An Appropriate Proverb

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
Proverbs 21:30

Sunday, September 30, 2012

October 1

OT -- Isaiah 62:6-65:25
Definitely Revelation echoes Isaiah. Look at vs. 65:17
"Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered."
Revelation 21:1
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea."
So, even John, the author of Revelation was an Isaiah scholar. Makes me think we should spend quite a bit more time on Isaiah than we do in the Christian church with our glancing blow about the lion and the lamb, the young woman bearing the child, and the light of the world.

NT -- Philippians 2:19-3:4a
Today, Cole and I gave blood. While we were there, the phlebotomists were busily discussing their Sunday traditions when they were growing up. (This was in response to the vampire movie Van Helsing (more apocalypse????) that was showing.) All of them had been raised by their grandmothers and all the grandmothers were strict church folk. No TV except for BET Gospel channel. Church all day Sunday including dinner and singing time. And almost always, there was the 'sending'. Whenever the choir was traveling for competition (did you know there was such a thing? None of my choirs have ever traveled or competed...), whenever there were missionaries or traveling VBSs or whatever, the church would have a 'sending'. It always involved food - "Lord, yes, such food", and almost always a raising of money 'to speed you on God's path'.
And then, I come home to the Philippians scripture and there is the genesis of that tradition.
The Philippians, worried about Paul and his condition, had outfitted Epaphroditus with love offerings, money for safe transport, and goodies for the journey. Unfortunately, along the way, E had contracted a disease that nearly killed him. But he recovered and Paul was returning E back to the Philippians with this letter, his love offering to them.
What surprises me most about this is how joyful both the Red Cross folks and Paul were about the travelers. Either as the one traveling or the ones 'sending'.
I admit, I am pretty stoic about leaving taking. I don't do much crying and precious little hand wringing even if my stomach is in knots over it. But I also don't get all excited about it either. Seems like I am missing a lot here.
I do want to report that during the children's sermon, there was some arm waving and I participated. Stodgy and staid, I am not.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

September 30

The last day of September. October in Atlanta is the most beautiful month of the year. Well, some would say April but I am a fall girl, through and through. For me this year, entering into October means the final quarter in this Bible study. I am not sure about you, but I have a bad tendency to loaf to the finish line and I really don't want to do that with this study. So I am rededicating myself to this work, to finish as strong as I can. If you have been slacking with the reading, I urge you to jump right back in where you are. We are in a fascinating section of the OT with the prophets, most of whom we read very little of, if ever. And yes, we are trudging through Paul but it is doable. Definitely doable.
So join me. Rededicate yourself to the study and let's jump into the Word.

OT -- Isaiah 60:1-62:5
The opening words of this section "Rise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." made me think of that children's song "Rise, Shine and Give God the Glory." Off to google the song and I realize that song goes with Noah, not Isaiah. But in case you want to have that song in your head all day like me, watch this video.



Click here if your email does not support YouTube.

But the rest of this chapter is pure, unadulterated Jesus talk. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor." There is even parts about camel riders bringing gold, silver and incense. Matthew and Luke clearly knew their Isaiah.
And that led me to ponder why. Why is Isaiah the touchstone in 1st century AD? Part of it had to do with the Roman occupation of Israel. Our history teaches us that the Romans did great things -- built amazing aqueducts and roads, conquered huge swaths of land in Europe, Asia Minor and Africa. But we don't spend a lot of time on the 'conquered' part. As in, the crushing taxation that was required for the emperor to keep up the Praetorian Guard who kept him in power. We gloss over the whole 'one law for the Romans, another for everyone else'. The brutality of the occupying soldiers. And we also have to remember that Israel is not a coveted spot in the empire. It really has nothing to offer. Except rebellion and they are champions of that.
But another part of the obsession with Isaiah has to do with 1st century AD preoccupation with the end times. And Isaiah promises that there will be an end time and The Lord will be in control and in glory. It is almost apocalyptic in that tone and we know how 1st century folks love their apocalypse. Does that make us with our zombie craze in the same situation? Worth pondering. We certainly have our share of doomsayers and prophets of collapse. When you read Isaiah, you hear plenty of that. And the collapse is dreadful.
But the renaissance that occurs when The Lord returns is astounding. There is light, glory, honor and ... a double portion. Of what? All the inheritance. And here, Isaiah is talking about the inheritance of Abraham -- the Holy Land -- and all the riches from the surrounding areas.

NT -- Philippians 1:27-2:18
My commentary on the Philippians says that chapter 2 vs. 6-11 is an ancient hymn or affirmation of faith that the church probably would have known. If Philippians is the first of Paul's epistles that we have as many think, then this is the earliest theology we have of Jesus as the Christ. This is worth taking a very close look at.
'being in the very nature God' -- Jesus is God.
'being made in human likeness' -- Jesus took human form
'became obedient to death' -- Jesus died
'God exalted him' -- God raised him from the dead to the highest point in creation
Paul is totally unconcerned with how you can be God but also human. Apparently, that struggle came later in church, although we see some of it in his letter to the Galatians. At this point, it was enough that Jesus was God, took human form, died, was raised and raised to the top. And maybe, when we are doing all that worrying and struggling that we do -- like the stuff this week with the fragment that may or may not help the Jesus was married brigade -- we should just go back to the recitation of "Jesus is God, Jesus took human form, Jesus died, God raised Jesus from the dead to the highest point in creation" and leave it at that.

Friday, September 28, 2012

September 29

OT -- Isaiah 57:14-59:21
Did you see????
OOOOOh, I knew Paul could not have an original thought in his head.
Check out verse 59:17
"He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak."

Take that Ephesians. Well, maybe I shouldn't be so hasty. After all, Jesus, when he got up in his home synagogue to teach read the Isaiah scroll. And Jesus' ministry was to "do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed..." vs 58:9a-10a

This who and what Jesus taught and ministered to. Maybe Paul, after his Damascus road experience, went and reread Isaiah 'with different eyes'.

Just a thought.

NT -- Philippians 1:1-26
One l, two second ps in Philippians.
You have no idea how my Biblical spelling has improved as a result of this blog. Another tic mark in positive space.

Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison, presumably in Rome. He speaks of chains but as a Roman citizen, he probably was not chained, more likely confined to a residence with guards.
This is a very personal letter as Paul was quite attached to the Philippians (he allowed them to personally support him unlike other churches) and he is quite upbeat despite his confinement.

Another confession. I have not read Philippians. I am looking forward to studying it over the next few days.

