52 Blessings Week 3: Snow Days

So you won't see a picture of snow, because there wasn't any to speak of, only ice. But I was safe and sound at home with a free day that normally would have been spent working, so I worked...on Christmas. The blessing here is that the extra time couldn't have come at a better time. In the midst of the craziness that is the holiday season, extra time in hard to come by. Work is crazy. And then home is crazier with the shopping and for me, the cooking and cleaning.

It's difficult to find peace and joy at what should be the most joyful and peaceful season. Some are energized by that. Me, I just want to be quiet. And if I can do that at home, even better. So I cooked a little, crafted a lot, and crossed items off of my list, and as a result, I felt better about celebrating with my friends and I've moved on to the next hurdle: cleaning my house. If you could see it, you'd understand how high this hurdle is! And then the turkey is lurking...the source of most of my Christmas stress.

Thank you, Father, for unexpected gifts. They're the best kind! Thank you for the chance to organize myself and spend a little extra time on the people who make my workdays better.

52 Blessings Week 2: Working with Friends

Proverbs 17:17 (New International Version)
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

I was thinking hard on the way in to work this morning about the best thing to post today for week 2 of my assignment. I think the original goal on Photojojo was to practice my photography skills. So far, that hasn't panned out but I think it's even more important to think about my blessings. That's my story and I'm sticking to it (but there might also be something to the fact that my schedule is crammed, my camera is out of it's normal place, I'm too busy/lazy to get it and set something up right now, I only do things at the last minute...).

So today my picture is from our Halloween competition here at work and it's just a small representation of my friends here and why working with them is good for me. From this photo, you can tell that my friends are creative with great senses of humor and fun spirits (and maybe they're just a little...different. Like me). It's a little harder to tell is how generous they are, how good they are, and that each one is a good friend. Each person in that picture has gone above and beyond the call of "co-worker" for me. And there are more here, people who aren't in the picture.

I was thinking about this and I guess that spending 8 hours a day together, for years and years and years and years...and years, under the pressure of never-ending deadlines will probably make you best of friends or mortal enemies. And some of them I've even made road trips and worked trade shows with...and we're still friends. In fact, under pressure, I'm the first one to crack and my bad stuff spills out but they still make room for me and laugh with me and forgive me. Good friends.

I do thank God for placing me in the middle of this group of people. They are a blessing.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 (New International Version)
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Galatians-Week 1-Apostolic Authority

Those are big words...apostolic authority...what do they mean? It's easier to ask

5. Just who does Paul think he is? What gives him the right to tell off the Judaizers and assert so firmly his version of the gospel?

First, let's take a look at what Paul says, how he begins his letter: Galatians 1:1-5

1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers with me,
To the churches in Galatia:

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Who is Paul? He's an apostle...
apostle--one who is sent with a commission, an envoy or messenger who was chosen and trained by Jesus Christ as His special emissary for proclaiming His truth during the formative years of the church. (Note: anytime you see something that sounds really smart like this, I didn't come up with it. Probably it's from the MacArthur NT Commentary.)

An apostle had to have seen the resurrected Christ. That sorta limits the pool. Here's what Acts 1:22-26 says about replacing an apostle (who had to be replaced because...well, he had his priorities out of line.)

21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.

23So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

6. How in the world could Paul be an apostle? The original 12, sure. They came from the disciples and the others who traveled with Christ. Remember Saul/Paul's conversion story? There on the road to Damascus? Jesus spoke to him there. And then Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

So basically, Paul says here that his gospel and that of all the apostles comes directly from God, not from men. They were all taught by Jesus. Oh, yeah, and that his gospel contains grace and peace, grace for salvation which leads to peace for living.

Galatians-Week 1-The problem

Keeping up with the Q&A format (until I can't do it easily and then I'll drop it like one hot potato)...
3. What's the deal? Why did Paul write the letter?
Most of the time, Paul wrote letters to address questions or problems in the churches. The Galatian churches had been invaded by Judaizers, Jews who made a profession of Christianity but wanted to add a legal requirement to salvation. They added circumcision and other requirements under Mosaic law. They rejected Paul's message: salvation comes through grace by faith in Jesus Christ. Alone. There is no other requirement, even for Gentiles like the Galatians.

And they attacked Paul personally to cast doubt on his authority and further challenge his message.

4. What's Paul's message? Ephesians 2:8-9 says it pretty clearly. Here's Paul's version of the gospel, in a nutshell:

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

Do you ever question how easily we come to God? Shouldn't salvation be more difficult? Maybe more like Survivor with challenges to over come or some other reality show where you are judged critically and eliminated, leaving only the best standing? Definitely there should be a long list of rules to follow. Right?

Paul's going to answer that question for the Galatians, the Judaizers, and for us. It's simple because it has to be. There's no other way. We've had a chance to try it by performing rituals and ceremonies and following the rules and we couldn't do it. But Jesus could. And did. Now we have to understand what that means.

Galatians-Week 1-The history

I decided to post a little of what we talk about in our weekly Bible study here. Maybe it will help me remember as we go along what we've talked about. I'm an optimist.

Here are a couple of questions that I had to answer for myself first:
1. Where or what is a Galatia? (I like to start with the basics, you know.)
Galatia is a region in Turkey, settled by Celtic tribes who migrated due to conflict with the Romans at home. The Galatian churches, recipients of the letter, were established during a missionary trip by Paul.

2. And so then...who is Paul?
Paul was the author of this letter and many others which make up books in the New Testament. And he was a very big deal, a Pharisee, committed to destroying the early Christian church. Here's what he has to say about himself:

Phillipians 3:5-6
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

And this is part of that question...how did Paul make it from "Hebrew of Hebrews" to the author of critical Christian doctrine? Here's the story of his conversion, along the road to Damascus:

Acts 9-Saul's Conversion
1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.

11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.