i got a clear mind now that i finished this presentation for class tomorrow AND i have all the scriptures i used running through my head (Romans!) bible school is so cool.
good night
In school I’m taking a New Testament survey class, which is just a brief overview of the early Church. Although with Dave Sliker, nothing is really brief. He began the class with a catch up of the intertestament time, (the gap btwn OT and NT) where the remnant of Israel has returned back to Jerusalem to build the Temple according to Cyrus’ decree. During the 400 year gap of God’s silence to the nation, He is preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. God is coming to earth. Oh how I love the leadership of God! He orchestrates everything into the right time and season for Christ to come. Just after a 100 years of freedom under the reign of the Maccabees and Hasmoneans, Rome comes and establishes its empire over the Jews. Rome takes control of Jerusalem and puts in place Herod the Great as the King of the Jews.
In this small window of time, the Messiah comes to earth. The trancedant God, places Himself in the form of a child (mystery of the incarnation!!!) and all is quiet. The Jews did not recogninze the sign of their coming messiah! For, even the wisemen, saw what a great sign the heavens were making and declaring the Christ is born.
The only documentation of Jesus’ life is found in the Gospels. But these are not a biography of His life. They are more like the story of the passion (most of the books devote chapters to the passion week) with a long introduction. Anyways, Jesus came was born in Bethlehem, lived in Nazareth, in Galilee north of Jerusalem. During His public ministry, He only traveled the region of Palestine, it was as big as New Jersey!!!
That is to say, that Jesus has become very real in my mind. To look at a map and see the places that He walked. To see Him interact with His friends, His brother James (author of James), His cousin John the Beloved. He lived in this world!!!!
The history lesson is what made me realize that it was actual history. Never in my life did I imagine for Jesus to actually have been in all those places, said all those things and been in earth.
The problem: I missed Him by 2,000 years! I could have seen Him, maybe been His friend like Mary and Martha. for those that saw His face, the apostles and Paul (the resurrected Christ) and to have known what His voice sounded like! oh I am jealous.
But here I am on the other side of this realm. In a foreign land that is not my home, confronted daily that this belief is all based upon the faith. Faith that the love and peace in my heart is Him. That the sun shining through the clouds is Him. That the reason I love to spin and laugh is Him. Christ in ME. He’s in me, the manifestation and testimony of christ is His saints. Jesus, the revelation of God so in love with humanity and His divine plan to bring us to the fullness makes me stand in awe. To look at the Book that He gave us and see why I am on this earth… makes me wish that I could just have been placed back 2,000 years.
just to see Him walk by and my heart leap with joy at the sight of the Creator looking straight at me.
As I sat in my living room remebering my sister’s encouraging words, “You never blog!” I decided to finally blog.. or journal online.
The ice cold weather has driven me to stay in doors, so I write in my living room with a soft glow of candle light. Katie sits on the floor cutting and pasting pictures onto her new journal cover while Jual ponders about her life on the couch. These two women I adore and these moments that we just are together doing nothing. Just an evening in the parlor.
I finished the fall semester of FSM! As I take a look back at what I’ve learned, I realize that I’ve changed. Not a major change, but mostly the small things that need to be tweaked. I’ve become more aware of the benefits of fasting and have really stuck to fasting. Also looking back, I realize that my time in the prayer room must increase and not let my quirky habbits (ie organizing my room) keep me from the “place of prayer”
speaking of such, I’m gonna skidadle on over to the pr and soak in the bliss of no papers, no mandetory praying on micraphones, nor required reading. Just me and God. “my soul longs for you, nothing else will do…” that’s what misty is singing right now.. perfect.
love.
