Evolution? #ELIF Explain Like I'm Five

 When I talk to most people who don't believe in God, it's because they think the Bible is a book of fables and myths. 

I've heard all the usual things from non-believers about God. They call Him "the old man in the sky" or refer to Him as mean and unloving and unjust. 

When checking Twitter recently - mainly to see if the rumors of its demise were possibly true - I saw this:

Many, many agnostics and atheists present arguments to do with people being "good" or "bad", poor, sick, sad, etc. They wonder how a loving God could "allow" such situations as the rich getting away with things or the poor being mistreated. 

The main argument I hear from some people right in my own family has to do with sexuality. "Why does a loving God hate gays?" is one I've heard several times. One person I am close to has decided that their gay lifestyle is just fine with God.

Probably the main thing I hear from people in online forums has to do with evolution. A lot of people can't bring themselves to even consider the idea of a Creator God. They can easier believe in the "Big Bang".

I can talk about all those other things another time but, I want to deal with evolution in the next few (or more) posts. In my opinion, evolution is harder to believe in than anything. To me, evolution is almost a ridiculous theory. Even when I was in school, hearing about a Creator God in church and being taught evolution in school, neither idea seemed to outweigh the other. Of course, I was young and had never thought critically about either belief.

This is what I want to hear from people who believe in evolution to do: Explain like I'm five (thanks Reddit) why you believe in evolution. Or why you don't believe in a Creator God? And I want details.

I've said before, here and elsewhere, that my faith is not blind. I don't believe based on feelings or emotions. I do feel joyful that I have come to believe in God. Without that belief, I would have no hope outside of living this life here on earth. It's not been a really bad life, but if this is all there is to be, how sad that would make me.

So the next posts will all be some of my questions and some of my opinions.

Peace

--Free

UPDATE **BOOK REVIEW** Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

UPDATE:

After talking with my brother about this book, I wanted to come and clarify why I think it's such an important read. Mostly, I have come to realize that I have been too often putting tradition over truth and focusing on too many of the wrong things.

One of the main criticisms I hear about Christians is that we are "blind sheep". I always lashed out at that in my heart. I have no problem being called a "sheep" in Christ's flock, but I never want to be a blind follower.

After my brother and I talked for close to 2 hours about this book, I have had to take a step back and re-examine much about myself when it comes to my faith and worship. I wish now that I could go back and re-do some conversations I have had with people who had questions about my faith.

If you are a Christian (or just an observer), you may wonder why we do what we do as far as how we worship. You would think we Christians would know the answer but I sure didn't before now. I think that I have always had questions about the "why" of Christian worship but never looked hard for answers.

1. Why do we dress up for church? In the COGIC church that I attended in my youth, dressing up was a really big deal. I remember that women had dresses that were only for Sunday. And for Easter or Mother's Day... Oh, boy.

2. Why does the clergy have special clothing - robes and collars, etc? Again, in the COGIC church, some ministers went way overboard with fancy colors and patterns. Some of them looked like college graduates with every kind of regalia known to man.

3. Why are choirs and music such a big part of most services? My late husband and many of his peers who played for the church were musicians of professional-level ability. And Whitney Houston was a slouch next to some of the singers in our choir.

4. Why do we put so much into the church building? There are many jokes among church-raised comedians about how many times money is requested in a service. There's the Building Fund, Outreach Fund, a fund for sending kids to summer camp, a fund for replacing the AC or heating or fixing the pews, one for getting the pastor and his wife an anniversary gift, and on and on. Smart congregants would separate their offerings before entering the church. 

5. Why do most of us treat our clergy as if they are not human and fallible? I clearly remember people going full fan-boy or girl when they were chosen to provide the "first family" with a between-services meal on Sundays. Some people went without or with less all week so that they could splurge on the Sunday meal for "pastor".

6. What is up with the guilt over tithing? I never understood tithing and rarely do tithe in addition to giving an offering at the church service.

