Ugh Stubborn People

So I love talking about the Bible, but then I hate it. because there are so many unanswered things that are in the bible. I mean as we can see from the class that if one person believes one thing, a different person might believe the opposite. So its kind of a touchy subject. I hate when people say they act the way they do because its in the bible. I mean yea no shit. There are a lot of things in the bible. And then you go and ask them to prove it to you, they can’t come up with an explanation on their statement. But the bible seems to reflect our daily lives. Murder, lying, cheating, and adultery. Just to name a few. And I think the reason the bible these days is so bastardized is because no one wants to believe that there are really bad things in this sacred book. But I mean news flash yes things have happened good and bad. but people are so blind to it because there are already so many bad things happening to them in the real world they don’t want to admit really where it all started. Yea that’s right. The bible. I don’t know where I wanted to go with this. I just had like Tai had to get this out of my head and on to paper, well in this case the computer. I’ll do some thinking on this and start up where I left off at a later date. Probably tomorrow. Seems like all I do with this class is think… but nothing bad about that.

HaHaHa Yea Right...

I haven’t blogged in a while so I figured that I should get on it. and class on Friday got me thinking. There are a lot of things so far that I knew were in the bible. But I didn’t really know the details of them. Being a “bible thumper” and all, I didn’t realize some of the stories that are in it. and some of the understandings that come with the stories. I mean yes they are stories but there is a deeper meaning of them. One that is to not be taken lightly. I like to call these meaning onion meanings. There is always a layer upon layer of meanings.

Like for example the story of Cain and Abel. We all know what happens, but do we know why? Or how come, or the feelings that were involved with it? no not really. I love the part well I don’t love it, but it has made me think. The Lord asks Cain where his brother is. And Cain being a hormonal boy says well why do I care where he is, I’m not his baby sitter. Ha! Its great to see someone almost defending themselves to God. Cause God does a great job on calling people out on their shit. And here Cain is giving God a taste of his own medicine. By talking back to him. God the creator of the universe and everything that is good (and bad) we know, and he is being talked back to by a 17 year old boy. Well I don’t know if he was 17 but doesn’t that sound like a 17 year old boy characteristic? Talking back to the higher authority. When ever a little kid talked back to me I would be like boy don’t ever let me hear that from you again. And this is my favorite… if they stuck their tongue out at me I would say, if I see that again, its mine. Hahaha. Here I am, a higher authority and I’m talking down to this little kid. So just like me saying to this little kid, God says to Cain, well you know what? I can play this game too. You know the saying don’t hate the player, hate the game? Well this little game that I think God and Cain have going on is a nasty little game. God is like fine, be that way. well then seeing you killed your brother for whatever reason I am going to make your life literally a living hell. I’m going to make you wander the world forever, and no one can touch you. And its almost like Cain has this attitude of yea right.. you wanna bet? Its like no one can get the glory of killing you. Cause I said so. Haha love it, cause I said so. Also God puts a mark on him, like having a scarlet letter, but in these days a scarlet letter didn’t mean anything. Before the Lord punishes Cain with this whole wandering thing, Cain plays the oh pitiful me card. But does he really feel bad? yea I didn’t think so either. I mean if he really loved his brother he wouldn’t of killed him. but that didn’t happen. he was kind of a snob. But that’s ok. Boys at this age are.

I just think this story is kind of funny to poke fun at. And to think about on literal sense. I hear the story all the time. the Cain kills Abel story. But I haven’t really thought about it before this class. Got to love critical thinking though. It will get you thinking…

Is it Still Good?

This is will be my last blog about Creation/Adam and Eve. Then I will get off my high horse.
God created the heavens and the earth in seven days. That is why we think we have seven days in a week right? Well after God created everything, he would always say, and it was good. I mean yes it was good. But what if it was bad. and God knowing it was going to be bad still said… Man this S*@! is good. He might of known that Adam and Eve were not all that he thought them to be, he still made them. I mean God knows everything it seems like it so I think he knew that things were not going to be good later down the road. What kind of story would it be if everything would have been all fine and dandy. Yea that’s right. A boring one. Nobody likes boring stories. And we decided in class that there are never boring stories. Just boring people. Well surly God didn’t want to be classified as boring. So he had to put a little drama into the story. After all a little drama never hurt anybody. But still even with the drama and him making the world, everything was still good. Was there anything bad that happened while he was being the “Master Creator”? I don’t think so. Then he gave Adam and Eve a simple instruction. Don’t eat this fruit. Well out of human nature curiosity gets the best of us. every person does it. and when it happened and God got mad and then S*@! Really started to hit the fan. Things started to fall apart then. Being banished from the garden, murder, yea all that bad stuff. Was it good then? Huh God is this stuff still good now?