Peace to each of you.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

September 28

NT -- Ephesians 6:1-24
Well, my armor of God vision is only slightly marred by the preceding passages about slavery.
But what I think is important to note about the slavery passages is not Paul's casual assumption that there would ever be a world order without slavery (and to this day, there is still slavery in THIS world. Click here if you want more information.) Rather, it is what people have done to USE Paul's casual comment to their benefit.
And maybe that is the point of his 'wives obey your husband' passage as well. That was the order of the day. Women who didn't obey their husbands could and were beaten. Badly. Even as late as the Salem witch trials, a man could order that the constable beat his wife and they would. Without waiting for evidence or discussion.
Makes me glad I live in 2012. I have quite a rebellious streak in me. Not sure I would have made it to 49....

But to my lovely Armor of God. Yes, it is militaristic. But I love the whole picture of using our religion to strengthen us for our daily lives and the battles -- big and little -- that rage around us.

May your life be strengthen by your faith.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

September 27

NT -- Ephesians 5:1-33
I told you there would be washing. But I am not touching this section of scripture with a ten foot pole.
Want to try? Comment, email me, facebook me. And let me know if you want it posted.

Psalm 69
I really love this psalm. I am glad that the editors of Bible in a Year broke it into 2 pieces because I really spent the day wallowing in the psalmist grief and despair. You know it is bad when he says " Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of drunkards ... rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters." vs 12..14

The song of drunkards.
Now, that is bad. I spent a little bit of time in my teen years in British pubs. Lots of drunkards and they sing lots of songs. None of them are nice and none of them are ones I want my mama to have heard. I guess the question is (especially after reading Paul's admonition above to avoid wine and debauchery) what was I doing there?

And even though the day was beautiful and I was outside in it for most of the day, I still felt kind of low. Wallowing.
Today's scripture:
"I looked for sympathy but there was none." vs 20

We all feel this way at times. When I was little, I would go crawl up on my parents bed and burrow down into the millions of pillows my mom has up there. And they all smelt of her and I was comforted.
At 49, it is a little hard to explain why you want to jump in the car and wave to the parentals as they watch a ball game as you dash upstairs to mess up their bed.
But that got me thinking -- we need our comforter, our binky, our nice smells that remind us that yes, eventually everything will get better. Maybe not fixed, but better.
The psalmist thinks that it will get better if his enemies are blotted out and their eyes blinded. Sound harsh? Well, when someone is making fun of you or mocking you or worse yet, making your life miserable, YOU want bad things to happen.

The psalmist makes an abrupt turn in vs. 30. It makes me think that there are verses missing because he went straight from pain and distress into praising.

So, what do you do to pull yourself out of the mire?

Blessings to you.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

September 27

OT -- Isaiah 48:12-50:11
How interesting is this section!
"I will make of you a light to the Gentiles" vs. 6
I had no idea this was in Isaiah. I guess I assumed that Paul devised his mission because the Jews wouldn't have him (I wouldn't either...)But here it is in Isaiah.
Now, I know, Isaiah is trying to reconcile the Jews who are in Babylon to their savior being Cyrus, a Persian. He is also trying to convince them to go back to Israel and many of them do not want to go. And they didn't. This is what is referred to as the First Diaspora. The second is when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and Jerusalem was leveled. Everyone ran for their lives.
But all the parts in Isaiah that we so frequently read as meaning Jesus really were written to explain Cyrus. A rather new twist for me and one that I need to read up on.

NT -- Ephesians 5:17-32
Do you hear the constant refrain of 'put off'? Clothing imagery pervades Ephesians culminating in the armor of God. But in order to be clothed in 'Godly' clothing, you first have to remove all the impurities -- deceit, stealing, falsehood, sexual immorality. And then you need to wash. That is tomorrow!


Monday, September 24, 2012

September 25

Proverbs 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

I live in a 50-60 year old neighborhood. Many of the homes in the neighborhood are that yucky one story brick ranch of 1961. But most sit on lots of 3/4 to 1+ acre with beautiful mature hardwords and loads of loblolly pine trees.
During the early 2000s, many lots were bought, the houses were razed and some big McMansions were built. So now, we have more than our share of vacant lots. Recently, one of the lots that has been vacant for at least 5 years has had the site work done on it and foundation and framing have started.
When Cole got back from taking Howler around the block yesterday, he commented on how fast that house was going up. Yes, framing is fast. But the rest of it, the interior work takes so very, very long. This is because not all subs can work at the same time. Lots of things have to come in a very specific order. We have a house that was built behind us (maybe I should say built 3 times...) during the heyday of the boom that had the interior walls torn out not once but twice because they put the sheetrock up before the plumbing and electrical were installed. Now, that is a crappy builder! That house has changed hands several times and every time, the boys want me to run over to the new owners and tell them all the icky stuff about the construction (the shored up walls, the mudded over sheetrock cracks, the enormous sink hole that has opened twice... But not my business. Plus, I would have to explain why the children and I spent so much time going through that house as it was constructed. In my defense, it was started when Cole was in a stroller and finished long after he and Matthew were visiting the creek and the storm sewers on their own. It took a long, long time for that house to be built and rebuilt.

But even once a house is built, it requires incessant maintenance. There is literally a 2 page list in my binder of stuff that needs doing around here 'when we get a round to it'. And the list never seems to shrink!

So, back to Solomon's building metaphor about wisdom. Yes, it takes time and smarts to build a quality home. And it takes time and experience to accumulate wisdom. And it is the mistakes (tearing out walls twice!!) that teach you the most.
I don't know that I have rare and exquisite treasures but I am hopeful that my home and my store of wisdom is at least comfortable.
And no, I didn't sell my home to the realtor who offered us 450,000 for it. I just added on. No money, only worth half that now, children leaving the nest. Not sure that I built smart....

Let me know how you built smart. Much love to each of you. Stick with me. We are closing in on the final quarter!!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

September 24

Because of my long commute when the children were younger, I listened to a lot of books on tape and later, podcasts. It is my favorite thing of all time about the Internet. My absolute favorite podcast is On Being hosted by Krista Tippett. It is on Public Radio and I have found that it not only enlarged my world view on other religions but helped me tremendously in times of personal struggle.

