National pimp your husband day

Yeah. Okay, that's not a real day. But it should be!

[Side note: I went through this phase where I would dissect funny phrases - for example: This is funny because by "pimp" I mean I'm trying to help him get a job -- BUT the type of job implied is inappropriate, and inappropriate things are funny]

[Other Side Note: Normally, copying and pasting from Red Bubble is a horrible and plageristic idea, but in this case I'm showcasing the designer and I, also, live with him, so it's okay]

Forgive me for not blogging Numbers again today. Feeling a little under the weather. And I have to work in the morning. And the other day, I tried to stay up late and blog [and I did] - but then I overslept and ended up being an hour late to my cleaning gig. :( My friend, whom I clean for, was SUPER nice about it. But, still, I felt bad.

So, nothing but a short pimping blog tonight.

This blog was inspired by Mr. Rob Bell [shocking, right?]. I was at Borders Books today, and I began to read through Drops Like Stars. I got to page 43. That's not important but I wanted to share.

He tells a story of an AWESOME college essay submitted to NYU by this guy named Hugh Gallagher. Bell says that we call people who do things like this the type to "think outside the box". But there's a problem, because simply by using that phrase we are admitting that the box is still the main frame of reference. Bell says that folks like Gallagher stand out because they change the question.

They ask,"There's a box?"

I've been reading about all kinds of people who asked this question in order to get a job in these troubled times. This article by CNNmoney.com is supercalafragalistic and very helpful.

Jamie Varon, founder of Shatterbxox Media, tried and applied to Twitter but was found wanting. So, she created twittershouldhireme.com. Within 24 hours of the website's debut, Twitter was on the phone.

Ahem, SO, this is my attempt to question the Great Big Box and perhaps help my humble husband get a job. I must add, though, he is one of the great "There's a box?" askers. If you attended our wedding [or saw the pictures], you already know that.

Hmm. Where should I start? Incredible aspiring graphic designer? Check [here and here]. Talented and hilarious writer? Check [here]. Ridiculously gifted musician? CHECK [he is no longer with the band, but you can go here to get a feel for what he does].

The term "artsy" doesn't even begin to describe him. And, he may be one of the funniest guys I've ever met in my life. Oh! And as if all that wasn't enough, he's building a computer from scratch [and blogging about it here]!

One more thing. We're both sick right now. And I must say, he's taking far better care of me than I am of him. He would get mad props anyway because I am a great big baby when I'm ill - but put up with me and a bad head cold - that's a God thing right there.

Okay, I lied - four more things. He just started two volunteer gigs with Cedar Ridge [our church] - the first helping CRCC build a better website and the second with all things Middle School [ooh - he's got some serious experience in this area because he and his cousin Dwayne [the one with the awesome dreads from the last blog] led CounterCulture - the youth group at Wheaton Woods Baptist Church for 2 years]. To top it all off, he does a mean dramatic reading.

Also, he's an educated fool. With an Associates degree from Montgomery college, he moonlights as a full time IT student at the University of Phoenix.

He's really good at helping me carry out my crazy plans. We put on a week of 24-7 prayer together at WWBC. He became the only non-student member of the organization I founded at MC to help raise awareness and help the victims of the genocide in Darfur. And he graciously lets me decorate the apartment however I want no matter how much he dislikes it [as long as I don't mind that he dislikes it].

He's one peaceful, nurturing funky dude who knows how to par-tay [except he doesn't like the taste of alcohol - but he makes a topnotch DD]. I'm hard-pressed to think of one person who doesn't like him.

Oh, and of course, you can follow him on Twitter. Like I said, he's a very funny guy.

He got laid off last April. It's been an exciting and scary ride. He's amazing - full of hope and faith in God. I'm, er, learning. Struggling. Wrestling. But, when it's all said and done, I think this could be the beginning of something beautiful.

Once again, thank you for reading my blog. And, just so you know, - and this not a bribe - but, if you help get Jermaine a job, there's a good chance I'll feel a strong desire to bake you brownies. And kiss you. Unless you don't want me to. Then I won't. Because that would be weird.

