When friends "unfriend" you

I’ve been thinking a lot about power trips lately. Living in DC, it’s all about power. Perceived power, imagined power, and sometimes real power. This is the most difficult place I’ve lived. I can’t leave my house without running into someone who wants to “hump my leg” to use a politer euphemism. However, it’s one thing if it’s the obnoxious passengers on the public transit system and in the grocery store but it’s quite another if it’s a friend.

One of my friends misunderstood something I said last week, got herself really upset, and as of last night’s e-mail, I was booted to the curb as a friend.

What bothered me most isn’t that she didn’t give me a fair hearing. Nor was it that she didn’t even let me clear up the misunderstanding. All she wanted to do was to yell at me. Then she forbade me to mention her name in conversation with others.

Well, this is the United States and I was born here so am a citizen. As a woman, as a US citizen, as an American woman, forbidding me to speak her name is what really made me angry. Whether or not she likes it, I have a right to complain to my friends about her. My Italian family tried to shut me up. But I didn’t let them or even my husband succeed. So, my question to the audience, why should I let her?

Creationism and Evolution

Today was our first Fall 2011 Bible study class using the FaitherWeaver curriculum.  The plan is for both parents and children study the same topic so they can discuss it later at home. While I don’t have children, I am always interested in how to start small in spreading God’s word.

Our class started with Genesis and how to explain the difference between the Bible’s description of creation and the scientific theory of evolution espoused in all public schools. BTW-I am old enough to remember when God was not a forbidden public school subject and feel we declined as a nation when the Evil one got judges to say it’s not allowed any more.

Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church (GPC) is an amazing church. We have scientists and theologians and a wide diversity in members from Africa to Korea and in-between. So, we had a variety of views.

The overarching conclusion was that the two are not mutually exclusive. God is the who and science is the how. God created the world but we don’t yet know exactly how (i.e., science’s contribution).

My life’s learning brought these items to their attention:

• Time is not linear. The expanse of time that awes scientist is based on time being a straight line so they incorrectly conclude the Bible is wrong.
• A day wasn’t ‘24 hours” until the Earth was fully created and rotating on its axis.
• Humans decided what category ancient skeletal remains fit into. It was not God who said “man starts with Homo Sapiens”.
• Francis Collins, one of the decoders of the Human Genome, says that DNA evidences proves that all humans come from a single ancestor.

When all is said and done, science proves the Bible’s point of man’s origin starting with a single source. Not the opposite. I love it when turn about is fair play! Amen.

PS: Click here to see the description of the course: http://www.gpchurch.org/Adults/AdultEducation/2011AdultEducationFallCourses/tabid/47692/Default.aspx

See also the Internet Monk for a great explanation on how literal or not to take the Christian Bible: http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/my-view-of-scripture

Our Scripture Discussion for 08-21-2011

Our scripture discussion for today is Ezekiel 39:25-29 of the KJ Bible.
Eze 39:25-29 [KJV]

(25)  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

(26)  After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
(27)  When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
(28)  Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
(29)  Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Overview: The 39^th chapter “is a continuation of the prophecy of the destruction of Gog” and concludes with the Jews release from captivity and God revealing Himself to them through the Holy Spirit. It is noted that their captivity was a result of “their sins and transgressions”. [Gill] In this book, “Gog is the “chief prince” and leader of the attacking armies”[1]

Verse 25-28:

God will gather together the twelve tribes of Israel, who were scattered and enslaved because of sin, into one land. In their shame, they were “not able to lift up their face.” [Gill quoting Jarchi] Jacob’s captivity is contrasted with the Babylonian since God’s mercy was shown only “on the house of Judah.” Now God will redeem them all since they will “publicly repent” of their idolatry and will honor His name. [Gill, Clarke]


Verse 29:
God promises never to leave them again because He “poured” his “spirit” on them. “This was the beginning of the fulfillment.” “[T]he outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.” [Barnes]

Gill feels “this refers not to the effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but to one that is yet to come, when the Jews will be converted in the latter day…” [Gill]

References

Barnes: Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible.
Clarke: Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.
Gill: John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible ; Dr. John Gill (1690-1771)
[1] Who are Gog and Magog? Extracted 2011-08-19; http://bibleq.info/answer/1944/

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