Bigotry is an area that has long interested me. I live in the South and grew up in the 60s and 70s in an upper middle class home. I went to an all white private school that was integrated in a very deliberate manner in the early 70s. Race is not my issue.
Okay, what about politics? My husband is extremely liberal. I work with and share my life with ultra-Republicans. I really like both sets. I enjoy listening to their various takes on issues, people and problems. I have learned a tremendous amount from both. I still sit primarily in the center and don't classify myself as any political being. That's out.
The sexuality issue? No, not for me. I deeply love several lesbian couples and respect what they are doing with their lives and their families. I am also closely acquainted with several gay men who are both in relationships and not and admire them as well. Not my issue.
Immigration? Economics? Can't say on those either. I have viewpoints but I am easily able to see the PERSON rather than the issue.
Where then am I bigoted? Or maybe I am not. Oh yes, I am.
The group that I come closest to despising is the Evangelical Christian Right. I have fervent issue with their lack of women in ministry and I don't mean the director of Christian Ed. I have deep dislike and distrust of how cruel and hateful they can be to people who believe differently from themselves. And the whole 'it's in the Bible' thing can lay me low. I could go on, but then you would see ME as the truly nasty being I am.
Which brings me back to the podcast for this week for On Being. Krista Tippett has a live interview with Gabe Lyons and Jim Daly, both evangelical Christians. And while I still can feel rancor for the evangelical Christians as a whole, I learned a lot and have much to ponder. Listening to them speak, I realized what my bigotry is REALLY about. It is about Fear. I was afraid if someone 'knew' that I was a Christian, it would automatically align me with 'them'. After all, the bitterest of fights are between family, right?
While I continue to disagree on basic matters of theology and church practices, I am not afraid any more that "They speak for Christians". It is isn't my job to convince anyone of my faith. I am what I am. Either a wannabe Christian or a Christian with issues (I prefer the second take). Please click on the link below and listen to the conversation. Because that is the opening point -- a conversation. Not that either of them convinced me or that somehow, I would convince another but the act of sharing grief, pain, goals, and disappointment is a move towards understanding.



Joe B is talking about power in his Nehemiah class and whether or not The Church (I guess that implies Mt Vernon Presbyterian Church) should have a say in politics. It was very interesting to hear the viewpoints from the members of the class and some that I was very surprised to hear. My own opinion is that if all the world hears is the ugly, hateful, bigoted side of church, that is all they know. But another of the participants brought up this song.

Check out this video of Casting Crowns singing "If we are the Body"


Click here if your email does not display YouTube.

The part of Isaiah that we are in now - Isaiah 43:14-45:10 names a foreigner -- Cyrus, the king of Persia as the 'savior' of the Jews. Now, let me just say, Isaiah got some backwash from that statement. Want to talk bigotry -- well, when you were taken into slavery and somehow made it out okay like many of the Jews in Babylon (they were, after all, allowed to own businesses, be in the government, travel extensively EXCEPT back to Jerusalem), you did not want the King of Persia to be your savior. No, you wanted an heir of David to come and rescue you and restore the throne.
Imagine then, a prophet schooled in the thought of the original Isaiah who predicted the demise of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria and the fall of Judah to Babylon, stating that a non-believer was the 'chosen one'. I don't think it went over well.

As we start our week, ponder your own bigotry and ask God to heal you and help you overcome those nasty parts of you. He has a lot of work to do on me but I will share Him with you. Blessings.

Friday, September 21, 2012

September 22

We are in Clinton,SC at Parent's weekend for Presbyterian College. Matthew seems to be doing really well. He is happy, a little too thin, says his classes are 'mostly good' and has made some really nice friends. He is working for the Athletic Department and tonight, he videotaped the Men's soccer match between Presbyterian and Davidson. PC lost 3-0 but gosh, the game is rough and they tried hard.
Tomorrow, he will be the defensive spotter in the football game against Furman. All in all, I think he is going to be okay. Plus, he got his flu shot yesterday.
But the drive up here had me filled with aprehension. Not because of how Matthew was doing or that we had left Cole behind to take care of the animals and the house. No, I am so concerned about all the stuff that is happening in our world right now. I realize that I say this every presdential election, but this one seems especially vicious. And I got an email from one of my friends who runs a huge law firm's real estate division. They are closing their Gwinnett office and 'retreating' to their smaller office on Peachtree Dunwoody.
Then I read our scripture in Isaiah today. Now, some of the words are so familiar "Comfort, comfort my people" and "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
But this is directly after Isaiah has told Hezekiah what an ass he has made of himself by showing off all his wealth to the emissaries from Babylon. Isaiah tells him that some of his children will be enunchs! in Babylon and all Hezekiah can think is 'great, there will be peace in my lifetime.'
The CONTEXT for my comforting words are the prophesies of the death and destruction of Jerusalem! Somehow, I never read past the parts I loved.
This has been one of the hardest parts of this study for me, realizing that we really have cherry picked the scripture passages and ignored the context and the surrounding verses. Not to mention the hard stuff that I still don't have a place or box big enough in my head to put all this stuff into.

But enough about my personal trials and tribulations.

Today we start Ephesians. My Bible commentary says that it is questionable whether Paul wrote Ephesians. The words and some of the doctrine are not similar to his other 'known' epistles. What is true about Ephesians is that he does not greet individuals as he normally does and his whole treatise on predestination aspect is different from the individualized criticism that is in Romans and Galatians in particular is absent.
It was fairly common for followers to assign their teacher's name to a document, almost as a gift to that teacher. If that is so, then the follower had studied Paul's writing style with its lengthy sentences and convoluted structure.
If it was written by Paul, this is a deviation from his 'normal' individualized theology to the institutional church's theology.
Regardless, Ephesians is a letter that promotes unity among believers, regardless of background and the belief in the salvation provided by Christ through his sacrifice, to be emulated by the faithful.
I do have several favorite passages in Ephesians -- in particular the armor of God -- and I am hoping not to be disappointed with the placement of THAT scripture.
And, contrary to many views, I have long ago made peace with the submission passage in Ephesians, attributing THAT to Paul's clearly stated Chauvinism, both here and elsewhere. (Don't forget the hair passage in Corinthians...)

Tonight is one of those nights when I wish that scripture had been soothing but since it is not, I guess it mirrors my rumples.
So, I will pray to have my rumples smoothed out and if you have them as well, consider yours smoothed as well.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

September 21

NT -- Galatians 6:1-18
I call this part of Galatians the 'momisms'. It is like all the mom phrases that Paul can think of, he has thrown into this ending of the letter. And he wants the Galatians to know that he, himself, wrote this section 'with his own hand in large letters'. Okay.
As a mom, I know I have all these silly phrases.
For example, my answer to all crises are: go take a shower, take a couple of ibuprofens and go to bed. Eat a good breakfast and do some exercise and pretty much the crisis will be over. That is not always true but you always feel better when you have had some sleep (even if you had to help it get there) and cleaned yourself up and eaten something good for you. I think Solomon should add that list to Proverbs.

