Who Was the Other Who in the Garden?

God didn't mess around when he warned Adam that if he ate from the Tree of Good and Evil (caps?), "...you shall surely die."  This raises the question of what Eve and Adam were thinking when they ate the fruit.  I can only come up with three possibilities:

1. They were stupid--not able to process the consequences of their actions
2. They didn't know what death was
3. They didn't take God at his Word

If we were in that situation it would seem prudent to avoid the proscribed tree.  When the recent creator and master of the universe sees fit to emphasize the penalty as "surely die" who would want to test that boundary?  At least one could make it interesting by eating of the Tree of Life first. 

If Adam and Eve weren't intellectually capable of understanding the warning, either due to general cognitive limitations or not have a clue as to what "death" meant we have an ethical quandary--how can you punish beings with death when they don't understand the consequences?  Perhaps God let them off lightly because of that--but that hardly seems like the actions of a omniscient God.  Why bother with the tough talk?  Unless you want them to discount your words... 

The third choice, unbelief, is interesting.  There was a third party, the serpent,suggesting just that--that God was lying or at best dissembling (Oh, I meant spiritual death).   The serpent wasn't spouting untruths, everything he said came about.  Crafty devil--telling the truth... 

God on the other hand didn't follow through on his death sentence, feigned ignorance about where Eve and Adam were hiding in the garden, and asked who had told them they were naked.  Even though it seems like He was in a position to know.  Had he lost count at two, or did he consider the serpent a "who"?  

God, nonplussed that the ankle biters had knowledge of good and evil like he did barricaded the Tree of Life, preventing them from adding immortality to their list of Godly attributes. 

This disturbing contrast between God and the serpent  leaves us in a quandary.  Who are the good guys here?  The serpent speaks truth, promotes wisdom, and guides the woman towards insight.  God on the other hand seems to be showing some darkness.

In order to understand this story do we sacrifice God's honesty, omniscience, and ultimate good will towards the beings he created in His image? 

The stakes are high.  This story, this Fall, is used to justify the inherent depravity of man.  Is this the story of how we became separated from God?  Or more likely was the original story was the emergence of ethics and meaning from the animal innocence we once had.   More controversial--perhaps God was teaching the pair to not trustf those in authority.  

Some Things I Learned from my Dad

Well, are you holding up under the strain?

If you spent much time around my Dad, you probably heard that question, or one of the variants like:

• Are you still percolating on all cylinders
• Are you still moving under your own power?

Dad loved to laugh and joke around.  When I was a teenager I wired a cable from our stereo console to my desk so that I could listen to my music on headphones.  One of Dad’s favorite tricks was to sneak over and nudge up the volume on the console a little at a time.  It was like a frog in a pan of water on a stove—when would I finally notice that things are amiss?

From my Dad I learned that humor is a great equalizer, and a great way to put people at ease.

Dad did a lot of different things in his life:

• Helped manage the creameries he and my grandfather owned
• Sold mutual funds
• Ran a ranch
• Fixed farm equipment 
• Started churches
• Along with my Mom raised 5 kids 
• Helped start a college
• Developed land
• Built a golf course
• Sold real estate

When he started something new he didn't fret.  He read whatever he could gather on the subject, consulted with a lot of people, and got started.

From him I learned the best way to understand new things and finish big projects was to just jump in.

I was put to work on the ranch when I was 12.  This involved getting up at 6am to move irrigation pipe (you can imagine how much I enjoyed that), picking up thousands of hay bales, chasing cattle, and another one of my favorites—fixing fences.  It always seemed like the fences that needed repair were halfway up the side of a mountain, and we would have to carry all the required supplies on our backs.  One time we arrived at the repair site, dropped the heavy roll of barbed wire, and watched it roll 2000 feet down the mountain—hitting trees and bushes as it went.

Dad paid me $100 per month.  We worked long hours, six days a week—I figured that I was making less than 50 cents per hour.   When we worked we didn't walk from task to task—we were expected to run.  And when we ran out of assigned tasks, we learned to look around for what needed doing.

From my Dad I learned how to work hard.

