Game Plan
For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. Deuteronomy 32:47 NASB
Idle word – Good morning! Welcome to the thirteenth year of Today’s Word. After the personal journey of 6410 posted studies of Scripture, I have noticed a few things. I’ve noticed that the investigation of some doctrines, particularly those closest to the distinctiveness of Christianity, has generated more comments and more division than anything else. These include the Lutheran idea of law versus grace, the application of kosher rules today, the examination of worship practices and, of course, the Trinity. While I am not surprised, I must admit I am a bit discouraged. Why? Because none of these topics are truly about drawing closer to God. They are topics laced with proof texts, theological arguments and paradigm explanations. But they aren’t filled with an intense desire to seek His presence. At least that’s what I see. So I would like to take a different approach this year, an approach that I believe is necessary for all of us. I intend to step away from the theological and move toward the spiritual.
Yes, I realize that for some of us (me included, once upon a time), theology was spirituality. I’ve spent a great deal of my life in the cognitive world of theology. But I’ve discovered that life doesn’t happen in my mind. All those years left me empty, dissatisfied and alone. Jonathan Sacks pointed out that in the Greek world truth is a system. I am well versed in system. But, as Sacks notes, in Hebrew thinking truth is a story. And stories involve real people in real circumstances. Stories are not mental exercises or abstract principles. When I read the Bible as a story, I find that the men and women in those pages have just as many struggles as I do, are just as misunderstood, just as lonely and just as desperate for the presence of YHVH. In other words, the Bible becomes my story because I am connected to the real people in it. The Bible is a record of the encounter of men and women with their Creator. It turns out to be unpredictable, unnerving, glorious, hideous, frightening and consoling. Just like the way I experience life. In fact, unless I look with theological glasses, I really don’t find much theology. What I find are God’s gracious forgiveness, His explicit instructions and His unwavering faithfulness. What I find is that He doesn’t give up on me.
I want to know the stories of the people of the Bible because I want to know their God. I don’t expect to find lots of perfectly clear answers. I think I am OK with that. Life seems to have fewer perfectly clear answers than I expected. But what I know is this: answers are not substitutes for relationships. I would rather be loved than be right.
Moses told the people what he reveled in from the Lord was not req. The Hebrew word means empty, worthless, and unfulfilled. In other words, what YHVH gave His people were instructions with the explicit purpose of providing a life of meaning, fulfillment and value. That’s what I want. Maybe you do too.
Topical Index: req, empty, unfulfilled, idle, answers, doctrine, story, Deuteronomy 32:47
INTRODUCTION: Who is Skip Moen?
A few weeks ago I was the guest on a local television show. The interviewer asked me about my background, my development and approach to Scripture and where I am headed. You might enjoy the result if you want to know a bit more about me. Here’s the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHJhXUhaMsY
OR you can just CLICK HERE.
Hello folks. For the past few months I’ve been interested in the ,(memra)( I think that’s the way it’s spelled) anyway it’s what is spoken when that is applied to God’s word especially when it is repeated he’s trying to tell us something. Aurgroup for the last week we’re looking at the word light, most of us know that light refers to the Messiah and Messiah refers to Yeshua, amazing revelation he is everywhere.. I hope this fits the new criteria. To know him is to love him. Shalom
Hello again to direct the discussion somewhat . first started referencing from John chapter 1 where it is mentioned that Yeshua is the light and this light was the life of man then John comes to Bear witness to that light thank you. If we could stay in context of light equaling life.
Good morning Brett, I’ve endeavored over the last years too look at the scriptures (especially Genesis) from a “picto-graphic” perspective in an attempt to understand the terms as used in the original intent. I tell you that, not to qualify myself but, rather, that you understand the approach used. That being said, I’ve found the difficulty is in applying the core value of the term in its various extensions, as it’s a bit more “open” than most would like. In “light” of that, here’s “some” considerations.