But in reality, Paul is using his proverbs to drive home his final nail in the anti-circumcision crusade. Just don't do it.

Proverbs 23:24-25
'The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice.'

The jury is still out on my two. May your offspring follow the above.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

September 20

OT -- Isaiah 33:13-36:22
Oooh, the field commander (unnamed, did you notice that?) for Sennacherib, king of Assyria plays very dirty pool. He stands before the gates of Jerusalem and starts a diatribe against Hezekiah, king of Judah. Now, remember, the Assyrians have swept over Israel, the Northern Kingdom. They have swept over the other fortified cities in Judah with Jerusalem, the capital remaining. And rather than besiege the city (a nasty affair at best, since Jerusalem sits higher than all the surrounding ground)the field commander tries to get the populace all stirred up against Hezekiah to surrender. He deliberately speaks in Hebrew and not in Aramaic so that the people can hear him. Dirty, dirty pool.

Psalm 64
"Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint"

Just wanted you to know that I am unhappy, Lord, and I expect you to kill my enemy so it can get better.
If you ever thought that asking God for help in times of trouble is asking too much, this is the psalm for you! David doesn't just ask for help, he asks God to kill the SOBs, and make it fast!

Which brings me to another point about David. He did not mince or use high-faultin' words with God. He just poured out his heart -- the good, the bad and the really awful. God loved him anyway. Maybe because of it.
I also have to think David felt better after he wrote these kinds of psalms. Kill 'em and kill 'em quick! Probably had a catchy marching tune.

So, I think there are two lessons in this psalm for me.
1. Don't censure my words with God. He is surely big enough to take all my stupidity, foolishness, and meanness.
2. Let it out to God and keep the yucky stuff between us. No one really wants to know how very much I want some folks to step off a curb and be no more. Makes me look bad and you know how I hate that. But truthfully, Jewish thought is just like that. Thoughts are just that -- thoughts. It is actions that matter. And as long as I don't push someone off that curb, it is going to be okay. But do I have to save them if they do?????? Rhetorical. I do know better.

Much love to each of you.

Monday, September 17, 2012

September 18

OT -- Isaiah 25:1-28:13
One of the things I have learned working at farmer's markets is just how many different kinds of philosophy there is about this country and its future. One of my co-workers says it is because I listen but I can tell you, I have heard every political viewpoint -- and all of them think I am on 'their' side -- every economic feasibility scheme -- every way to 'balance the budget', bring the soldiers home, take care of the widers and them children on the streets.
But by far, the most prevalent viewpoint at the markets, especially among farmers, is that we are headed for a meltdown.
One of my good friends farms in Elberton and he left Atlanta for that exact reason. I call his attitude 'the compound' attitude because he feels like he can retreat and protect his borders, if necessary. Don't want to know the exact details of 'protect'.
Of course, all these folks send me news articles, clippings and email stuff. Most I don't open because, with teenage boys, who needs more worry? But long ago, I started to read this woman's blog and today, she had a great post. Like me, her sermon yesterday set her off. Only, she started pondering Plan B.
Read the post here.

And then, when I read today's scripture passage in Isaiah, I realized that the folks in the Northern kingdom of Israel and certainly in Judah, did not think there had to be a Plan B. They just assumed that God would relent and not pass judgment on their wickedness. They were, after all, the chosen people.
Maybe there is more to that Harbinger YouTube.

Psalm 61
It is a good thing that Psalm 61 is our psalm today as it more than soothes. Listen to this verse: "For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings."

So, we may need Plan B and we may be swept aside like Israel and Judah. Or we may come out all the better for the trials and tribulations that so very many have suffered. The best we can do is to stay in the shelter of the Lord and do the best we can with what we have. Doom or gloom, sunshine or rainbows.

Grace to each of you. And to those of you who know me well, I am now off to watch the Falcons.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

September 17

Today is Rosh Hashanah. For my faithful rabbis who help me with Torah and all sorts of other questions, I wish you a blessed and sweet New Year.
Here is a blog post from Black and White, a Jewish blogger who has some really good thoughts on New Year, new you.

OT -- Isaiah 25:1-28:13

Joe B had an incredible sermon today. Don and I both agreed afterwards that we thought it the best sermon he has ever preached to us. If you want to skip ahead to the sermon only, it is at minute 33. You will, however, miss Jim Wingate, our organist playing a MAGNIFICENT rendition of Samuel Barber's Requiem at the beginning and a lovely, lovely singing of Fairest Lord Jesus which has to be my second favorite hymn of all time and better be played at my funeral!! Morning is Broken is first on my list. The service would have been complete if we had sung that.
Joe B is reacting to the awfulness of Libya attacks on our embassy and the general uprising by Islamic radicals over an inflammatory internet movie.

I am not sure why I stayed in the Presbyterian Church after I grew up. I certainly have my fair share of doubts and dislikes of both Christianity in general and Presbyterianism in specific. I didn't go to church after I left home except for Christmas and Easter with the folks. But at some event that Nathan needed a chaperone for his youth group, I met a cute boy, a little younger than me, who I wanted to date. Back to church I went even after we quit dating. And I have been an active member ever since with the brief period of three months when I left one church for another.

Isaiah speaks to this 'belonging' in our scripture today.
26:10 "Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the Lord."

It is hard for me to understand why 'righteous' people do evil things in the name of their religion. Oh, I get the evil thing doing. I surely, surely do my fair share and more. But I have NEVER and this I do say emphatically, NEVER done it because my religion told me to do. This is why I despise Ezra and Nehemiah. I just wouldn't behave that way. Oh, I am mean. I am exclusive. But God did not TELL me to be mean and exclusive.

And maybe this is the problem I am having with my lovely Isaiah. Yes, once again, I had only read the 'nice' parts. The hard stuff, the destruction, the doom, yeah, that was left out of my Sunday School curriculum.
In the passages we are reading now, EVERYONE is headed for the bottom of the barrel. Part of it is because the Assyrians were a force unheard of in their time. Egypt did its share of conquering but Assyria would sweep into a section of the world, lay waste to everything in its path, remove the inhabitants for slavery and forced labor and replace with Assyrians who would takeover with their culture and religion.
However, most of it is because everyone is getting the squash because the Israelites have been unfaithful to God and THAT I think is unfair.
But Isaiah has an answer to that as well.
27:11
When its twigs are dry, they are broken off
and women come and make fires with them.
For this is a people without understanding;
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator shows them no favor.

