discussion and misc. stuff

Today, I had a chat after my ranting blog. I talked with my husband. I have never really mentioned him much on my blogs. Not for any particular reason but honestly we don't talk a whole lot about my blog and thoughts to it. I asked him if he has read it and he said no. He has some reservations about reading it and discussing it with me because he doesn't want to alter my writing. He wants me to be free to write what I feel and not to be impaired or hesitant to write anything based on what he might think. This is very nice of him. I'm not sure if it's totally accurate or not...maybe...he does know me pretty good so...hmm..
Before I get started on our discussion I should tell you that my husband is quite opposite of me. He's wonderfully optomistic. He thinks the best of people and always gives them the benefit of the doubt. He also knows much more about the bible than I do. He was raised in a christian household and attend sunday school stuff. It honestly is a topic we never really discussed much. Odd I know. Since we have been together for 13 years and married almost 9.
OK...back to our discussion.
I told him about my ranting blog. My frusteration with radical religious wacko's trying to get notches in their belt with the most recruits and flashing letters and promises of being healed or saved in some creek.
He told me to think about their intentions. Some of these people are excited and this is the way they show their enthusiasm for their faith. Some might have ill intentions but not all of them do. Some people are looking for that hope of healing and the flashing letters might just get their attention. It's different for everyone. But most importantly, they don't all have bad intentions. Just because it isn't what you are looking for doesn't mean it isn't what someone else is looking for.

Yep, that's my husband. He is better half for sure. He reminds me that there are good people and to not assume that the intentions are all bad.

So for my prior post I now realize that there is a lot that isn't for me and I'm still searching for what is me. What I am looking for and what I consider "normal" which everyone's definition of "normal" is different.


Back to something I stumbled across on a friend's facebook page and since we are wrapping up Leviticus I thought I'd get it on my blog before it's too late.




Yes, you are reading that correctly Leviticus 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as one does with a woman. It is an abomination."

This person has so wisely (sarcasm) tattooed a verse from Leviticus that he must feel strongly that man should follow yet he chooses to ignore the following versus from Leviticus. You can't just pick and choose what to follow. It is not up to you to decide how God will judge us all in the end.


Leviticus 19:28
“‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:15 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
Leviticus 19:16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

I guess it is so much easier to look at other people and judge them rather than to change ourselves and judge ourselves. I know I commit sins and I know that God is probably not happy with my or my thoughts but at the end of the day I know that even though I might occasionally get mad about something I would never be extreme. I would never hurt someone for being different. I would never treat others poorly because of their lifestyle, race, gender, etc. I try to love your neightbor as yourself....ok well I may fail at the love part but I mostly succeed at tolerate. :) Occasionally I'm even nice! :) Keep in mind I work in an Emergency Department and run into some less than polite individuals at some of the worst times in their lives. My "love" for others I will be the first to admit doesn't always exist in these circumstances.
I will go on and try to be a better person.

As Gandhi once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

I will be starting another book in the next week or so. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I still am working on A Year of Living Biblically occasionally at night and Rethinking Life and Death: The Collapse of Our Traditional Ethics.

Finishing up Leviticus and starting Numbers

We are through Leviticus and I've gotta tell ya...not bad. Everyone warned me that it would be a challenging read and boring and potentially would bother me with all the rules but really it was entertaining in parts. I do have to say as a nurse a big thank you for those rules about cleanliness and frequent washings especially with regard to drainage/discharge. Although, it is apparent that some people have not read the bible and do not follow this rule. I honestly can say I'm not surprised at the correlation. Yet another reason we need to focus a little more on religion in our society. CLEANLINESS!!

Leviticus 26:44 "yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God."

I like this because it shows God's nature that even though he can be very harsh and has his expectations if you are in need he is always present. He will not turn you away.

Numbers - the census and continuing in laws (according to the little summary at the beginning of my Chronological Study Bible)

So it seems according to the numbers that there are possibly 603,550 men of age to fight in a war. So between the ages of 20 and above. It doesn't specify to what age and considering the amount of travel thus far and the living conditions in Egypt. I can't imagine they have a long life span. Anyway...thought it might be interesting to see where the Isralei military is now. 2000+ years later.
Here's their numbers according to my ever faithful Wikipedia. 187,000 active personnel and 565,000 reserve personnel, all isralei citizens male and female are required to join the military at age 18 unless there is a reason for them not to go such as being Arab, religious preference, physical or psychological reasons. Women are required to serve for 2 years and men 3 years. They have a very large number of "available for military service" numbers that can be utilized if necessary.

