camping out

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see." -NET

a verse I've read, heard, studied, quoted, and preached thousands of times. A verse I need to camp out in again.

sure of what I hope for.
what do I hope for?
I hope for a good future.
I hope for a deeper relationship with God.
I hope to be used for His kingdom and His glory.
I hope for Africa.
I hope for restoration.
I hope for fruit from the ashes.
I hope for healing.
I hope that He is enough.
I hope that His promises are true.
I hope for justice.
I hope for grace.
I hope for deep, lasting relationships.
I hope for a best friend I don't have to say goodbye to.
l hope for adventure.
I hope for plane tickets.

Certain of what I do not see.
the reality of the unseen God.
the immortal invisible unending God.
the all powerful all sustaining gracious Lover of my soul.
certain that He is.
certain that He is all I need.
certain that He is faithful. Even when I am faithless.
certain that I can trust Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my physical life.
certain that the above statement sounds ridiculous. oh, Father, help my unbelief.
certain that He sees the injustice and hears the cries of the broken hearts of an entire continent. certain that He has a good plan for ALL of His beautiful children.
certain that my heart has only hit the beginning of feeling how He feels and loving how He loves.
certain that He makes all things new.
certain that He works all things together for my good.
certain that my definition of good has to be redefined to not necessarily include the words safe, easy and comfortable.
certain that loving is never wasted.
certain that change is always a part of my life.
certain that some relationships are only for a season. certain that this fact doesn't make them any less valid or worthy of my time, heart, attention or resources.
certain that I am worth more than many sparrows, and all my needs shall be supplied.
certain that He knows the deepest desires of my heart.
certain that I need more faith.
certain that if I ask, He'll grow it in me.
:)

Impossible?

14 Is anything impossible for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”- Genesis 18:14

This verse rocks. The God of the impossible. It's amazing enough that He created an entire nation out of a 90 year old woman and a 99 year old man. Miraculous. Fills my day with hope.

but here's the kicker I would have missed if this verse hadn't burned into my brain this morning:

Just a chapter later and we get to the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah and the fate of Lot's daughters. Let's face it, these poor girls had lived through a pretty rough and intense 48 hours: Angels show up at their house, then the crazy lustful men of the city surround it and demand the angels. Instead their father offers THEM to the crowd, in the cultural practice that protecting honorary guests is of higher value than one's daughters, but luckily the crowd doesn't go for it. The next morning they have to flee their city and leave behind their "husbands" (betrothed) and leave behind everything they know, without a backward glance. Unfortunately their mom can't stand that, takes a look over her shoulder and is turned into a pillar of salt. Now the entire plain has been reduced to ashes and the two girls are hiding in the mountains with their dad. Not entirely ridiculous that dispair sets in.

The other thing to keep in mind here, is that at many points in the text we see that the culture of these utterly wicked cities have settled in to the hearts and minds of the entire family. But here's where fear takes hold, culture kicks in, and the God of the impossible gets lost.

"30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 Later the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to lie with us, according to the way of all the world." - Genesis 19:30-31

and the daughters resort to their own plan. This breaks my heart. So sad. But how often do I completely forget the God of the impossible, this amazing God who is the best thing there is in all the world? Too often. How often do I let fear control my life and take matters into my own hands instead of waiting for God's perfect timing? Too often. And just how deep has the "way of all the world" sunk into my thinking? Probably more than I want to admit. My prayer is that through this time I will learn to lean on the God of the impossible rather than the way of all the world.

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Tidings of Comfort and Joy

"When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” - Genesis 5:28-29

this verse stuck out to me this morning in my reading. In fact I feel as though I've never seen it. Lamech was right, as Noah did bring comfort from the curse, just not how his father envisioned it. The comfort from the curse came through the violent redemption of the Flood. Which got me thinking about why his father said that. And then I was very curious to know what Noah's name means. According to a quick search the name Noah could mean : peaceful, comforter, long-lived, or wanderer. All very cool. Noah was an amazing guy.

It was cool to find this verse as I've started reading the Bible in 90 days. So today I ventured from the fresh, perfect creation to the point where "every thought and imagination of their hearts were continually evil" and then got to see God's redemption plan for even that, as the flood and the rebuilding began. Amazing. God is so faithful. And I love looking at things from His perspective. It brings my heart comfort, to rest in the hands of He who definitely knows what He is doing.

Fresh Bread

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

that's a nice sentence. and it's true. which is awesome. but having read it so many times, the astonishing amazing God who began the beginning and created the entire universe is somehow lost on me. Until I read it like this:
In the beginning {1 tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.
sn In the beginning. The verse refers to the beginning of the world as we know it; it affirms that it is entirely the product of the creation of God. But there are two ways that this verse can be interpreted: (1) It may be taken to refer to the original act of creation with the rest of the events on the days of creation completing it. This would mean that the disjunctive clauses of v. 2 break the sequence of the creative work of the first day. (2) It may be taken as a summary statement of what the chapter will record, that is, vv. 3–31 are about God’s creating the world as we know it. If the first view is adopted, then we have a reference here to original creation; if the second view is taken, then Genesis itself does not account for the original creation of matter. To follow this view does not deny that the Bible teaches that God created everything out of nothing (cf. John 1:3) – it simply says that Genesis is not making that affirmation. This second view presupposes the existence of pre-existent matter, when God said, “Let there be light.” The first view includes the description of the primordial state as part of the events of day}
God {2 sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.” }
created {3 tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).}

the heavens and the earth {Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).}

my mind is blown.

that's one verse.

And suddenly it's amazingly new and fresh. Reading these notes, which I must tell you only get better as the verses go on, have given me new eyes. It really was like reading it for the very first time.This is the New English Translation (NET) Bible and it is amazing.

you can read it here. (Don't worry, you only have to read the notes if you want, just over over the asterisks and they pop up)

Fresh Bread from an always fresh God for a fresh year. Yehaw.