Ouch.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

September 16

NT -- Galatians 2:17-3:9

Please click here and go watch this incredible teacher who actually loves Paul and can teach this scripture passage AMAZINGLY.


OT -- Isaiah 22:1-24:23
More portents and omens. More doom and gloom.
The are two insertions in our scripture today. My commentary says that the later writer of Isaiah or a later editor inserts 'contemporary' people and facts to update the prophesy to what was happening at the time of the completion of the scroll.
You will remember Eliakim from the Temple from Ezra and Nehemiah. And the 70 years is the time of captivity in Babylon hence the Tyre/prostitute scenario.

If you are trudging through this part of Isaiah, have courage. Soon we will be out of the poetic crushes.

Have a lovely day and stay in the Word.

Friday, September 14, 2012

September 15

OT -- Isaiah 19:1-21:7
It's after dinner, I am supposed to be doing my Bible Study. Fine, fine, fine. Especially after all my back patting yesterday. Practically gave myself a hernia, doing the pat-pat.
But I start to read Isaiah, realize it has been hours since I checked my email. And oh yes, I need to check the status of a blog comment I made earlier today. And oh wait, I need to post a picture to FaceBook with my cute chicken.
And so forth.
What is going on?
Well, I, frankly, am tired of hearing about the death and destruction of EVERYONE in the Middle East! Oracle this, God's portent that, and it is 100% doom and gloom.
So, then, I have to go back and research what is really happening with Isaiah. Could it have been really all that bad? Or just the king being a jerk and worshiping Baal in the high places.
Go check out this:


Click here if your email does not support YouTube.

Just as an aside, I am not a fan of taking Bible prophesies and applying them specifically to us, but this stuff is out there and I thought it was interesting, at least as a tutorial in what all the doom and gloom is about.
Would love to know how you feel about such things.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Well, this one is controversial. You have strong support in the 'I'll never hit my child, hitting them only teaches them to hit others' and 'Spanking never hurt me or my siblings, I turned out okay, now didn't I'.
I remember being in Kroger one day with a wailer and a frustrated mom popped the toddler on the leg and yelled a bit. You would not believe the strangers that intervened with everything from 'I'm calling the cops' to 'Good for you, sister'.
Being a parent is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Listen to Ruth Bell Graham's beautiful wisdom:



Much love to each of you.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

September 14

NT -- Galatians 1:1-24
Well, none of the usual pleasantries in this letter, now are there?
Paul sweeps in with brutal force.
Don't forget, we are only listening to one side of the story. The other side, the nasty little letters to him from congregants are lost to history.
And while the accusations may be true, we don't have their side of the story.

Galatians is a refutation of the Judiazers. These were a group of Jewish converts to Christianity who taught that pagans must convert to Judaism first -- and follow the Mosaic law -- before they could be Christians. And the big stumbling block was circumcision. So prepare yourself for the onslaught.
Paul's position never wavers in this letter. It is faith in Jesus that is all that is required, not adherence to Mosaic law.

Proverbs 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

What are the ways to apply things to your heart? I know, I know. Jewish thought at the time of Solomon was that intelligence resided in you heart. Your brain, psssh! Nothing. It was your heart, a muscle, that held your intellect.
So, knowing that the heart is a muscle, how do you apply instruction?
For me, it is always about babysteps.
I get asked all the time, how do I have time for this, that, or the other, especially Bible study. At first, I did section off time, right after dinner, while my sweet precious husband did the dishes and Matthew and Cole finished up their nightly chores. And I praised the heck out of myself every time I finished a blog post. I got a snowman sticker on my calendar! Don't laugh. I work like crazy for stickers.
By the time January rolled off the calendar, I didn't need the stickers. The Bible study was something that other things fitted around.
Maybe that is the way of it with other types of instructions, too. If exercise is your bugaboo (it's mine.....), establish a time, praise yourself greatly, and give it a month to be habitual.
I think that is how you apply instruction to your heart. By making it a priority, and doing it consistently.

But this proverb has a second part. It is 'your ears to words of knowledge'.
And that, my friends, is where the group thing is. If you don't have a group to test out your ideas of knowledge, you can easily go astray. Another great reason to be in church.

Many blessings to each of you, with your own set of stickers guiding you to achieve your dreams.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

September 13

OT == Isaiah 12:1-14:32
"Wail for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty". 13:6

Wail.

Now that is an adjective that you normally hear associated with toddlers and New Orleans mourners.

I ask you, if the destruction that happened to the Northern Kingdom was ANYTHING at all like our Civil War burn to the sea (and I suspect it was much, much worse), who has time to wail? Wouldn't you be fleeing for your lives?

I have a good friend who is writing her doctoral thesis on Southern women's Civil War diaries. She told me what is astounding about these works is what ISN'T in them. Sometimes, you have no idea that the women were pregnant until they write of their child dying hours after birth. And then they will describe in excruciating detail how they ran through a Yankee with a stake and then buried their bodies.
That is sort of how I think Isaiah's Northern Kingdom must have been. The Assyrians had chariots. They had coats of armor. They had trained soldiers and lots of them.
And when they march through a land, they left it devastated.
Isaiah is right. Wail.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

September 12

Psalm 56
I love this psalm. It is about paranoia in all its myriad forms.
I don't usually suffer from paranoia but I have several very close friends that do and when they are 'on', it is quite frightening to them and others who love them.
Nothing will comfort them. And the more that they talk, the more 'real' the threat is.

This psalm provides David's answer to those emotions and if you suffer from this or are close to someone who does -- mark vs. 3-4 and 10-13 with a bright yellow highlighter.
When David was afraid, he sang praise songs. I know that is hard to do. When he felt besieged by real or imaginary demons, he wrote praise poems, songs and prayers.
The basic premise is that God took care of your enemies before, He will take care of them again.
Do you believe that?
Maybe in the moment of panic, that is hard to believe. When the child is deathly ill, everyone is talking about you at work, the bills are high, nothing seems to be going right.
But right there, stop. Breathe deeply and recite my personal favorite piece of scripture (and since it is my birthday, I get to skip ahead)

Isaiah 43:1-3a
But now, this is what the Lord says--
He who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel;
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will no overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
From I am The Lord, your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

One of the many silly things I have in my head is the body's reaction to stress. Any stress.
As your adrenaline kicks in, you start breathing more shallowly. The lower oxygen content in your blood is better for flight but what it awful for is JUDGMENT.
And modern day stress requires JUDGMENT.

so the next time you or your loved ones start down the paranoia track, Stop. Breathe deeply and try to imagine -- even if it is hard -- that God WILL take care of you. Praise him for all the good stuff in the past and what is good right now. Breathe. And then, attack the problem.

