Saul...Paul
Besides Jesus, there are certain characters that I favour in the Bible such as Gideon, Esther and Paul among others. But my favourite character is Paul.
I like and appreciate his life story for several reasons:
(1) That he taught us to embrace positivity or optimism even when faced with challenges and obstacles, and to have faith and trust in God in those difficult times that He has a plan for us.
(2) That he encouraged his followers to treat others with compassion and respect, namely love, regardless of their differences, whatever shape that takes e.g. skin colour, nationality etc. He taught us to be kind and loving towards friends, family, and even strangers.These I find especially important when witnessing to others about Jesus being Lord and Saviour.
(3) That he was a warrior even without the visible armour about his body because he persevered through many hardships which included imprisonment and persecution for his beliefs and we can do the same because God will enable us. I find this especially appealing since I was always the shy and timid kid who was always afraid of others' criticism but in high school I decided to ditch that version and go for faith in God because between now when I'm young and healthy and when death comes nearer that's not the way I want to die.
(4) That he used his talents and gifts such as being a skilled writer and speaker to spread the teachings of Jesus and share his own story of transformation. I
find this to be one way that we can serve others and make a positive impact in the world. This resonates with me because it's one way to feel useful whereas I would've continued to feel not.
(5) That he sought to deepen his wisdom and understanding by devoutly looking to God's Word for it. This too, we should practice daily because just as our bodies need refreshment daily so those our spirit.
(6) That he demonstrated humility and service towards others despite all his accomplishments and leadership in the early Christian church, and he remained humble and grateful even in times of success and prosperity. I'm reminded that we can do the same by humbly serving those around us and using our resources and abilities to help those in need and stay humble and grateful throughout while giving credit to God for the successes and achievements.
(7) That we can learn from him to practice forgiveness and let go of bitterness and resentment towards others because he eventually came to forgive himself and others, and other Christians came to forgive him as well for all the horrible things he had done to them.
(8) That he was unafraid to stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of opposition and persecution. He remained steadfast in his faith and continued to spread the message of love and salvation, even if it was unpopular and challenging.
(9) Lastly, that he trusted in God for his that His plan is always for our ultimate good just as Romans 8:28 says. Here we can learn to surrender our own desires and trust in God's perfect plan for our lives because His is far better or beyond than our own.
There's a quote that says there's only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. But I refuse to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing because as Jesus and Paul taught me, that's not how I want to live and die.
The Thief
Luke 23:1-56
The men who hung beside Christ were thieves in this world and were caught. There was no escape for them. They had earned what they now faced: punishment, shame, and suffering.
How they chose to spend what little time they had left on earth was curious to me. The first thief outwardly mocked Christ. The other questioned His identity and claims of deity. The latter ultimately decided to believe and was assured a place in paradise that very day.
The “how” did not bother me as much as the “why”.
The thief gets to go to heaven, but why? Why is this even acceptable? He didn't “earn” it. So he is a screw up his whole life but he gets a free pass right at the end?
The story stuck with me; it was unsettling for reasons I could not place. It irked me to be missing some key understanding. However, the answer would arise repeatedly, in subtle and at times, astounding ways throughout my life: grace.
This thief was not a member of a religious organization, nor had he the opportunity to make a public statement of faith with a water baptism, nor had he paid any tithes to his church. It had been impossible for him to “earn” his salvation with these human-approved rituals. What he did do was believe.
He simply believed and was saved by grace through faith.
Because of grace, we do not get what we deserve. No other realization has ever humbled me more than when I could finally piece together the spiritual implications of the thief on the cross. The magnitude of grace is unfathomable to my human comprehension, yet I am filled with gratitude.
This story gives me hope because I know that I too am nothing more than a thief in this world. Yet, I believe.
This Is a Test, This Is Just a Test
The Tree of Knowledge stood alone and untouched
Forbidden and forgotten, its fruit was low-hanging
While pointing to the skies above, as the nonesuch
And the only test in a world that was unchanging
Let's set the record straight.
