I'm sorry to go off on a different subject for a moment, but I just had the most wonderful conversation with my dad. I am so filled with emotion, I could just burst. We are sharing a couple days vacation together, which is enjoyable in itself, but this evening he told me much of his life story and how he's felt God guiding and protecting him since he was young. He really does have a remarkable story.
One day my dad may find my blog here and he'll recognize me, just as my sister would, even though I don't use the name they know me by....
If you ever read this, Dad, thanks for being there for me and for sharing your story with me, even the hard and emotional parts. I love you so much!
Each of us may look over our lives and wonder why we have a plain, boring, ordinary life, when other lives are filled with the extraordinary. But when we feel that way, I think we need to look closer--look at how God's worked even in the little things in your life. With God as a living and integral part of our life, even the most "ordinary" life can be full of meaning.
I have a lot to write, especially about "elohim" and clouds, but it will have to wait until I'm home again. Blessings to you all. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I hope it's a benefit to you.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Just Thinking Things Out
I had two disheartening telephone conversations last night and feel the need to write about them and think them through in print...
The first was with my dad. Although he went forward one day in church to accept Jesus' salvation (years ago), he has never felt the need to be a regular church-goer (so lacks practical support and teaching, we live more than an hour apart) and loves to explore different and unconventional ideas and religious philosophies (including his own ideas). Combine that with the wealth of information (and pseudo-information!) that's available online, and you might imagine how varied our conversations can be when it comes to faith.
He told me he came across a disturbing list of how the story of Jesus is similar to the Egyptian myth of Horus, and now he's confused that the New Testament writers had maybe made up the stories of Jesus. It really concerned him, and he didn't know what to make of it.
About that claim--first, Satan, our enemy, is infamous for being a liar. If there is anything good from God, Satan will try to counterfeit it to lead people astray. And I'm not surprised He would do it with Jesus Himself too. After all, look at all the people in the world who have false claims to be Jesus or God themselves, like Ahnsahnghong.
But if that's the only explanation I can give, then I'm like those at the World Mission Society Church of God who I complain about. That explanation, while it may be true, doesn't prove anything in particular. I have to be willing to look up facts and real answers, even if I'm afraid of what I'll find. I can't ask my sister or anyone else to do something that I'm unwilling to do myself.
So I looked it up, and I'm happy to give you a link to good information in case you have a similar question.
http://www.kingdavid8.com/_full_article.php?id=fe54916c-64bc-11e1-8f66-6067e33f8f11
(I like his example of the list of similarities between Abraham Lincoln and JFK.)
Scroll down to the "Jesus vs. Horus" link, and it will break down the claim point by point with some research. I feel better about the controversy after researching it, but I still worry about my dad's potential to fall for unorthodox and false teaching.
The second conversation was with my sister. She excitedly told me all about her getting more involved in her church. (I was going to write about what she's doing, and then realized it might be too much information....) The good thing is that she's open to sharing these things with me (our relationship has improved that way), the bad thing is seeing just how deeply involved with her church she is, and not being able to speak my heart to her about all this for fear of pushing her away too far.
The more committed and connected she is to her church "family," the harder it will be for her to disconnect when she finally sees the truth. (Yes, I pray "when" not "if" she sees the truth!) That's a discouraging thought. But I hope and pray that she is like the lost sheep in Jesus' parable (Luke 15:3-7); and that God will not stop pursuing her until she comes back.
The first was with my dad. Although he went forward one day in church to accept Jesus' salvation (years ago), he has never felt the need to be a regular church-goer (so lacks practical support and teaching, we live more than an hour apart) and loves to explore different and unconventional ideas and religious philosophies (including his own ideas). Combine that with the wealth of information (and pseudo-information!) that's available online, and you might imagine how varied our conversations can be when it comes to faith.
He told me he came across a disturbing list of how the story of Jesus is similar to the Egyptian myth of Horus, and now he's confused that the New Testament writers had maybe made up the stories of Jesus. It really concerned him, and he didn't know what to make of it.
About that claim--first, Satan, our enemy, is infamous for being a liar. If there is anything good from God, Satan will try to counterfeit it to lead people astray. And I'm not surprised He would do it with Jesus Himself too. After all, look at all the people in the world who have false claims to be Jesus or God themselves, like Ahnsahnghong.
But if that's the only explanation I can give, then I'm like those at the World Mission Society Church of God who I complain about. That explanation, while it may be true, doesn't prove anything in particular. I have to be willing to look up facts and real answers, even if I'm afraid of what I'll find. I can't ask my sister or anyone else to do something that I'm unwilling to do myself.
So I looked it up, and I'm happy to give you a link to good information in case you have a similar question.
http://www.kingdavid8.com/_full_article.php?id=fe54916c-64bc-11e1-8f66-6067e33f8f11
(I like his example of the list of similarities between Abraham Lincoln and JFK.)