Grace and peace to each of you.


Monday, September 10, 2012

September 11

NT -- 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
One of my favorite things of all times is ITunes.
I do not listen to the radio any more. If Cole or Matthew have a cool song that they think I will like (and I like a bunch of weird stuff ----), they will play it for me and I usually get it.
I also subscribe and listen to several podcasts each day/week. I listen to On Being weekly and Fresh Air daily.
And then there are the audio books. Oh my.
As an aside, I took Matthew and Cole to school every day from the time Cole was in the first grade. 25 miles there with the HOV lane -- 30 minutes. 40 miles to the office without the HOV lane -- 1.5 hours at a minimum. Most of the time I picked one or the other up from school -- another 40 miles and 25 miles back. I think I easily spent 3 hours a day in the car. Books on CD and cassette saved my sanity.
Audible has enlarged my soul.
In prep work for my teaching of the Beatitudes in Presbyterian Women last year, I listened to The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire. It is a fascinating work and still extremely relevant even 230 years later. The basic premise is that the Roman Empire fell due to barbaric invasions, largely as a result of loss of civic virtue. Civic Virtue to a Roman was an investment in the group as a whole. He also thought that the Praetorian Guard, the special troops guarding the emperor and frequently assassinating him if he did not behave as they thought proper especially in regard to their pay, contributed heavily.
Paul feels the same way about the Corinthians. You don't get to be special in a church. Just because you have seen a vision does not give you license to boast or lord it over others. And Paul offers himself as proof positive. He even went so far as to say he was given a 'thorn' in his side to keep him humble. HMMMMM.
Go check out Inside Nancy's Noodle for her take on the thorn.

Do we have thorns? Oh, I have issues. Body issues, mouth issues, and other issues that I don't want to name much less disclose. Is that why Paul doesn't tell us what his thorn was/is? Is it just too embarrasing to admit you would rather stay home and eat over visiting and caring for others because your clothes are too tight? I know, that doesn't help -- the eating when your clothes don't fit. But it is one of my issues and even at almost!! 49 I still do not have answer to that one. When does it cease to be an issue and becomes a thorn?

And do enough thorns rip apart a congregation? How about a country?

Sunday, September 9, 2012

September 10

OT-- Isaiah 6:1- 7:25
I have heard this passage preached a million times. Seems like we get it during the 'time and talent' part of stewardship, any time we send people off to Africa or Honduras, at installation of new ministers, and yes, once I heard it as part of a baptism! Infant.
But by far the most thought provoking sermon on this topic was one that Bill Newton of my childhood church preached. He wanted to look at this passage from the other side. From God's side as He questioned person after person to preach this message. And they turned Him down, time after time.
We hear Isaiah's answer. And maybe he was the first to get the call. But if it is like any other church thing I have called people to help with, you get way, way, way more nos than you do yeses.
Bill Newton said that the way to ask people to do a church job is to provide 3 things -- right upfront.
They are:
1. why it is so darned important to do the job. In Isaiah's case, they brought him to God's throne. Must have been something special to warrant that trip. I don't know about you, but I haven't seen God's throne room, even in a dream.
2. Why they are the perfect person to do the job, even in the midst of their imperfections. Unclean lips will just be Isaiah's ticket into the midst of the icky kings he is quested to speak to.
3. How long is it going to take. Poor Isaiah, his answer was until the cities are destroyed.

And of course, every time I hear this passage, we sing this song. Couldn't resist.



Click here if your email does not support YouTube.


Nehemiah
Today, Joe B started his series on Nehemiah. Already, I am glad that I went to the session and if you have a chance to go to one this week, you should.
One thing that Joe B brought up was that while the book is ostensibly about building a wall, really, it is about power. Oh, how strange.
Power in the Bible.
One thing that I did not know but learned while I was there and then later on in an email from Joe B, Nehemiah's predecessor was probably a commissioner, overseen by yes, Sanballhat the Hornonite, his primary accuser and back stabber. How not so unusual for the replaced to try and gain back the power that he lost....
Also, that if Nehemiah didn't write the book, it was written in the memoir style by someone who was definitely in the Nehemiah camp.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

September 9

Proverbs 22:28-29
Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

Do you ever wonder how property lines were drawn in the days before surveys?
Here is an image of a kudurru that is in the British Museum.

The inscriptions are fascinating and not just because they name the owner of the property. There are serious injunctions against moving it.
Click here to read more.

So, why would Solomon feel the need to tell his sons NOT to move the boundary stone? Well, in a land that had no cameras, no photographs, and no copy machines, it is an absolute necessity that where the boundary stone was laid, there it stayed.
Of course, unscrupulous people might move it to secure better grazing rights or access to water.
Nasty disputes arise over water and grazing.
Not to mention poorly placed fences and driveways.

Grace and Peace to each of you.

Friday, September 7, 2012

September 8

OT -- Isaiah
My favorite, favorite, favorite teacher of Bible is Walter Brueggemann. He is professor emeritus at Columbia Seminary and one of the highlights of my life was taking Bible from him as a lay person. Just to brag on myself -- I got an A in the course! It actually changed the way I study the Bible, much more in depth and with a view to the 'back story' (I think that is the first time I heard that phrase) rather than just to say 'oh, I read that in the Bible so now I know it'.

And a radio show that saved my sanity, On Being, had Walter on talking about Isaiah. It is a long video, almost an hour. But you will learn so very much and be so entertained. Please go get a cup of coffee and a muffin and sit back and listen to Walter and Krista Tippett discuss the prophets with an eye to Isaiah and Jeremiah in specific.

Click here.