There are a number of ways to read the term, as there are all terms, but without going into it in depth, I’ll use a straight forward approach combining the 3 “pictures” in the order given with the “center” picture taking dominance. The term is ‘spelled out” as, aleph-vav-rosh. Assuming some familiarity on your part with these things, aleph is pictured as an ox or bull, and can mean a leader, father, or something that exhibits a strength. The commonality exists in the act of initiating, as in a father initiating a family or the ox as pulling the plow. The 2nd picture is a vav which is pictured as a stake or nail that holds 2 things together and designates “a connection”, which is why it’s often translated as and or but. Significantly, it’s stands in the center of this term. Finally, the final rosh, which is probably the most confused and least understood of all the “pictures” given. It’s pictured as a man or the head of a man and can mean a leader or “highest” (in order) but fundamentally has to do with the ability to influence another thing, as in a leader influences (taints) those whom he leads, and is shown as such in the term, rosh mem, or poisoned waters. So putting all these together, we have, to initiate a connection in order to influence, with connection being the dominant theme. If that’s a bit unclear, what light in the natural realm does is exactly that. When light is turned on or given, what it DOES is makes a connection (initiate) between 2 or more things and allows adjustment or influences the interaction between them. Think lego left in the dark hallway in the middle of the night and turning on the light changes your walking path. It’s interesting that anything that can’t or is unwilling to make that connection isn’t by definition alive, and THAT shows us the connection between light, life and the Messiah. I’ll leave you and your group to draw out from here as it could get pretty lengthy (er) however, I hope this may generate discussion and add some understanding to your search.
Hi Skip, i’ve just returned from a trip to Florence, where i ‘saw’ this whole foundational thing with ‘the church’ and our culture, and now your video is teaching me more about it. Thank you . God’s timing.
I, too, favor where the journey is headed.
Stay the course!
Wonderful! I look forward to exploring and sharing the path of life and the collective discovery of the relationship that is torah.
. I think that topics like “the examination of worship practices and, of course, the Trinity” has everything to do with drawing near to God. How do I worship God, who do I worship, how do I relate to Yeshua and the Father if Yeshua is not God? For someone who has been relating to the Trinity in prayer and worship for decades, these topics have big practical and spiritual implications, and I would love for us to talk more about these.
I welcome the the “move toward the spiritual” and am really looking forward to this year’s TWs. Let’s all draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. Let’s share our stories, learn from each other, and spur each other on in our quest for God and in repairing the world. Skip, thanks for making this possible, for your sacrifices and hard work/studies, and investment in so many people.
Amen, Skip! I was led, by the Spirit of YHWH to read Deuteronomy 32 last night? This past year after seeing much division even from those who have left the”church” I was given grace to extend grace and love others where they are on their journey. Many doors and opportunities open to share with those truly seeking. Thank you for helping us understand and be ready when those opportunities arise. And thank you for sharing with us the opportunities to help others in need! Shalom shalom!
Great video interview. Thanks Skip. I look forward to your directional change that I pray brings us closer together instead of promoting divisions that do not bring revelations about God’s love for us or for His creation.
I said tears would flow, I didn’t know they would be mine!
The way of a man with a woman” the mystery of how he wins her heart-
Skip, you think you are searching for God, but compared to His heart, He is running the show and you are the object of His unfailing affection. Like the research and development of all new technology, even though it is not really “new”, just “newly discovered”, eventually, the rubber has to meet the road in “real time”. Then it is disruptive and realities (paradigms) shift with the light of understanding.
This is going to be a great year of discovery, let’s meet with the Living God in real time and change the world with a message of who He really is!!
Can we call you a mystic? 🙂
I hope I don’t end up being a mystic. Mystics are, by definition, those who have had an encounter but find that they cannot communicate it. That would mean I stop writing, as Aquinas did when he encountered the living God. Would be great for me, but might leave everyone else in the dark.
Skip, I am so happy to see the link connected to this email. I watched it the other day and it is such a good introduction to you, this website and all Judeo-Christianity religions. Notwithstanding that I think the spiritual vs. theological approach to this study program has a universal appeal. I know it always has been neutral, but some people don’t see it that way. This could be a game changer for many. It certainly has been for us.