OK back to Numbers. The Levites were not counted in this census because they were assigned by God for a different task. They were to care for the Tabernacle of the Testimony, over all it's furnishings and all things related to it. While I'm sure war is not an appealing option nor is the wrath of God if you put one of those fiber vails in the wrong place.

After the census it just amazes me that all these people are just hanging out in the desert. They have to take up a lot of room even if this is the desert. That's a lot of people to stick in the desert to go unnoticed. How did Moses communicate with all these people. There weren't t.v's,newspapers, nothing. How did they all know that they were in the desert for a reason. A good reason and just keep hanging out. Surely they didn't all know that all the sacrificing of animals was going on...all 600,000 and that's just the men of war age...
How would they know anything that was going on. Was someone blogging all this??? Yep, that's how we ended up with the bible right?

slight rant

It could be that I've been sick for 3 days and confined to my house and more specifically my bed and bathroom that is contributing to this post. If so, I'm sorry. (It is well known that I am far the likes of Job)
Here we go anyway.

What annoys me.....I was surfing around on the internet and looking for an online bible study group. (yes, a bible study group) anyway...what did I find. A bunch of crap. Annoying pictures of people in rivers being "saved" bright pink and blue flashing letters on the screen of "are you ready to commit to god" Oh come on....seriously. This is exactly what I despise about Religious fanatics and their access to the internet. The fact that they think I need flashing letters and rivers and some gray haired man telling me about washing away all my sins. (nothing against gray haired men but I swear it's always the same man in the river or putting his hand on people's foreheads healing them)

I know I will hit a chord on some of this but I never said my blog would be politicially or religiously correct.

But seriously don't treat me like a distractable 5 year old constantly looking for the next shiny object. PS...don't try to save me or cure me from some ailment either. Come On... You are not God. You are some cheeseball wanting to make some money by charging an arm and a leg to join your cheesy site where you will spam my email to death with crap about being saved and being the next winner of seven billion euros too. Ugh.

Why isn't there a decent/normal people bible study group for newbies that don't want to commit to some wacko fundamentalist church group with members that want to put the notch in their belt for recruiting this person or that person.
I just want to go online in the privacy of my house in my time and say, "hey what did you think about this verse or that." or have someone say "hey I always thought this verse meant this but maybe it doesn't?"


ok...that's my rant for the day. I'm done and going back to reading my bible all alone and posting to my blog and avoiding the internet for biblical study groups.

stoning and an eye for an eye

Leviticus 24: 13 Then the LORD said to Moses: 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

17 “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. 19 Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. 22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.’”

OK so the confusing part to me is Verse 16 says they are to be put to death while Verse 17 says anyone who takes the life of another is to be put to death. So the difference being if you take someone's life because they have not followed the rules of God versus if you take someone's life for another reason. However, it seems like there are a lot of reasons you can take someone's life and it's still ok with God.
Not that I'm looking for a reason to justify anything. I'm just curious. Mainly, because I try to think about and figure out those christians that justify their actions of murder.

Leviticus 25:3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.

I like this part because it seems if we still followed this we would be grateful and mindful of our land more so than what we are. I get concerned that with the giant agricultural farms that the nature and original ways of the lands are lost. We cannot appreciate the beauty of nature and growth when it is so chemicalized that a cloud of chemicals fogs the land.

Leviticus 25: 23 “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.

Maybe this is a midwest farm girl talking but I really like this verse. How can you not like this verse? I love the thought that the land is borrowed. It is not our land. It is God's and we should treat it as such.

Leviticus 26:1 “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.

Here we go with the idols thing again. Do not place a carved stone in your land to bown down before it....hmmm...

Leviticus and how we should still follow this today.

Leviticus 15:4'Every bed on which the person with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean.
'Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
'Also whoever touches the person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

This is a great law. One that should probably be followed today. Little did I know that the laws of Leviticus were likely the first standards or written instructions on cleanliness and prevention of spreading of disease. Speaking as a nurse and paramedic people should refresh on these rules and consider following them!

As I'm continuing my reading of Leviticus. I appreacite the rules. I like rules. I have lots of personal rules some are just as odd as those in Leviticus but to me they make sense...so like in Leviticus the rules make sense to God. I am not sure however, with all these offering rules how one would ever remember them all and to prepare and present the correct offering.

