New Revelation Perspective

I love when someone shows me something from a different perspective; seeing with new eyes. It's a wow moment.

For example, as we studied Revelation, still in chapter 1, Beth was focusing us in on John's description of Christ in verses 12 - 16. It's a very descriptive paragraph, and we went through most of it in detail. But what really got me was the part in vs. 16, "...and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth." I mean, really, what is up with that? It is so weird that I have always shut that out and moved on when I read it. I can't even visualize what he's saying.

So Beth didn't blow past it. What does it mean "two-edged sword"? OK, so I've heard that phrase before somewhere else. It's Hebrews 4:12 - "The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword." So it seems this is not a difficult concept at all. What comes from his mouth? A sharp two-edged sword aka the word of God. Well, duh!

Then I was thinking there's somewhere else where the word of God is described as a sword. I found it in Ephesians 6:17 where Paul is talking about putting on the whole armor of God. He says "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

What better weapon for Christ to wield than the word of God? At God's word, the universe came into being, so I'm pretty sure that Christ doesn't need anything more than God's word against the enemy.

Anyway, I thought that was cool.

Thanks

The year is sure flying by. We've got lots to be thankful for. Mike's getting his new teeth. We've got a great place to call home. I've got a good job. The family is healthy. Gerald has a full-time real-live job! Will starts basic training this week. We've got turkey leftovers in the fridge. God continues to provide.

It's all good.

Slow Revelation

Tuesday night was the last session of Beth Moore's Fall Bible Study. I was pretty good at getting to the study every week. I think I only missed one week when I was working. The study was on Revelation. And, in a nutshell, it was awesome. If you get a chance to do it (it will be released the first of the year as "Here and Now, There and Then"), I highly recommend it.

I've listened to some sermons on end times; I've read the "Left Behind" series; I've watched "The Hal Lindsey Report"; and I've read Revelation several times. Mostly I'm a "pan"-theist; I believe it will all pan out in the end. It's fascinating how many different interpretations there are out there. But it is definitely intriguing material.

Beth decided to stick to her 11-week structure which meant we really didn't do detailed and in-depth, more of an overview. But I have to admit, this was my first time through the book where my eyes didn't roll back in my head about halfway in. And as intense as it got, Beth is great at getting in those "lighter" moments. She even worked in some good stories about her grandkids and her dogs, if you can believe it. And she was adamant about letting us know that she was sharing several views and interpretations without saying any were right or wrong (though, she does say toward which ones she leans). So I really feel much more knowledgeable about the subject without really having any clearer idea about what is coming!

One of the highlights for me was on the first day. I've always struggled with why we take the Bible completely literally (which I do), except for Revelation. So, she read from the NKJV that says in Revelation 1:1; And He [Jesus] sent and signified if by His angel to His servant John...
So apparently the actual word for "signified" in the Greek is "semaino" which "carries the idea of figurative representation. Strictly speaking, it means to make known by some kind of sign." The reason we read into Revelation all these signs and symbols is that it says from the very start that that is the intent. Neat, huh?

Anyway, I'm still digesting the whole thing. And I've about got a hold on Session 1. I'll probably write more after I let it mull around in my head for a while. We'll see. Good times.

Football

Football is fun. I really enjoy football season. I am winning in my fantasy league. It is all good.

Current favorite NFL team - Texans
Favorite NFL team of all time - Cowboys
Favorite player - Jason Witten
Favorite QB - Peyton Manning (for now)
Favorite broadcaster - Chris Collingsworth
Most hated team - Steelers
Most hated player - T.O.
Most hated QB - Big Ben
Most hated broadcaster - John Madden

I love trick plays - wildcat, flea flicker, punt fakes, etc.
I like offenses that use their tight ends and fullbacks to carry/catch.
I like to go for it on 4th down.
A good secondary is fun to watch, but I like the blitz.
Never underestimate the importance of your O-line.
There is so much I still don't know.

College football is a nice diversion when the NFL is not playing. Go Red Raiders!