When I was 15 I wanted to do some tractor work around a reservoir we were building.  My Dad thought about it and said no—the task had some risks and he wasn't comfortable with me doing it.   I was mad—but later I realized he was right.  Some risks are just not worth taking.

In the 50s and 60s we had a steady stream of missionaries and foreign pastors visiting at our house.  Some were Black; others were Asian, Hispanic, Italian and even Jewish.  In spite of the visitors differences from us my Dad treated them with the utmost respect.

As I was growing up I realized that my Dad and I were pretty different.  He was an extrovert—I’m an introvert.  He liked magazines, I liked books, new cars vs. used cars, sales vs. R&D.  But in spite of our differences he didn't try to change who I was.

I learned from my Dad that regardless of skin color, culture, or personality that it’s possible, actually required that we love and respect those that are different from us.

Audio from April 6, 2013 memorial service

Death in the garden..

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2: 9 ESV)

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  (Genesis 2: 16-17 ESV)

At face value this is a deadly experiment—can these newly created beings obey instructions?   If not, Adam and the woman will eliminate themselves—providing a clean slate for another try.  

The experimental subjects were conscious, facile with language, aware and able to appreciate each other.  They were able to work and maintain their environment. Did they understand death?  One must assume so.  It would hardly be fair for God to tell them they would surely [unknown concept]  if they ate of the fruit.

In other ways the pair was limited.  They didn’t have knowledge of good and evil.  They saw each other without seeing.   Adam at least, appeared to view the other as a pleasing extension of himself rather than a distinct individual (he didn't name Eve until after the fall). 

In truth God had not created a literal: if eat fruit—then drop dead experiment.  So what was He up to? 

Perhaps He wanted beings that were willing to risk death in order to pursue knowledge.  An exercise of free will, with a possible ultimate penalty.   This is a step that God could not command, but He could create the situation.  In a risk free garden this could not happen.  In a garden with forbidden fruit it required disobeying God’s command.

With this reading of the text we face the abyss. Does God sometimes command us to inaction, when He really wants action?  

Clearly God's command does not always express His intent.   When God wanted to test Abraham He commanded him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering on a mountain.  God's command was death, but His intent was a test followed by a blessing.    Even Jesus, in another garden, questioned God on what was really necessary.    Who can claim to know the mind of God?  

The woman and Adam decided to not accept their limited existence. They were willing to risk death to gain knowledge.  

In the aftermath there was cursing, dust, enmity, pain, servility, hard work, and death.  But there was also vision, God-like knowledge, the joy of children, destiny, desire, relationship, and freedom. 

I think they made the right choice. 

Death in the garden.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  (Genesis 2: 15-17 ESV)

With the prohibition concerning the tree, God reveals a gap between the created pair and Himself.  He possesses the knowledge of good and evil and they do not.  The existence of the forbidden tree establishes God’s superiority, and as if to rub it in, He places it in the garden, the center of their existence.  Without the serpent, the pair might not have noticed, but once they saw the chasm it had their full attention. 

Forbidden fruit—would we have been better off without it?  Perhaps happier, but without the knowledge of good and evil, the foundation of ethics, what would we be? Would we know love?  Could we be kind or humble?  I think not.  Did God really want us to remain somewhat dull, obedient gardeners, or was the menace of the deadly fruit the red pill?  Was this fruit the poison pill necessary for emergence into true consciousness and self-awareness? 

  

Is it our reach for ethics that condemns us to death? We reject the command of God, which reveals itself as the prohibition of knowledge.  But acquiring that knowledge carries a heavy price—our deaths.   Not the drone missile sort of physical annihilation we might expect from God, rather it is the suicidal killing of a blissful life of ease and pleasure in our private Garden of Eden.   We were born there, with warmth, food, a woman to comfort and care for us—oblivious to our nakedness.  And we must leave.

We become fully aware.   We see that we are naked, feel pain, experience desire for and against others, toil, become responsible, and get exiled.   No longer can we just pick the fruit around us.  We have to work to survive. 

If we quest to be like God, we discover / choose a double death:  the reality of our own physical mortality, and the necessity of our own sacrificial deaths in satisfying the needs of the good, and in opposing evil.   Not necessarily physical death, but whatever is required—the putting to death of always doing what we want, when we want it.  God won’t kill us in this fashion; we must choose this death on our own.