Leviticus 18 - Simple enough and THANK YOU!! It pretty much said no incest. Lovely. Unfortunately it had to be written (thanks to Lot's daughters and others) but fortunately it was written.

Leviticus 19:11 You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.

No lying, cheating or stealing...got it...easy enough. well the cheating and stealing. The lying is sometimes hard for me. Just little things. I'm not a compulsive liar and I don't lie about big stuff...well, I guess I need to improve on this part. No lying...ok I'm a work in progress on this.
You shall not swear falsely by My name. Oh boy. This is hard. I cuss and swear a lot. I use the Lords name...Ugh. This is definately going to take a conscious effort and time. Especially, during the stressful situations at work.
OK....work in progress....decrease the cussing and using the lords name in vain....

Leviticus 19:17 You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.

This also will take work. Yes, I know I shouldn't hate people and I know hate is a strong word but I will try to think of the people I believe I hate and see if I really mean that or not. Hopefully I don't really mean that.

Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance,nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

no bearing grudges..really...none? I have a lot of work to do now. Especially if I want to improve mysef which is the whole goal Lot's of work to be done.

Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.

Excellent!!! I don't have to work on this one!! Wahoo!

Leviticus - offerings, clean and unclean and skin issues

Wow. Leviticus is weird right now. Lots of detail about offerings and how exactly it should be done. I hope this was written somewhere because it is so detailed I'm not sure how anyone got it done correctly.
It also goes into clean versus unclean animals and people. Also, lots of rules. I am pretty sure most everyone would be unclean for most of their lives and were offering up a lot of sacrificial animals. Maybe this was gods way to decrease some of the animal populations.
Then it goes into skin issues nearly as much as my education as a nurse. It was rather odd the different rules and if you were infectious or not.

I'm still plugging along. Frankly, there's not as much to write about in these parts and I have a new puppy who does not like to share my attention.

idols

I'm reflecting today. Well, I'm continuing my chronological journey through the bible but I had a wonderful day yesterday. I spent the entire day with my husbands cousin who is an absolutely wonderful person. She is extremely knowledgeable about the bible. She has had amazing faith and religious structure since age 9! We had so many fun conversations yesterday I'm not sure where to start.
We discussed so much regarding my journey thus far and my understanding (or lack of understanding) of so many different aspects of the bible.
We discussed idols at length because that has been plaguing my brain for quite a while.
Exodus 20:4 states “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
Exodus 20:23 "Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold."

In reading these statements I wonder why do we have crosses? Why do we have images of Jesus. Especially if Jesus is the son of God or in an image of God or...well. Can you tell I'm confused?
So these seem like idols to me. Should we not have crosses in the front of churches, should we not have crosses around our necks, hold rosary's with a crucifix on them.

These are symbols yes, but is a symbol an idol?


So according to Dictionary.com an

Idol is
noun
1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2. Bible .
a. an image of a deity other than god.
b. the deity itself.

Symbol is
noun
1. something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.


Well according to this it would seem that these things (crosses, etc) are not ok.
I'm just going to put the rosary with a crucifix that is in my car in a drawer until I continue with my readings in the bible to see what else it says about the subject.

I will be posting more later as I continue my journey through Leviticus and Numbers.

This weeks reading and impending doom

This week we finish up Exodus and move into Numbers and Leviticus. I feel the impending doom coming - Leviticus. Not because I know anything about Leviticus. To be honest I had never heard of it until I starting sharing with others my plan to read the bible. Then there became this knowledge of Leviticus. It seems it is full of controversial rules that may turn me off of the bible. We shall see!!! What is helping along this is the book The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. I think that will help. He is following all of the rules of the bible for one year while living in New York. Its a great book with a lot of humor. He has talked some of the rules in Leviticus. Hopefully that will make it more interesting. I am also reading some from Numbers this week. Not sure what is in Numbers or how it got its' name. Seems kind of odd to me. Numbers...hmmmm Maybe my adventure this week I will to look up the books of the bible and how they got their names. I just looked and wow. There is a lot of books to the bible...over 60! Happy Reading to you this week!