November 1 Rant

Mike's dental appointment is this week. Hopefully, that means whatever needs to happen with his teeth can finally get started. This whole year has been a trial just in regards to his dental problems. Actually, it's been a problem for years, but ignoring it hasn't seemed to work. Unfortunately, he came down with a cold over the weekend. I'm praying we don't have to re-schedule....again. It would be great if he could get all of this taken care of before Christmas (Thanksgiving even, but that seems so soon). It also means he'll probably give up his job at the Space Center...he'll at least need a leave of absence. He is looking for some other type of employment that would be closer to home. It's weird. Everything in our life is on hold while we wait to see about the teeth.

I used to like going to the dentist. As a kid, I thought it was great. I liked that just cleaned feeling. I never had cavities or any problems. The orthodontist was a little unpleasant, but I still got out of school to go, so it wasn't so bad. But ever since I left home and had to find my own dentist, it's been difficult. I had one dentist who rubbed up against me in an uncomfortable way; another who filled a cavity I didn't have; another filed down a back molar so far it feels like a stub (I'm still not sure why); another wanted to do a "special" cleaning that wasn't covered by my insurance. Now every time I go (which is rare) I'm on edge - trying to make sure I'm not getting taken. I think it's indicative of most service-oriented businesses anymore - nobody cares.

Was there ever a time when people actually did their jobs? Where they took care of the client or customer's needs first? Where it mattered that the end result was positive for both sides? Our dealings with contractors to get our house repairs done was almost worse than the dentists. "They" all seem to want to get the most money out of us for doing the absolute least amount of work possible. Customer satisfaction? Who cares?!

Glorious Day!

This is absolutely the most beautiful day I can ever remember in Houston. The sky is a brilliant blue - seriously, it's electric, almost hard to look at it's soooo intensely blue. Not a cloud. A nice, cool, gentle breeze. Birds singing away. Mike's flowers reaching to the sun. Just wow.

So I walked over to the grocery store because I'm planning on making enchiladas for dinner, and it turns out my corn tortillas are all moldy. Ew. I remembered to take my cloth bags (which I love because they hold so much, and I don't have to figure out what to do with all the plastic ones). I almost never remember to take them. My little shopping list ended up growing enough that I couldn't go through the express lane. But I did keep it under $30. The only thing on my original list that I didn't get was toilet paper - I bet I'll regret that later. I managed to convince the bagger that I really did want all of it in the two cloth bags. Really. Especially since he turned down helping me with my bags, once I mentioned I had to walk several blocks. What good is helping me out with my bags if it stops in the parking lot? I stopped and checked the mail when I got home and found the grocery store ads. Good thing I didn't see those before I went.

I'm so glad I went out. Saturday is my housecleaning day because Mike is at work. For whatever reason, I get all self-conscious about cleaning while he's home. I do laundry and dishes and "spot cleaning" when he's around, but usually not the big stuff. Plus, the last time I really cleaned the living room when he was home, he had an asthma attack (dust, cat hair, etc.), so it's really better that I do it when he's gone. Give the dust time to settle before he comes home. I did get the upstairs done this morning. I had plans to continue on down, but those are fading. Did I mention how nice it is outside?!?

What am I doing here playing on the computer? I gotta go!

What Happened?

Where did August go?

Well, regardless, it is gone! So, happy September! I always have thought of September as the beginning of autumn. But around here? Not so much. Maybe October.

The good news is it's the start of football! Today, the first season game - Titans at Pittsburgh. And finally, after a half hour waste of television time with some weird musical tribute to the NFL, we have reached game time. I am a resolute non-Steeler fan. And I'm fond of the Titans, inasmuch as they once were the Oilers. So, bring it on!

I don't actually have any fantasy players in tonight's game. I benched Chris Johnson in favor of Ray Rice for the weekend, so I just get to watch "for fun". My first opponent is my brother, and he has a couple players in tonight, but I'm not really worried. :)

Other good news about September is it's time for a new fall Bible study with Beth Moore. This study is on Revelation, and it's going to be a wild ride. I'm excited. We've also started some new things at our church that I'll probably go into more at another time.

Oh, did you know that "apocalypsis" is Greek for "unveiling, uncovering, disclosing" - in other words - "revelation"? It really has no negative connotation at all. It does not mean anything like "devastating end-of-the-world disaster". Hmm.