as I chew the food, it turns into the body.

WOW! Been a long time since I updated this.

Here...its incredible. Life has been kicking me in the teeth, which is always exciting...and good news I have been working on developing sarcasm. Haha.

Stress. Its fairly addictive and must have a magnetic power to people who want everything calm and chill. It has been flying around like an annoying fly. Even saying, "shoo fly! dont bother me" is not cutting it. Best way to cope...ugh let me know. The only way I know how is to just deal with it. It wont last forever.

I am about to embark on a journey on the connections of the Old Testiment to the New Testiment. The visuals God used in the Old Testiment, and how Jesus (or whatever Jesus did or what he did casues) ties in together. Its fascinating so far. Im starting by reading the Tenahk (first five books of the Old Testiment) Im reading it in three translations: Messgae//Remix, New Living Trans., and the Complete Jewish Bible. Its pretty interesting.

My little corner of what God is showing me!

Faith. Hope. Love. why these three remain.

I have been reading in Isaiah, and I have found that God loves us. I have been reading Isaiah as if its me speaking to people who I care about. Like I was speaking to the interns of the Honor Academy, the people of my town, the people in my work place and where i worked, to my youth group, etc. To people i thoroughly cared about. Now...this gives me a tiny glimpse of how Isaiah felt, but an even tinier glimpse of how God felt.

In Isaiah 42:18-25, Isaiah is speaking the Words of God to Israel. He just spoke about a "new salvation" in verses 5-9. God is prophesying through Isaiah about salvation through Christ! Now, God is pleading with Israel! Check this out: at verse 18:

Pay attention! Are you deaf? Open your eyes! Are you blind? You're my servant, and your not looking! You're my messenger, and you're not listening.

God's love is so extreme here, He is making sure Isaiah is pay attention. He is spekaing of something so new and revolutionary, he wants Isaiah to be tracking. God continues,

The very people I have depeneded upon, servants of God, blind as a bat - willfully blind! You've seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You've heard everything, but listened to nothing.

Wow...this shows how you can "see" what God is doing, and miss it. Later on, it tells of how God wanted to be lavish in His revelation! He wanted the people to come back whole-heartedly. And the more He is doing this, the more He is conjuring up a "new salvation" for Israel to truly bring people back. He desired so much more!! A few verses on:

But is anyone out there listening? Is anyone paying attention to what's coming?

I always thought it meant the impeding doom. Always. But lets think about this...God is asking if the people have paid attention to what just happened. What did just happen? The impeding judgments!! Doom came and destoryed them. But i am beginning to feel Isaiah wasnt implying the people to look to the doom that is coming. He asked them to lok at the "servant" who will be bathed in the Spirit. The "new salvation". WHOA! God gave hope to the people, and He is asking if theyjust heard what God said. They were too busy about what happened and so concerned with that...they are about to miss the hope that is promised!! God is desperately trying to get there attention!
It continues:

Who do you think turned Jacob over to the thugs, let loose the robbers on Israel? Wasn't it God Himself, this God against whom we've sinned - not doing what he commanded, not listening to what He said? Isn't God's anger that's behind all this...Their whole world collapsed but they still didn't get it; their life is in ruins but they don't take it to heart.

Ok...God said this happened to them because they didn't obey them. He is now trying to console them. He is saying, "You know what did this?...your sin!" He is trying to get them to turn back faithfully and look towards the hope that is coming! The hope...its about the hope isnt it? God asked his people to have faith in this prediction, because the other ones came true! Haha, God is trying to grab there attention. He is giving reasons to believe what He says will happen!! He said "If you do not follow me, such and such will happen" and sure enough...they did not follow and such and such happened! He now is saying, "Ok...I told you it will happen, now why wont you fully believe me when I say HOPE IS COMING!?" I can imagine God shaking their bodies, slapping them in the face (to wake up slap), waving a hand in front of their eyes, checking to see if somebody is home or if they are just comatose.

Funny huh? God is more personified if we thnk about it. Emotions are great, because they bring things to life! God has emotions. He has anger, love, sadness...he has them...why do we imagine Him speaking monotone, or always angry, or just...uninteresting? He is saying, in his Old Testiment "visual" way, FAITH HOPE AND LOVE WILL REMAIN! THESE THREE REMAIN!!!! THESE THREE!

Now...if we believe that Jesus is who He says He is, did what He said He did, and lived how its told He loved...Why dont we believe the rest of the book?

May you come to see that God gives us hope. May you come to find that God wants our faith because He does what He says. May you come to discover the Love that He has, which ultimately drives Him to bring hope and give us reason for faith.