This leaves me both excited and saddened. Excited because this “relationship stuff” is what I so desperately need. I am good with the systems, I must admit I am 99 and 44/100 percent pure Greek in my mind! (not to be discouraged, it used to be 100% so I am gaining ground) I know I need relationship in my life more desperately than I need food. So bring it on, Skip. Help us unravel the relationships in our scriptures.
Saddened because this forum offers a unique, safe place to discuss debate and ponder issues, doctrines, and paradigms that is not found elsewhere. How do we learn and have hope of changing incorrect beliefs if we do not share with and debate with others of a differing mind? I hope we get to visit such topics on occasion.
Skip, may YHVH bless you and keep you as you continue to share your journey! You are loved!
Never fear. I am also a “system” thinker and I doubt I can move very far in the direction of relationship without getting sidetracked into a system discussion. There will be plenty of both.
People seem to live in a world wherein in what they KNOW has become who they are.
Their ability to out word, out source, out text reference has become their personal definition of who they are.
When one can respond confidently “I am >insert name< child of the Most High, and LIVE knowing that is enough…..the debates may stop.
Life begins at the foot of the throne.
Awesome!
Sounds like a great game plan to me. Bring it on!!
To add a thought on to what bcp said, theology, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing. It’s where it’s placed in our lives that makes the difference. To attempt an analogy, we’ve all heard the continuing rhetoric of, “let’s make America great again”. The problem I see with that statement is that “greatness” is a result, not a driving force. To become great, requires the doing of great things, good things. To bring that to bear as the driving force, results in chaos, perhaps because greatness is defined so differently by so many different people. It’s the same with theology, as a conclusion of other things (like living life and observing) it has a proper place. If we place theology as a driver……..chaos. It can’t be helped.
Gotta love those chicken and egg things, Robert. Form follows function, and theology is definitely form. If we try to insist that theology shape behavior, we only kill behavior. If we look at experience and then find the theology that fits that, it works much better. I look at Abraham’s experience on Mount Moriah. There is a tremendous amount of theology in that one story, and the world has not plumbed the half of it. Abraham had to leave the safety of the theology that he knew (Isaac was to be the heir) to obey, and in the process not only confirmed the theology he only THOUGHT he knew before, but acted out a much larger picture for the rest of us that went far beyond what he could even understand.
I think understanding is the tail on the donkey – much better at swishing flies than deciding on the course. If we insist on always understanding first, there will never be room for faith, for there is no theology or doctrine that I have ever found that can define or delineate, much less encompass that faith we must live by, but I have seen many people brought to shipwreck by insisting on never moving out in faith one inch beyond what they THINK they believe. Obedience is not about what we believe as much as it is about Who we believe enough to “trust and obey”. We can have fun in eternity figuring out all the whys and wherefores. Later.
Love the focus, Skip!
I’ve continually wondered as to why tohue (tav-hey-vav) and bohue (bet-hey-vav) is translated and is intended to designate “chaos and void” or emptiness and vanity as it doesn’t work as a pictograph. In other words you can’t make it say empty or chaos or vanity. However, there’s another way that words are read in Hebrew that doesn’t have so much to do with function as it has to do with motion, or showing motion, and I’ve actually came across it a number of times elsewhere. That being said, here’s the consideration that applies to this discussion. The H-U part of T-H-U shows something in a state of becoming or being formed as the previous word that is translated “was” is Hey-Yod-Tav-(Hey) in a slightly different form. Notice that the tav in the translation of was is at the end of the word and “voila” it actually “becomes” a reality as “was existent” The tav placed at the beginning makes it the driver, so to speak. You can picture it like this, all the “things” were there, and they were “happening” (land, water, electrical storms?) but an order wasn’t applied to reach a conclusion or to “form” something functional. That, is why it’s described as chaos and void. I know that’s a bit technical, but if you consider this it tells us that God has imposed an order on chaos that makes possible all the things that we take for granted in this creation, and it also tells us that the chaos hasn’t been removed but only rearranged for the benefit of God and man. I’m beginning to understand the concept of repairing the world, only because I’m beginning to understand what breaking the world means as well. Not walking in His order, breaks down that order and eventually leads to the chaos that’s already there. In the Septuagint that’s translated as the abbys and in the Hebrew it’s the deep, but walking in His order leads to The Kingdom of God. Tav.