Just joshing. G'night. ;)

The art of the sermon

No Bible blog tonight. I'm beat.

I've been wanting to share these videos for a while now. Zach Lind, drummer for Jimmy Eat World, interviews Rob Bell. As this is the third time I've posted a Rob Bell video, you may be starting to get tired of him. I'm not, so, sorry. ;)

Rob Bell Interview, Part 2 from Zach Lind on Vimeo.

The video is broken into three parts. This is the 2nd one, it's the last one I watched. I don't know why I watched them out of order, but I don't think you necessarily need to watch them in order [although, it is one long interview, chopped up into 3 10-20 minutes sound bites, so you may disagree]. If you can't bring yourself to watch the 2nd before the first, then you can go here and watch them in order.

Ooh, I remember now why I watched them the way I did! The last one is titled, "Zach asks Rob about his current topics of interest. Rob regrets something he said." I watched it first because I wanted to see what he regretted. At the end of that video he says something to the effect of, "Ooh, I wish I hadn't used the phrase "chopping the balls off the sermon". I thought it was strange because I didn't hear him say he was chopping the balls off of a sermon. And I thought I would have noticed that. After that, I started at the beginning, watching #1, and finally, I finished off with #2. Oddly enough, it is this video, #2, where he uses that salty phrase. Alas.

I really liked listening to the dialogue between the two guys. And the sermon as performance art [which they talk about late in this video], I love that. I love grenades in that setting [you may have to watch the video to make sense of these sentences]. I hope and pray I get to do that someday. Along with that, I pray for a dose of humility - and for God's will. This desire I feel to teach and preach and play with sermons, I think it's a God thing. But I pray to pray for God's will, even if it is not what I want.

Anyhow, enjoy! And thank you for reading my blog!

Numbers 4:1 - 8:26

Good gracious, I'm sleepy. But a promise is a promise. So let's get down with our bad selves.

Chapter 4 - God goes more in depth regarding the Levite clans and what they're supposed to carry. The Kohathites get the most holy things. The Gershonites "carry the burdens" - the curtain, the actual Tent of Meeting and the outer covering. The Merarites carry the frames, the crossbars, the pots and bases, and finally, the surrounding posts. Chapter 5 - We start out with some instructions on purity - specifically, who should be removed from the camp so that it will not be defiled. Next - a little excerpt on when to make restitution for wrongs. And finally, a detailed test to figure out whether or not a woman has been unfaithful to her husband [in the absence of evidence]. It involves drinking bitter water. Essentially if the woman is innocent, the cursed water won't harm her. If she's guilty, her abdomen will swell and she will become barren. Chapter 6 - The Nazirite! If an Israelite wants to make a special vow of separation to the Lord, he or she is not to drink wine or eat ANY part of a grape for the duration of the vow. Also, he or she is not to cut his [or her] hair [during that time]. The chapter ends with a priestly blessing for the Israelites. Chapter 7 - The 12 tribes bring their offerings to the Tabernacle. Chapter 8 - Aaron sets up the lamps and God tells Moses how to set the Levites apart.

I think I like more detailed version better than the bite-sized Skinny I did in my last blog. And 6 pages seems just right. Mhmm. :)

Things that got my goat

I wonder if the Gershonites or the Merarites were ever jealous of the Kohathites for getting to carry the most holy things. And, I wonder if the other Israelites ever resented the Levites for being set apart by God. Ooooor, I wonder if the Levites ever felt like they got the shaft because they didn't get to own land. Also, they didn't exactly get to pick their occupation. But, then again, I don't suppose many people got to pick the profession back in those days.

As you can probably imagine, I raised an eyebrow or two while reading about the test for an unfaithful wife. A couple of things to note: this was a way of protecting the woman - a man couldn't just decide that his wife had cheated and demand that she pay. And, apparently, tests similar in nature were common back then - and this one was incredibly more kind than the others.

