Oh my is right! So, I'm studying theology and as part of theology I have to know the Bible right? Right. Well, I figured that those translations may be faulty, and I want to know the truth. I mean, man has translated the Bible from its original language, so I figure that as humans those translators may have made mistakes or may not have chosen the best word for the context.
So what is a student to do? Why not take Hebrew and Ancient Greek? This way if the translation is wrong it's my own fault. I think I bit off more than I can chew. I thought Greek was hard, but Hebrew is going to kick my tush. I just started looking at the alphabet and I'm pretty sure there are no vowels. I personally am kind of fond of vowels. I think they make words make sense. For example, the Old Testament name for Lord? Yahweh. In English translated from Hebrew: Yhwh. I tried to put the actual Hebrew in there and it didn't like it. Oh did I mention that Hebrew is read right to left?
I think my head is going to spin around. I'm not complaining, I think this is fascinating. However, I think I'm still in shock. Oh well, this is going to be fun.
God Bless.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I was inspired...
Life is great right? Let's see we have school, work, school, work, sleep, eat, school, and work. Wait. It seems like something is missing. Yes, something is missing and I was reminded of it today at church during the sermon. Today's Gospel reading was from Mark 8:27-35. Now you don't have to get your Bibles out unless you really want to, I think I can sum it up.
In this section Jesus poses the question "Who do they say that I am?" Well, there are lots of answers such as John ht Baptist, Elijah, and a prophet. I like next question that He asks: who do you say that I am? What a great question. Who is Jesus? Well, there are many texts throughout the Bible to know who Jesus is. God says, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him" (Mk 9:7, Mt 17:5). There are also many descriptions in the Old Testament, so we know exactly who Jesus is. He even tells us that He is the Son of Man and will suffer greatly and die, then in three days rise. Needless to say, we know who Jesus is.
The better question is what is our relationship with Him? We know who He is, but is He more than just someone whose life story we know? The excerpt from Mark goes on to explain exactly what type of relationship He is looking for with us, and it is not an easy relationship. However, it is one filled with love and hope. When Peter pulls Jesus aside and starts to rebuke Him about all the things He's been saying (suffer, die rise, etc). What does Jesus say? “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” What does He mean here? Well, it can be interpreted twofold. First, Peter was trying to lead. He was trying to put everything in his control. Does this sound familiar? I know that sometimes I catch myself listing off all the things I need from God, and I want to be in charge of everything. But this is not how God intended it. Jesus calls us to follow. He never said, "Get up, take your cross and go ahead. I'll follow you." No. He says, "“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” Hmmm. That sounds like the complete opposite of what we want to do. Remember when I said that the relationship Jesus seeks with us isn't easy? This is why. We are to deny ourselves, which can be the hardest thing to do. How many times do we say "I" or "me" in a day? We must deny ourselves and take up our cross. It is heavy, but God never gives us more than we can chew. In fact, the hardest times we face, He knows we will rock it, but only if we allow Him to take us through it. We may not be able to lead in front of Jesus, but He is always willing to slow down to walk with us.
This is the type of relationship God is seeking with us: an intimate relationship full of love and hope. Yes, it will be hard, but hey if life was easy then we wouldn't be able to fully appreciate what it is that we are given, right? Just remember the next time you are feeling stress or feel like all you do is eat, work, school, and sleep: Jesus is right there next to you, walking through it with you. It's important to take a moment and say thank you, and tell Him some of your burdens. Just like Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus with His cross on the way to Calvary, Jesus will help up bear our cross. So, just remember to follow Jesus and ask Him to walk with you. It is a much better situation than admiring Him from afar.
God Bless.
In this section Jesus poses the question "Who do they say that I am?" Well, there are lots of answers such as John ht Baptist, Elijah, and a prophet. I like next question that He asks: who do you say that I am? What a great question. Who is Jesus? Well, there are many texts throughout the Bible to know who Jesus is. God says, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him" (Mk 9:7, Mt 17:5). There are also many descriptions in the Old Testament, so we know exactly who Jesus is. He even tells us that He is the Son of Man and will suffer greatly and die, then in three days rise. Needless to say, we know who Jesus is.