God’s message: don’t enter into the knowledge of good and evil, as He has, unless you are ready to die.  

 And once you gain that knowledge, eternal life via the other tree is no longer freely within our grasp.  Now it is only reachable through death—in this case God’s.

The Absence of God—Love in Inaction

"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." John 11:5-6 ESV

It's hard to imagine Jesus not leaving immediately when he hears of this illness. But he chose to wait.

Earlier, when Jesus was in Cana an official asks that he travel to Capernaum (located 20 miles away) to heal his son. Jesus sends him home, saying, “Your son will live.” The deadly fever broke that same hour.

Jesus didn't need to travel the 25 or so miles from the east side of the Jordan to Bethany to heal Lazarus—he could have healed with a word. But he didn’t.

Jesus was absent, both physically and in the use of power until after Lazarus’ death. Why?

When Jesus receives word of his friend's illness he tells the disciples: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Jesus dissembled.

This illness did lead to death. The wrapped in grave clothes, soaked in spices, decaying in a tomb kind of death. Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus was only sleeping—unfortunately it was the “sleep with the fishes” sort of sleep. Jesus was forced to clarify.

The delay had to be on Jesus' mind—and the sisters wasted no time reminding him when he arrived: “Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.” Was Jesus unhappy with his Father's direction? Perhaps the delay and obfuscation wasn't his choice—but rather the Father’s call.

John's gospel tells us this unbinding from death benefited many people: the disciples, those by the tomb, Jews that believed later because of Lazarus’ raising, as well as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus—of course.

It was for the glory of God, but I doubt Jesus was looking forward to this walk to Judea.

Martha met him on the road, before he got to the city. “Where the Hell were you?” might be a better translation of what she said. Mary stayed in the city, unwilling to face the healer and teacher that had failed her. When summoned she didn’t look Jesus in the eye with anger, she fell at his feet sobbing—those around her weeping.

Surrounded by tears, Mary’s grief streaking the dust before him, Jesus was overcome. The cost of this glory had been high.

He cried.

Justice and the Lake of Fire

Justice calls out:

The punishment must fit the crime!

Created from nothingness we must choose

and be judged by the Son some day

Did we love darkness or light?

Were our actions wicked or true?

Did we believe in him who was lifted up,

or did we look away?

When we cry "Lord, Lord," that fateful day

will Jesus say, I never knew you; depart from me?

If so a terrible penalty must be paid,

first awful knowledge, then annihilation

Those He does not know—undone

The literalist calls out:

But that’s not what the scriptures say!

What of the undying worm and outer darkness?

Bodies cast into Hades, Hell, and Abaddon,

the lake of fire, unquenchable flame,

gnashing of teeth, and the rich man's torment?

That’s quite a list, frightful in fact,

but maybe this is the second death

dressed in dreadful metaphor and hyperbole

Perhaps these devices are only flashlights, weakly gesturing

Is not justice a brighter light?

The problem remains, exact reader,

how God—who requires us to do justice,

love kindness, and walk humbly,

could torture forever those that annoy Him

For us cruelty to a fly for a day would be evil

Can the source of all love require souls in endless pain?

On Judgment Day the lost will truly be destroyed,

but eternal torment is not their fate

They did not ask to be brought out from darkness

Darkness will claim them again

Justice is done and the remnant is saved

The Point

In an Emergent Village panel discussion podcast, at minute 46, Tony Jones turns to Diana Butler Bass and suggests: "The point of your life is to influence the church." Diana immediately rebuts: "The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do."

Perhaps it was just the way Diana said it, but I don't think I have ever heard a clearer statement about God's will.

Some meditations on Diana's statement:

The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do.

Our lives have meaning. We are not just a collection of random walks along a meaningless pathway. Each of us has a vector and an impact on the world

The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do.

We exist as the other—independent of God. We experience free will, and are not slaves to the past. We are not driven choiceless by the forces around us. Like Christ, we have the authority to lay down our lives.

The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do.

This foreshadowing of the telling carries no direction in itself. It's the commitment to obey the command, the decision to take the step to begin the journey—without knowing the destination. 