The Golden Calf and the not so Golden Isrealites

So I'm continuing my journey through Exodus and wondering how much more ridiculous the Isrealites can become. It seems with each page they are given food,water and provided for by God but the second something is uncomfortable or they have gone 30 minutes without some divine sign they are ready for a new God. While Moses is on the mountain talking to God and getting commandments the Isrealites are hanging around their tents bored and coming up with new Idols. They are like spoiled children. They are really kind of annoying to me.



God sees that they have made a Golden Calf as an Idol (a calf really?) and tells Moses he is going to show is wrath on those people and what does Moses do? He tells God...No don't do that. I'll go check it out and take the commandments with me. He gets to the bottom of the mountain where the Calf is and hears them singing about the calf, is furious, breaks the commandments (that GOD wrote....really Moses....you break those?......come on.....) and commands the followers of God to take their swords and kill those that do not follow God....
Really Moses??? Did you not read those commandments...Thall Shalt Not Kill....really? So you go command those to kill others. Ugh.
Then the Lord plagues whomever is left of the calf worshippers.

Exodus 34:17 - "You shall make no molded gods for yourselves"
So it is mentioned about 200 times that you shall not have any molded gods, no religious objects that you pray to. I'm curious if this stance will change as I progress through the bible. If not...I'm going to be very concerned about all those people that have crosses, figurines of Jesus, etc. It seems like (so far anyway) these items are a big No No. I know that God sent Jesus but still. Should the cross with Jesus on it or the cross be at the front of every church?

Pondering the Ten Commandments

I've been pondering the Ten Commandments. I have never opened a Bible and read the Ten Commandments. Well two days ago I did and guess what...It was cool.
Exodus 20

I starting thinking about these commandments and here's where I'm at...I'd love to hear what you think.

The first two...no other gods before me. Easy enough.
# 3 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. This is what I've been thinking about...If people really want to obey this commandment and teach their children not to use the Lords name in vain then it is not ok to say Gosh, Goodness or any other form in the same context as one would use the word God. So for example Oh My Gosh...well in my opinion you are insinuating the use of the word God so saying Gosh does not excuse the fact that you really want to and really mean to use God. It is the same way I feel about kids saying "fricking" it really means the other word and it is not acceptable to use this word either. To replace one word for the bad word doesn't make the intent not present. The intent for the original word is still there and isn't that the bad part?
I had a wonderful discussion with a co-worker about this commandment and my above listed thoughts. She lead a church group about this commandment and she saw the commandment as follows: We follow Christ as Christians which means "follower of Christ" if this is the case then we should represent Christ at all times. Therefore, not using his name or his actions in vain as being Christian. So treating others kindly, acting as Christ would as best as you can and leading a Christian life are all ways not to use the Lords name or Christ's name in vain.
I never thought of it this way but when she explained it I thought it was beautiful! Thanks Ali!!

# 4 Remember the Sabbath Day - I don't have a chance at this one...I work as a nurse so I work random days of the week and a lot of weekends. So, I need to think about the meaning behind this Commandment. Did he mean that he wanted us to always set aside one day of the week for reflection and devotion?

#5 - Honor your mother and father. I love this one. It shows the value of respect, honor and love to your parents. Loving your parents and loving your God.

#6 - Don't kill people....ok got it!

#7 - Do not commit adultry. No problem. I can't stand it. I have always felt that if someone will cheat on their spouse who is supposedly their true love then what would they do to their friends. Your spouse is supposed to be the person closest to you that you would do anything for aside from your children so cheating and hurting them seems to be so horrible. I often find that those who have committed adultry I have a hard time trusting because they do not even value the sanctity of marriage.

#8 - Do not steal. Easy enough

#9 - No false testimony against your neighbor. - ok got it don't tell lies about the neighbor. is this the no lying commandment? Does that exist or am I confused with the golden rules? Wait....what are the golden rules? Where did those come from? Uh oh....Google here I come!

# 10 - Don't covet thy neighbors stuff. So basically don't be jealous and wishful. Be happy for those with things you do not have. Hmmmm I think this is hard. America is all about keeeping up with the Jones' and that seems like a lot of coveting.

The Ten Commandments!

Two posts today because I'm really excited. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!!! I'm really liking Exodus so far. So much great stuff and great writings. I have a lot highlighted in my bibles. It's a lot of fun to compare my Archaeological Bible and my Chronological Study Bible. The Archaeological Bible is a NIV and the Chronological Study Bible is NKJV so they are a little different with wording but I really like them both!
Anyway...COMMANDMENTS!!