Nuff Said

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

-Mother Teresa

Nuff said.

In Search of Something

I am now officially the Preistly writer now. Now I don’t know how good that makes me. And for my picture to be shown in class. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t cool, because it was. It was kind of nice for once for a rather big class to see some of the people who don’t always share their opinions out loud. And for everybody to see my picture was kind of cool. So that they know that I exists. But anyway I’m not here to talk about me. Well actually I am because this is my bog and I write what I want. Haha anyway.
I’m going to tell a story. Of me kind of being stupid but hopefully it all works out in the end. So the guy Steve Lopez was here to talk to the freshmen of this year. And I wanted to go, but I had my plate full dealing my sucky friend who is almost I would say a waste of air. Ugh she is not my cup of tea. But never the less I was dealing with her drama. And so I couldn’t make it to hear him speak, and I was mad because I loved the book and the movie. And here he is right here in Bozeman and I let him slip through my fingers. But oh well there is nothing I can do about it now… or is there. Well I have a copy of his book and I really wanted him to sign my book. So I used my skills of the internet a wonderful place by the way. and I managed to get my hands on his e mail address. So last night I e mailed him asking him if I sent him my book would he sign it for me. And if not where I can find a copy of his book that has already been signed. So I think I kind of crossed the line trying to get something that I don’t even know if it will happen or if he will even e mail me back. But with something like that you just gotta take a chance. Because one will never know unless they try. So I will keep you updated with what happens. And tomorrow I will blog about the bible. Haha I just had to share my story.

Door Slams Part 2

As I was in church the other day, we sang Psalm 51. And I was so excited because here is what we are kind of studying in Lit 240, and here it is right in front of my face. So my ceriousity got the best of me, so when I got home from church I looked up the whole Psalm. And to my surprise only two verses make up the song. Well I asked myself how can two verses make up a whole song. Why didn’t the song writer put the whole Psalm into the song. To me the song isn’t worth it if the whole thing isn’t in it. why isn’t the whole song a Psalm. Just the two verses that are most important. But isn’t the whole thing important? Here I feel God is again Slamming doors in our face, saying yes the bible has good stuff in it, but not all of it is great stuff, and I only want the good stuff published. Only the good stuff? How can only the good stuff make it into a song?
The whole Psalm basically says clean and rid me of my sins. How can God clean and rid us of our sins if all we know is the good stuff, and not the bad stuff. It just seems to me that God has cheeped us out of a deal. That if we don’t hide anything from God, he won’t hide anything from us. well news flash for Lisette. He has hidden the stuff that really means something. Its like he is giving us what we want to see, not what we need to see. And its up to us to go look for the goods, and when we do find them we are disappointed. And mad at how he just hid that stuff from me. That is how I felt when I really read and internalized the Psalm. (Door Slam). This is a beautiful Psalm I think, but wow there is a big door slam in it. it feels like the writer of this Psalm is trying to find some good in this life, and asking God to help them through whatever it may be they are going through. But no, God just Slams the door. Which sucks.
God is full of Door Slams throughout the bible. But so are we. When we find out something that we don’t wanna hear. We slam the door. Because it is the easiest thing to do at the moment. But then that door slam comes back to haunt us. telling us that the door slam was not necessary. But who knows at the time just like you God the door slam was necessary. (SLAM!) =D

Door Slams Part 1

Back to Blogging. Since I haven’t blogged in a while I feel that I should do it again. And get started again. Because I can say if it doesn’t happen today, it won’t happen for the rest of the semester. So here I sit with my music blasting, girls slamming their doors to their room because I am too loud. But quite frankly I don’t care, because this is my blog, and I’ll do what it takes to get it done.

So speaking of slamming doors in the face of the one who we are trying to rid ourselves of, I feel that God more than once slams the door in faces of people who have let him down. And it feels like he is saying, well you suck. There you go, Slam! I have just started reading The Slave. And so far it is treating me good. But God knows that his people are slaves and yet he doesn’t used his “Great Power” to save them from this sucky life they are having. And yet the people are so loyal to him, and he just sits here. And looks down on what is going on in his messed up world. How can people pray to God everyday asking for them to get them out of this sucky life, and it seems like Slam. The door shuts on the hope of ever getting out of the things that they are in. Now I know God has power, but not that power to bam free someone from slavery. But I mean come on. Why not give it a shot.