I'd like to think if I lived while all of this was going down I would have attempted to become a Nazirite. I think it's really cool that women were allowed in on this special vow. Fun facts: Rastafarians take Nazarine vows - thus, the dreadlocks - that way they can grow their hair long without scissors, brushes, etc. I think the Bible describes Samson [a Nazirite we read about later] as having dreadlocks. The picture at the top is of my cousin-in-law and roommate, Dwayne - he has some really awesome dreads! Um, it's too late to get permission to use that photo, so I'm just going to throw it up there and ask in the morning. If you're reading this, and there's no picture at the top, you know he's a stingy jerk. Just sayin' . . . :P

Holy scmoly. I'm done! Purty cool. Off to bed - early morning!

Tomorrow we'll cover: Numbers 9:1 -14:45.

Leviticus 26:1-Numbers 3:51

I do not feel like blogging tonight. I did something to my back [probably while hiking yesterday] and I'm plagued with a general sense of yuckiness.

But, the thing is, everyday it seems I can find another reason not to blog. :(

I'm tired.

It's late.

Criminal Minds is on.

I have to clean my room.

My nose itches.

So, you know what? Screw faulty reasoning. Let's do it! Here we go!

Chapter 26 - Promises and warnings. Chapter 27 - Giving the first fruits, the firstborn and the tithe. Chapter 1 - The census. Chapter 2 - The arrangement of the tribal camps. Chapter 3 - The Levites get assigned specific tasks according to their tribes.

Wow. This changes this quite a bit. That is one skinny skinny!

Since it is so short, I'm going to try to break it down chapter by chapter [for this blog, at least - let me know what you think!].

Promises - The magic word here is "if". If they obey, God will dwell with them just as it was in the Garden of Eden.

Also, in the Five Books of Moses, Robert Alter notes verse 10 - the NIV puts it this way - "You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new."

Alter's translation - " And you will eat old grain long stored, and you will clear out the old for the new."

The "old grain long stored", according to Alter, is a key reference to the importance of keeping the Sabbath year. I once heard Rob Bell say [something to this effect] that the idea of rest for the land is simply "farming 101". It's essential. God, evidently, built it into the very fabric of our being.

Curses - 7 curses. And the phrase "7 times over" keeps popping up. And it's bad. It's read bad. Nelson's Quick Reference Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary explains, "Enjoying the gifts while insulting the Giver is both selfish and idolatrous. We should obey God, not to "deserve" His blessings or even to avoid His chastenings, but to show our love to Him and our desire to please His heart."

After all the curses are said and done, God concludes with one more "if". Even after all the depravity, if they confess their sins, they will be forgiven. And though they will still have to face the consequences of their actions, God will be with them once again.

Hmmmm. If this is what "breaking it down chapter by chapter" looks like, I'm not going to be able to do that. Let's go back to highlighting. ;)

I want to dive into the beginning of chapter 27. Because reading it made me sad. Simply put, it says that men are worth more than women. The Women's Bible Commentary [edited by Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe] offered me the only commentary I could find on this passage [though I'm sure there is probably much more]. Judith Romney Wegner wrote the commentary for Leviticus and she explains that these numbers related to a person's level of economic productivity according to their sex and age. She also notes, and I think rightly so, that the priests who came up with these numbers failed to factor in the economic benefits of child-rearing, care-taking, and housekeeping.

I think she is definitely on to something, but the thing is, God dictated these numbers to Moses. And I know God is not underestimating the value of women in society. So what gives?

Numbers is called Numbers because, well, it contains a lot of numbers. Specifically, I'm talking about the census at the beginning [and the end, which we'll talk about later]. It should be noted that this is a military census - all men over 20 fit to fight.

603,550. That's a LOT of people. There is some speculation about this. The Zondervan Handbook to the Bible notes that including women and children the Israelites would total 2-3 million. Buuut, also, the total could be a scribal error. The word "thousand" should possibly be interpreted "troop". Or/and that even today we use large numbers figuratively to describe "a lot of people".