Love! Chaos Theory encapsulated and a big wad of chewing gum that will last me the rest of my day! Thank you, Robert. As usual.
Robert,
Since I’m not sure where exactly you’re coming from, I offer the following.
I don’t know Hebrew, but I know a little Greek. Inherent in the verbal system of most (all?) languages is aspect, and I’ve studied this with respect to Koine Greek. Most languages have at least two aspects (some three, some more). In Linguistics, the terms most commonly used are perfective and imperfective, which, I’m pretty sure correlates to (we)qatal and yiqtol. Perfective aspect describes the action of the verb as a whole, simplisticly, in summary, without consideration of its progression: She wrote. or She writes.
Imperfective aspect describes the action as in progress: She was writing. or She is writing.
Taken at first glance, these sentences seem to say pretty much the same thing; however, the first examples depict the action in summary, the second as a process. The perfective aspect is used when you wish to just make a point and move on; it’s great for narrative: this happened, then that happened. On the other hand, imperfective aspect is used to draw the reader in: “As he was opening the door of the abandoned house, he heard noises at the far end of the hall.” The choice of imperfective aspect draws attention to the action – one mentally pictures the door opening.
Jesus’ multiplying the loaves of bread is a great example. Matthew (14:19) chooses to provide a summary view of Jesus’ distribution of the multiplied bread and fish to the 5000 by using the perfective aspect (He gave), while Mark (6:41) chooses to highlight the actual progression of this miracle by using the imperfective aspect (He was (kept) giving), focusing on the process of Jesus multiplying and handing out the bread. It’s the exact same event, just a different focus is provided by the writer. The use of the imperfective aspect does not mean that the giving out of the bread continues on, just that Mark chose to focus on Jesus’ giving out the bread.
I use the above illustration because I’ve seen quite a few make too much of the aspect of a verb, imposing something on it based on an inaccurate view of aspect. I’m not saying you are – I don’t know Hebrew – but as something to consider just in case.
On the other side, some claim that the perfective aspect means that an action happened at a point in time, as in “He kicked the ball”. It can be used in this manner; however, Romans 5:14 is an excellent example that it’s not always the case: death reigned from Adam to Moses. This “reigning” of death was a LONG time! Paul is not focused on the action’s process/progress; he’s just making a summary statement about the reign of death.
I’ll only say this, one of the things that I’ve run across in attempting to get to the basics of things, is that the modern forms of language just don’t coincide with the way original languages worked. That is to say that the “tenses” don’t exist, as an example, insofar that they are hard and fast. As an example, we read “in the beginning creat (ed) Elohim”…. but the yod that we take as a past tense form in “he said” isn’t there. That’s a modern construct. When you read it pictographical, it says something quite different. All that being said, it’s part of the searching I engage in, and though I may not understand a thing at first, it most often comes to bear much later, but it won’t do much good to caution me (though I greatly appreciate everyone’s concern) in regards to the technics of modern language application, because I don’t read it that way.
I just went back and read this and I noted that the part concerning cautioning me, could be taken as a bit snippy, I want you to know that it’s not what I intended if you read it as such. It was only a statement concerning my approach to reading scripture that most don’t understand. Forgive me if I unintentionallty offended.
I didn’t take it that way at all. No harm, no foul. But I appreciate the concern of unintentionally offending.
One of the unfortunate byproducts of our modern PC culture is that it seems many want to be offended, giving them an excuse to ‘play the victim’. That’s a shame, as it can make discourse very difficult – everyone must walk on eggshells. I like Clint Eastwood’s attitude about that…
Shalom Robert, I so appreciate that sort of humility, apologising instead of defending, no matter if intentional or otherwise.
