Colossians chapter 3

I still have much more time I need to dedicate to both chapters 1 and 2, but for those of you who want to press on to chapter 3, feel free to post as you feel lead. Hopefully it's evident to those who didn't already know, that the Bible has too much in it to just read it like a novel. We've been on chapters 1 and 2 for over a month now! So much for reading the Bible in a year. But I trust that others are learning as much as I've been learning. And I truly appreciate those that are helping me be more accountable to my connection with God through His Word. And isn't Colossians an incredible book?...just wait until we get to Romans, Corinthians, Ecclesiastes, Acts, Hebrews, James, Isaiah, John....where do I stop?

Colossians Chapter 2

To keep the discussions flowing, I'll start this new post on Chapter 2 of Colossians. The chapter 1 discussion is still on going and feel free to keep adding to it. I don't think we've tapped out all it's truths yet. But I can already tell that chapter 2 has much to discuss and I'm looking forward to getting into it. Hopefully everyone involved can see that a close study of the scriptures opens up many thoughts, studies, and discussions. That's my intent and I appreciate all who are actively involved as well as those who are quietly following along. But to those quiet ones, I want to encourage you to contribute to the discussion. Just searching for something to write in these forums often times opens up your mind to new and challenging thoughts. Give it a try!

The book of Colossians

I've been struggling to find a good book in the Bible to begin a study in. I didn't want one that was too deep that it would require a lot of Old testament research (like Romans or Hebrews) and I wanted to find a book that was a good introduction into the person we study the Bible to learn about...Jesus Christ. All scripture points toward Jesus, but some more clearly than others. Colossians is one of the clearer ones. So to begin with let me say that to study the Bible is more than reading the Bible. This is not like reading "Old Man and the Sea" or a John Grisham book. The Bible is deep enough to study over a lifetime and still not be able to tap into all it's depths. So, for me, to "study" means to read small sections of it slowly and then keep re-reading those same sections over and over. It sounds like over-kill, but many times the scripture will begin to open itself up after this type of "meditation". So let's get into Colossians.

This is a relatively short letter written by Paul to a church in Colossae. It seems to be a church that Paul didn't ever visit personally, but had an acquaintance (Epaphras) that apparently started the church. So it helps to read this as a letter written to encourage an early church, and read the zeal and passion Paul has for both this church and Jesus. I'm going to start with spending some time in chapter 1 and I'll use the comment section of this post to record some of my thoughts. And any one is welcome to contribute anyway they see fit. Chapter 1 has one of the most thorough descriptions of Jesus in all the Bible, and pretty much spells out the Gospel message perfectly. Check it out...and as you read it, check out how there is no selfish motive in Paul's intent behind this letter. Paul is actually in prison as he writes this, and his only desires seem to be for these people in Colossae and their (and his) God.

"The Bible says..."

Have you ever heard someone say things like: "The Bible says...'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'", or "The Bible says...'God helps those who help them self"', or "The Bible says...'every dog has it's day'"? Well, the Bible doesn't say those things! In fact the Bible doesn't say a lot of things that people claim it says. And conversely, the Bible says a lot of things that people never claim it says. So how can we know what the Bible really says? We can listen to hear-sayer's, or we can read it for ourselves. An estimate 90% of Christians have not read the Bible all the way through. I am part of that majority. I have read large portions of the Bible, and all the New Testament many times, but even after seven + years into Christianity I'm still sometimes surprised when I hear about "new" Old testament books of the Bible. Books like "Nahum" or "Obadiah". Where did those books come from?

So to combat this problem of people (myself included) not having a very strong grasp, or even a light grasp, of what the Bible is really teaching us, I plan to start a regular Bible study and post what God is revealing to me on this Blog. Hopefully others will follow along and learn and share with me, but more importantly, I hope this format brings me a little accountability so I stay consistent in my studies. Consistent Bible study is what I believe is the key to a successful life. Way more crucial than a collage education, but you wouldn't know that based off our society's influence on our kids. So stay tuned and hopefully I'll live up to my expectations of a regular, beneficial, God honoring Bible study that ultimately helps me to know what "The Bible says..."!

War on Scientology

I might be late to this news, but has anyone heard of the group that calls them-self "Anonymous"? They have apparently declared war against the Church of Scientology (and Tom Cruise). I don't know much about either group, but being a fan of the "written word" I found their mission statement pretty powerful. Check it out:

"Over the years we have been watching you, your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent and your litigious nature. All of these things have caught our eye. With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation the extent of your malign influence over those who have come to trust you as leaders has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organisation should be destroyed, for the good of your followers, for the good of mankind and for our own enjoyment. We shall systematically expel you from the Internet and proceed to dismantle the Church of Scientology in its current form. We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”

This war has apparently been waged for a while now, so apparently it is not a bluff. It not only sounds like they have a problem with the Church of Scientology, but they also sound like they have some resolve....We'll see!

