Old Testament in 2013

   As Christians, many times we focus on the New Testament of the Bible and place the Old Testament on the back burner (especially the less popular books like Numbers, Haggai, Nahum . . . you know what I'm talking about). It is more difficult to read, more difficult to understand, really long, and our favorite guy (Jesus) isn't around yet. But the Old Testament has its importance too! God created the world, man entered into a state of sinfulness, and our desperate need for Christ was revealed.

   Throughout this new year, we here at American Christian will be reading through the entire Old Testament, book by book. We will be looking at the historical & cultural context of the text and trying to understand the information given to us in light of the New Testament. You can see our full schedule for the year here, as well as the week we're currently on and the suggested reading schedule. This week we're starting at the beginning, with Genesis 1-17 (split up across 6 days that's 2-3 chapters a day, not too bad).

   I'll talk more about the passages themselves next week, once we've read through them. But for now I'd like to share some information about the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, and the book of Genesis as we get started reading.

   I think it's best to look at the Old Testament like the first half of one big story. It is the story of the one true God who creates the world and everything in it. Man chooses to rebel against its loving yet righteous God and therefore God prepares a pathway for them to be redeemed. God brings the family of Abraham into a covenant relationship with him, rescues Israel from slavery, and then creates a theocracy for Israel so that they might display him for the world to see. Israel continually breaks its side of their covenant relationship, but God continues to fulfill his. All of that being said, not all of the Old Testament is set up in narrative form. There are laws, genealogies, wisdom literature, songs, and poems that can be read in relation to the story as a whole.

    The Pentateuch is the name given to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Hebrew term for them is torah, meaning "law" or "instruction". The Pentateuch is the foundation of the Bible, setting the stage for all that follows. The theme is introduced in the first section of Genesis that we're reading this week - the call of Abraham. The storyline revolves around the promises made to Abraham and God's fulfillment of them. The Pentateuch also presents the laws of Israel's theocracy and the story & importance of Moses.

Genesis Quick Facts:  

   - It is debated as to whether Genesis (and the rest of the Pentateuch for that matter) was written by Moses and later revised or entirely composed by many authors over a long period of time.

   - Chapters 1-11 are the primeval history of the world, before Abraham; Chapters 12-50 are the history of the patriarchs, starting with Abraham.
   - There are various views of Genesis as historically accurate, depending on the readings of the creation story and genealogies. Genesis does not attempt to be a scientific account (in a way that conforms to modern science), but can be reconciled with modern science.
   - The book does not answer every question a reader may have, but that does not mean that it can't be the true, inspired word of God. Like any piece of writing, it has a purpose to fulfill and provides the information for just that. Example - Genesis seeks to praise God's creation of the world, not explain exactly how he did it.
   - Adam, as mankind's first representative, received consequences for all of mankind. This sets the stage for Jesus representing mankind in the New Testament, as a second Adam with a very different set of consequences.

   Why are we doing this? It is definitely easy to become confused and uncertain of the purpose of the Old Testament in our lives today. We hope that reading through it, researching it, prayerfully analyzing it, and discussing it with one another will help us to better understand the intentions and applicability of this equally important section of the Word of God.

   We would love for you to read along and discuss the Scripture with us! For now, we would like to hear your initial thoughts of and experiences with the Old Testament. It will be interesting to see how (if) these develop as we trek through the books this year! And, as always, if you have any questions, please ask.

Happy reading!

Courtney

An Overwhelming Feeling Of Not Caring At All

I had a post planned for today, and then something happened on Facebook (when is that ever not the case?) and decided I would write about something else; something I’ve always been passionate about. A beautiful individual spoke the words of this title to me, and I believe I know exactly where (or from Whom, I should say) that feeling came from.

Why the heck do so many people, Christians and non alike (although it’s especially unacceptable among believers) steer away from “strange” people. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Those people who say odd things in social settings, or who are obsessed with anime, or wear outrageous clothing, or color/cut their hair in abnormal ways, or are simply all around “socially awkward”. It makes me so incredibly angry. These people get teased and mocked (usually not to their face, which only makes it ten times worse) and are not accepted into “normal” social circles. Why??

I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.

2 John verse 5  (Not too easy to love when we're preoccupied with snickering under our breaths)

Sweet Courtney has the precious gift of befriending and loving anyone, no matter their “social status”. Particularly, God draws people to her who do not know Him. Some of these people, however, are what others name “odd”. Whenever Court talks to me about them, she never utters more than a few words on this topic, and they’re never in mockery. She only makes note of it because she is astute, analytical, and pretty much makes note of everything because she is a super genius. Regardless, she notes how others see these people, and just doesn’t care. She is relentlessly patient with them (a trait I am forever in awe of), talks with them and invests in them, and loves them, just as we all ought. There is no doubt in my mind that our sweet Lord has anointed Court for just such a purpose, and draws these particular sheep to her so they might feel a whisper of the warmth of that ever-radiant Sunlight He pours out.
Finally, ALL OF YOU, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 3:3
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6

I’ve had many other good friends, however, even at my sweet Christian school, who shy from the strange and unusual. One girl once said to me “She’s nice, but she’s just not the kind of person I would be friends with, and that’s ok” and for days her words circulated through my mind. I kept thinking, “But it’s not ok”. The only times I haven’t made friends with someone were when those people didn’t allow me to truly come into their presence. I would never willingly not befriend someone, and every time I think about that girl’s words, I become more frustrated! Yes, some people are difficult. Yes, some people are awkward. SO. WHAT. GOD made them! What does that mean?? It means they are beautiful!!!!!! End of discussion!!
The King is enthralled by your beauty. Honor Him, for He is your Lord.
Psalm 45:11
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14