The better question is what is our relationship with Him? We know who He is, but is He more than just someone whose life story we know? The excerpt from Mark goes on to explain exactly what type of relationship He is looking for with us, and it is not an easy relationship. However, it is one filled with love and hope. When Peter pulls Jesus aside and starts to rebuke Him about all the things He's been saying (suffer, die rise, etc). What does Jesus say? “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” What does He mean here? Well, it can be interpreted twofold. First, Peter was trying to lead. He was trying to put everything in his control. Does this sound familiar? I know that sometimes I catch myself listing off all the things I need from God, and I want to be in charge of everything. But this is not how God intended it. Jesus calls us to follow. He never said, "Get up, take your cross and go ahead. I'll follow you." No. He says, "“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” Hmmm. That sounds like the complete opposite of what we want to do. Remember when I said that the relationship Jesus seeks with us isn't easy? This is why. We are to deny ourselves, which can be the hardest thing to do. How many times do we say "I" or "me" in a day? We must deny ourselves and take up our cross. It is heavy, but God never gives us more than we can chew. In fact, the hardest times we face, He knows we will rock it, but only if we allow Him to take us through it. We may not be able to lead in front of Jesus, but He is always willing to slow down to walk with us.
This is the type of relationship God is seeking with us: an intimate relationship full of love and hope. Yes, it will be hard, but hey if life was easy then we wouldn't be able to fully appreciate what it is that we are given, right? Just remember the next time you are feeling stress or feel like all you do is eat, work, school, and sleep: Jesus is right there next to you, walking through it with you. It's important to take a moment and say thank you, and tell Him some of your burdens. Just like Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus with His cross on the way to Calvary, Jesus will help up bear our cross. So, just remember to follow Jesus and ask Him to walk with you. It is a much better situation than admiring Him from afar.
God Bless.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
You want me to understand what?
How hard is it to understand how things work? Well, if you like certain subjects then you have a pretty good understanding of things like friction or calculus. (God bless all of you who understand that stuff). Being a theology major, I'm expected to understand things like the Atonement and God becoming man.
I'm in the midst of studying for my Christology exam, and my head really hurts. This only solidifies the fact that we will never understand the greatness of God, how he works, thinks, etc. I'm ok with that because I don't want or need to know what God knows. Two humans tried that and we all know where it got them and subsequently us: in a life despair, sin and death.
Life is a mystery. Love is a mystery. God is a mystery. I will never fully understand God's love for us and Christ's death, but I don't need to understand because I have faith. Faith is enough for me, but it's important to couple that faith with intellect and think through the things you profess to believe.
Now it is time to return to studying Christology. I know I will never understand it, but I can contemplate it, and hopefully that is enough for my professor.
I'm in the midst of studying for my Christology exam, and my head really hurts. This only solidifies the fact that we will never understand the greatness of God, how he works, thinks, etc. I'm ok with that because I don't want or need to know what God knows. Two humans tried that and we all know where it got them and subsequently us: in a life despair, sin and death.
Life is a mystery. Love is a mystery. God is a mystery. I will never fully understand God's love for us and Christ's death, but I don't need to understand because I have faith. Faith is enough for me, but it's important to couple that faith with intellect and think through the things you profess to believe.
Now it is time to return to studying Christology. I know I will never understand it, but I can contemplate it, and hopefully that is enough for my professor.
Monday, March 2, 2009
blogging
Ahh... blogging. The electronic journal. A journal every one can read. That sounds like an oxymoron. But there are some things that you need to write, and others need to read. So I guess there's a therapy that takes place. When you write, you feel better. When others read, you might just write something that makes them feel better. So that is going to be my starting point for blogging. What can I say that might benefit others? Or at least entertain them?
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