I guess I'm crazy

After years of putting up with a pain in my neck (literally), I finally went to see a professional for my diagnosis. The actual definition of a professional is "someone who receives money for their actions or knowledge". Well my Doctor received a great deal of money, so I assume she is a great doctor. The first visit, for $180 and 10 minutes of her time, ended with me having an appointment to get a MRI. The only questions repeatedly asked to me were "do you have metal in your body?" and "are you claustrophobic?". To which I confidently answered "no..unless you count my bicep as being metal". After all, I'd know if I had any metal in my body, and being a man, I definitely wasn't claustrophobic! So the time and date was set for my first MRI.
Seconds before being rolled into the MRI machine, they asked the two questions again, which I answered "no" with a chuckle this time...the same questions were getting tiresome. Then they rolled me into this 24" diameter tube and wouldn't you know it, I'm claustrophobic! Who knew? 10 seconds into this 20 minute procedure, and I was fighting back the words "GET ME OUT OF HERE !" I felt a panic coming on, but my greatest fear won out over this new fear. My greatest fear is looking like a fool. So my claustrophobia came in a close second this day. My pride wouldn't allow me to quit, but like I said, it was close. The only words I could remember were the Lord's Prayer. So I repeated them over and over. I wasn't even really praying, they were literally the only words I could remember, so I used them to distract my mind. It worked, and 20 minutes eventually crawled by. My heart rate was up and down like a roller coaster as this new fear occasionally tried to take over, only to be extinguished by my pride.
So I learned a few things about myself last week. I learned my pain in the neck is just that, a forever pain in my neck. I have arthritis. But I also learned I have a bad case of "the claustrophobia". This hurts even worse. The problem I have with this phobia of mine is I know who I am now in a Sci-Fi movie. You know the movies on the Sci-Fi channel where a group of people are being attacked by something strange and only 1 or 2 people live in the end. Well up to this moment of my life I thought I was the hero type. The leading man type. The strong one left in the end because I defeated the enemy with my strength, intelligence, and courage. Well after being "tested" in the MRI machine I found out I'm more apt to be the annoying character, the one filled with fear that the audience knows (and hopes) is getting killed off early....Take that "my Pride"!

"Uncle Greg...Uncle Greg"

Last week I came pretty close to feeling like a celebrity. If you're ever laying in bed in the morning and hear your name being chanted from another room because of the excited anticipation of your company, then you too could experience this "superstar" feeling. I had the privilege of spending a week at Vero Beach with my wife, kids, my sister, her husband, and their kids. The youngest of their two boys is Jordan. He's the one who came to love me the way I always knew I could be loved...and should be loved! The others in the house never seemed to get it the way Jordan did. Carley, Jacob, and Josh never chanted my name ("Uncle Greg"). And Angela, Kim, and Jim didn't seem to get the concept either. But this wide eyed 2 year-old saw something in me the others didn't...or if they did, they suppressed it. But that's what's great about toddlers, they don't hide their feelings. They'll immediately let you know if they're mad, happy, sad, or scared. Heck, they'll even let you know when they're pooping on the floor with no shame at all! If it comes naturally, whether a physical feeling or an emotion, then they're going to live it out without pride getting in their way. How cool is that? So if you love someone, you should be like a 2 year-old....be like Jordan...and shout it out! Whether they're in the room or not.

If you ever get the chance to go to Vero Beach in August be sure to take some bug spray. Or you could do like us and opt for having a built in game of "connect-the-dots" on your legs (my sister got the super-sized version of this game). A bug called "No-See-Ums" feasted on us like red-necks on a KFC hot bar. But the itchy red dots were soon forgotten when we walked out into the radioactive heat of day that is Florida in August. It was the same 90+ degrees we have in S.C., but it must have been the 165% humidity that made it a little less refreshing. But the sauna like heat was soon forgotten when we jumped into the 45 degree Atlantic Ocean. It's hard to believe, but the ocean water was truly bitter cold! It was all I could do to just stay in long enough to pee!

So we had bugs, heat, and cold water, but to counter-act these few negatives we had many positives: great food and drinks, an awesome house, a big pool (complete with a water slide), coconut trees, rabbits (not the dangerous kind), little lizards, many activities for the kids, massages, our own chef (thanks Jim), relaxation, and family! So many thanks go out to Jim, Kim, Josh, and Jordan for inviting us to share in their vacation. We had a great time and loved it even more than Jordan loves his "Uncle Greg"!

I must add that both me and Angela were referred to as "Uncle Greg" by Jordan. But being that he's only 2 years removed from God's presence, I assume he still only recognizes marriage as "One Flesh". The world's view of two in a marriage hasn't sunk in on him yet...Hopefully it never will!