Okay, last but not least, I thought it was interesting [but not surprising] that the Levites were given specific tasks. Something about the idea of God thinking of everything is a little bit thrilling to me. :)

Hmm. I think this ended up being somewhat shorter. I had a lot more time for commenting, that's for sure. And, actually, I finished in about a third of the time it usually takes me.

Sweet! Happy reading!

Tomorrow's [and yes, I do mean tomorrow] reading: Numbers 4:1 - 8:26. Wow- doesn't it seem so much easier and shorter this way?? Yay God!

Prayer and blogging

Hi there!

[Editor's Note: This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this blog. I just thought it was adorable.]

Terribly sorry for the blogging hiatus. I promise I haven't given up. Cross my heart.

I think I have to admit it, tho. The 90 day plan may be too much. And, school hasn't even started yet!

So, I'm plotting. Planning. And praying [well, honestly, this whole blog has been seriously lacking in the prayer department [as least on my part] - so I'm devoting some time on my knees in the very near future]. Ooh - your prayers would be much appreciated! Requesting prayers regarding glory. Namely, that this blog will be for God's glory and not mine. And for forgiveness and mercy. Because I tend to be a glory hog.

A few other prayer needs:

• Strength to keep going, if continuing is God's will
• Discernment to know whether or not it is
  
• Wisdom and accuracy
  
• That this blog will bless others in ways I can't begin to imagine
• Um, and anything else that you think will help

Writing is so wonderfully organic. I didn't plan on asking for prayer until I started in on this blog entry. It all just came out. And it seems pretty obvious that prayer is exactly what I need right now.

I'm thinking about cutting my blogs in half. So, instead of 12 pages, we'd do 6. It would mean shorter blogs [which I like] and a longer time-frame [which I'm not so sure about - I'm warming up to the idea, tho]. Plus, I can dive into a few of the details that are being missed right now.

I'm also loosely throwing around the idea of a day to read and a day to blog. That would lengthen this project by about a year. But, overall, might be more helpful to more people.

I'm [very] slowly learning how to make my blog shine. I'm not what you'd call "computer-savvy" [some might hesitate to call me "computer-literate"] so, the extra time could help the cultivation process tremendously.

As always, comments are warmly encouraged. :)

If I do make this a longer project, I'll free up some time for submitting articles to magazines and working on my two other blogs [The chronicles of not enough and Confessions of an out of shape aerobics instructor]. Because up until now the plan has been to finish this project before even thinking about those.

One more thing. I'm attempting a slightly more scholarly approach. I'm keeping my quirky flavor, but I checked out 10 or so biblical commentaries from the library. One of the things I'm working on in my life right now is to hone my research skills [which, sadly, even tho I'm entering my senior year of undergrad, leave a lot to be desired]. I thought, what better opportunity than this?

Mostly this means instead of typing, "I think I heard somewhere . . . ", I'll actually look it up. ;)

Well folks, it's officially way too late again. Time to dive under my covers and dream about horrible things [ugh, while cleaning my room - I watched, like, 4 or more hours of crime shows - there should be some sort of cut off! I'm afraid to close my eyes].

Hmm, maybe I should pray about that, too . . .

G-'night!

The sticky part of Leviticus

A river of blood

[Editor's Note: If you are short on time, then, by all means, skip the reading part and just watch the video below. It's what goosebumps are all about [even if we haven't gotten to that part of Leviticus yet!]

I heard a pastor once describe the foot of the altar this way [a river of blood]. I think he [or she] may have been talking about the one at the temple, but either way it struck a chord in me and I thought I'd use this imagery to wake up Leviticus.

Oh, Leviticus. Dear boring, irrelevant Leviticus. I know I'm supposed to be helping you get through the dull bits [as Jermaine so kindly pointed out while I was whining about this blog earlier]. A sizable part of me wants to say, "I'm sorry, it turns out Leviticus really does just suck too much. Whadaya say we call it a day and try again tomorrow?"