Exodus through Chapter 19

I apologize for the slight delay in my posting. I am a part time college student and I had to spend the past two days doing not so fun research on bioethics and nursing history...blah!
But, I'm done for today. I can't take anymore. I attempted to work on a worksheet and I have a test Friday on APA style of writing but I just can't go there right now. I really dislike that and I'm not looking forward to it at all. Luckily, the test is open book.
Anyway, on to fun stuff....Exodus!
Moses has lead the Israelites out of Egypt, through the red sea and now into the desert. The Isrealites sang the praises of God after the Red Sea engulfed the Pharaoh's army. That was quite short lived however, They traveled into the desert and on the third day they were after Moses to provide water and food for them. He spoke to God and water was provided then Manna and Quail were provided. The Manna when it was described reminded me of the bread at church. The little round pieces of whatever those are. Exodus 16:14 "When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor."
Naturally the Isrealites did not listen to Moses and took more than they were supposed to of the bread and it turned into maggots. Then there is another great line. Exodus 16:32 "This is what the Lord has commanded:Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt."
Again in the very next paragraph the Isrealites are after Moses for God not providing water. It seems their faith is very weak considering all the signs God has given them. They still feel certain that the shall never want again and that he should provide for them without their asking.

Exodus

This week is Exodus. I continue to admit that I know the name Moses...but my knowledge other than that is pretty minimal. This is not anyone's fault. I truly believe that my quest this year is supposed to happen. I have always been meant to create my own path and my beliefs will be after research, understanding and ultimately my decision. Well, I will take credit for this even though some of you reading my blog just laughed. I know you are laughing at the statement "ultimately my decision" but hey...that's where I'm at now.
Exodus. Wow. There's a lot here. I've been reading and wishing I had blogged as I went instead of this once a week-ish business. I'm not liking it and I will be going back to my more frequent blogging.
Chapter 2 is the birth of Moses and he is left in a basket near the Nile and the Pharaoh's daughter finds him and takes him as her own. It is very interesting that he is raised by the Egyptians but does not like them and flees. I wonder if the Pharaoh's daughter told him he was not Egyptian or if he could tell.
Chapter 3 is the burning bush. I'm sorry I know I should be somewhat serious but I just think of the Three Amigos standing at the Singing Bush.
In Chapter 3 God tells Moses that he is to go to the Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the Isrealites. Moses does not feel he is adequate for this task. Chapter 4 God does 3 different acts and gives Moses the ability to prove to the Pharaoh that God is with him.
1. He turns Moses' staff into a snake when it is thrown on the ground which turns back to a staff when Moses picks it up. I am not sure I would ever get my staff back if it turned into a snake.
2. Moses hand will turn leprous (various diseases affecting the hand, not necessarily leprosy - according to my Archaeological Bible) when he places it inside his cloak.
3. Moses is to take water from the Nile and pour it onto dry ground and it will become blood.
Moses meets up with his brother Aaron and they go together to the Pharaoh. God has told Moses that he will harden the Pharaoh's heart. This is interesting to me because God is hardening his heart and then all these plagues follow as a result of the continued hardening. I wonder how hardened his heart would have remained if God hadn't hardened it.
The Hebrew people were to make bricks without straw and were subjected to punishment when they were not able to keep up with their required amount of bricks produced.
Aaron and Moses both threw down their staffs infront of the Pharaoh and they became snakes. The magicians of the Pharaoh did the same and their staffs were then ate by Aaron's snake. The Nile river was turned to blood. Then their was the plague of frogs. Then the plague of Gnats. (which the frogs would have enjoyed) Then the plague of Flies (the frogs would have also enjoyed) Then the plague on Livestock sparing of course the Isrealites livestock, Then the plague of Boils (yuck...I can't imagine how bad it must have smelled after all these plagues) Next up was the Plague of Hail (good thing there weren't insurance companies then) Then the plague of locusts (I'm sure that was loud - frogs would have enjoyed this one too) Then the plague of Darkness. The really interesting thing about the plague of darkness is what I read in my Archaeological Bible about it. It says "The Plague of Darkness was almost certainly a challenge against Ra, an Egyptian sun god. This would have been a direct challenge to the Pharaoh, since Egyptian kings were referred as the sons of Ra." Ch.11 is the Plague on the firstborn. This is where the firstborn Egyptian son from every home as well as the firstborn of the cattle as well will die. However, the Isrealites will not be harmed.
Ch. 12 is the Passover. This is really neat. I really like this because I have heard of the passover but I had no idea what it was! Now I know!!! The lord told Moses and Aaron that on the tenth day of this month a lamb should be slaughtered. It was also careful to mention to only slaughter what will be eaten and if your household cannot eat an entire lamb to invite others and share but it must all be eaten. This is the beginning of rules including to take blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes, eat the meat roasted, Do not leave any of it till morning, any left must be burned, eat with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and staff in hand, eat in haste.
12:13 "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." 12:14 "This is a day you are to commemorate, for generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance."
12:42 "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Isrealites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come."
Ch.13 discusses the consecration of the firstborn. It says the firstborn either man or animal belongs to the Lord. I am just curious what this means. So....are they sacrificed or is it just known that the firstborn holds higher value?
Later in Ch.13 Moses and the Isrealites leave Egypt and head toward the Red Sea. Moses is carrying Joseph's bones because Joseph did not want them to remain in Egypt. The lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day or a pillar of fire at night. The Egyptians went after the Isrealites and the Lord gave Moses the power to part the sea with his staff. The sea was parted and the Isrealites walked on dry ground through and when the Egyptians attemtpted to follow the water flowed back and none of them survived. The Isrealites saw this and put their trust in him and in Moses. This is amazing to me. All the plagues and all the other acts weren't enough to prove to them that the Lord was present. Wow talk about skeptics.