The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do.

God doesn't ask, except for a few rhetorical questions (e.g., "Who told you that you were naked?"). Normally He tells. This telling can take many forms—from a blinding light on the road to Damascus, to tiny pebbles glancing off our consciousness. But whatever the mode it serves to illuminate a way.

But what if God provides no telling for a decision at hand? There is no drawing of a line between God's business and ours. Normally we should just follow our hearts, but listen. As Heidi a.k.a. Virushead says: "God doesn't care what we do—unless He cares."

Usually justice, kindness, and humility require no telling—they call out on their own. 

The point of my life is to do what God tells me to do.

God's direction is not about theories or corner cases. It's about existence, the moves we make in our lives—the choices, the doing. His direction is more about the event than the flow, the exception not the rule. We can make no presumption of preference—sometimes we are to follow our hearts, at times He redirects.  

Some dis-miss the point because of unbelief.  Others complain that they never hear the telling. The telling might be in Diana's and my imagination, but I am sure of one thing—that regardless of whether we are right or not about this, belief comes first—otherwise there is no point. 

Knowing

When Jesus taught in the temple the Jews marveled, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” (John 7:15 ESV).  Jesus responded:

 

  “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.  If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from my own authority.”  (ESV)

This is an extraordinary statement.

Some say that the Bible is the key for knowing what is from God.  They tell us to just look to the scriptures.  I look to it, but far from clarity I find paradox, mystery, and dissonance—along with beauty, majesty, and resonance.   The scholars and religious leaders of Jesus’ time searched the scriptures, and mostly got it wrong.   They found no mention of a prophet arising from Galilee. They found verses that said no one would know where the Christ came from, and that the Messiah would reign forever.  They were confused even while the Word dwelt among them.  What hope do we have of correct interpretation?

 

Others suggest we should just look to ourselves to know what is from God.  We should follow our spirit; let our soul guide us.  This feels to me like playing God—not a way of knowing.  We possess the knowledge of good and evil, but we don’t have the wisdom in ourselves to reliably tell one from the other.  Darin, in his blog Alien Nation tells of a church retreat he attended where the leader was referencing God's command in Joshua to destroy every man, woman, child and animal of Jericho. The retreat leader asked, “Is that the God we know and believe in? A God who would order genocide and destruction?” He answered his own question with, ”No, that's not God, God didn't say that.”   I think statements like this are claiming the unclaimable. I believe that one of the attributes of God is love, but I also believe He is a consuming fire—we best fear Him rather than presume to know Him or judge His commands.

 

Jesus’ recipe for recognizing God’s teaching does not include wisdom, emotion, experience, consultation, or scripture. He tells us the key to knowing lies within us—not in our minds, but in the exercise of our will.  The path to knowledge requires us to discount our knowledge, subvert our opinions, ignore our egos, and lay down the control of what we value most—our lives.    Nothing is dearer to us than our wills.  In exchange for that commitment: to will to do God’s will—God reveals Himself to us.  And we will know what is from God.

 

Ironically, my proof text is from the Bible, and my assertion that this verse is a key one is from my knowledge/ego/spirit.  There is no resting point. I have no choice but to orbit in these unstable ellipses.  

What if Adam had not eaten?

She had watched the tree closely after her last conversation with the snake. The birds and other animals sought the fruit of the tree—often there were no ripe ones left. They did not die.

And the tree was beautiful, not just the forbidden fruit—how could it kill? The woman and Adam carefully avoided the fruit because of the Lord God's prohibition—but now with the prospect of wisdom she found herself drawn to it.

Life was pleasant. There was food, companionship and love with Adam, beauty to admire, and work. The days flowed easily and probably endlessly had it not been for the others.

The Lord God visited the garden often—mostly it was easy to be with him. But when he commanded, nothing else existed. She was attracted to him—in a different way than Adam. When she looked into his eyes she saw the moonless sky.

The snake was different. He wasn't like the Lord God—his eyes held slashes of darkness. She was surprised when he first spoke—none of the other creatures knew words. Even more surprising, he didn't agree with what the Lord God had said—how could that be? He talked about the tree and how its fruit would make her like the Lord God. More than anything she wanted that. As far as good and evil went, they were just names—she didn't care about them, but to be like the Lord God was a hunger that the snake kindled and it grew within her.

