Day 11-12: Genesis 34:1-Exodus 4:31

Last night, I was at my volunteer position until midnight; then I came home. After going to bed at around 2 in the morning, I had a nightmare last night about being swarmed  by army ants. The nightmare woke me up at around 7:30am, so I decided that I was feeling too uncomfortable to go back to sleep. I decided to get my reading done for the day and to catch up on the reading that I missed out on yesterday.

Yesterday, I was busy trying to get registered with a Canadian federal program that finds jobs for recent university graduates. I got absorbed into it, so I didn't get a chance to do the reading for the day. I took my Bible to my volunteer position thinking that I may be able to get it done there. It was really interesting because this organization is a secular but open LGBTTI*-friendly facility (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Two-Spirited, Inter-sexed, and any other person who doesn't fit into traditional categories of gender or sexual orientation). Usually, discussion of all things about Christianity or God, as in the Judeo-Christian version of God, can be heated at best. So, I was nervous bringing my big study Bible there but thought that the worst that would happen is that they would ask me to put it away so that others didn't feel uncomfortable or something.

Quite the contrary happened. Other staff and volunteers saw me reading, and they started asking me questions. Why was I doing it? How was the read? They told me of their own experience with the Bible and a little bit about their take on faith. The general impression I got was that many had not read the Bible. Most had tried reading some of it, got frustrated because it was boring or offensive, and then they put it down. Most said they tried reading through the whole thing cover to cover and got very frustrated. I did connect with one guy though. He mentioned that he recently finished reading the New Testament and found it very interesting. He asked me why I was doing it. I said that I was doing it along with my church because I have never read the Bible before and thought I should know what is in this book. I should know what the book of my faith is all about.

In this way, I got to share a little about my faith with these people. There were about five or six of them in the room. They all heard that I was a Christian and that I was trying my best to read through the Bible. I didn't want to pressure any of these people. After all, we're under enough pressure as it is, helping counsel people who call in on crisis, suicide, sexual assault, and other phone lines. But I feel like a seed has been opened. Many of the people there were really interested and open to hearing about my experience with the Word. They wanted to know about what I thought of it and what I was learning. I told them that I'm seeing a lot of narrative teaching so far, where a lot of the stories point toward God as righteousness and that they often stray from that. I told them about how, for the first time, I'm noticing patterns, like the pattern of two kin, one committing her or himself to God while the other lives a sinful life devoid of seeking God. I feel like a barrier was brought down. I'll let God minister to these people as God sees fit, whether it is direct, through me, or through someone else, but it was really cool to see how God seemed to bless those moments that we were able to talk.

People really opened up. One person told me about his experience with Christianity. I was not expecting him to be so vulnerable. Usually, he uses a lot of humour to hide behind his very critical statements of certain issues, often religious. He told me that he tried getting into Christianity and reading the Bible, but never felt comfortable because of his "Zealot of a grandmother". He reacted to his grandmother's condemning ways, feeling that, if God really loved a person, He would love them exactly for who she or he was. So, he became an atheist and has been vocal about it ever since I knew him. I talked to him a little about what I was reading and shared how I'm trying to read this Bible both to see what I learn, but mostly just to read it, because as a person of faith, I should learn this book. I will be praying for that person. I hope you will as well.

Maybe a seed has been planted.

Today was the end of Jacob's (Israel's) and Joseph's story, and the beginning of Moses' story. It made sense for the most part. I always love the way God reveals himself to Moses. "I will be who I will be". The denial of a name. Pure potential and actuality. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the God that I love to think about, to talk about.

I was confused, though. I know that Moses was reluctant. Several times he tells God that maybe God should find someone else to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After all, Moses killed a guy. God finally says He'll use Aaron to speak for Moses. I thought, "OK, so we have a compromise here." Then in Exodus 4:24, God tries to kill Moses. His mother saves Moses' life only when she grabs Moses, grabs a flint knife, and circumcises him. I am sure that Moses is not a young boy at this point. Two things. I know God was upset, but KILL MOSES? And why would his mother straight up lop his foreskin off so graphically? YIKES!

This Bible is full of drama. That's for sure.

Till tomorrow!