Scroll down to the "Jesus vs. Horus" link, and it will break down the claim point by point with some research. I feel better about the controversy after researching it, but I still worry about my dad's potential to fall for unorthodox and false teaching.
The second conversation was with my sister. She excitedly told me all about her getting more involved in her church. (I was going to write about what she's doing, and then realized it might be too much information....) The good thing is that she's open to sharing these things with me (our relationship has improved that way), the bad thing is seeing just how deeply involved with her church she is, and not being able to speak my heart to her about all this for fear of pushing her away too far.
The more committed and connected she is to her church "family," the harder it will be for her to disconnect when she finally sees the truth. (Yes, I pray "when" not "if" she sees the truth!) That's a discouraging thought. But I hope and pray that she is like the lost sheep in Jesus' parable (Luke 15:3-7); and that God will not stop pursuing her until she comes back.
Friday, August 20, 2010
The Holy Third Day?
While I'm on the subject of days...
When I visited the World Mission Society Church of God with my sister on their Tuesday evening service, I heard the pastor refer to "this Holy Third Day." So I started asking, What makes Tuesday a holy day?
The answer from my sister at the time was, "I'm not sure, but haven't you wondered why every church has a midweek service? There must be a reason for it." (Most churches do have a midweek service, usually Wednesday, but I always thought it was because we didn't want to wait all the way to the weekly service to get our "spiritual tanks" filled.)
Later her answer was that it had something to do with cleansing and purifying water. Another person said it was somewhere in Numbers, and another gave me the kind of cryptic, roundabout answer, which unfortunately is all to common in my experience: "If you came to the CoG and studied Clean and Unclean maybe you would know…..hmmm theres a thought…."
Turns out that Holy Tuesday is based on a faulty interpretation of Numbers 19:12.
If you search for "third day" in the Bible, you'll see there are 39 verses about the “third day,” and they are overwhelmingly about the third day in the passage of time, such as when they are traveling for three days and on the third day they arrive. Rarely it is the third day of the month, as in Ezra 6:15. Never does it specifically, refer to the third day of the week (Tuesday).
Then there is Numbers 19:12 which says, “He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.”
If you read the context of the chapter, you’ll see that the “third day” and “seventh day” here refers to the passage of time, NOT Tuesday and Saturday. Verse 11 says, “He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.” In order to become clean again, he must purify himself on the third and seventh days of his seven days of uncleanness. If it meant Tuesday and Saturday, what would he do if he touched the dead body on Friday?
The same logic that would make Numbers 19:12 mean Tuesday and Saturday would also say that Jesus rose from the grave on a Tuesday. Did Jesus rise from the grave on a Tuesday? No, it was the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several verses in which Jesus says He will rise on “the third day”. It is not Tuesday. It is the third day from the crucifixion.
The World Mission Society Church of God has a history of taking verses out of context, thereby distorting their meaning. If you study with them, be sure to read many verses around the one they show you, even the whole chapter or book. That way you'll get a clearer picture of what the Biblical writer meant.
When I visited the World Mission Society Church of God with my sister on their Tuesday evening service, I heard the pastor refer to "this Holy Third Day." So I started asking, What makes Tuesday a holy day?
The answer from my sister at the time was, "I'm not sure, but haven't you wondered why every church has a midweek service? There must be a reason for it." (Most churches do have a midweek service, usually Wednesday, but I always thought it was because we didn't want to wait all the way to the weekly service to get our "spiritual tanks" filled.)
Later her answer was that it had something to do with cleansing and purifying water. Another person said it was somewhere in Numbers, and another gave me the kind of cryptic, roundabout answer, which unfortunately is all to common in my experience: "If you came to the CoG and studied Clean and Unclean maybe you would know…..hmmm theres a thought…."
Turns out that Holy Tuesday is based on a faulty interpretation of Numbers 19:12.
If you search for "third day" in the Bible, you'll see there are 39 verses about the “third day,” and they are overwhelmingly about the third day in the passage of time, such as when they are traveling for three days and on the third day they arrive. Rarely it is the third day of the month, as in Ezra 6:15. Never does it specifically, refer to the third day of the week (Tuesday).
Then there is Numbers 19:12 which says, “He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.”
If you read the context of the chapter, you’ll see that the “third day” and “seventh day” here refers to the passage of time, NOT Tuesday and Saturday. Verse 11 says, “He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.” In order to become clean again, he must purify himself on the third and seventh days of his seven days of uncleanness. If it meant Tuesday and Saturday, what would he do if he touched the dead body on Friday?
The same logic that would make Numbers 19:12 mean Tuesday and Saturday would also say that Jesus rose from the grave on a Tuesday. Did Jesus rise from the grave on a Tuesday? No, it was the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several verses in which Jesus says He will rise on “the third day”. It is not Tuesday. It is the third day from the crucifixion.
The World Mission Society Church of God has a history of taking verses out of context, thereby distorting their meaning. If you study with them, be sure to read many verses around the one they show you, even the whole chapter or book. That way you'll get a clearer picture of what the Biblical writer meant.
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