That's all for today. Next time continuing on through Exodus starting at Ch.15.

mystery gift

Today while at work I received a mystery gift. Wrapped in brown paper with a beautiful green and brown ribbon. It was a gift of the Archaeological Bible that I wanted. It came without a note or any message. Just the beautiful bible in beautiful wrapping. I have no idea who this is from but I'm thrilled. What I love about this bible is the pages that say "The Reliability of the Bible" and it has archaeological facts and pictures. It's beautiful. It reminds me of my Chronological bible but with more of the scientific and archaeological detail.
I'm thrilled. So whomever my gift was from...Thank You. I love love love it!
Off to read Exodus.

Completed Job.

Well It's February 1st. Where I live we are having a blizzard! Not the kind served at Dairy Queen either. It iced last night and we've had a lot of snow and a strong north wind all day today.
I have been so fortunate in my journey through the bible. I have really enjoyed it thus far and hope I continue with my resolution to read the bible chronologically this year. One month down and 11 more to go!
Yesterday I worked all day. It was the usual day in the Emergency Room. I did get to see our hospital chaplain. She is a lovely lady. I'm sure I've mentioned her before. She is just one of those people that brings peace and calm when she enters a room. I always appreciate seeing her even though it is often during challenging times. I told her of my journey this year and occasionally I ask her questions about my readings. I have a group of trusty advisors that I ask about different questions as my journey continues. They are all wonderful in their own right. Our chaplain has brought me a few articles about different questions I've had but yesterday she brought me a book. This wasn't just any book. It was a book from when she was in school. It's called "People of the Covenant. An Introduction to the Old Testament." by Flanders, Crapps and Smith. It's great! It has all the wonderful details of a loved book - her name on the inside, highlights, underlined parts and notes. I love it! There is something about books that people reference, write in and live through. Not textbooks but books that they read for pleasure and guidance. I love it.
Anyway, I'm very excited about this book and I've been looking at it already. On the first page it says "The old testament centers upon the action of God in the affairs of men as they react to him and seek to interpret the meaning of his action for life and faith."
I have completed reading Job. It was long, dark and ultimately beautiful. At times I felt as a child would say "why is it so unfair" but only God understands. I read in my Intro to the Old Testament book a line that said "Job is every man, reminding us that a deep and personal faith oftem comes by way of the long and sometimes dark corridor of sincere questions about the relavance of God for human existence. The book ultimately asserts that he who throws himself upon God, even though perplexed about life's evil, shall find him."
In another side reading somewhere it said that God is presented during chaos and troubling times. He does not present during only the sunny days and bliss. This is so true of what I have read thus far. Maybe it is because instead of losing faith and questioning if there is a God when times are hard we should be more like those in the Old Testament and recognize that God has reasons that we are not meant to understand and while there is chaos and sadness He is present with us most during these times.