The original Eve — that is, the Original Sin Eve — the mother of the human race, has been vilified from scripture to folklore as the ruin of everyone. Before she fell for the serpent's deceits, life was perfect. The climate was temperate, lending itself to unapologetic nudity. There were no issues. No tigers conspired to jump and devour Adam. No fruit was unreachable for Eve. No bugs stung them.
Life was sweet.
But I call to mind a Twilight Zone episode, "A Nice Place to Visit," in which Rocky Valentine, a small-time crook and gambler, is killed by police and goes to Heaven. He is given a luxury apartment, beautiful women, and a penchant for winning at the casino every single time he plays. Like in Eden, for Rocky, life is sweet. This is until he tires of the predictability and painful absence of challenges. He can't even rob a bank; the predestined outcome would take any thrill out of it.
Everything is given to Rocky, all women do whatever he wants, and his luck never runs out. Bored, unchallenged, and unfulfilled, he asks to go to "the other place," instead of Heaven.
His guide, Pip, answers, "Heaven? Whatever gave you the idea you were in Heaven? This IS the other place!"
Adam and Eve weren't in Paradise; they were in the Twilight Zone.
Content and controlled were the first woman and man
Dancing the perfect life around them, betaken
No needs, nor frets, nor troubles outran
All but one tree was theirs for the taking
A mischievous thought synapsed in Eve's mind like such a serpent a'slitherin'.
Yet the succulence wafted odoriferous on breezes
Pulling on her perfect forebrain amnesic
Making her wonder what possibility teases
When tasting the fruit, of arboreal, epistemic
The Tree of Knowledge, the school for learning good from evil, had been off-limits. Why? Eve wondered what she was accomplishing with her miraculous gift of life.
Adam was clueless, like a man in a mall. Perhaps the seat of wisdom was all in that one rib.
Eve had been given an excellent brain and wondered, Am I a pet? Like the tiger that doesn't devour? What is my purpose? Certainly not just to please Adam. To please God? Does God want just a lapdog?
Obeying or disobeying Him is not the test!
My "test" is whether or not I take this incredible brain God gave me and use it. Really use it! To be my best. To reach perfection. To achieve self-actualization. To strive, to yearn, to invoke ambition. To be what I could be. Yes, she thought, that's the test.
We are in His image. So...why the Tree?
Eve strolled toward the Tree and thus invented the "near occasion of sin": she had no official intention of reaching for one of the apples and taking a bite. But what if she couldn't help it?
Tempted by the unknown to take one for the team
Eve sat in the tree's shade and basked in its warning
Of the one thing she should neither risk nor scheme
Lest she exchange her sweet life for life's mourning
The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was low-hanging for a reason!
She easily plucked the apple. Hell, it was about to fall off. Without regret, she lifted it to her mouth and bit, not tempted, but enlightened.
And God was pleased. He knew his creations, baited, would bite. They passed the test. Eve, anyway. Adam was reluctant.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded of her.
"What I was thinking is that I have free will. I live. I choose. I either celebrate the rewards or suffer consequences. But it's life. And now life is me! Now, Adam, you eat!" she commanded him.
There being not many authority figures in the Garden, he'd readily obey the last whoever to command him. While his sin wasn't very original, like Eve's, it counted.
They traded Paradise for clothing. Childbearing in pain, gnashing of teeth, and brow sweat weren't easier, but life now was truly existential. And better. Just ask Rocky Valentine.
Eve inspires me because she reasoned and gambled. But unlike Rocky, the outcome wasn't predestined. The loving God is the one who allows us to do it on our own. To grow in His image by ourselves.
Because of Eve, we passed His test.