Bible Thumping and Answers

As I continue my journey of the bible I feel that this blog should be about me. I’m still very overwhelmed about this class and what we have to do for it. but it is soon going to leave and I know that. But for this one, its just me. Some of this stuff is kind of hard for me to take in, because I am what they consider a “bible thumper.” This past summer I worked as a councilor at a bible camp. So all day, every day what I did was “bible thumped.” I taught kids what little or none they knew about the bible and made it known to them. I showed them what the bible is all about. And it was the best summer of my life.
But currently I am feeling a little bit lost I guess you could say in my faith, and I find myself asking a lot of questions. I’m not doubting it in anyway, cause I know I’m here for God from God. But reading the bible the way I have been. I have to take a minute and look back at what I just wrote and I say to myself wow I can’t believe that I just said that about the bible. The book that I’ve based my life off of for 19 years. And I’m looking at it from a different perspective now. I’ve come to realize that God picks the people who ask why me? And he picks the low life’s. Why is that? To maybe give them a chance, and for them to prove that they are really capable of what He is asking that they do. I mean I would consider myself one of them. But is this class then a sign from God saying its ok for me question Him and question these writings? Or is it because I just had to take this class for my major and I’m going down a different road with it. but there has been a lot of things said in this class that I have written down and questioned. But that’s ok I think. Asking questions can get one far in life. I mean all the people in the bible whom God choose to do this big task asked themselves why me? Why me seems to go far, but then not far enough. Because when one searches the answer of that question they get short handed to them answers. But then they have to find and dig deeper for the answers that they want the most. Isn’t that the way it seems in life. The answers we want the most, we have to work so hard to get. What happens when they are reached? Do we try to come up with new questions, or be fine with the answers that we got? I guess it just depends on the person. It seemed like the people in the bible weren’t satisfied with the answers they were given. Basically God says just because. I choose you just because. Well what does just because do? Ah yea that’s right nothing. Its not really an answer. Just a statement. But then I come back to reality and realize that some of these things that are said are just that. Statements.
That’s what makes this class so overwhelming. All the work, and mostly the questions that I have for myself when I leave the class. But that’s ok I think. I’ll be ok and I will get through this class just fine. And I will continue to ask questions, cause then I will get answers. And answers I think are a very good thing!

I thought I knew... but I really don't

Ok so I feel that if I didn’t do this now, then it wouldn’t have gotten done all weekend. So here I sit at home at five in the afternoon and I’m doing this because if I don’t do it now, it won’t happen. So I’m going to attempt to compare Genesis one and two.
The first thing that stands out to me in the first chapter is how highly God speaks. He speaks as if he knows what is going to happen no matter what. I mean its God; yes he will know what is going to happen. He is very descriptive in explaining what is going on with the creation. Creation to me is very intense. How someone can be bam and there it is. And God says it was good. Well would God create something that wasn’t good? Then God goes and creates humankind in his image? What does in his image mean? Does it mean that God looks like us? Does God have ten fingers and ten toes just like me? Then when God blesses Adam and Eve it kind of sounds like a pep speech. Be fruitful and multiply. Like after all that I have done he has to explain what Adam and Eve have to do in the world that he created for them. Its almost sounding like I’ll be watching you kind of thing, so don’t mess up. Throughout the whole first chapter it goes then God said, then God said. What would of happened when God saw what he had created and said, shit I didn’t want that. Could he take away what he had just made? But that is going against what he wants. So probably not. Just a thought. I don’t know seems like God is trying to be all high and mighty in the first chapter.
But then we get to chapter two. What do you know another creation story. There are a lot of accounts of multiple stories in the bible of the same story. But all is told a little bit differently. In the second chapter of Genesis creation is still going on, but not as highly as it had been in the previous chapter. When I read it, I understood it. I was put into words that I could understand. Not trying to be all highly. To me it is straight to the point. No miss mash of anything. It is explained in a way that someone who have never read the bible before can understand it. I personally like the second chapter story verses the first one.
This summer I worked as a councilor at a bible camp. And this was one of the stories for the day that we would have bible study with. With the kids we would study this story and study it from a religious stand point. Every week when a new set of kids would come to camp I would get to re-teach myself while teaching them. So I have had a lot of experience with this story. And I still after being a bible thumper all summer and trying to study this story I have a hard time with story. To me there are so many loose ends that aren’t clarified. I guess the biggest question for me would be why?
So this weekend my goal is to read these two chapters over and over and try and make some sense of what God is saying or trying to say. More to come later… again I have some more thinking to do! Seems like that is all I do with this class. But that is what its intention to do.

Speechless

Never in my mind did I think I would be questioning the bible. I mean this is the book that I by, and I try to abide by it. but never did I think I would be asking myself questions about it. Like how in the book of Genesis that is assumed to be this great creation chapter that there would be death, betrayal, and adultery. But I guess it had to start somewhere right? That is why I think all this stuff is in the bible, the book that most Americans live by.