Adam stood by the tree with his wife. They had talked about the fruit and what the snake had said, and he was also drawn to the tree. Death was a scary thing, but they decided they needed wisdom. The woman reached out, plucked, and took a bite. She didn't die. She paused, and gave him the fruit. The commandment of the Lord God came back to him and he hesitated.

Adam looked into her eyes and he was alone again. How could he bear that? He took a bite.

The Miracle at Cana

Jesus and six of his disciples attended a wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11 ). When the feast ran out of wine his mother suggested he fix the problem. Jesus balked saying, "My hour has not yet come." Mary wasn't deterred, she instructed the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.” The wedding gained at least 120 gallons of wine—more than 50 cases worth. Some thoughts:

Mary

Mary didn’t ask Jesus for anything, she just stated the facts: “They have no wine.” Perhaps she just expected him to go out and buy some—after all he and his six extra guests helped create the shortfall. More likely Mary knew her son's capabilities and after 30 years thought he should get started.

When she spoke with her relative Elizabeth, just after Jesus was conceived, Mary quoted a phrase out of Psalm 107: “He has filled the hungry with good things.” Perhaps that day in Cana she was thinking of the phrase right before that one: “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul.” (NASB)

The water

Jesus asked the servants to fill six jars with water—this seems odd. Filling the jars took a lot of water; this was a major task for servants already tired from servicing a wine guzzling party. Instead of giving the servants extra work why didn’t Jesus fill the jars with wine and be done with it?

This preparatory task accomplished at least two things: the servants became knowledgeable witnesses, and they became part of the miracle. The servants knew more than the master of the wedding and they knew Jesus had not played some parlor trick—they hauled the water. There are exceptions, but most of Jesus’ miracles involved cooperation: donating a few fishes and loaves, reaching out to be healed, a touch, or even removing the grave clothes from Lazarus. Even when raising the dead Jesus involved others.

The wine

You wouldn’t expect Jesus to create bad wine, but did he create the best wine that ever existed? No, that would be showing off and would shift the focus away from the newlyweds. The master of the wedding said the wine was good—he didn’t say it was great.

Did Jesus “borrow” this wine from someone's inventory, or did he transform the water into wine? Transformation seems more likely. Why bother filling the jars with water if you are just going to transport in wine from somewhere else?

Those without insider knowledge drank the wine assuming it was made from grapes—grown, harvested, pressed, the juice fermented, and aged. If this wine just snapped into existence, then it was created with the appearance of age—no grapes required. Some might argue that this was a deception, but I don’t think so. There were no labels on the jars stating vineyard and vintage.

The wine told no lies. It was good, it was needed, and it was without history.

And Mary was right—Jesus’ hour had come.

Truth in the Church

For the last month I have struggled with truth. Specifically, what truth will God reveal to the community of believers. A review for the book “Paradigms on Pilgrimage ” triggered this internal debate. Among other things the reviewer states:

"Let us assume God did use evolution to create the world. Why does he allow so many Christians to think he didn't?"

This question, and its generalization struck a nerve in my psyche. Christian friends whose walk I trust are on both sides of the evolution issue. Is one side or the other in disobedience to God on this topic? I don’t think so—but then I must face the logical conclusion—that God knows what He did and He chooses to not reveal this truth in general to His Church.

This debate, and others like it are repetitions of earlier controversies. Forty years ago believers fought about rock music, five hundred years ago believers argued about whether the sun moved around the earth or vice versa, nineteen hundred years ago there was dissension on whether the new Gentile converts should be subject to circumcision, and other aspects of Mosaic law.

