If I had not mentioned it...

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I have been reading the bible, New Testament to begin with, almost daily lately.

There is, of course, simply what God, Christ, and men moved by the Holy Spirit are showing and telling. There is much direct information, sometimes in ordered groups, sometimes seemingly randomly placed. There are, seeming, contradictions, regarding wealth for example. Christ tells the rich young man to sell all he possesses and to come walk with Him. The young man, not willing to part with all of his material goods, walks away. And yet, in a parable, Jesus discusses a lord who gives his servants 10, 5, and 1 talent each. When he returns a year later, the servants who received 10 and 5 talents have doubled those coins while the one who received only 1 talent merely buried it for safe keeping. The former servants are entreated by the master while the one who did nothing with the coin is rebuked and the coin is removed from him. I know, these are nuances. Yet they are so boldly stated that it is difficult to take them at more than face value, so they do seem contradictory.

At this point, I am merely reading. I will study these passages in time in much greater depth, perhaps to include finding various translations. I would love to learn the original languages and simply read myself, but that has flaws as well. I believe one would have to actually study the languages of the era of the writings, and given that there is a lot of era language to learn, it might not even be possible, except over a true whole lifetime (if then) to be aware of all the linguistic intricacies, and have a body of tomes regarding those to be more certain. And, without the Holy Spirit too, any reading would be academic.

The real point, however, that I wished to make, is that the stories in the bible, from parables to history to odd little bits is rather amazing. For example, how John the Baptist came, lived at times, worked, and then was killed. Yes, it was a terrible thing. When Christ heard the news, he wanted to be alone. But all that is involved is larger than life in spite of being history. And, yes, I believe in the simple true historic nature of the bible. Is the history simplistic at times, sure. Much like when you are asked how your day went, you do not include every coffee break, every conversation, every (or any) bathroom break, you simply discuss the major points or the points that you enjoyed or had or are having trouble.

I suppose, in these days where our governments are afraid to punish those who kill us, it is weird to think that a king would order the beheading of a man because a girl danced well. It is difficult to imagine that a murderer would be freed while a truly faultless man would be scourged and then crucified. Well, other than the 'scourged and sacrificed', actually I can see that today. High society, the stars and starlets, academics, writers, artists, and many others, in their mainstream forms, are every bit as evil as the crowd that voted for Jesus to die. I could place them in the same arena doing the same thing, especially if picked by those in power today, unfortunately in any nation on earth at this point, and even if picked by many churches, whose concern is some kind of socialist 'social justice'.

There are many things written which give me pause in my personal life as well. I do wonder about my many goods. I do think about the masters displeasure with the one who had only one coin. I see where I fail on both fronts, in spite of the seeming contradictions. There are many other passages which trouble me. I pray about them and I look at how I can change some of these things in my life. Like my health struggles, these spiritual difficulties will not be solved overnight. I must think on them and find out how to implement them. Of course, I may simply not be able to overcome some of my failings. I may never learn how to save for rainy days, how to not collect items, or a lot of other things. It might simply have to be His grace, not my works, in much of life. And, after a great deal of praying, speaking with spiritual advisers and others, and reading the bible, I think I am finally, if uncomfortably, good with that. It is not that I shrug, or give up, it is simply that I now understand... a bit. I will do what I am able to do and leave the rest for my Father and Lord to assist or forgive.

If you are ever in the mood for some good, in all senses of that word, reading, pick up the bible. It cannot hurt you. Only you could do that by seeing your flaws or weaknesses. But with simple guidance, I think you will be able to see your way around even those things and into grace rather than shame. Even if you do not believe, the stories are interesting. Besides, if it is merely a book, what harm could come of reading it? For me, it is a powerful set of books, and I will continue reading, and then studying the 'Human Guide to Life'. It beats the sci-fi channel, "History" channel, and "science" channels I used to watch, even without moving pictures or sound.

Oh, the lamb shoulder chops were excellent. I did not need the tarragon or spearmint leaves, as they simply did not add much to the pan frying. A little salt, some pepper, a potato, some milk, and a prayer did the trick just fine. Plus, I have two pre-baked potatoes for frying with breakfasts later this week.

Good night. Do not let the bed bugs bite.