Finally: Day 7!

What can I say? I've missed you guys. It's been a long awkward pause. I loved being gone. Visiting my hometown and loving my long lost family members.

But still, it's good to be back in Merryland. I missed my dog. ;)

The Skinny:

Chapter 29 - God tells Moses how to consecrate Aaron and his sons. It's gross. Chapter 30 - More instruction - the Altar of Incense, Money from men once they come of age, Basin for washing, Anointing Oil and Incense [fabulous holy perfume]. Chapter 31 - God calls these two guys out, Bezalel and Oholiab - the Spirit of God shows up for the first time, and instruction on the Sabbath. Chapter 32 - A horrible scene involving a golden calf. Chapter 33 - God is so mad he tells the people to go ahead to the promised land, but that he's not coming, because they're a "stiff-necked" people and if he comes he'll probably end up killing them all. Moses has this unique and bold dialogue with the Lord and talks him into coming. Chapter 34 - New stone tablets with the laws because Moses broke the first ones during the golden calf incident. Moses's face begins to radiate from spending so much time with God. Chapter 35-40 - Stuff starts to happen just as God commanded, beginning with the Sabbath. People give so much, it ends up being too much! Finally Moses inspects everything. And the Glory of God covers the Tent of Meeting. God dwells with his people. When the cloud leaves [or fire], the people know it's time to follow.

Ai. Not a bad attempt at making The Skinny skinnier. I'm really thankful and surprised to find myself this far along on this blog already. You know, you put something off for long enough and it becomes a monster of a task. It's only 1:15am! And that, by my standards, is early. :)

Plus, I always, the following is the fun part for me. Once I get here, I always feel confident I can finish.

Okay! Let's get right into the good stuff.

The Holy Spirit makes an entrance

I love firsts. My first puppy. My first kiss. The first [and only as of right now] time I gave birth. Sadie's first steps. These events really get me all choked up. So, obviously, I took notice when I first discovered this first [I think James-Michael told us in Bible study]. What's even more interesting is who gets to be filled - artists! You know, the dreamy type that can often be found doing something that, on the surface, seems trivial, fruitless, unproductive - yeah, them! They get God's wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft. Loooove it!

A word about detail

This stuff seems so boooring, right? What the heck is the point? I think I got this one [er, well, How to Read the Bible Book by Book has this one, anyhow]. One of the unique attributes about this Hebrew God is that he dwells with his people. And he is telling them how to make his throne. One of the Big Deals is that God's throne is in a tent! Not only is it modest [as compared to a temple], it's mobile! God goes with his people. He leads them. He interacts with them. This is HUGE.

I think the details and the beauty have something to do with what I call Extravagant Love [other people may call it this, I'm sure I didn't coin the term]. All the fuss. It's important. And necessary. There's a great example in the Gospels, where the woman comes and pours perfume on Jesus's feet. His disciples don't get it. They think it's a waste. He does, though. And he is moved by her gift of Extravagant Love [it also has something to do with this holy incense and oil business, I believe].

While my daughter was away I promised her I'd send her cookies. Days passed and for whatever reason, the cookies didn't get sent [I made a batch and they went bad before I could send them]. So I finally finished a second batch. I decorated the big ones with her favorite frosting and added sprinkles because I know she loves them. I went to the post office to send them. I had to overnight them so they'd get to her on time [before she came back to Maryland!]. It ended up costing $25. $25! We don't have that! I thought about it while I stood in line. Should I do this? It seemed almost ridiculously wrong. But, deep down in my gut I felt this tug toward Extravagant Love. Yes, it was silly. But I don't get the opportunity to love like this everyday. And so I plunged into the silliness for Love's sake.

Well, it ended up becoming somewhat of a nightmare for my dad, who had to drive all over town looking for the post office that they'd been shipped to the next day. It made him late picking Sadie up [and frazzled]! And some of the cookies broke and stuck together - even the tin broke! I felt so bad, second guessing myself - feeling foolish.

Then, my mom, who would have ordinarily gasped in horror at the amount I spent to mail cookies, lovingly offered to pay for them. And so, a Cookie Near Fiasco turned into two different opportunities for Extravagant Love.

The golden calf

Oh my. This story is bad on so many levels. I think I'm only going to focus on one. Because I've read this story many many times, and this time around, what struck me the most was not the people's disobedience, but God's [and Moses's] anger. Because I live in a world where I'm taught that God is loving, and kind, and forgiving. And because shortly after this whole horrible scene, we have God's "self-revelation" proclaiming that he is indeed all of these things. Right after all these people were killed [by the swords of the people who are "for the Lord"].

And I get it. Well, no, I don't actually. But, I get it intellectually. I get that the whole construction of the calf thing is just screaming a lack of faith. I get that what God was telling Moses on that mountain was extremely important and that they ended up doing one of the very things God explicitly told them not to - and additionally, it was the very first thing he warned against. I get that we were made to worship God and that we end up in terrible danger when we put our faith in anything other than God.

I get it - I do! But, still, the punishment seems so . . . harsh. And, honestly, it scares me. Because I'm quite sure I could have done something equally as bad, if I haven't done it already. And just how do you reconcile with the God of the Old Testament? I want to. I really do. But, honestly, this is where I am on my journey at the moment - and I think it's a good place to be - wrestling with God over these difficult things. I'll let you know if I get any leads. And please, feel free to share your wisdom with me! Especially via comment. :)

The Sabbath

There is so much to say here. But, in an effort to try to keep this blog short[er] I won't even attempt to say it all. I do want to encourage you to research and practice the Sabbath. I don't, I must confess. I have tried/am trying. I have a deep conviction that there is a rhythm to all of our lives, and that a day of rest has been intricately woven into the fabric of this rhythm and, therefore is unquestionably important. I am working on this. And repenting my ludicrous busyness for the sake of arbitrary accomplishment. I am not implying that this is your struggle, too. But I believe in my heart that if we all practiced the Sabbath [though I think it could possibly look different to each person], we'd be doing some of that bringing heaven to earth stuff Jesus was talking about.

Good night, lovely reader. Thank you for reading from the bottom of my heart.

Tomorrow's reading: Leviticus 1:1 - 14:57. We've finished two books!