Our first parents had made a choice
To know apples from oranges, evil from good
Swap naked for clothes and silence for voice
Choose vicissitudes of life to not inherit godhood
Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Well, I guess it's up to me to play devil's advocate. I can't help it and I've always pulled for the underdog, but in this case, I guess I'm pulling for the under-demon? So my favorite character in the Bible is the villain, good ol' Satan. Now, hear me out. I always thought that forgiveness and redemption were central themes in the Bible, but as Mark Twain noted, "But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?”
If Jesus came to die for our sins what about Lucifer? After all, he is the first and worst sinner, so shouldn't he get intensive care prayer? I would argue that the most Christian of acts would be to pray for the one who would be the hardest to pray for as they are most assuredly the sinner who needs it the most.
However, the way Satan is treated in the Bible actually contradicts the central tenants of the Christian faith. Jesus was all about loving thy neighbor, treating those who consider you an enemy with kindness, forgiving, and being forgiven. So, why then don't Christians pray for the fallen angel who was once one of God's favored angels? I guess the lessons of the prodigal son can only be selectively applied?
This duplicitous attitude towards sin is one of the reasons why Christianity has lost so much credibility and is hemorrhaging younger members. The Bible says that God is love and that he wants to forgive the sinner for their sins. Well, everyone except for the first sinners, Satan and his fallen angels, they get the lake of fire heated shaft. This sets a REALLY bad example for Christians. If God can withhold grace and forgiveness from one of his angels, then Christians can withhold prayer and grace from anyone they disagree with, right? Having an abortion? No prayer for you. You're a same sex married couple? No prayer for you. In fact, we will falsely call you pedophiles (thou shalt not bare false witness anyone?) and accuse you of trying to indoctrinate children into the LBGTQ+ community while reading to them during story time at the library. Yet, some Christians WILL pray for their favorite presidential candidate who has cheated on all of his wives and publicly said that it is okay to grab unsuspecting women, "By the pussy" without permission (though shalt not commit adultery), been convicted of sexual assault (thou shalt not covet and thou shalt not steal), fraud (thou shalt not lie and thou shalt not steal), and insighted a riot that killed innocents and could have been a lot worse because he was too vain to accept defeat gracefully (thou shalt not murder) because he says he hates who we hate.
So, yeah, Satan deserves someone to stand up for him too. If God is love and he wants sinners to return to grace, why is Satan excluded? Frankly, I think Lucifer has a right to be a little hot under the collar. So, if you can't pray for him at least you can, in the words of Mick and the boys, "Have some courtesy, have some sympathy and some taste. Use all your well-learned politesse. Or he'll lay your soul to waste."
BE. THE. CLAY
I am intimidated by a blessing I am in the very midst of, but I'm not even supposed to be here so I am already ahead. still...
God will often want more of us than we think we can do or be. Be afraid but don't back down- being brave is something you can't claim unless you are acting within the thing that you need to be brave for.
The biblical account says nothing about Samson's physical appearance, except for his long hair- historical and modern art and our own minds may 'picture' him as this big hulking man; capable of the fantastic awesome feats of strength he carried out. I tend to think he was small, or thin, or just average because it was not the might of Samson... it was the might of God in Samson. ("...the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson...")
What would appear to more an act of God... a giant brute of a man tearing down gated walls, killing 1000 men with the jaw of a donkey, pushing down pillars of a building.... or someone average or mid doing these same things?
We don't have to wait to be brave, or strong, or bold for God until we are some grand example of what we (or what we think others) 'picture' define as brave, strong or bold. It's no longer WE who live, but CHRIST who lives in us... BE. THE. CLAY. God uses OUR weakness to show HIS power and HIS strength. Be brave with me this week.
BE. THE. CLAY.
Pray for me, I am praying for you.
Galatians 2:20 King James Version (KJV)
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
On The Book of Job
There’s a few things about the Book of Job that I come back to for.
The first is the poetry, same as the other, limited amount of books I’ve read of the Bible. It’s simple and powerful. When you read certain sentences, you believe these words might were delivered by God Himself.
But obviously this alone is not enough to separate Job—only a basic appreciation of the Bible collectively.