I have a wonderful, dear, sweet friend who fits the category I’m describing here of unusual. I’m so ashamed to admit that when I first met her, I wanted to turn away with everyone else. So I prayed. I asked Lord to show her to me through His eyes. Turns out mine weren’t working so well. So what did He do?? HE. WAS. FAITHFUL. Even when I so heartlessly and cruelly was not. God showed me what beauty and joy she had to offer, and she is now one of my closest sisters. My point in sharing her is that when we encounter these people who we at first want to put on the “do not disturb” shelf, we ought to pray. We ought to realize that God adores this person, and we ought to ask Him to help us adore them in just the same way He does. We are all His children. He died for ALL of us because He loves EACH and EVERY ONE OF US. I don’t know about you, but I am ridiculously unworthy of His love and adoration, and yet He showers me with it daily. So why the HECK wouldn’t I do the same to all of His other children???
God, who has called you into fellowship with His son Jesus Christ our Lord, IS FAITHFUL.
1 Corinthians 1:9
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4


 
Most importantly, or so I feel, these people are gems. True jewels amidst porous rocks and grains of sand. These people stand against the wind, embrace who they are, and do not relent when others try to make them “more like everyone else”. These people know who they are and what they love and do not forsake any of it for the sake of “fitting in”. I gawk at these people. I drool over them, because they are not afraid. In such an individualistic culture, in a country where individuality and uniqueness are praised, still we struggle to truly embrace who and what we are. WHY?? Perhaps lies from that loser lucy (not capitalized my friends) have led us to believe that standing out to a certain degree is acceptable, but any further and we will be cast into no mans land where we will be silently mocked and ridiculed for our love of the unusual. OR, perhaps they are lies we ourselves have leaked into society. Perhaps we are in fact the virus that endorses a quiet character that follows the rules of “societal norms” and does not stand out too much. To that my challenge is this: that we all may take our stand, embrace the heart which God has so beautifully and artistically crafted within us, and fight for those who sometimes don’t even know they need to fight for themselves. I challenge you to befriend someone who does not conform to the mold your personal social circle has always held. And of course, I challenge you to break your own mold and discover the strange things about yourself that make you so uniquely and beautifully....... you. We live in a world where there are billions upon billions of human beings, and yet EVER SINGLE ONE is different. The depth of that fact is so flooring, so immense, and so beautiful. RUN with it.
I love you with every depth of my heart.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.
1 Corinthians 15:10
Ariel

THE ENTIRE LAW IS SUMMED UP IN A SINGLE COMMAND: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
Galatians 5:14

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness

1 John 2:9 (Granted, hate is a strong word here, but what is the absence of love? And how do we love those we keep at a very long arms length?)

A Christmas Story

(Don't forget to check out our giveaway here - accepting entries through January 2!)



   This is the last Christmas post for a long time - I promise! I just really wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas movies with you guys. I actually watched it the day after Christmas because it kind of got lost in my DVR queue and it ended up being the perfect way to wrap up the holiday season.

   Not everyone chooses to celebrate Christ on Christmas, and because of that many Christmas movies, songs, activities, etc. have themes and plots that are not blatantly Christian. This movie is one of them. The last time I watched it I was much younger and hadn't yet began to look for the deeper meaning in the movies I watched. But this year, I noticed something lingering in the undertones.

   Three Days is a pretty classic, cheesy, Christmas film that involves traveling into the past to restore a broken relationship - but the depth of characters, the realistic relationships, and the overall message were enough for me to overlook the cliche. Now I don't want to give away too many details, because I'm hoping that you'll want to watch this wonderful Christmas movie! But what I will say is this:

   One question that kept being asked throughout the movie by the main character was, "What gift can I give my wife to show her that I truly love her?" I think that is such an interesting and useful question for us to ask in our own lives (whether we have wives/husbands or not - we all have people in our lives that we love). When we are giving Christmas gifts or going about our business on any other July 15 or April 3 - what does it mean to really show people that we love them? What does it mean to love sacrificially? What kinds of sacrifices does that or could that include? How does that apply to my life right now?

   The more I thought about the film, the more clearly I was able to see the Christ-filled Christmas message displayed through it, whether that was the intention of the filmmakers or not. This was the true meaning of the Christmas Story shown through the fictional lives and relationships of others! I love engaging in those types of stories so much because they allow me to view something that has become automatic, expected, and typical in a new light. And that light usually shines on new areas of my own life that I discover the need and desire to consider and assess.

   After those original questions about love and self sacrifice are answered, bigger questions arise. How do the sacrifices I make compare to those that Jesus made for myself and for others? How does that make me feel? What does/should that mean for the way that I live out my life?

   Three Days explores what it truly means to love and be loved, as well as how that is shown. The ending gave me a new way to view sacrificial love and to meditate about Christ's work on the cross. I honestly can't remember why I initially decided that I liked this movie so much, but after viewing it recently I'd say that my younger self made a pretty solid decision (even if it wasn't on purpose;) ). 


   Has anyone else seen this movie before?
   What are your favorite Christmas movies? (My other favorites are Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Grinch, and almost anything done in clay-mation - especially Rudolph and Nestor the Long Eared Donkey.)
   Have you had a similar spiritual experience with a movie that made no blatant mention of Christ?


-Courtney