I have a cheat sheet. A wonderful explanation of the key points given by James-Michael [of course]. But, sigh. I'm not the most organized person, so needless to say, I've lost it. I'll try to dig it up tomorrow. For now, I'll aim to wing it.

The Skinny:

Chapter 1 - Details on the Burnt Offering. Chapter 2 - Details on the the Grain Offering. Chapter 3 - Details on the Peace [or Fellowship] Offering. Chapter 4 - Details on the Sin Offering. We learn that even if a person sins unintentionally, there are still consequences and punishments [and restitution must still be made]. Chapter 5 - More details about the Sin Offering and an explanation of the Guilt Offering. Chapter 6 - More on the Guilt Offering. Then what the priests are supposed to do with all these offerings. Chapter 7 - More on that. Also, no eating fat or blood. And an excerpt about the priest's share. Chapter 8 - The Ordination of Aaron and his sons. Chapter 9 - They begin their ministry. Chapter 10 - Aaron's sons screw up and are killed in the presence of the Lord. Moses appoints Mishael and Elzaphan [their cousins] to take their place. Aaron is not allowed to mourn but his family is. There is a dispute about why they didn't eat the sin offering and Moses is angry. But Aaron explains that he couldn't after what just happened and Moses is satisfied [I think that's the way it went, at least]. Chapter 11 - Instructions on clean and unclean animals for food. Chapter 12 - How long until you can be clean after giving birth. Chapter 13 - A lengthy passage about infectious diseases and then about mildew. Chapter 14 - How to be cleansed from infectious diseases, and then, of course, mildew, too.

I found this AMAZING video on You Tube. I originally planned on saving it until tomorrow. As you can see, it's called Leviticus 20:13, and we're not quite there yet. But I just couldn't wait! It's so poignant and powerful. A must see, for sure.



Okay, getting back to the river of blood. There was a point to that wake up call. The pastor [whom I can't remember but who deserves full credit for the following thought] spoke about sin. Sin [a very simplistic definition of sin: going against God's will] is like an infectious disease. It starts out small, but it leads to death. So it must be atoned for. With blood.

So picture the temple in Jesus's day. Loud and bustling. People everywhere. Coming in and going out. And all the while there's this steady flow of animal blood meandering throughout. From the altar to the gate. Constant.

Leviticus is the beginning of all of that. And Jesus, as you may have guessed, is the culmination. The final atonement.

Frankly, it's bizarre. And compelling. All those dead animals. They didn't work. The whole idea was to repent. To sacrifice. And to sin no more. But we didn't get it.

So we got a river of blood.


A note about Aaron and his sons

Wow. Wait, what? God killed them because they burned incense in the wrong way?

What??

And Aaron was not allowed to mourn [that's what the reference to unkempt hair and tearing of the clothes was all about].

It says, he "remained silent." [10:3b]

Because when something like that happens, words fail.

And, again, God's anger is overwhelming. It seems like too much to swallow.

But you know what strikes me? They could have left it out. They could have left all of the parts out that made God look like a bully on a power trip. They could have left the ones out where the Israelites whined endlessly.

[By "they", I mean, our Jewish fathers who compiled the Torah and the Hebrew Bible]

But they didn't. And, gosh, you can't make this stuff up [well, actually, I suppose you could - but why would you want to?].

I've heard Leviticus described as a Big Book of Instruction for priests. The Levites were held to extremely high esteem because they were to be the priests. And once again, they weren't chosen on their merit, they were just ordinary people. And they messed up.

But the stakes were a lot higher. God needed to show these people how important this was to him.

And what is interesting is that, right now, at this very moment, we [those of us who call ourselves Christian] are called to be a kingdom of priests.

But we're just ordinary people. And we get it wrong a lot. And the stakes are still high. Different, but high. And that's exciting! And terrifying!

Because there is so much on the line.

Tomorrow's reading: Leviticus 15:1 - 25:55.