The most obvious greatness of Job is its mysteries of the base understanding of the world, good and evil, and God.
It is one of those Books that affects me deeply, stays with me. And it is all seemingly straight forward.
And so on the surface, Job is a great man. Then God takes everything away from him. Then he lives a long time, finds peace, perhaps, and then he dies. Doesn’t sound so spectacular so far.
*** ***
The first striking distinction of the Book of Job is a strange ‘give-and-take’ relationship between Satan and God.
They meet in council between angels and God, in which Satan appears and in which God asks Satan where did he come from. Satan says he comes from under the ground and came up in it, or something along those lines.
It’s a beautiful moment, where Satan, for a moment is revealed as a child of God, the black sheep who God still loves and respects.
And then influences God‘s decision-making. Where God says Job is a fine man who praises Him, Satan says make Job’s life ‘Hell’ and see how much praise You gather then.
*** ***
Job’s setting is also a mystery. It takes place in the land of Uz. Scholars have a pretty good idea of where this is but there is likely no way to guarantee the coordinates of Uz in a modern day geography. As far as I know, the time of the story cannot be placed either. I believe this might be an attempt to make it timeless. Also adding to the mystery.
To summarize the plot, Job loses everything, and so then the beauty occurs. He knows in his heart he’s done nothing wrong in order to deserve this, so he asks that all-time question, why?
He hosts friends who tell him he must have done something wrong in order for God to strike down such vengeance.
Finally, he speaks to God. Nothing is set straight, other than God telling him it is impossible to understand the world. In a way, God admits the world is beyond Good and Evil. An interpretation might be that the world is beyond any understanding at all.
The book’s magnificent to me for three main reasons: God’s relationship with Satan; the idea that a good man might suffer under God’s will for the sake of nothing, that we might suffer without redemption; and that there might be a God willing to admit there lies a world in which He created that He also cannot quite explain.
I cannot quite place why I find it so perfect, similar to the setting of the book itself cannot be placed; it is the lack of answers that somehow becomes soothing. The lack of explanation and the not not-knowing becomes the end-all, like we might know what God knows after all.
“I Arose as a Mother in Israel”
When I picture Deborah, there is no hearth or home involved. Instead, I see her on top of the domelike Mount Tabor with the general Barak, watching as the oppressive Sisera gathers a terrifying army of 900 chariots below.
I imagine her turning to Barak, and with command in her voice saying "Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?”
Then I imagine Barak stirring, calling his troops to attention, and storming down the mountain, all under Deborah's watchful eye.
Later, after the battle, I picture her and Barak again on top of Mount Tabor, looking out on the scattered bodies of Sisera's troops. I picture the joy on her face, as she receives the news that her prophecy has come true: it was to Jael, a mere tent-dweller, that the Lord had delivered the fleeing Sisera: the oppressor of her people is finally vanquished.
And then, I picture Deborah breaking out into song, braids possibly flying:
“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned,
and travelers kept to the byways.
7 The villagers ceased in Israel;
they ceased to be until I arose;
I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel."
Deborah was a prophetess, a military leader, a mother figure, and a judge during a time when her nation was oppressed by cruel rulers, such as Sisera. Yet not once do we see her flinch, and not once do we see her acquiesce, even while the men around her are quaking in their boots (sadly, many of the tribes, refuse even to rise up against their oppressors).
How does Deborah, a mere woman in a nation of male dominance, have such confidence and clout?
“Lord, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled
and the heavens dropped,
yes, the clouds dropped water.
The mountains quaked before the Lord,
even Sinai before the Lord,[a] the God of Israel."
Her confidence is in her God, and in no one else. And from God comes her clout. That is how she could tell Barak clearly that it was time to attack: that is how she could command with decisiveness and purpose. And not once in the Bible can you find a caveat for Deborah's leadership, such as you hear in many pulpits today (i.e. 'Deborah was only in charge because there were no suitable men around'). The Bible does not offer any excuse or apology for her leadership - it simply paints her as a stellar example of a leader who listened to God and did what he said. Period. No gender roles involved.
