a picture of God's people today, reading their story is such an amazing reminder of what we need to watch out for.

week Three Schedule

2008-05-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Monday: Deut 23:12 - Deut 34:12
Tuesday: Jos 1:1 thru Jos 14:15
Wednesday: Jos 15:1 thru Judges 3:27
Thursday: Judges 3:28 thru Jdg 15:12
Friday: Jdg 15:13 thru 1 Sa 2:29
Saturday: 1 Sam 2:30 thru 1 Sam 15:35
Sunday: 1 Sam 16:1 thru 1 Sam 28:19

question

2008-05-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'll just admit it up front. Emma is practically in Matthew, and I'm sure Tiff is right on top of the reading too, but I'm not. We're supposed to do day 7 today, but I'm at more like 5...oh well, I'll catch up!

Anywho, I had a question. You know how the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, though the desert, and then into the promised land is a picture of Christ leading us out of the world, though our lives, and then into the "promised land?" So as I'm reading the story these spiritual pictures are popping up all over the place.

In lots of different places, but right now I've noticed it in chapter 13 especially, God (through Moses) talks about the unleavened bread. He really goes on about it quite a bit, so I'm thinking there has to be some spiritual picture there, but I'm not sure what it is. In Matthew 16:6 Jesus says "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

So I'm just wondering, do any of you know what the spiritual picture is with the unleavened bread?

EDIT:

So as soon as I had this posted I thought "you dummy!" Why don't you go see if you can find anything else in the word? So besides a lot more about the feast of unleavened bread and such, I did find this verse in I Corinthians 5:8 "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

I think this verse is another example of the "new law," if you will. The "law" of grace taking the place of the Old Testament law.

But I'm still not sure what the deal is with unleavened bread...

More Thoughts. . .

2008-05-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

We need to come up with a name for these things, girls!! :) Any ideas?

Anyways, here's some thoughts that I had when reading Exodus:

Chapter 1 says that Israel continued to multiply. So much so, that they were becoming greater than the Egyptians which led Pharaoh to enslave them. My question is, why didn't the Israelites just have a rebellion? They were certainly more numerous than the Egyptians... I guess God had different plans and was glorified more the other way. :)
Exodus 4:10-11 "And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?" Wow, that reminded me of so many times when I have told the Lord, "God, I am so unworthy of what You are calling me to do! How can I possibly serve You in this manner??" But God just says, "Am not I the Lord who made heaven and earth? I can also use you in this way." Of course, He doesn't say it audibly, but His Spirit speaks to my heart. He is so awesomely awesome. :D
After Moses and Aaron entreated with Pharaoh to let the Israelites go and worship the Lord for three days, Pharaoh was angered and doubled the Israelite's work by forcing them to make bricks without straw. The Israelites then become angry at Moses and Aaron. At the end of chapter 5, Moses asks the Lord, "Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." Here God tells Moses to go deliver the Israelites, and Moses gets there and things just get worse. Mmm....isn't that so much like us?? God tells us to do something and many times we will expect immediate results. Then it doesn't turn out the way we expect it to, and we start to question God and get discouraged. We forget that God works patiently and His ways certainly are not our own! :)
Finally, I found it interesting that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't know God by His name Jehovah. Wonder why. . .

Hello

2008-05-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, I'm one of Erica's friends. She invited me to join the 90 day challenge, and be apart of this blog. I'm looking forward to this challenge, and am glad Erica invited me (thanks E!).

I guess my goal for the the 90 day challenge is that it wouldn't turn into the 90 day race. I'm sure Erica has told you all a little bit about me, but in case she hasn't, my Mom is going through Cancer at the moment. I'm kinda busy most of the time trying to take care of her, and some of the housework. I was discussing this challenge with a friend and I caught myself saying that "I didn't think I had time for something like this." I realized that was wrong, and that I DO need to have time for reading my Bible.

I think it would be great if I finished reading my whole Bible in 90 days, but I'm just going to try and pace myself. I don't want it to turn into a race for me! Just to let you all know, I'm a bit behind from where you guys are. I'm hoping to post stuff when I have time, but it may be from chapters you've already read. So please bear with me!!

I'm excited about this, challenge and I'm going to try and stay focused with it. I guess I would appreciate it if you would all pray for me; especially that I would make time for this! I am excited about this blog, and I can't wait to read and see what the Lord shows you all (during this challenge). God Bless! :)

The Anne Girl (I'm trying to put my internet safety skills to practice, so I'm sorry I'm not posting my real name. )

Here it is!

2008-05-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

I need the Week Two schedule, Erica! Could you post it?