This first century debate, chronicled in Acts 15 included elders of the Jerusalem church, the apostles Peter, Paul, and James; Barnabas, the prophets Barsabbas and Silas, as well as a group of believers that were Pharisees. This account makes a couple of things clear:

· There was a respected group of believers involved—the leadership of the Church

· There was much debate on the subject

· They respectfully listened to evidence (e.g. Paul and Silas relating God’s signs and wonders among the Gentiles)

· God did not supernaturally reveal the answer

In the end they adopted a position, validated by the Holy Spirit:

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

The writer of Hebrews refers to this period as “the time of reformation.” [chap 9:10] It was the beginning of a new covenant where some regulations imposed by God were cancelled. Some sins became not sin. But the transition in community was gradual. Even Paul, no enemy of the absolute, writes in Romans: “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” and “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

But this was not the end of it. Paul in Romans 15, 1 Cor 8, and Colossians 2 makes it clear that the final solution is that no thing is unclean in itself, and that idols have no impact on the true suitability of food. The statement adopted by the group in Jerusalem was transitional—eventually almost all Christians accepted Paul's later position on the matter, and today most of these issues seem quaint.

As individuals we are called to love, freedom, and confidence in our walk with God. But when it comes to truth in the Church, God does not call us to proofs of knowledge, unanimity, or judgment of other believers. Instead we are to "pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding"—truth in that context can wait.

Grocery Carts and Scripture

Nowadays after I lock my car at the grocery store I scan the parking lot for a wayward cart. If one is around I retrieve it and wheel it into the store. For the last few months God has nudged me to do this. I don’t know why. It has a humbling effect on me–it’s not my job, and I feel stupid doing it. But I know better than to ignore that nudge.

There are no verses regarding grocery carts–the scriptures are silent on the subject. I act because it’s Jesus showing me the path I should walk today. In the course of a day there are seldom clear biblical mandates on the decisions we need to make. Of course over time there are some that apply, for example prohibitions against sexual immorality, divorce, and commands to love our neighbors. But when it comes to ordinary stuff: the financial decisions, what church to attend, the right course in disciplining our children we don't get explicit biblical direction.

It’s not through lack of trying. I know I spend time trying to understand the Bible–reading books, talking to people, meditating on scriptural passages. We want clarity, but God usually offers mystery. To cope with this mystery Christians invest large amounts of energy creating summaries of biblically supported truths. We generate creeds, confessions, statements of faith, core beliefs, doctrinal statements, etc. to codify what we believe is important. Typically these are heavily driven by scripture–but ultimately these are human creations–not the inspired word of God.

We look to the scriptures to tell us what is right and wrong, as we should. But do we look too much? No one argues with, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." That is clear. But not much else is free from debate. The Bible provides direction for living our lives, but it's an outline, not a spell checker. We want the Bible to be a rulebook, but more often what we need is a conversation with God.

P.S. When I got to the grocery store today, the parking lot was strewn with abandoned carts–at least eight. Was I supposed to roll in one or all of them? God has a sense of humor...

Modern Day Miracles

Recently I was in the Seattle airport with time to kill so I wandered through the Borders bookstore in the concourse. I usually check to see if the most recent books from my favorite authors are out in paperback—so I can go home and buy them on-line. I was happy to see C.J. Cherryh's latest book "Deliverer" available in paperback. I made a mental note to check its price online and left the store.

For the next hour and a half, I was busy using my laptop, but the thought kept intruding that I should buy Cherryh's book—now. Likely this was instant gratification talking, but could God be trying to get my attention? My boarding time was drawing near when the thought popped up again—time for action.

Often I will flip a coin with these sorts of decisions—I trust God's ability to control the spin of the coin more than my ability to determine the right thing to do. [Prov 16:13] This time I decided to make the "buy it now" option tougher than 50-50. I quickly settled on picking the last digit of pi that displayed on the engineering calculator on my laptop. Yes, I am a geek. If the last digit shown was five, I would buy the book. This was the result:

For this “coin flip” the odds were 10% that my choice would be correct—not a miracle. Most people would judge it a coincidence. However, I’m convinced that God wanted me to buy that book before I boarded—I don't know why. Perhaps to motivate me to write this post...

I was over Greenland on a flight back from Europe when I experienced another coincidence. I was reading, without headphones on, when I felt the distinct mental nudge to look up at the TV. The next thing that came on was an interview with my friend Stan Ebel on his Llama ranch. Stan lives about 15 miles from me in Colorado. I had no idea he had even done an interview. The odds of this happening seem below 10%—but again, most people would judge it a coincidence.