NT -- 2 Corinthians 10:1-18
I cannot tell if Paul is making fun of the Corinthians or if they simply were overwhelming when he got there. Nowhere else in scripture do people refer to Paul as 'timid'. As a matter of fact, just the opposite is noted.
But in this passage, he is really driving home to them how far they have strayed from when he was there earlier. The Corinthians didn't come up with the money as expected, they were arguing amongst themselves about right and wrong, they were not taking care of each other and were being greedy at the food time. Clearly, he was disappointed. And since he was bringing guests, he wanted the Corinthians to straighten up and get going before he got there.
I think this is a little like being saved at Camp Meeting or Youth Group Camp at Montreat. It is so wonderful, everyone is just like you, you are all in the Spirit. But then, when you go back to your 'real life', it is hard to stay focused.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

September 7

Proverbs 22:24-25
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

I have 2 very different observations on this proverb.
The first is from a good friend of mine whose ex-husband was incredibly angry and incredibly abusive. Her father-in-law was a prominent physician who helped get Northside Hospital up and running and was a decent, loving man. His son, on the other hand, was a nightmare. They had 2 little boys together and she tried really hard to make it work. But the day he slammed her head into a window, she left. Threats, begging, stalking, pleas from the in-laws about counseling and medication and love... She tried it all.
Then one day I came by to drop off an outfit I had borrowed and she and the boys were gone. And she never came back.
For a long time, I was afraid he had killed her. That is how angry and mean he could be.
But after a while, I screwed up my courage, called her in-laws and they said, no, their son had threatened to kill the boys if she didn't move back in with him. She packed their bags, moved in and then left in the middle of the night with the boys and 1,000 dollars. When she had called the in-laws to tell them that they were okay, not to worry, but she couldn't come back; they knew they had raised a monster.
Why would she or any other woman get involved with such a man? Did she think she could change him? Had he hidden this from her until it was too late and she was married with babies? What causes violence like this to someone you supposedly love?

My second observation on this proverb has to do with being friends with hot-temper ones. I don't like mad. Yelling exhausts me and makes my head hurt. I don't like to be around arguments and watching them in movies or on TV is a no go for me.
When my kids were little and were starting to yell back or at one another, I asked a co-worker whose children were a little older than me how to handle that. Walk away, she said. They can't argue with you if there is no you. I am afraid that is my default position.
But recently, I have begun to watch the political arguers. Especially the ones who talk over each other. And the madder they are, especially if it is in real life, the more I am observing. Because the total lack of listening on either side seems to be the trigger for the escalation. Now, TV political arguments are one thing. But in real life, unless you stop listening, the talk doesn't seem to escalate into the yelling stage. Oh, there is plenty of mad, but no flash-points. The other thing that seems to spark an uprising is name calling.
So, there is something to be learned from arguments, especially if you are like me and want to avoid them. Listen, really listen. If possible, repeat back to the opponent (and try not to see them as an opponent especially if they are family....) what you think they are saying. And don't call names. Either them or their person of interest. It is mean and says more about you than it does about your target.

Hot tempers do seem to abound whether it is like my friend's ex or in the political arena. But this is one proverb that I seem to have already learned and imprinted.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

September 6

OT -- Song of Songs 1:1-4:16
The Song of Songs or the The Song of Solomon depending on what version of the Bible you are reading is erotic love poetry. It was almost certainly meant to be performed, as there are headings and clear indications of who says what, unlike many of the psalms we have read where you aren't sure if it is David speaking or God. Reading this work, like reading Elizabeth Barrett Browning's stuff, makes me very uncomfortable, as if I was peeking into someone's bedroom and I guess in a sense, I am.
Long has the debate raged over this work. The debate covers the authorship, the time written, whether it is about 2 people or about God and his relationship to the Children of Israel, even to how frequently it should be read (Sephardic or Spanish descent Jews read it every Shabbos eve while all other Jews read it only on Passover Shabbos eve. And of course, NO Protestant church EVER reads S of S. Too risque for the frozen chosen.) Talk about your lightning rod.

Last year, I had S of S to teach in Sunday School. My parents are members of my Sunday School class. I tried to pass those weeks off on Milt or Gil, my fellow teachers. Nothing doing. So, I really studied and worked on what I thought was a good approach.
If the book is about sex, I wondered why we think about it so much. This is a blog post by a post-graduate study into how often men and women think about sex, sleep, and food and while it is no where near the every 8 seconds we hear spewed about in the media, men and women spend A LOT of time every day thinking about sex. Why?

My research led me to the Limbic System, parts of the brain and neuro-system that we share with all multi-organed creatures. It is frequently referred to as the 'reptile brain' although that is not an accurate description. Certainly, reptiles have a limbic system but then again, so do fish and yes, my chickens.

There is a part of the limbic system, "the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), also known as the accumbens nucleus or as the nucleus accumbens septi (Latin for nucleus leaning against the septum or as The pleasure center)), is a collection of neurons and forms the main part of the ventral striatum. It is thought to play an important role in reward, pleasure, laughter, addiction, aggression, fear, and the placebo effect."
Wikipedia

Those are funny, funny items to all be linked together in one area. Also closely associated with this area is olfactory cues. Maybe there is something to incense after all...

Almost as long as we have paintings and sculptures, we have erotic art. There are early Sumerian figurines with enormous penises, women with ponderous breasts, paintings and hyroglyphics on the Egyptian tombs for sexual instructions, and cures for common sexual complaints that we now 'fix' with Viagra. I am not sure why so many have gone to such lengths to describe S of S as anything other than erotic art but even here, my best commentator Rashi leaves me as he thinks this is God's love song to the Children of Israel. Well, if it is, God wants to do some things with The Children that I am not sure I want to talk about here, squeamish Protestant that I am.
That is my take on Song of Songs, what about you? And if it makes you as uncomfortable as it makes me, take heart. We are only here 2 days.

2 Corinthians 8:16-24
"We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift."
Even then, O Lord, even then. Church budget fighting.





Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September 5

OT -- Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14
So, we come to the end of Ecclesiastes and no, the Teacher has not found meaning. Several of the Biblical commentaries make the case that the Teacher is saying 'without God, life is meaningless.'
Sorry, that I don't buy. Look at 12:1-5. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them", ....Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.

For me, the value of Ecclesiastes is that the Teacher DOES find life meaningless.
Haven't you? If not, you, then your spouse or your parents? Life is really harsh sometimes and can kick you in the teeth. It is NATURAL to say "why me, Lord" or "Kiss my you-know-what, Lord".
If I told you how many, many times I had thought, this just isn't worth it, what on earth am I going to all this trouble. And I know I am not alone in this sentiment. And if YOU feel that way now or have in the past, YOU should know that YOU aren't alone.
THAT is what gives Ecclesiastes value to me. It seems to me that there is no emotion, no problem, no awfulness that God's people haven't waded through. And sometimes, they did not come out on the winning end. And we won't either.

BUT, if you want another view of Ecclesiastes, here is one.

Today, depression, tomorrow Pornography. Yep, The Bible has it all.