After all these questions about the roots of worship, I made a list of questions to spend time thinking hard about:

1. Am I worshipping Jesus or am I worshipping traditions? In my case, I think it has been both. I left the church I went to as a young person but I fall right into the ways and conduct of whatever church I do attend. If pants are not allowed for women, I wear a dress. If communion is done a certain way, I follow along. 

2. Do I realize just how I am seen (as a Christian) by people outside my faith? And have I been honest in answering the questions of skeptics?

3. What else am I doing (as far as my faith and my Christian life) that I have not closely examined?

4. If I found the points made in this book so relatable, why have I never put much thought into them? This is a good question. I think that at the back of my mind, I did wonder about many traditions.

For a little over the past year, I have been going deep into Bible study. I didn't even think clearly about why the New Testament letters were written and to whom. As I have always done in reading the Bible, I just loved what I love about them and prayed about what I didn't understand. I realize now that I have been depriving myself of so much by not paying closer attention to context.

One thing I have done in the last few years is not attending church as a member. I occasionally attend with a friend or family member. I have not found a church that feels "right" to me. (I know. That's a lame reason not to go to church.) Mostly, though, I find that I get more from rigorous Bible study. 

The one question I am still trying to answer is how I can go forward with all the insight I got from reading this book. I know that there is a followup of sorts called 

***************

ORIGINAL POST

I love this book. I have questions and things to research and explore further but, basically, this book was a little bit life-changing for me.

(By the way, I got a used copy but you can find it new. It comes in different formats - audio, Kindle, paper- and hardback, and spiral.)

It's hard for me to articulate why this book impacted my way of thinking. I guess it's that the authors addressed so many of my personal concerns about the church and the way Christians behave. 

I truly think that this is a really good read for Atheists and others who currently have a problem with what they see of Christian "religion". Most of the people I know who object to or seriously question Christianity are really objecting to or questioning the behavior of the Christians they see and know.

This book covers the evolution (hah!) of many of the things we do as far as how we Christians treat the religion of Christianity. I have always said that I don't practice religion because I don't think of my faith in and reliance on Jesus Christ as a "religion". It's part of me. It's not what I do but what I am.

One of the first problems I had with the church I attended as a young person was how church was "done" if that makes sense. As a COGIC church, there was a way that services were conducted and a way that the members behaved in church, and the way that they treated the leaders of the church. It was all more worship of man and rules than worship of Christ.

One thing that was (and probably is) very common among the COGIC churches I knew is that the minister was very revered among the members. For example:

• The "first family" of the church (the minister's family) was treated as very special. Their kids were treated like dignitaries and everyone clamored to be in their orbit. If you were seen as part of their inner circle, you were envied.
• Members usually gave the minister and his wife elaborate anniversary gifts. I'm talking cars and cash and expensive jewelry. 
• In one church, the members would take turns having the first family over for Sunday dinner and they were treated like rock stars.

Another thing about the COGIC church was how members prided themselves on dressing especially well. Elaborate hats and hairdressing were popular in some churches; men wore expensive suits and cologne. And during special times or events - Mother's Day, Easter, etc - some churches looked like an Ebony Fashion Fair show. I always hated Easter service in some churches because I couldn't see anything for all the fancy hats. English ladies during Royal Ascot have nothing on black church ladies in the hat arena on Easter Sunday.

Some things that the book brings up never crossed my mind until I read about them. For instance, I never wondered about where the idea of Sunday School came from; why music is such a big part of services; why the various clergy dress the way they do; or why there is such a thing as clergy vs laypeople.

Oh, this book is an eye-opener.

Of course, my rebellious nature sprang up at the first few pages. I felt so vindicated about some things. Then I had to calm down. Because this book is not about stoking rebellion or rejection of "church". It's more about clarifying our focus on how and why we worship.

One of the more urgent things I am encouraged to do after reading this book is to find a copy of the Bible written chronologically and without chapter and verse markings.