I wish God would do astonishing "fire from heaven" sorts of miracles today. I would love to see loaves of bread and fish multiplied to feed a crowd of thousands. Apparently, God chooses to not do big miracles today, at least not in places where they can be captured by scientific instruments, cell phone cameras, or network news crews. Why is that?

Are miracles missing because science has managed to turn everything into probabilities and processes? Quantum physics tells us that a loaf of bread in Jerusalem can spontaneously transport to the shores of the Sea of Galilee—it’s just very unlikely. Scientists invoke random processes to explain the mind-boggling successes of DNA and photosynthesis—with natural selection weeding out the failures. A tumor disappearing is not a miracle, it's just the body’s defense mechanisms finally discovering and annihilating the enemy.

Perhaps God is skipping miracles because of our unbelief. Jesus did many miracles to validate who he was, but many eyewitnesses did not believe. In some regions he did fewer miracles because of their unbelief.

Even though we don't seem to get the capital "M" miracles anymore, God still interacts with us. If we are paying attention and obedient He uses "coincidences" to show us that He is present in our lives, He is in control, and He is showing us the way. These are modern day miracles.

Easter Slogans

This Easter my 4 year old granddaughter went to church with her parents and little sister. Hailey agreed to go to Sunday school and afterwards Kendra, my daughter, asked her what they had done. Hailey said that they had let some balloons go into the sky while they were all saying three words. Kendra asked what the three words were. Hailey thought a moment and said: "He's In Prison."

What is Truth?

I used to view myself as having a pretty good grasp of reality. This picture disabused me of that.


Original Website: http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html

I didn’t believe its claim that the squares marked A and B are the same shade of gray. I printed out the image. I still didn’t believe it. I cut out the A and B squares and brought them together—they match.

Below are the two squares cut out with Microsoft paint

Since my perceptions are clearly wrong with a simple image, I don’t think I should be confident that my perceptions on other things (like people) are accurate. Clearly, when senses and human frailties are involved truth can be elusive.

Bible Meme

I was recently tagged by Stephen over at Undeception for the Bible Meme. I highly recommend his series of posts on inspiration, inerrancy, and hermeneutics

1. What translation of the Bible do you like best?

I generally don't worry too much about translations--I know I can consult with the Authors (I AM writing assignment) on tough problems. I am impressed with the ESV website --it's fast and smart. The advanced search allows restricting the search to portions of the Bible (e.g. the gospels).

I do like the way the ESV handles Samuel 13:1 --it makes it really clear what's in the source documents and what's not:

Saul Fights the Philistines

13:1 Saul was . . . [1] years old when he began to reign, and he reigned . . . and two [2] years over Israel.

Footnotes

[1] 13:1 The number is lacking in Hebrew and Septuagint
[2] 13:1 Two may not be the entire number; something may have dropped out

2. Old or New Testament?

For years I rarely read the Old Testament except for Proverbs, however a couple of years ago I started meditating, sometimes for months, on Old Testament passages. Specifically:

• Genesis 1-3 Uncaused Light--God as a Stop-gap?
• The 10 commandments--why is marriage only mentioned in a negative way (adultery & coveting)? Bible Quiz
• Gideon The Faith of Gideon
• The story of Saul Saul--King of Israel 2.0 A study in scarcity?
• Balaam --no posts yet but lots of stuff in process, working titles: "Balaam: the for profit prophet", or "Conversations with a not so Dumb Ass on the Will of God". For being mentioned 65 times in 6 different books in the Bible, including twice in the New Testament Balaam doesn't get much press.

3. Favorite Book of the Bible?

• Proverbs--all 31 chapters are interesting and if I'm in doubt on where to read I can always read the chapter that matches the day of the month.

4. Favorite Chapter?

It must be Genesis 3 based on the number of posts that I have written on it:

• Fruit from the Tree of Life
• Who told you that you were naked?
• Did God really say?

5. Favorite Verse?

• "What does the Lord desire of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly before the Lord."

6. Bible character you think you're most like?

• Zechariah (John the Baptist's father). In spite of being visited by an angel at the temple within the Holy of Hollies he still wants to know "How can I be sure of this?"

