Lost Bible

the squiggles are frilly flower patterns

It's been 10 days since I lost my Bible and journal! This really impedes my New Years resolution to be in the Word (aka study the Bible and pray) more. I think I took it downstairs because I was really excited about the past post about Genesis 34. Maybe not. Whatever happened, I moved them and can't find them! I've looked everywhere! 

I really feel the need to be in the Word today because some days are harder than others, you know? Some days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed of contentment, and you have to be reminded of what's true and ground yourself in who God is. And you have to renew your mind and free it from being conformed to this world. 

This past week

Stomach bug germs

Well I really hope this week is better than last! Last week I got what Carson had twice. First on Sunday and then it returned on Wednesday. I thought Wednesday's was indigestion from something I cooked, but now David has it too as of last night (Sunday). So it must have been contagious. Last week I didn't get any housework done, so it's a mess. I just laid around getting better. And I'm sorry to say this, but I have never been so glad to see solid stools! And to actually be hungry! For a whole week I didn't want to eat but made myself. Appetites and normal stools are something to be thankful for :) 

Anyhoo, a highlight of this week was doing the emceeing for a friend's baby shower at church on saturday, when I was all better. I was asked to because the other lady who usually does them for church showers didn't want to. I wasn't really brave enough to volunteer to and I was honestly pretty nervous, but wanted them to have a good shower. I got more confidence though when I found some funny games online, and laughing at the thought of people I know at church doing those things really helped. I also prayed about it. I think it turned out ok, though honestly I don't think emceeing celebrations is for me! Is 'emcee' even the right word for that?

But while feeling bad I also spent time online (surprise) and I've always loved the funny pictures and memes on pinterest. But they are filled with bad words and I have to weed through the immoral ones. Anyway, I've always thought the one below was really funny, so I edited out the bad word! :)

 

My encounter with the nasty passage of Genesis 34

For years now I have really loved the book of Genesis. I love the narrative, the snapshots into ancient culture and customs, and how God revealed himself so plainly...

But today I hit a bump in the road. It's been over 8 years since I've really studied this, and since then I've usually swerved around this bump in the road, but there is a time to face your doubt head-on and deal with it! Gen. 34 is just nasty. The whole situation and every player in it is just nasty. The nastiest thing is what Jacob's two sons did. Cruel, heartless, mass-killing! 

And the voice in my head, a voice I am convinced was nurtured by all the anti-belief trends I marinated in while growing up in the Seattle area, the voice that dominated my being until I met Christ at 14... this voice questioned, "What kind of 'good' faith would have patriarchs like these? " or, "How can the Bible be God's Word with such horrific acts?" or, "How can God approve of this?"

These questions have heavy presumptions. The core presumption being that everything set forth in biblical narratives, including the choices of key people, is (or should be) approved by God and is considered holy even today. That patriarchs were perfect, holy people and should be our example. 

Psh! 

This is why it's important to get education in the Bible. This is why it's important for pastors to explain the whole Scriptures to their congregants. I'm so blessed to have gone to one of the best Bible colleges around, Moody Bible Institute. But again, I hadn't gone in-depth into a study of Genesis for 8 years now!

Luckily we still have our textbooks, plus more from David's seminary classes. I'd been reading a few things on Genesis (like commentaries and Bible encyclopedias) but the best thing I read on this has been James Montgomery Boice's commentary Genesis: An Expositional Commentary, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.)

Boice's chapter (117) on Genesis 34 is entitled, "A Shameful Incident". The first thing he points out is that many influential commentators have not dealt with the passage, by either skipping it completely, telling readers to figure it out on their own, or sometimes even telling pastors there is no valuable lesson to preach from the passage (p. 829). Boice insists that there is, especially in the area of how not to live!

But the main encounter I want to focus on with Gen. 34 is bibliology (doctrine of the Bible) and even the inerrancy of Scripture, not so much the Christian life. The latter is a cake walk in this case...

Anyhoo, Boice says, 

"Whenever the Bible contains material that reflects so badly not merely upon the sins of humanity in general but also upon the particular wickedness in the hearts and lives of God's people, this is evidence of the divine and not merely the human origin of the Scriptures... Human writers would have suppressed these events, just as commentators sometimes seem compelled to suppress them today... As we study this chapter we find the words of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to be true; "All Scripture is [indeed] God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man" [i.e. person] "of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (pp. 829-830).

