Monthly Archive for April, 2009

John 4 and Jesus’ Conversation with Oholah

Published on 4/14/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

In John 4, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman that has had 5 husbands. People have always talked about what a sinful woman she was, and how controversial it would be for Jesus to talk to her.

Now I know why.

In Ezekiel 23, God talks about having two wives that left Him and cheated. One of those wives is Samaria; her name is Oholah. The stuff she does is pretty gross, inciting the ancient rabbis to only allow a man to read Ezekiel after he turned 30.

That woman at the well in John 4: she is Oholah.

In Ezekiel 23, Oholah lusted after the Assyrians(1) and the Egyptians(2). As time went on, Samaria would be ruled by Persia (3), then in 332 B.C. be filled with Macedonians(4), then in 63 B.C. it would become a Roman Province (5).

Jesus arrives on the scene with a nation that has long forgotten who her Husband is in all of her whoring. She’s had 5 identities, and is having trouble identifying herself with the man who is currently NOT her husband.

And still Jesus reaches out, tells her everything, and tells re-introduces her to her first love, The Father that seeks worshipers that worship in Spirit and in Truth. Awesome.

A Great Good Friday Passover Night

Published on 4/11/2009 in Bible Study and Family Life. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Last night we had our little Friday night get together and it was a really good time. We set up the sitting room with no furniture in it and covered the floor with korpatchas, sort of like sleeping bags that don’t open from Central Asia, to sit on. Five families all sat around in our cramped little room (we closed the pocket doors for an extra wall to lean on) and talked about the Passover meal. Everyone had a little something to share, which was cool.

Some of us had been to a sedar before, other people had read books, and everyone knew their Bible and was looking to learn a lot and have a lot of meaning in it all.

The biggest part for me was hiding the Afikomen. The afikomen is the center piece of the bread in the 3 pieces that are called “the Unity” it is taken out, broken, and half of it is hidden somewhere in the house. I hid it behind the couch while all of the kids were in the sitting room. We enjoyed our snacks of cheese, grapes, almond windmill cookies, and talked about all kinds of things, spiritual and unspiritual.

We ate some horseradish to taste the bitterness of sin, and drank down some wine to wash it away. Cindy said she thought her nose was going to fall off. Eric Youngblood took a huge chunk down in two bites. Isaac cried and cried to me that he wanted to taste the wine, but I told him he could only do it if he at the horseradish. I could tell that was an impasse, and he was just getting sad so I let him have a little taste. It blew him away. He hated it and seemed a little disappointed that he cried for it so, but was happy to get some grape juice after that.

At the end of the party, I told the kids that it couldn’t be over until they found the Afikomen. They took off in a mad race, running up and down the stairs, all over the place looking for it. I was so moved that I went in to the parents and we prayed that our kids would grow up to hunger and run after Jesus with such zeal passion hunger joy as they had seeking after the symbol of Jesus at Passover.

While we were praying, David came in and asked me if he could have a hint. I was so moved then that I told him it was downstairs and then prayed that they would ask the Father for help as they seek out the Son. David told everyone it was downstairs and they all came down to look for it.

As they were getting closer, I went back to the parents and said, “Watch and see what joy there is then they find it.” and just then I could hear shouts from the next room. “I found it! I found it! I got it! It’s here behind the couch!” and sure enough David came in jumping and stomping with the cloth napkin and bread held as high as he could over his head.

We haggled for the redemption of the afikomen, He asked $8 at first, I got him down to 50¢ and then told him I’d give him $5 because Jesus more than paid for us, and then all the kids got PEZ. it was a really good time.

May we all seek after Jesus with such chaotic, driven fervor. May we not fear tripping down stairs while we run or banging our heads together, but run after the hidden and waiting to be found Savior of the world, and when we find Him, hold Him up as high as we can with a cheer of victory, knowing deep down that the Father designed this gift to be found from the beginning.

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Experiencing the Sprit by H&M Blackaby: Book Review

Published on 4/10/2009 in Bookstore and Short Quotes. 0 Comments Tags: , .

So today I want to review “Experiencing the Spirit” by Henry and Mel Blackaby. The only problem is, in my planning, I didn’t realize that I’d be reviewing it on GOOD FRIDAY!

So, here it goes.

It was kind of hard for me to get into, because about the first 50 pages seemed to be saying a lot of stuff that I have already read or heard. Sometimes it jumped around like it was a book of collected sermons, rather than a single work. If you read it in short bites it would be easier to think on the different ideas and points. Near page 100 though (which is halfway through the book) things started picking up, so I’ll finish it. At one point early on I twittered that I gave it an M for ‘meh’ but now I’m upgrading that to an H for ‘hmm’ Hopefully I’ll finish it up next week and give it some quotes.

Here is the marketing info from the publisher. I have one copy to give away to anybody this weekend and I’ll have a second to give away in a week or so. Let me know in the comments if you want one!

Serve God as never before

The first Christians “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) shaking the gates of hell even in the face of severe persecution. The result: People all around “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10).What can give Christians today the same impact?

God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit through intimate relationship with Him, committed obedience, and radical departure from sin.

Instead of considering what you can do for God with your abilities and talents, you’ll be encouraged here to seek what God wants to do through you supernaturally by His Spirit, empowering you beyond your personal competence and capacities. Release the Holy Spirit’s work at the very core of your experience of the Christian life.

Working Hard at Getting Born Again

Published on 4/4/2009 in Bible Study. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

John 3:3 ESV Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one isn born o again [2] he cannot p see the kingdom of God.”

I read in a commentary that the phrase is all passive. It’s not something that we muster up and do. Just like our first birth, it is something that happens to us. Yes, there are things that we do as it happens, we cry out to God, we repent from our sin, we flip around in our mother’s uterus to come out head first, we empty amniotic fluid from our lungs and cry… but it is our Birther that does and did the great work. Just as none of us can boast in how well we came out of our mothers, none of us can boast in ourselves about how we came to be born over again.