God Among Us

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them."  Revelation 21:3

If you are curious about my studies these days, I haven't lapsed, just lapsed in posting.  At some point I shifted to private journaling and prayer.  This blog is close to that in a way--as it's obscure--just another blog among millions that quietly sit there in the morass of information available online.

But, I'm "checking in" this morning as an effort at continuity.  I'm close to finishing this chronological reading plan that I began at least-- two years ago?  I really need to look it up, but as short as my attention span is these days, I will forgo doing that lest I leave this entry unfinished, lol.

Whatever the length, it's been very good times. I am always trying to cement my understanding of the Bible as I go along.  It's so broad and so deep that it's impossible to encompass it all.  Each time I work through it, I feel that by the time I have finished the current cycle, I am ready to return to all the parts that are farthest back from my soul and memory, to begin the cycle again.

This cycle was full of different ways of ruminating and exploring.  Here are some:

1) My method of note taking and documenting my learning/thoughts took the form of Google slide presentations.  I first began this method when studying and reading through Kings and Chronicles--they always force me to sit up straight and try to organize it all.  The J kings blur.  The relationships between the split kingdoms of the North and South become confusing.  

I enjoy the slides format because it provides the flexibility I need to incorporate images and charts that I find online.  I can interact with the information visually as well as "word wise" which is a huge part of how I learn best.

One happy product of having this document/presentation is that I was then inspired to place the prophets within it, creating a type of comprehensive timeline that helps me to connect their individual ministries with the history.

I've also created a presentation for Revelation which keeps me sane among all of the wild imagery.

2) I've been listening to Jack Abeelen's sermons (Morningstar Christian Chapel, Whittier, CA/Growing Thru Grace ministries)on certain books very intentionally and systematically while reading the texts and commentaries.  In particular, I followed through his series Kings and Chronicles, and also Revelation.  Although this certainly slowed me down, I think it was a good slow down.  Reading the texts, then listening to someone present the texts, meanwhile creating slides that encompass what I am learning definitely had added a fullness to this cycle that is at a much higher level than some of my other cycles.

3)After encountering the Bible Project videos repeatedly, I've started to listen to/watch Tim Mackie's take on much of this literature too, especially his series related to prophetic literature and the book of Revelation (Day of the Lord series,  How to read Apocalyptic Literature).  Not surprisingly, I admire and am helped by the visual nature of his Bible Project videos, but I am also intrigued by his perspective and approach which seems to aspire to bridge university, academic, historical understandings and research with an authentic faith in Jesus. His understanding is different, less literal often, and approaches the texts as literature too--something I've long missed and longed for in this current culture of "pick a favorite bible verse to pull out" and "it's all about me" application sermons.

So yeah, that's where I've been and what I've been up to.  

God's word continues to deepen and tunnel inside me.  It's like an ever unfolding puzzle that circles back around, the end is the beginning, the beginning is the end, full of great wisdom, bizarre events and truths, and I am now at peace that I will never reconcile or understand them all. 

There's much more to think through and write, but, at the risk of not finishing this and getting lost, I'll leave it for another day.  I'm not sure where my studies will take me next as I draw towards the end of Revelation.

The verse above inspired me to post today because I find it everything I need, everything we need.  Someday, God will be with us again.  In a sense, He is, through the Holy Spirit, but I long for the day when He will be among us all and this sense of separation and confusion will dissipate. 

In a way, it reminds me of losing my father at age 30.  The day he died, I remember being awestruck--couldn't fathom how I would live out another 30 or 40 or even 50 years of my life without him.  He was such a source of dependability, love, fandom, for me.  I don't know that I've had a better cheerleader and have had so many more soul eroding critics. 

It helps me to know I will be with my earthly father again someday.  And even better, we will all be in the presence of our Father, FATHER, the great I AM.  Here there will be no more questions, no more to-do lists, just hanging out, like a great family Thanksgiving party.