The one story that I am having a hard time dealing with, and coming to terms with is the story about Jacob. How he marries Laban’s daughters. Both daughters at that! Not just one but both of them! He first marries Leah. Leah as he thinks, eyes were lovely. But Rachel on the other hand was graceful and beautiful. I know that those are two characteristics that I look for in a man is grace and beauty. Yeah right. So after dealing with who he should be with he decides that he wants to be with Rachel. So he told Laban that he will work for him for seven years so that Rachel can then marry him. seven years is an awful long time to commit to someone to work for them. And this was back in the day. So I can only imagine that this work was hard labor. But that’s not the best part. The best part of the story is when Jacob is in his room waiting for his new wife to have their “wedding night” Laban gives him Leah instead of Rachel. Well Jacob being a guy didn’t think at the moment who it was he just took it with a grain of salt. And he had the night with Leah. When the morning comes he sees that it was Leah instead of his beloved Rachel. But basically this story is about back stabbing I think. The father isn’t honest with Jacob. And Jacob doesn’t ask questions. So Jacob goes around and around with Leah and Rachel. But in the end he ends up with Rachel.

But then the Lord sees that Leah is “unloved”. Here we see another story of a virgin conceiving a child without a man. So the Lord impregnates Leah I guess one could say. Here is another miracle of God. Which is odd to me. The only person that people know about who got pregnant without a man is Mary. But no, Lead did as well. And she had three kids. Not just one. Three. God does this three times. Don’t you think that is a little extensive on trying to make a woman bare children. The reason why it kind of gets me, is because in this world today. Not a lot of people think it’s right to have children if the child has no father. But look here it is shown in the Bible. Then the story truns, when Rachel sees that Leah has children. And Rachel wants kids as well. she asks Jacob to have kids with her. He says no. she what does she do? She pawns her maid on Jacob and says “fine. Have kids with her. Not me.” Shows what kind of a person Rachel is.
I’ve tried to read and re-read this story over and over. And I just can’t wrap my mind around it. there is a lot of two timing. And not being true to ones self, jealously and hatred is very present in this story. I am going to try to read more in depth this story and write more about it. and hopefully it will make more sense to me then it does now. I just don’t get it. and this blog probably makes no sense but I will try my best next time to make it sound like I know a little bit what I’m talking about. Haha. Ok more next time… I have some thinking to do!

The first part...

So as the thought back in my head keeps reminding me that I need to blog about these readings for this semester. I'm thinking to my self, self there is no way that you can do all this. You already have a full load of classes and now you have to blog about this class. So as i sat down with The Good Book and started reading it, it somehow was quite easy to read. I found myself really thinking about what David Plotz really has to say.
In my mind the book of Gensis is so overly tought in church. All the little kids know that in the begining God created the heavens and the earth... blah blah blah. Thats when I get bored with the whole story. But reading what Plotz has to say about Genesis is very ture. Not a whole lot of good things happen in Genesis. Well creating but that is about it. Then God punishes Adam and Eve for eating the fruit. But really what was it that was eaten? A fruit or something else? Genesis never says what was eaten. What if it was a veggie? Then what would of happened?
Then God decides that he wants to flood the earth as a lesson. Picks Noah out of all people, who in fact is a drunk. His sons find him drunk passed out on the floor. And they just look at him. But someone who is a drunk can build an ark that doesn't even see a hint of damage the 40 days it was in the water. And then you look at the Titanic a boat that was built by professionals, and look at it, its at the bottem of the ocean.
The only problem so far I am having with this book and the writer, to me he seems kind of like a hipocryt. He rags on Jacob about being bad, and mystrious and all the characteristics that he named off. But then he goes and names his son after Jacob. One because he liked the name, and two because he liked the way the character of Jacob is. He controdicts himself alot in this chapter that he talks about Jacob. And he doen't know how he will explain to his son, his name sake. Which to me is very important to a child, to know where their name came from. How will his son take it, that his name came from the bible. A book which his dad is not fond of, and wrote a book about it? I don't know, to me this was my hardest part so far to understand.
That is where I stopped. Becasue i was frustrated with the way things were written, and how they were written. So far it is a good book. And I'm really enjoying it, but there has to be a stopping point in it, at the end of the night. So tonight I will continue my quest with comparing the Bible to The Good Book. And I will let you now how it goes!

The First Day

So the first day of class... wow kind of overwhelming. It will be alot of work in that class this semester. But nothing I can't handle right? I sure hope so! And i am kind of excited to study the bible, but from a literature stand point. Verses a religious stand point. This blogging thing, though i have not gotten into. I have heard of people doing it, but i never got into it myself. But I hope as the semester goes on I will like it a little bit more. Being able to read everyones thoughts and ideas on what the text ment to them. And I also think that it will get me a little bit more social and voical in my classes. And share what i think is good, and what not. And I know as I get more familar with this blogging thing, my blogs will be more insightful. But for now this is all i can come up with. Will write more later!

L