This is to me, a wonderful example of a godly, unapologetically strong woman. We women who now trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; we women who have the very same God as Deborah guiding us (in the form of the Holy Spirit); we women who are instructed by Paul to take every scripture as God-breathed and useful for teaching and instruction in righteousness; we women (and men too), can learn that when we listen to God and point our noses unyieldingly in the direction of his will, he will use us in mighty ways, regardless of our gender.
Deborah was not obedient to man - she was obedient to God. Deborah was not submissive to the commander Barak - she was submissive to God. Deborah was not quiet and home-centered - yet her spirit was quiet and centered in the will of God. Does God find delight in a woman like that? It sure seems so.
Milk and a Tent Peg: a recipe for victory.
Unassuming, underestimated, and obedient. That’s what they thought of Jael too, until she did something no one else could.
As a society we are led to believe that Biblical women were soft, but the reality is quite the opposite. Jael is simply one example of such a fearsome female, not to mention my favorite.
Captain Sisera was the villain in this tale. Many had tried but none could stop his tiereny. Whilst on the run he sought shelter, which Jael gladly gave him. After some milk and a comfortable place to rest, Sisera fell into a deep slumber.
Jael then drove a tent peg into his skull, killing him. She conquered the enemy, something battle-trained soldiers failed to do.
So often we believe to fight battles, we must go out in a blaze of glory, when measured control and a little ingenuity do wonders.
As a new teacher, I had students tell me I was too sweet and I would get eaten alive. Little did they know, behind my baby face exterior beat the tenacious heart of a warrior. Here I am, five years later, still going strong. Daughter of Jael for life.
Judas (how I see him anyway)
I am not religious at all, never even read the Bible. But the story of Judas and Jesus just intrigues me so much.
Think about it:
You personally know someone who is more or less divine, maybe you consider them a friend, a leader or a confidant, just someone who is supposed to know it all. You follow them.
Then something changes one day. You don't know what exactly. Maybe you were blinded by greed for a moment, or something terrible possessed. All you know is that doubt has set in and you'll betray them.
Your friend tells you and bunch of other people they know that they'll be betrayed. What do you feel? Guilty, terrified, anxious?
You betray them, with an imitate gesture, a kiss of all things. Address them as someone above you, and it's gets them caught.
It's come to light that your friend is going to die as result of your betrayal. You might feel it all sink it, try to repent your greed and change what has happened, but you can't.
You take your own life.
It doesn't help that I'm a sucker for betrayal stories, and I just think Judas is very interesting.
The Tragedy of Eve
In my eyes, no story slashes through my heart more than that of Eve.
She has become the mother of every living person on Earth - and of everyone buried beneath the surface - but she has never had the pleasure of having a mother herself. Eve lived forced to be an eternal daughter. Not once could she search out the comfort of a maternal figure, to lay her head in the woman’s lap, consoled when her body changed and morphed into something new. There was no other woman on Earth for her to seek solace from, to talk of the mysteries that men do not understand because they have not been pained by them.
But worst of all, even more awful than her loneliness and despair is how she has been painted through history, through the story of the Bible, through every myth and legend that has stemmed from Abrahamic roots. Donned original sin, the original sinner. Had it not been for her actions, humanity would have forever lived in paradise.
How can any person blame her though? She was human, as we are, her biggest sin was being a soul stuck in flesh. Everyone lives with curiosity, and worse so with the ability to be manipulated. When life had been nothing but pleasure and goodness, how can any of us blame her for not knowing what would happen.
I mourn her and the way she has been dragged through history, the way that all women have been sullied because of her actions. I remember she was human - as so many others have stripped from her - and therefore made mistakes as humans do today. I see her in serpents and fruits, but also in lilies and crisp summer days. I want to remember her not as a sinner, but as a woman that was worth so much more.