I put doors in your trees

If you are searching for a natural way to combat acid reflux all you need is a gallon of Aloe Vera juice! Don’t worry it only tastes like battery acid and bear urine!

So today I am thinking about the Bible as symbolic poetry?
I am mostly thinking about it with a profound since of disappointment.

I just got done reading and writing a book review for, In the Shadow of the Galilean by Gerd Theissen. Theissen goal in writing this book is to create a fictional narrative in which the reader will gain a better understanding of the historical context of Jesus’ life and ministry. He tells the story through the eyes of a Jewish upper class merchant who finds himself in the middle of Rome and the Jewish Zealots and meets Jesus somewhere in the middle. Gerd Theissen is a well respected New Testament scholar and I guess writing a fictional story about someone in the time of Jesus isn’t necessarily a career builder. So he is very careful to differentiate between historical fact and fiction. Which he does well and I respect. What disappointed me was the way he diminished the divinity and miraculous nature of Jesus and the events surrounding Him. For instance there is a scene in the book where Andreas is watching the crucifixion of Christ from afar and his servant says this,
“If the sun could see and feel as we do, it would go dark for grief. If the earth could feel, it would quake with anger.”

And then Theissen goes on to say,
“But the sun did not go dark, and the earth remained at rest. It was a normal day and the darkness was only in me. Only in me did the foundations of life shake.”

The Gospel of Matthew puts it this way:

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"… At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.”

Do we loose anything if this only poetical symbolism?

Maybe we don’t loose anything or maybe we loose everything.
I’m certainly not content with this being symbolic.

Theissen said that it was just a normal day. Maybe it was but I doubt it.

Little did they know that it was anything but a normal day. It was the day that was sealed before the foundation of the world. Jesus was never plan B. He was always the way.

“Even more astonishing and confirming of the truth of this is that in the Jewish Scriptures 700 years before the crucifixion of Jesus, the death of Jesus is described like this: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6). His death was punishment for sin. But not his own. The crucifixion of Jesus is precious to those who believe, because by that death we are ransomed from sin and guilt and condemnation and hell, and given eternal life. This is what Jesus came to accomplish: eternal life for all who believe. This is why he was crucified. It was public, painful, planned, punishment (for us!) and precious.” –John Piper

I choose to believe that these things happened the way the writers of the Gospels said they happened. I am sure to be thought a fool for taking the scripture so literal. All I can do is trust in the supremacy of Christ and His Holy Word.

I am currently reading Water ship down by Richard Adams. It seriously has potential to be my new favorite book. Lets just say that I am excited to see the 1978 movie:

Land of no return

It’s raining here in Los Angeles. That doesn’t happen to often around these parts. I find myself once again in the middle of a transition. Transitions are hard and as far as I am concerned they certainly aren’t fun. Though I have a pretty strong feeling that I am not alone on this one and that someone is behind it all. I started by writing about my experiences out here so far; a page or two into I decided to delete it. I am note sure why but I didn’t like what I was writing. I am beginning to establish a life here and it’s strange. I am often tempted to compare it with my old life but then I have to stop and remind myself that these new experiences are not going to be like my old ones. It doesn’t mean that they will be any better or worse but they will be different.

I no longer live with two of my best friends in a house on Gary Street in Tennessee with my two other best friends down the road. Now I live with a Latino guy from Chicago named Marcos, a black brother named Brycen, and a Guatemalan who doesn’t speak English named Boanettus! I am now affectionately referred to as the white brother.

I have been offered two student pastor positions at churches but have turned them both down for no other reason than I didn’t feel like that is where God wanted me. Those were hard decisions but the ones that had to be made.

I am starting to feel more grown up but at the same time I am beginning to feel young again.

2008 was a very strange year.
I started it by moving to Cambridge, England. In those three months I discovered out quite a bit about myself. I spent most of my time there thinking about a girl.

I came back to Tennessee only to fall for that girl and then to have my heart broken again, my fault of course. I took a class on the spirit and then I graduated college.

I moved to Portland, Oregon with my new friend from Cambridge. I started graduate school where I soon discovered I don’t care much for physcology. I got to journey with my roommate through some difficult questions. Mine were answered. He is still waiting.
I met and loved many people in Oregon but in the end I needed to leave.

I moved to Los Angeles where I am now studying Theology. My roommate moved to Ireland where he is now gardening.

Things I learned in 2008:
God is in control. Sovereign. good.
I am not as strong as I thought.
I am much stronger than I thought.
I love my Family.
I miss my friends.
I want to be a pastor more than ever.
I do not want to be a counselor.
And its ok to doubt and worry about it all.

I dreamed a lot this year. More than usual. I have strange scary dreams, dreams that make my heart hurt in a good way, dreams about my grandfather, reoccurring dreams about a girl named Sarah. I barely know her and I dream about at least once every other week.

Important Music of 2008:
Ray Lamontagne
Wild Sweet Orange
James Taylor
The weepies
The Fleet Foxes
Bon Iver
Jon Foreman
Denison Witmer
Kings of Leon

Important voices in my life in 2008:
Mom and Dad
John Piper
Rob Bell
Mark Driscoll
Kay Bruce
Gerry Breshears
Jonathan Davenport
Brandon Brown
Chris Sloan
Chris Morris
Brian haitz

I don’t know what the next year has in store. No idea. Scars me like nothing else. But I know that’s ok now. I trust in the God who is in control of everything and everybody.

Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Grace and Peace,
Jesse P.