Daily Bible Reading: 11.17.08

Genesis Ch. 1

I've recently spent a lot of time listening, reading, and watching a lot of stuff by Rob Bell. In the last six weeks I've read (or listened to) his books Sex God and Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for a Church in Exile. In addition I watched his presentation Everything is Spiritual, in which he makes that case that God really is what connects us all. He begins this message with the Genesis poem of creation and shows great insight into not only the meaning of the words, but the structure of the poem as well. I don't have time to cover all of that here and Rob Bell does that thing that Rob Bell does so well which is why he is Rob Bell and I am not. So check out the DVD and have your mind blown and then lets chat about it.

Currently I'm working through Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell's first book, and he made a statement that really stuck with me. He said that many biblical scholars and rabbi's believe that the main conflict in our lives happens in verse three where God separates light from darkness. The rest of the Bible is just teaching us how to distinguish light from dark in our daily lives. Earlier in the book he makes an observation about how the smallest amount of light is infinitely more powerful than enormous amounts of darkness. It makes me want to go to the Staples Center, when the place is pitch black, stand at the top of the stadium, and have someone light a match in the center of the room and see what happens.

I've always liked the idea that darkness is only an absence of light. As I let my light shine brighter and brighter the less darkness there is in me.

There are a lot of deep things happening in this short chapter, but for me right now this concept of light and dark hit home the hardest.

Genesis Ch. 2

I have this image in my head of God realizing that Adam is lonely and so he creates all these animals in order to find him a companion. Adam is sitting there all depressed and he doesn't even know why and so here comes a horse and Adam is like, cool, so he rides the horse and it's fun and all but it gets a little uncomfortable riding a horse naked. So God brings by a skunk and Adam is like, no, so God brings by a cat and Adam thinks maybe a serpent would be better. Finally God brings Adam this slobbering four legged creature that keeps wagging its tail and Adam names it, dog, and the joke is not lost on God. So God takes the hint creates woman, and man is never the same again.

Genesis Ch. 3

This chapter is LOADED. Not only do we see the fall of man but we get the first prophecy of Jesus. What strikes me most in this passage is the exchange between Adam and God after Adam has eaten the fruit. First they hide from...God. As if it were even possible. Clearly the fruit of the tree of knowledge was not all it was cracked up to be. I love how God forces Adam to own up to his own deeds. Even though God knows exactly what has happened he wants Adam to fess up of his own accord. But Adam can't even man up. He displaces the blame for his own actions not only onto Eve, but also onto God...because that's the smart thing to do. Let's blame God for our own failures. Sounds familiar. It seems it is pretty easy for a light to shine when it isn't even aware of the darkness.

Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for this incredible life I get to live. You provide all my needs. I have a good job, wonderful friends, a loving family, and the physical health to enjoy it all. I live in a beautiful place where there is easy access to food. I truly am blessed. I pray that you would give me discipline in my daily life so that I can accomplish the things that will allow me to better serve you. I ask for wisdom in dealing with the decisions that are put before me on a daily basis. I pray that you will give me the strength to turn away from lustful thoughts and desires and give me purity in my thoughts.

I pray for my friend Dana, as she plans this event for tomorrow, that you would give her peace of mind and focus to get everything in order in time for the event. I pray that her light would shine bright for you and her attitude would inspire those around her. Let her be a blessing to everyone that meets her.

I pray for Devin, my brother, as he deals with the realities of serving You and raising a family. His drive and determination is inspiring, but I pray you give him the soundness of mind to cope with all of the stresses that are on him. I pray that he would be able to find a job that will allow him to provide for his family, as well as give him the freedom to serve you through ministry, which I know is his passion. I thank you for his friendship and accountability and I know you will bless him for his obedience.

I pray for Revolution and Revolution X and ask that you provide its leaders with guidance and wisdom. I pray they continue to relentlessly pursue who you want them to be and in doing so inspire the congregation to follow. Let us be a community that loves each other fully and takes care of each other without hesitation. And let us love on Long Beach like no other community here.

I ask these things in your name.

and I love you

JV