This book wants us to worship deeper and more meaningfully without getting tangled up in the manmade inventions that have become such traditions.

So, yeah, I do recommend this book. As a matter of fact, one of my goals for 2022 is to get a copy to certain people I know. These are the people in my life who are looking for Jesus but only seeing the people who worship him in church. They don't see the church of believers because all they see are the buildings and the scandal and the complicated mess that we have made out of being followers of Christ the Savior.

We are only human and it is sometimes our nature to add so many ingredients to the dish that we can't remember what we started cooking.

Peace

--Free

**UPDATE** The Amazing eSword Bible Resource

UPDATE: I am an idiot. I didn't think of showing the screens using the Gamebar recording feature on Windows. If you scroll to the bottom, I have included some video showing the app in action as I use some of the features.

Remember when I was trying to find a good NKJV study Bible? I still haven't found one but I might not need to. Long ago, I had downloaded the free eSword Bible Study Resource. And forgot about it when my old laptop died. 

The other week, I put eSword on the new laptop and, seriously, I can't even tell you what a great resource it is!

I know that a lot of people use the Blue Letter Bible resource and I use it a lot when I am online. The problem with BLB is that I can't find an easy or safe way to download it to my PC. I could order the disc - which I don't think is free - but I don't have a way to use a disc on this computer. eSword is everything I need. Would I still like to have an NKJV study Bible? Yep. But I'm not having a hard time without one for now. 

For those who aren't going to check the eSword link right now, here are some of my favorite features - and keep in mind that, though I will be donating asap, I haven't paid for anything yet:

• I currently am using 6 versions of the Bible and the Parallel and Compare features.
• There are so many commentaries I won't bother the count the ones I am using but here is a screenshot of what I was using recently:
• 
  
  
  
  
• I can adjust the screen colors (within limits), change the font settings (with a LOT of options), and more.
• I can easily set up verse lists and copy things right into the Notes feature.
• There are tools for doing searches by parameters such as just the O.T., N.T, specific book, or range of books.
• It is very easy to print. I print a lot of search results. 

Those are just the features I can name off the top of my head because I use them so much.

What I love, love, love are the commentaries. One of the reasons I am so picky about buying a Bible is because I like a lot of notes and commentary included to expand on or help explain certain passages. Now that I am using eSword, I have just about every kind of commentary right there on my PC. 

Here are some screenshots of 

toolbar offerings

I have really gotten a lot from reading the various commentaries. For instance, I happened to be doing my daily reading (in Exodus) and ran across a comment that was credited to Aben Ezra and something called "Targums of Jonathan, Jarchi, and R. Jeshua". What??? Right. I went online to figure out what that was about and was led to the Talmud and other writings and writers. So now I have on my Reading To-Do List Philo the Jew, Targums, the Talmud, and others. This is how a long time ago, I discovered Flavius Josephus and The Antiquities of the Jews (which, by the way, is free via most podcast players).

So, yes, I highly recommend using eSword. I also would encourage people to donate to the project. I was going to pay upwards of forty dollars for a Bible so I can surely scrape together money for eSword.

Now, are there some issues I have with eSword? Sure. Actually, I've only had one problem to date: I tried saving my Notes and they disappeared. I could find the files on my computer but not a program to read the files. I solved that problem by going back into the Notes feature and doing Control-Z and they reappeared. I now copy all notes to a Notepad doc just in case.

You can click on the screenshots I've scattered through this post to enlarge them and see some of the features I mention. Or you can check this page on the eSword site where there are plenty of visuals. In the meantime, here are some additional links I thought you might be interested in. These include some of the things I mentioned in this post and a couple of things I have run across lately:

• I will be visiting the Jewish Virtual Library when I can savor it. I think some of us tend to forget that our Savior was born a Jew.
• Overview Bible is a neat resource for catching some quick facts. I have not looked at a lot of the site but what I glanced through looks solid. As always, be discerning.
• Wikipedia on Philo
• You can read The Targums at Judea Christian Research (JCR). I had a link for a PDF copy but lost it. Got Questions helped me better understand what it is.
• I found this when trying to understand the Talmud and what exactly it is and what it means for Christians. Got Questions is the Google of Christians queries!

