Oh My Confusing!

This week's classes really left me with a lot of questions to ask.

Like the fact that there is no author named in any of the gospels. So the only reason we know it was Luke who wrote Luke was by the way it was written? What?! This bothers me because I like to be very definite with my answers to questions. I know that is all doesn't really matter in the long run, but shouldn't it matter a little?

I like the idea that the gospels weren't written for us to know the events but instead know what it all means. But that just opens the gate for eisegesis. Not that that gate hasn't already been opened. There is no birth story in John or Mark. So what does that mean? Luke says nothing about Jesus dying for our sins. Why not and what does that mean? 

And the crazy discussion about spirituality. Ugh.... So if our languages effect the way we think then how do we know what to think? Does this mean the English Bible is false? There are so many translations that say different things and some even change the meaning of things. So what are we suppose to do with that? How are we to know the truth if we've messed it up from the very beginning? And that very beginning is the fact that our language makes us think differently! Maybe we have to learn Greek and Hebrew. And be super good at it too. 

So if it's our bodies that go to heaven instead of our spirit, then I better take care of myself since I really will be stuck with this body forever ;)

"Crows & Locusts" by Brooke Fraser

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

"Daddy don't cry, it'll be alright"
She puts some water on the wound
And hums a little tune
While her courage puddles on the ground
Pooling, pooling

See the murder and the swarm descend
And the night is getting thick
The moon telling her tricks
She'd betray her every time

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

It was the age
The foxes came for the fields
We were bleeding as we bowed to kneel
And prayed for mercy, prayed for mercy

The rumble is low and the heat is high
Got a feeling that there's rain out in the oil black sky
Gonna chase away the devil when that sun does rise
Gonna plead the blood
Gonna plead the blood

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

It was the age
The foxes came for the fields
We were bleeding as we bowed to kneel
And prayed for mercy, prayed for mercy

She limps on up to the top of a mount
Looks at the faltered harvest
Feels her sweat in the ground and the burn in her nose
And the knowing in her guts
Something's still gonna grow
She ain't leaving 'till it does.

What can wash away my sin
Nothing but the blood...
What can make me whole again
Nothing but the blood...

Matthew 5:13

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless." 

   

   This really hit home for me. The gospels assume that we are a certain kind of person. We are who the Lord has made us to be, but we chose to be someone else. If we try and change who we are (who the Lord made us to be) then we lose our salty flavor. And if we lose our flavor, then we will be  thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 

   Lately I've been in a rough battle. Dealing with things I never thought I'd ever have to deal with after I decided to pick up my cross and follow Christ. I (my flesh) wants me to be a completely different person that the Lord has called me to be. I want to give up and stop caring about everything. But then the Lord always finds ways to show me who I really am. Who he made me to be. Like the last time He did this, he used one of my friends to show me this scripture. My friend was completely oblivious to what was going on my life.

"Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires." Romans 13:13-14

   Who I am is who the Lord wants me to be. I'm tired of trying to change myself. I want to be the salt of the earth.

Social Salvation

   This class has absolutely blown my mind. I believe it's safe to say that this is my favorite class this semester. I always seem to find out something new about Christianity. I think I believe in something because it's what scripture says and it's because what I've known to believe, but then Dr. Boarders informs me it's not what I think. I love finding out the actual meaning of things! For instance: I was always led to believe that salvation is a personal thing between you and the Lord, but really it's suppose to be a social thing! At least that is how they portray it in the gospels. It's about coming together with others. It's one of our responsibilities as a Christian to be engaged with our faith, with what we declare. Which goes well with what I said in my previous blog about us all coming together in unity if we want to see the Lord do something big. 

   I've heard so many people who say that they are Christian but their faith is very personal to them. It's okay if we keep somethings to ourselves about our faith until we are called to voice it, but we can't be too reserved with our faith. How else are we to shine our light into the darkness? I think probably the worst thing someone (that I've never met before) could say to me is "Oh I didn't know you were a Christian" or "I had no idea you were a Christian". I know i don't always give off the best first impressions to people, and yes I've been working on that, but I hope I can give off some sort of holy vibe about myself! I guess I just have to remember: salvation = social.

Impressive!

   Our classes this week have really impressed me. First was the fact that we went to observe honey bees to make a really good point in class. We have to change ourselves if we ever want to get close to changing the world around us. It goes the same with Christianity. If we as Christians want the Lord to move and change something huge, then we have to come together in unity. Instead of being irritable because we may not all believe in the same thing. We have to change ourselves first by humbling ourselves so that we can come in unity and allow the Lord to move in big ways. And it doesn't even have to be in big ways. Little stuff counts too.

   I never payed attention to the genealogy part in Matthew before. It blew my mind hearing what all of that really meant. I also thought it was interesting the way the Romans viewed children back then. Kind of similar to my view since I was one of the only ones to choose adoption as as being classified as someones son or daughter. To me, it doesn't even have to be legal adoption with paperwork and such. Like if an old lady I meet at a nursing home wants to be my grandmother and I want to be her granddaughter then I'm just going to call her my grandmother and visa-versa. We claim each other! Leaning solely on genetics can sometimes get you into trouble. Like having that random cousin/uncle that spontaneously shows up at your house and expects you to give them money just because he's your blood relative. Yeah, that happens quite a bit. Not saying that I think it's a bad thing to give to the poor... I think you guys know what I mean though.