~Sadie

EDIT: Sorry! Here it is:

Day 1: Leviticus 1:1 thru 14:32
Day 2: Le 14:33 thru 26:26
Day 3: Le 26:27 thru Numbers 8:14
Day 4: Nu 8:15 thru Nu 21:7
Day 5: Nu 21:8 thru Nu 32:19
Day 6: Nu 32:20 thru Deut. 7:26
Day 7: Dt 8:1 thru 23:11

My observations from day 2

2008-05-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

I always seem to get my thoughts up the day after...oh well. Don't feel like you have to read this if you don't want. :)

Matthew 24:37 says: "As it was in the days of Noah, so also shall it be at the coming of the son of man." Reading through the stories of Noah and then Sodom and Gomorrah reminded me of that. The sin of man was so great, that God had to destroy it, but he sent a provision for the few righteous - the ark. Noah was diligent to obey God and prepare for the disaster, so when it came, he was saved.

The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great, that God had to destroy it. Yet, he made a provision for the righteous. Actually, I don't think Lot was all too righteous, but because Abraham pleaded with God, he saved Lot. The angel guys tell Lot to get up to the high place, but he says "Please no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die."

Isn't that just like us? God makes a provision (get up to the high place!), but we fear that provision, and would rather stay down in the low place.

I think that today we are very near the "end times." The sin of this world is so great, and God is going to have to judge it. We must let go of the sin "that so easily besets" us, and go up to that high place, away from the destruction!

Okay, sorry. Just sorta preaching to myself. :)
Like Sadie, I noticed how both Abraham and Isaac said their respective wives were their sisters. When I mentioned it to Audrey, she was like "talk about familiar spirits!" :) You'd think Isaac would learn from his dad's mistake! And this is what's funny! Abraham decieved this guy named Abimelech, and so did Isaac! They did it to the same guy!!!!!! Wow.

So, that's what I came away with from yesterday. Comments?

Reflections

2008-05-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Reflections of today's reading:

Genesis 17:1b "...I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." In verse three Abram falls on his face. And that is exactly what I wanted to do when I read that.
Wouldn't it be weird if someone came up to you and said that you were to change your name? That's exactly what God did to Abram and Sarai. It doesn't seem their names were drastically changed, but still. . . :D
Right after the Lord tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son, Abraham says in vrs. 17, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" What amazes me here is that God doesn't get upset at this outburst of skepticism, but calmly says, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant, and with his seed after him." How incredibly patient is our God! And how horribly impatient are we! Oh, God is so good!
Another thing I noticed is Abraham's faith and how it grows as he learns from and grows closer to the Lord. The above point is the one of the first places where I noticed his lack of faith, and the next place where Abraham seems to have little faith (or maybe it's true concern for his nephew or both ;)), is when he's pleading with the Lord to spare Sodom of destruction. He asks the Lord to save the city for 50 righteous living there. But after finding out that the Lord will save it if that many righteous are living there, he then asks the Lord to save the city for only 45 righteous people. It's almost like he's bartering with Lord here. ;) So Abraham continues to ask God to save the city for less and less. When you finally get to where God will save the city for 20 righteous people, I'm like, "Ok, surely now Abraham will stop." Not the case. Pleading with the Lord not to get angry, he asks if God will save the city for only 10 righteous people. And God, in His graciousness, says He will! Ok, sorry to get a little off topic... Anyways, after that incident, Abraham's faith gets stronger. Isaac is finally born and, of course, Abraham and Sarah are overjoyed! But then, God tells Abraham to give his son -his only son- as a sacrifice. And you know what? Abraham doesn't blink an eye! He does exactly what God tells him to do without a word. And when his son asks, (paraphrasing here) "Father, where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham says, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Wow, Abraham's faith certainly had grown by that time!
Something I thought was interesting was how Abraham and his servant swore an oath. You know how modern-day oaths might be sworn by raising your hand. Well his servant put his hand under Abraham's thigh! That would be an interesting custom to look up.
After Isaac's mother died, I thought it was so sweet that he was comforted when he married Rebekah. :)

Observations from Day Two

2008-05-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished day two! It's 11:00 in the morning, so it looks like I might be able to get ahead today!! Yay! Here are my thoughts so far....I know they are pretty random, but I'll just put 'em up on here anyway, and no one has to read them if they don't want to. :D

Has anyone else noticed how many times Abraham's age is mentioned in this section? "And Abraham was seventy-five years old.." (12 : 4) "When Abraham was ninety-nine years old..." (17 : 1) etc, etc, etc... I wonder why it was so important?

I like the whole 18: 22-33 part, where Abraham is asking God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were fifty righteous men....forty-five....forty....thirty-five...thirty.....it really demonstrates God's patience with men. :)

And I would like some help with verse 18 : 21: "I will go down there now and see whether they have done according to the outcry against it that comes to Me; and if not, I will know." God was, of course, well aware of what was going on in Sodom and Gomorrah, so why does He say that He has to go see if it is really like that?? I'm confused.

This is kind of strange.......why does Lot say in verse 19 : 8 that his daughters were virgins, when it specifies a few verses later that they were both married?