I hope this is all a blessing to you.

Peace

--Free

This is using the Graphics viewer. 

I can look at a variety of maps and timelines & control the size with the + and - buttons

This next one shows using the Bible to view commentaries, verse by verse & 

how to select the Editor (for Notes) and pin it to screen or 

move it off screen.

The same can be done with the dictionaries. 

I will add more screen captures when I have more time and brain function!

My Bibles (and what I want in a new one)

 After sharing with you the saga of my Bible hunt, here is my post on the Bibles I already have. First, though, I want to tell you what I wrote to the people at Thomas Nelson (via Facebook). I am sure you will enjoy the giggle. I am surprised they were so nice and patient with me.

So, yeah, I might be asking a lot of a study Bible because they apparently don't make them the way they used to.

By the way, this will mainly be a photo post.

Anyway, Here is my KJV Study Bible from Thomas Nelson that I got back in 2004 and love, love, love for all the reasons listed in those messages. The biggest thing I can say is that everything in this Bible is just so extensive and detailed.

It's tri-tabbed (I guess that's what you call it when books are tabbed by 3's).

The TOC with my top faves marked:

The "How to Use" section breaks down what all the symbols and numbers mean. This is perfect for those of us who aren't used to using the center references or finding the markings on verses for the footnotes.

This is the only Bible I own (or have seen) that gives a list of the doctrinal footnotes. And the list is extensive. In addition to what's shown here, there's another page and a half. I look through some of these in between my Bible readings. 

This How-To section is 6 pages long and goes in-depth on studying by chapter or by book and even shows a way to conduct a family Bible study. Impressive and very, very helpful.

This is a section that is much like a "comfort" verse book. I have a purse-sized Bible Promise book that this reminds me of.

Keep in mind what I said about how extensive and detailed the features are. Almost every Bible I have seen has a sort of introduction to the different books. I feel like I am getting a short capsulized lesson on history and cultures when I read the ones in this Bible.

This is the outline for Genesis

I love the Psalms and I love how this shows in detail the sections of Psalms. There are almost 2 complete pages of this.

See what I mean? Even on the page introducing the New Testament, it's pointed out which of the apostles were Greek or Jewish and what their education and occupations were. It's the details, right?

 Okay, I could go on forever about that study Bible but let me tell you about these others. The NASB is considered to be a really good translation because it stays so true to the KJV. I have read in places that the NASB is actually equal to the NKJV but just lacks the poetics. I got this Bible in 2001 from a Christian bookstore in Anchorage that was the best ever. I hate that they ended up closing maybe 3 or 4 years (?) after I got this Bible.

It's got some good maps and timelines like this. They are starting to come loose from the binding. I will be trying to fix this with some hot glue. Maybe.

This one also does a good job of providing detailed footnotes. The print is not as dark and defined as in the KJV Bible but it's not bad.

As you can see, this one came without tabs of any kind and I had to put them in. 

Now, this Amplified Bible is the one I have had the longest - since 1998. I had a small KJV back then and I remember having so much trouble reading it. One of my friends told me about the Amplified version and gifted me with this copy. I don't know what happened to that KJV unless I re-gifted it to someone else. 

I should prepare you for this next photo. It was a long time ago and apparently, I didn't know nothing bout no tabs! I vaguely remember doing this using stuff from work. It didn't age well. The Bible is in decent shape but has a LOT of wear and tear.

This last Bible was a beautiful and thoughtful gift from my niece. She is artistic and I went through a stage of thinking I had talent. This is a 1-year Bible and that is the only way you can read it. The books are not in the normal order. I am not a fan of the NIV so I never use it. Still, it was from my God-child-niece so it will always be here.