If you were transcribing the ancient scrolls, would you not want to leave out Genesis 34? I would. Yet the Jews have included it in the Torah from the beginning (829). Our natural shame wants us to suppress things like this.

That's the point of the passage! We should be horrified by what we read. It was wrong. 

Moreover this passage touches on the roots of the Good News: Man cannot save himself. All other religions/spiritualities involve man reaching out to the divine somehow, but Christianity is God reaching down to man. The Good News is that all have sinned, that the wages of sin is death, and that the gift of eternal life is for all who believe in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, not their own imperfect and perpetually tainted good works. (Romans 3:23, 6:23-24, Ephesians 2:8-9, Ephesians 1) 

Look at this pretty graph I made!

I first learned this from my youth pastor, and then learned all the amazing details from the Bible

Even before Christ, God told the Israelites that he chose them not because they were better than all the other nations around them, but because of his own goodness and sovereign plan (>>>Deuteronomy 7:6-9). And it is clear that regardless of all the stupid things God's people have ever done (like the Crusades, etc) God will still work out His plan. People will still believe in Jesus Christ. 

God's love is relentless. There's nothing we can do to stop Christ from doing his work on earth. People saying that Judaism or Christianity is false or the Bible is false can't stop it either. And pointing out Gen 34 as a reason to reject God is only an excuse masking deeper, tougher issues. 

Of course God hates what Simeon and Levi did. Their shame is our warning and our reminder that we are all capable of such evils, and such evils are in all our natures, and that God is the only one who can save us from ourselves and from His wrath against evil.

A Good Day!

Today has been a good day so far! It's only about 7:30, but it's been great.

First. Instead of being jerked awake much sooner than desired (usually 5:30) by cute cooing, I woke up on my own at 6:40! That would be enough in itself to make a good day. (Please don't feel sorry for me)

Second. I had a good dream last night. It included people I knew from Moody and Women's Choir, but also David and Carson, and even Maggie! A dream with lots of people I love in it is always better than the stressed-out, missing-a-deadline nightmares I usually have. (Weird thing was, Carson and Maggie were the same being. You know, one of those weird transitioning cases.)

Third. I not only had a good dream, and woke up before Carson, but I woke up knowing that I won't have to change a leaky cloth diaper. This is because he's in disposables because the cloth diapers are being stripped by RLR Laundry Treatment. And I got some detergent that is better for cloth diapers and is even compatible with hard water! (I won't talk about our old, broken water softener in the utility closet. Oh wait I did)

Fourth. I woke up on my own after having a good dream and knowing I wouldn't have to touch PJs with pee on them, but I woke up excited because I get to spend time with a friend from church at Olive Garden tonight. And this is all much easier to do because, Fifth, Carson is finally taking to liking soy milk and is really close to weaning. 

Sixth. Carson is abnormally non-fussy today. Usually, as I write this, he is screaming and whining through eating breakfast and my patience is already being tested. But right now he is eating eggs and cheerios quietly for once!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! and thanks for sharing in these blessings with me.

I love Paint

Can't change!

copyright 2013 Bethany Guthrie (jk) This is what the clams I remember from the beach look like growing up. But I haven't been to a beach in over two years so my memory is fuzzy.

I've tried to be content at home, just me and Carson, without a car most of the time. I do chores, go online, play with Carson, watch netflix, do projects or crafts, etc. Then I sit down as Carson crawls all over grabbing things, and I just watch him. I just sit there. I ignore the urge to call someone up. I keep sitting there. I ignore the creeping feeling of loneliness and I sit there.

Granted the above occurrence can only happen once a day and lasts about 2 minutes. That's because I'm pretty busy. But still, I can't change! I can't change the fact that I am extroverted and have this need to see other adults and share our lives together!

What makes this problem worse is that David comes home from long hours at work all tired and worn-out and sick of interaction with others. He always makes an effort with us and he's an awesome husband and father.

But God has wired each person differently. I know tons of people that would be happy as a clam to stay at home and see no one else all day.

I don't know how they do it.

When will we be done with seminary?

Above you will see a picture I drew tonight in paint (due to my ineptitude in uploading a pie chart from Excel) of how much of an M.Div. my hardworking husband has earned! I had so much fun drawing this I may add more to this blog in the future. 

Going to Southern Seminary is why we moved to Louisville in the first place. What happened after that is not my fault! Just kidding. Anyhoo, in four years of classes this is how much he has been able to finish so far. That's 65 out of 94 credits! 

So when will David be done with seminary? We don't know. If he is able to keep up his current pace, just 2 more years.