7. One thing from the Bible that confuses you? Only one thing? How about two:

• I Tim 2:13-15 Women and the Word--Paul's position?
• Genesis 11:5-6 "And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them"

8. Moses or Paul?

I must admit to being somewhat annoyed with Paul right now. Generally I love his stuff, but the occasional passages cause no end of trouble (e.g. prohibition against women teaching, long hair, etc.)

Moses' humility is very impressive. When confronted by discontents his first response is often to "fall on his face" in dismay.

9. A teaching from the Bible that you struggle with or don't get?

In some ways I wish Genesis 1-3 didn't exist. The world would definitely be a different place if the Bible started after the garden. I love these passages, yet they cause so much controversy--controversy that appears to detract, and distract from the message of Christ.

10. Coolest name in the Bible?

Epaphroditus--Just rolls off your tongue

I am only going to tag one blog: zj7t, authored by mysterious blogger 7t, with this meme. I would love to see what he (or she) would have to say.

Gap and Flow

Two great threats to God's way are the temptations of gap and flow. Living only in the gap is a life of abstraction. Gaps are the mysteries, paradoxes, and disagreements that lure us away from the present to places that never have nor never will exist. It is the unbridgeable distance between the created and the creator—and the impossible quest to know all there is. With the gap our intellect is challenged and our emotions are enflamed, but in the end not much happens. No one feels loved, no needs are met, and nothing but knowledge grows. Yes, books and blogs are written, endless discussions transacted on-line, but no-one’s mind is changed. Only statements of position are exchanged, and arguments probed for weakness. There is no relationship.

Living only in flow embraces the present with abandon. No sensation, feeling, or experience is denied. Everything in the universe is linked together; there are no boundaries. If we aren’t careful flow will take time and even our consciousness as its victims. Without consciousness there is no real choice—just instinct. The instinct to avoid pain and seek pleasure—without regard to consequence. Others may be involved, but they aren’t people—they're the props necessary to support our wants. There is no relationship. Then we wake up one morning and years have gone by—we know they've been wasted.

When a person is lost in gap or flow the people around them suffer. The sufferers know they don’t matter and eventually move away, at least emotionally, maybe physically. They hope to protect themselves and they hunger for the touch of someone that recognizes they exist and cares...

How can the traps of gap and flow be avoided? The danger is not in the exercise, but in the excess. Intellectual pursuits and the examination of mystery enrich our lives, but must be tempered with relationship and engagement with people—they actually matter. A life without pleasure and fun would be a bitter root indeed, but if time only exists to get us to the next game / party / tryst then we aren’t living—we are pulling down the shades of our minds and sleepwalking through the few years given to us. Yes, thinking and engaging with people is hard work, but unlike the next buzz, they have eternal value.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Bible Quiz

1. Name 4 great women of the Bible

2. Name 4 great men of the Bible
3. Name 4 great marriages of the Bible

Well, how did you do?

• For question one you might have answered Ruth, Esther, Deborah, Abigail, Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia, and others.
• For question two you might have answered Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, David, Solomon, John, Peter and others.
• So how did you do on question three?
  
  I came up empty.
  

A few marriages clearly were not in the great category:

• Adam & Eve
• Honeymoon in paradise, but her quest for knowledge got them evicted
  
• Abraham & Sarah
• "She’s not my wife, she’s my sister”—so much for stepping up...
  
• Moses & Zipporah
• Spent a lot of time apart. She tossed a foreskin at him in Exodus 4:25!
  

Somewhat more promising:

• Ruth and Boaz
• We read about the romance, but not much about their marriage
  
• Rachel and Jacob
• Another romance. Jacob clearly loved Rachel, but we don’t learn about their marriage other than fertility troubles

The best (?):

• The “excellent wife” in Proverbs 31
• Trust, financial gain and “She does him good and not evil All the days of her life” – not much else.
  
• Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18
• Obviously a great couple, who helped Paul in his ministry. But we don’t learn anything specific about their marriage.
  

Marriage is the only human institution established before the fall. It is used to symbolize the relationship between God and Israel Jeremiah 31:32 and Christ and the Church—and yet there are only a handful of verses regarding its practice.

Why did God choose to give marriage the silent treatment?