Isn't it beautiful? It's even more vibrantly colored in person.

It does have some aids inside but since I never use it, that doesn't matter to me. I  do like making notes on the sides. I have considered getting a compact Bible with places for notetaking.

This truly is a Bible for an artistic person. Almost every page in it from front cover to back is meant to be colored and drawn on.

So there you have it. And now that you see my love for that old KJV Bible, I want to tell you something kind of funny about it. When I was looking for the same on but in NKJV, I was checking the copyrights and all the details. I learned that this was formerly published as "The Liberty Annotated Study Bible." 'Liberty' as in Jerry Falwell being listed as one of the contributing editors. It was published as "The Annotated Study Bible" and as you can see, it is in a cheaper, hardback version on Amazon. I was making a great salary back when I bought my KJV but I know that I didn't pay more than $40 or $45 for it (which would now be about 100 bucks, I suppose...).

No matter what you might or might not think when you hear the Falwell name, this Bible is the one to have. If I were you, finances allowed, I would snap one up. I understand that they are no longer in print. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing the different Bibles I have and understand what I am looking for in the NKJV now. 

Peace

--Free

Why I Returned the Wiersbe Study Bible NKJV

I was originally going be doing this big review of the Wiersbe Bible. As it turns out, I will mostly be reviewing my KJV Study Bible and what I look for in a study Bible. And I might as well tell you now that I packed up the Wiersbe Bible back up the same day I got it. I only needed to look at a couple of pages to know that it is not the study Bible for me. 

These are the photos I snapped quickly (because I didn't want to crease any pages):

It is a beautiful Bible but, other than a soft and pliable cover, I am not picky about the outside of them.

Comes with two ribbons, btw

Not tabbed at all

Now, this is the first important part...

The font is lighter & more difficult to read.

That was the first thing that put me off. Remember, this was supposed to be in LARGE PRINT. Nope. It wasn't. And because I sent this back and am expecting a refund, I made sure to save this:

As I said in another post, I wanted the NKJV because I hoped to get something easier on my brain than my KJV Study Bible. It's been my companion book for over 16 years, but I no longer have the ability to deal with the old English pronouns. I love my NASB Study Bible for bedtime reading but I prefer the poetic flow of the NKJV. 

This is my old Bible and some of what I love about it. For one thing, those thumb tabs...

The Wiersbe has no thumb tabs but I knew that. However, like I mentioned, not only was the print not "large" but it is also much fainter than that in my KJV as you saw in that previous photo. Since it's hard to imagine how that looks to me in person, let me emphasize it:

Is it me or is the Wiersbe's font even smaller???

Now, my KJV Study Bible is not featured as having large print. When I got it way back in 2004, I wasn't wearing glasses or contacts. I can see it much better than I could the Weirsbe. So, back it went. UPS picked it up this morning, thank goodness

I am still on the hunt for a Study Bible (NKJV) but for now, I am using my other Bibles.  Here are the ones I have that I will be comparing in my next post.

• King James Study 
• Amplified Bible
• New American Standard Study
• One-Year NIV

After you see the next post, I would love to know if any of you know of a Bible that meets my needs. I am sure you won't because I also need the Bible to be in the under-$50 range.

Peace

--Free

Consider Job

 I have been sharing this with everyone I talk to so I thought I would also post about it here.

I have started doing a chronological reading of the Bible (and it just took me 3 misspellings to get that word down correctly!) and when I got to Job last week, I expected to find it less engaging than Genesis. Not so.

Job 1-5 were the first chapters on the list and I barely made it past the reading because I found myself in tears. I mean, tears just started pouring when I realized how my sister's story - and my mother's and so many other people out there - mirrored Job's. He lost property, family, and health. Yet - and this is the part that made me think of my sister and mother - he never lost faith in God.