I just realized that Rebekah had two uncles who's names were Huz and Buz. That really struck me as funny for some reason! (22 : 21)

And in 26: 6-9, when Issac gets all afraid (just like Abraham did twice before) and told a foreign king: "She is my sister", God once again opens the king's eyes and saves everyone from the situation, just as he did before. His mercy is unending with us silly people!

OK, well, that's all the random thoughts I have so far. :P I'm sure there will be plenty more tomorrow.

~Sadie

Thoughts from Day 1

2008-05-13T06:43:00.001-07:00

Uhh...hopefully I don't have this many observations every day! Don't feel like you have to read all of this if you don't want, because I understand it is a bit lengthy...

Several times in Genesis 1, 2, and 3 God mentions cattle. In 2:20 it says "So Adam gave names to ALL cattle..." And I was wondering how that could be, because cattle are cattle (unless you get into breeds like gelbvieh, angus, hereford, etc.). I looked up in the Stong's, and I guess "cattle" back then just meant a dumb beast/a large animal. You probably already knew that, but I didn't. :)
Genesis 2:23 says "Adam said...therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Whad did Adam know about a father and a mother? Yes, he had God the Father, but how could he understand the concept of leaving one's father and mother to go live with your wife. He didn't have a mother, and he never left God...
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God wlaking in the garden in the cool of the day..." Can you imagine a place where you can hear God walking around in the early morning? Wow.
Here's something interesting: This is the prophecy toward the serpent: "And I will put emnity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." I found two other verses that tie into this. Psalm 41:9 is quoted in John 13:18 by Jesus: "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; that the scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread wiht me has lifted up his heel against me.'" I think Jesus is probably talking about Judas here, which really ties into the verse in Genesis. Does that make sense?
This is cool! Several times in the first few chapters (1:26, 3:22), God refers to himself as "Us." I just love how he says "Let us make man in OUR image..."
Gen 4:17 says "And Cain knew his wife..." Where did Cain's wife come from? ;)
After Noah comes out of the ark (imagine coming out of your tiny little box into a completely different world, that is washed completely clean. Wow.), it says "every moving thing that lives shall be food for you." I never quite understood why vegetarians thought it was bad to eat meat, and especially after reading this bit. Does someone have an explanation?
This is Genesis 13:7-8: "But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers." So here's my question: It's talking about Abram's and Lot's servants quarreling, and then all of a sudden there is this random sentence about the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Why is that randomly stuck in there?

That's all! If anyone did happen to read all through this, I'd love to have your input. But if not, that's fine too. :)

Some Thoughts and Musings

2008-05-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

This post is by no means profound, just some things that struck me or stood out while I was reading.

In Genesis 1 the words "and it was so" are continually repeated. It reminded me of how truly awesome and powerful God is. He speaks - it happens. Can you believe it?!? Let me just show you a little bit of what Genesis 1 says:
3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Now just imagine with me here...everything is pitch black; not a thing can be seen. Then all of a sudden, God speaks and *boom* light appears. Think of there being no land; the entire Earth is a vast body of water. God speaks- *kabam* land was there. Pretty neat, huh? I thought so too. ;)
Second thing that stood out to me is in Genesis 9 where God is talking to Noah and his sons about establishing His covenant with them. Verses 12-16 caught my attention the most:
12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

It's amazing that God still uses the rainbow today to remember that covenant made so long ago. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but it's almost like a "blast from the past" if you will. And at the same time, it's a constant reminder of how God keeps His promises yesterday, today, and forever.
And finally, the third thing that stood out to me was how funny the Bible is. At least, I find it to be funny. :) Genesis 12:16 says,
And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
Now maybe I'm easy to entertain, but I found that quite amusing. :D

yay!

2008-05-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is the first post, girls! :-)

I'm so excited about having some accountability while I attempt to read the entire Bible in 90 days! Today, Monday May 12, is our first day. I'll go ahead and put up the schedule for the whole week, in case you're feeling overly ambitious and want to get ahead. (haha.)

I believe we have Tiffany, Sadie, Emily and I doing this together. I'd really like Sheila to join us, but that might take some convincing. And I haven't even tried convincing her yet, so we'll see.

The reason I think it's a really good idea to do a blog is because I'm hoping we can participate together in more than just getting the reading done. I already have some thoughts/observations/questions on the first few chapters, and hopefully you all will too! I'm just about to pop off to the nursing home to play some music, but when I get back I'll post what I've found.

I know some of us know each other, but I at least haven't met Emily, so how about if we all make a post with a short little introduction about ourselves!

Here's the schedule:

Day One: Gen. 1:1 thru Gen. 16:16
Day Two: Gen. 17:1 thru Gen. 28:19
Day Three: Gen. 28:19 thru Gen. 40:11
Day Four: Gen. 40:12 thru Gen. 50:26
Day Five: Ex 1:1 thru Ex 15:18
Day Six: Ex 15:19 thru Ex 28:43
Day Seven: Ex 29:1 thru Ex 40:38