NT -- 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
I have a really good friend who is Mr. Capital Fund. The man can solicit some money. Every major and minor fund campaign at my church has either had him as the chair or used his extensive talents to solicit. He is uber hard to turn down.

I imagine that Paul was as well. Listen to 8:10-11:
"And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means."

In other words, you got all hyped up about sending to Jerusalem and pledged a big ole fat amount. Now, cough it up and let me get moving with the money.

Some years, the pledge and the finish of the pledge are easily done. Other years, it is hard for me to finish up. But having that pledge hanging over my head (and this is why it is good for me), makes me finish what I started.
Budget season is almost upon the McAdam household -- Don and I like to sit down late in October so that we can finish the year out and get organized financially for next. Funnily, that is also when pledge drive is at our church. I can't remember if the pledge drive caused the budget meeting or the budget meeting answered the pledge drive.
So, it is early September, if you haven't 'finished what YOU started with your work, time to match your eagerness.
And give thanks that Paul is not our Stewardship chair.

Monday, September 3, 2012

September 4

OT -- Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
'Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things --
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all.'

Was a woman at the heart of his depression?

Ooooo!

Listen, this whole diatribe on Meaningless is everywhere in my life right now. Listening to a song that Cole sent me via ITunes and I immediately thought of the Teacher. Here are the lyrics, then go listen to the song.

Lyrics to What Is My Role? by Edwyn Collins
If I think too hard then
I can feel like no one, though
I'd rather be alone
Than with people I don't know
'Cause I can't walk in character
I can't act in any way
I don't feel as close to God as you do every day

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
Sometimes I wonder what is my role?
What is my role? What is my role?

If I think too hard
Then nothing seems to fit
I believe that we suffer
Just for the sake of it
And I can't walk in character
I can't act in any way
I don't feel as close to God as you do every day

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
Sometimes I wonder what is my role?
What is my role? What is my role?



There is a story behind this song and it is basically that Edwyn Collins was a fairly large indie folk/rock/pop star when he had 2 strokes back to back that should have killed him. Definitely should have ended his music career, not to mention his singing ability. But it didn't and this song is one of 10 on a great album that explores the whole concept of a comeback, a resurgence, and the emotions surrounding it.

Click here if your email does not support YouTube.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

September 3

OT -- Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12
Oh, poor Teacher. He is so depressed. Being rich, being poor, being old, being young, being king, nothing is making him happy. He is also trotting out all his proverbs -- you will recognize quite a few as they are in the study of Proverbs we have already done, a further indication that Solomon was closely associated with this book.
If Solomon was my friend and he was pouring out all this misery and unworthiness, what would I say? How would I respond? Can you respond?
There is a scene in one of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries where Holmes is railing against his failures to Watson. Clearly, he has had too much of HIS chemical of choice -- cocaine -- and is spiriling out of control. If it can happen to Sherlock Holmes, it can happen to all of us.
What does Watson do? Well, for one, he makes Holmes put on his coat and hat and they set out for the park. And walk. And Holmes jabbers and pokes and says hateful things to Watson who continues to walk and listen. And eventually, Holmes calms down, they get down to the case at hand, it is solved and presumably, Holmes is better.
What about us? Is this part and parcel to when the blues, the overwhelming of the political hatefulness, the poverty, meanness and crime take over? What about when your parents show decline, your marriage feels stale or stalling, your children are inattentive?
What do we do then? Is life really meaningless?

I fight my own battles with the blues. Sometimes I do better than others but this time of year with the heat and humidity have almost always pulled me down.
I put my timer on, do SOMETHING for some period of time, walk my own walk, try not to isolate myself.
And one thing that I cannot do right now because of the section we are in -- I really do try to limit my exposure to other people's dismalness. This year, well, I will just have to muddle on through, exposed to Solomon's misery.

Psalm 47:1-9
Any other time and this psalm would have lifted my spirits right on up. But I am still pulled down by Solomon.
I do love that line:
"He CHOSE our inheritance for us"
emphasis mine.
Chose. He chose us. And He chose who our parents, grandparents and so forth were just so we could be His. Now, how comforting is THAT?

Yesterday at the market, one of the vendors who is UBER political wanted to talk to me about Paul Ryan. Now, why he thinks *I* would be interested in talking politics, I have no idea. Maybe I just have the reputation of a listener. I can assure you, I have zero interest in talking and/or listening to political discourse.
But he went on and on, I finally got him to move on by saying "God has all this in His hands" and he shambled off. And I said that to push him away because he doesn't really believe that. But I realized that I do. I shook my head, put my tent up but it was a profound moment brought on by the weird-do three tents down.

Much love to each of you.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

September 2

OT -- Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
A small confession to make. I have never read Ecclesiastes. Even when I taught it for Sunday School a couple of years ago, I only read the verses in the Student book and used their commentary.

What a mistake.

The opening verses of the book identify it as a work of Solomon although he is not named. Even if he did not write the book, it clearly is his memoir.
And it is not the memoir I expected.
"Meaningless, Meaningless. Everything is meaningless!"

This is a man, probably in late mid-life, going through the whole 'what on earth am I here for' crisis. I have watched many men and more than one woman go through this. They divorce their wives, quit their jobs, buy new toys, alienate their children, try to become their children, all in the name of Meaningless, Meaningless. Everything is meaningless.

And I have those same impulses but not on a larger scale. Mine usually comes from laundry. What is the point in doing laundry? It just ends up in the basket the next day, needing to be washed again. And with boys who sweat, I do a lot of laundry.
Over the years, I have tried a lot of things to handle the drudgery of laundry. Praying for my loved ones as I fold the same pair of Batman pajamas for the 1000th time. Timing myself to see if I can beat the clock and get a load folded and put away. And the all time effective one -- going to the laundromat and getting every bit done in an hour and a half. An amazing feat when you have have 10 sweat suits in the wash.

But I have ended up where I started, doing laundry. I am actually doing it right now as I type this. But it is not meaningless and here is why. My family appreciates clean, tidy clothing. They tell me so. They ask me to wash their sheets and hang them on the line to dry so that they will smell 'like sky'. It took Matthew and me 10 minutes to figure out which laundry detergent to take to school because what I use (Costco ginormous) is not feasible in a college dorm room. The smell matters to him.

It will be interesting to see if the Teacher (the author of the book Ecclesiastes)comes to the same realization that I do -- it is not meaningless if it shows your loved ones you care.

Meanwhile, enjoy another pop into 70s music via the Teacher. It is too bad that I didn't know it was a depressed poem way back then. I might not have liked it some much.


Click here if your email does not support YouTube.