Maybe I am just being hypersensitive but I can't tell you how that realization hit me. I started texting my family and telling them.

This reading and its blessing came at a great time. I have friends and neighbors who are really starting to buckle a bit under this lockdown and the always-horrible news. My best friend and one of my neighbors have been especially hard hit by not being able to attend their churches. My best friend has been sick a lot lately and fellowship with those in her church was always something that gave her strength. The other day she spent a short time in the hospital and when she got home, she was so down and depressed that I didn't know what to say to help. Then I started reading Job.

Here is what I came away with that I have shared with my best friend:

Job was tested not because God didn't love him but because God did love him. God knew that he was someone who could be tested and stand strong. 

Sometimes, we think that we go through things because of our sins or because God is trying to punish us for something we aren't aware of. People lose property and loved ones and their health. Some of us use such a tragedy as an excuse to turn against or blame God. 

What Job taught me is that we have to stand strong. If our faith can be broken by sorrow and tragedy, we never had true faith, in my opinion. If we say that God is faithful and loves us - He is and He does -then we have to trust in Him no matter what life, the world, storms, car accidents, illness, etcetera throws at us. 

Reading Job reminded me that we live in a world run by darkness. We spent a short time here but we will have eternity with the Lord.

So, I thought about my sister who lost loved ones, homes, personal independence, and her health - but never, ever lost her faith in God. There were times when she had to remind me how much God loves me. I remember when she lost her first leg, the hospital arranged for home visits from a chaplain to counsel and encourage her. Listen, my sister ended up being the one encouraging the chaplain! I kid you not.

Once, when I first got diagnosed with sarcoidosis and was warped out of my mind on high doses of prednisone, I got really depressed and mean. My sister would remind me that I was at least living in a time when there are medicines and treatments for my condition. She even made me laugh about how crazy the "predni-devil" pills made me. And all this is while she was a double amputee with kidney failure and a heart problem. Not long after that, she developed Triple Negative Breast Cancer and her nurses and doctors looked forward to seeing her because of her smile and positive attitude. She knew she was going to die but she was not afraid of anything but not being there for the rest of us.

So, consider God's servant, Job. Amen? Absolutely. When you get discouraged and depressed and sick and put to grief - consider Job and remember his faithfulness. Remember that God loves us just as He loved Job.

I just wanted to share that with you all.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: This is a song that I love to listen to when I feel the news and the lockdown getting to me

A Must Read: The Entire Works of Flavius Josephus

 Well, I have been reading the most interesting stuff every evening before bed this week. I have heard about this for years but never thought to check it out until recently:

That is Flavius Josephus. Thank you, Wikipedia. I am only just now getting into the first book I found on my library's app. It's a work that is split into several sections. 

That, my friends, is just the contents for one book of twenty. If you are interested in reading it and don't have a library app for your phone, here is a link to the entire set courtesy of Project Gutenberg, bless them. What's nice is that the contents are composed of links so you can jump through the work easier.

Because I only had the barest awareness of Flavius Josephus and his writings, I went over to Got Questions to get a quick rundown before I started reading. Got Questions is fairly reliable for highlighting any warnings about books and other sources of information. I highly recommend using that site or discussing with a trusted fellow Christian before venturing into unknown territory (churches, study sources, etc) of learning. Be discerning, always.

Of course, I am only on the first book (BOOK I. Containing The Interval Of Three Thousand Eight Hundred And Thirty-Three Years. — From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac) and when I started reading, I immediately recognized that he is re-telling the books of the Torah. He starts with "in the beginning" and gives Moses credit for authorship of the original telling. And let me identify Flavius correctly with this from an Amazon book search I did:

Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), born Joseph ben Matityahu, was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer.

And, yeah, I did have to go look up the definition of "hagiographer" (a writer of the lives of the saints). Learn a little something every day...

