Tick Tock

So I found an interesting article in my girly magazine. OK, its not the type of “girly” magazine you might be thinking of. It Wallpaper, which I call girly because although it is an architect and design 

magazine it also will features fashion. I read it because architecture and design inspires much of my art and so I will be looking at some latest, greatest in Dubai and turn the page to see the latest designs in ladies footwear, and I don’t know about you but its kind of hard being all manly while looking at fashion, I feel a touch sissy. 

Anyway, one of the latest articles was about a merging of work and life. It was about the current debate around some possible new legislation that protects the 35 hour work week in France. Yes 35 hour work week. I guess I didn’t realize that 1. They did a 35hr work week and 2. That it was protected. They also made comments on the abusiveness of the US work culture from weekly hours too skimpy vacation time. It kind of got me thinking especially in light of the resent sermons around stewardship of our time etc. (wise servant, 3rd soil).  At first it kind of got my Mennonite work ethic back hair up in a knot thinking, how do they get anything done working only 35 hrs, and how can you earn a living like that as well?  But you can’t help but think about how there is a butch of people that see this as a healthy rhythm of life and work and that as a country have decided to cut back in order to maintain this healthy lifestyle. That means there may be some lack of productivity and therefore maybe a lower standard of living, I don’t know, but to them it is worth fighting for. Now we can debate what is a healthy workload but just think for a moment what would you would do with the extra time? By voluntarily cutting back having a lifestyle change what could you accomplish for the kingdom?  Maybe there is something to it, at least worth taking some time to ponder. 

Trouble with Literature

So I was a little stunted in high school. Not only did I go into English 30 with an inability  spell and no desire to read, I ended up having an English teacher who hated men (even though my man hood could have been debated - can anyone say feathery mustache and permed hair mullet) but my teacher also had a hatred for Christians (maybe that could have been debated too - except I was a PK which kind of brands you regardless) However I had trouble with finding connections with themes in literature. So Im having trouble figuring the common theme in these passages. Maybe You can help me out. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.Gen 12:1-3, Gen 26:1-6, 28:10-15, Exodus 19:1-6, I Peter 2:14-10, Gal 3:7-9, 29

So in light of Melissa's posting the other week when we see this thread through the whole Bible does this say anything about our involvement with it? If so, what does it mean? Is this "theme" a little more important than we have thought in the past? How does it affect us today? 

Fathers Day

So I had  great Fathers Day, we headed to Banff after Aliyah's nap for some hang'n, eats and to soak in the stew. Lots of Fun! The Kids thought it was the best Fathers Day ever and Brit was saying we should have Fathers Day for 3 more days. I couldn't really disagree with her, I told her to ask her mom. Anyway, yesterday with the morning gathering we talked about how we can be faithful with what God has given (wise servants) Luke 12: 35-48 , and we related it to Fathers and their families. Much has been given much will be expected. On the wider sense we talked about radical stewardship and I thought I would share this great video about our stuff. Sure there are some over statements, but it really causes one to think about our love for consuming and all the injustices along the way from extraction to disposal.  Watch it here and let me know what you think. 

Used With Permission

Here is one of the answers given by Melissa on her bible and theology Exam. I thought she had some good points and since this is one of the key aspects of the faith I thought it would be nice to share.

Abrahamic Covenant

God made a covenant with Abraham and his family to belong to him in a special way. He promised to make his descendants as “numerous as the stars”. The agreement between them was similar to the agreement between a king and his subjects, or a husband and wife. The covenant was renewed at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:5, 34:10), before entering into the promised land (Deut. 30) and through David. Psalm 89:3-4 reads “You said, ‘ I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David: I will establish your descendants forever, and built your throne for all generations”.  

      The covenant, as they understood it, was that God would triumph over the pagan nations, defeat the oppressing enemy forces of Israel and give them glory, honor and blessings.  In Deut. 29 God promises those that disobey God’s commandment will bring upon themselves curses, the worst of which will be exile from the promised land.  If in exile they turn back to him, then he will bring about the blessings of Deut. 30.  He also promises to change their hearts so they can finally keep the law with their hearts. God promises that it is not inacessable, i.e., up in heaven (Deut. 30:12) or across the sea (v.13), it will find them. Once this happened the curse would be over.

In the Pharesitic times, badge of belonging to the covenant was strict adherence to the law and ethnic identity. The felt that they were still living under the curse of Deut. 29, and longed for the time when they could live with a fresh understanding of the law. A question they and many before them wrestled with was “how will Israel know what to do?” Some of the thinkers before the Pharisees thought that this was in the form of wisdom, which God would give to Israel, thus setting them free. Others thought that it was a special set of laws.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that covenant. He triumphed over the enemy, Satan, bringing the people out of exile in their separation from God, and restoring us to the promises of blessings and glory and salvation. In Matthew 26 he says “...this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people.” (v.28), which is a reference to Exodus 24:8, when Moses sprinkled blood over the Israelites, confirming the covenant God made with the people.

In the book of Romans, Paul deals with this issue of the covenant, and all that comes with this new understanding of it. Romans 10:9 says “ For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised  him from the dead, then you will be saved”. The Messiah came to them, just like he promised.

  So how, then, are Gentiles included in this covenant? The Pharisees and others felt it applied only to ethnic Israelites. God’s covenant with Abraham was always the way He intended to save the world from death and destruction. In Romans 2:25-29  Paul says that a true Jew is a person whose heart is right with God, and circumcision is a change of the heart caused by the Holy Spirit (v.29). Faith in Christ is the badge, not ethnic identity and possession of the law.   

 In ch. 3: 20, he says that no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law says. So we’re all guilty, Jew and Gentile alike (3:21- 24), which begs the question, what is God going to do?  He could either bless a nation that didn’t deserve it (love), or go back on his promise (justice). It’s love versus justice, neither side of God can allow the other to override it. This is a question of God’s righteousness, how do you bless us and punish us at the same time?  Israel was given a job (being a light to the world) and they failed. The solution is now part of the problem. They too must be punished, but then how are they blessed? There is one Israelite who would offer God faithful obedience. The faithfulness of the sinless, obedient Christ, who represented us, took our punishment of death. In this way God redeemed the world, faithful to his covenant. 

Theologue Notes (Milfred Minatrea) -randomness that stood out

"The whole Bible renders to us the story of Gods mission, through Gods people in their engagement with Gods world for the sake of Gods purpose for the whole of Gods creation."

Christopher JH Wright (I think if you have Wright as a last name your automatically smart).

In the Beginning... we see a lot of reacuring themes throughout the narrative of the Bible, but some of the stronger are; God's continual concern for His creation (even with Noah he doesn't start from scratch, rather he preseves what he has created).  With that theme # 2 rebellion of man (Im glad that is only in "Bible times" cuz we don't have that problem, we never see rebellion today ). There is also extencive narrative dedicated to the redmptive purposes of God, and finnally the consumation and resotration of a new creation.  

He uses people (His creation), who are broken and rebellious too call (bless) other rebellious people back to restoration with Him, and always pointing to that birth of a new day of new creation and covenant.  So, how often do you see those themes throughout the Bible? As mentioned Sunday these are "big plank" items.  Theses are our themes, our story. These are the things we throw ourselves at first, lest we forget what Paul warns "If God cut off natural branches in order to include unnatural branches to be graphed in, how much easier would it be to cut out that graphed shoot for the same disobedience." (DP aka Dave Paraphrase) So how are we with the story of God? Are we letters of recommendation that God has written as Paul mentions?or have we forgot much of His writing upon this earth and our lives?