Now, what is so beautiful about this is that so many people try to downplay the historical reality of most people mentioned in the Bible - like Moses, or Noah, etc - but Flavius is a verified person and he is recounting his Jewish history. This is the way most cultures pass along their history, like griots, sharing stories of their "roots" and genealogy.  

I wish that this is a work that had been included in my high school education. There is so much history given in such detail and it's a much more interesting read than the textbooks my schools used. At the very least, these works should be used by parents in teaching their children. This is, after all, our history - Judeo-Christian history and I was never even aware of its existence until I was in my late 20s.

There is too much content for me to even start discussing this huge work but I did want to share the links. Amazon has copies in all kinds of formats - electronic, audio, paper, etc - and I plan to get at least a paperback copy so that I can make notes in the margins. 

Now I have to get back to reading. Between this and the Bible, I am "booked up" for years.

Peace

--Free

Romans (A Bible Study)

I want to mention something before I get to the main part of this post. I think it's pretty relatable. 

The global situation and stresses have been wearing on me lately. On top of everything, I went and hurt my back (or that could just be my old age!). At any rate, the other day, my best friend was feeling as stressed and disheartened. We felt better after reading Psalm 139 to each other aloud over the phone. It was like the fastest-acting medicine for the blues. Chuck Missler suggested once in a video Bible study to try reading your Bible passages out loud because you could get a deeper meaning of what it says. It works for me. Now, whenever I am reading for comfort, I will be reading out loud. Now, on to the main event.

My current Bible study is on the Book of Romans. I am using the Bible (of course) and a video series with Chuck Missler leading the study group. 

I wanted to share a couple of things from the Bible study and my thoughts on the comforts of the Bible in general. Here are some of the highlights from the first part of the study:

• Christ didn't come to make bad men good; he came to make dead men live. (Missler ties this into the Prodigal Son parable so I have made a note to go back and study that again). He makes the point that the gospel is not to make dumb men smart of for progress or development, etc, but that it is simply for those of us who are lost.
• The theme of Romans (which is a letter not to the church but to the believers - aka you and me) is "the grace of God revealed". 
• The gospel is not as complicated as we sometimes make it. The definition is given in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:
• That Jesus died for us
• That he was buried
• That he rose on the 3rd day
• That when we think of Paul's letters to believers and to the churches, he is "preaching". Notice that he doesn't rely on theatrics or great oration. Church architecture and size is not important. Paul doesn't rely on awesome choirs or fancy robes and throne-like seating. He simply shares encouragement and teaching.

As I was going through the first couple of videos, I had to pause often to think of how complicated we make everything. Christ loves us and offers forgiveness and salvation but we have to parse and dissect what that means. We get so far past the simple love and forgiveness that we get confused with rules and methods. Romans is a guide to what we are offered and to remind us that we cannot earn our forgiveness because, one, it's not for sale and, two, we couldn't afford it. It's freely offered. That's it.

In my daily life, I will forget the redemption Christ has blessed me with and start worrying. I worry that I'm not "doing Christianity" the right way or that I am failing at being a believer. I worry about my weaknesses and trespasses and forget to be thankful and know that I am forgiven. I am not willfully or gleefully sinning. I am not telling the Lord to take back his love and forgiveness; I am just being human.

So, this study is good for me in a "daily walk" kind of way. I was thinking of the Lord's Prayer and how the mention of the "daily bread" part ties into God feeding the Israelites manna. I am reminded to live the moment I breathe in because the next moment, the next breath is not promised.

Keeping it simple is a reminder I needed and this study helps. It dawned on me that most people who reject Christianity do so based on very complicated ideas or reasons. Every non-believer I know gets me into these conversations of "If" and "Then why" and "But" and want complicated answers. The answer isn't complicated. Jesus died, he was buried, and he rose on the third day - for us. He died so that we may live. Simple.

I just wanted to share this sort of stream of consciousness moment with you. Maybe this will encourage you in your own Bible study. 

Peace

--Free