You are never offensive! Todah!
opps! forgot this part.
I’ve been trying to find some time to make good on my promise to you concerning tohue and bohue, and haven’t been able. But, here’s a good time and place for it as it’s relevant to the topic, and perhaps, someone else will benefit from it as well.
Thanksh. Its hard to talk wif yer mouf full but I’m already chewing. The chaos had to be there for free choice, right? The opportunity to mess up had to be built in up front. Chaos Theory explains this very well. I wonder and wonder about that Lamb before the Throne and if that chaos is being held in existence by that Body interposed between it and its own destruction long enough for us to get back in our drivers’ seats where we were created to be. Jush wondering.
If I may I seem to be stuck to the meaning of “confusion” or “commotion”. After all God brings order to disorder to generate a new being or lifestyle in Christ…
Seeker, are you asking if that is so, or are you finding that it is so? I am asking what have you noticed in your life that demonstrates that (your second statement)? And if you have yet to find that part, what would you think it most likely to be like? I want to know what it looks like to you! I also want to ask what do you think the essential difference between “confusion” or “commotion” is, vs. chaos, if you think there is any? Thanks! Still seeking myself…
Paddling in my wrecked raft on the untamed sea, on an uncharted course…
I was actually commenting that the translation makes more sense when chaos is not put in the equation but rather confusion that results in a lot of commotion with seemingly no worth,,,
What I have found is that we know less the more we seek, when we start trusting our confusion (lack of insight or knowledge) stops us from following commotion and vibes (dogmatic indoctrination) and then the deeds of others make sense as they are directing me in the right direction rather than creating great waves of more confusion.
Void and without form has been introduced to me as without purpose and substance.
Something like a new born’s brain a sluggish substance that gets form and shape the more the baby actually responds to the electrical discharges. In doing this the brain gains binding links that will always result in the same movement throughout its life which in later life we link to knowledge… To try and create sensible conduct that takes us somewhere…
God created the earth to be filled and inhabited as he created us to be filled with his wisdom and knowledge. Both the planet and our soul only grow when we put words into action as does the earth maintain its course by fixing its deficiencies through natural disasters which are not chaos but commotion being made into sense…
If this makes any sense…
Hi Seeker, I hear what you’re saying. What I was attempting to convey above is perhaps, more simply said in this. Any pursuit of a thing, simply for the sole purpose of attaining it will eventually end in disaster. If I engage in business to solely attain wealth, I may end up with some money, or a lot of money, but I’ll miss the wealth part. If I engage in business for a service (ministry) to provide a product that’s lacking, I may make some money or a lot of money. If I endure in that endeavor, I’ll have true wealth, because I’m dealing with people not numbers. That’s just a picture. The driving factor (intention) is most important to maintaining and increasing order, or returning to formless and void. You’re correct in your statement concerning deficiencies, it’s for the purpose of cleansing.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Robert
Thank you for the explanation I agree with your view as I lost all doing exactly what you are discribing, mind you with prayer and support of my religious leaders except one who told me from the beginning what I want to do is not who I am.
Do I regret it no, our mistakes make us what God needs we share with others so that all can grow.
This even changed my view on prayer and made me appreciate Matt 6 and James 1+2 even more.
What. I do regret is not listening to a honest opinion, but preferred begin supported by the crowd.
Thanks for the addition, Robert, and i agree. It’s only by the personal self examination and living of what each person’s core beliefs are that ‘greatness’ comes about.
Yesterday i happened upon a post here where the author ‘affirmed’ Skip in a number of ways, Skip’s response of embarrassment and humility would (in my humble (or not) opinion) the definition of what it takes to make any thing ‘great’. Just living what you believe, adding action to what one THINKS about, walking line upon line, precept upon precept….this will equal ‘greatness’, but it’s the humility at the core of it that makes it sustainable.
I’m just not sure “America”, by and large, had the humility or that core.
So it is, in my mind, with theology.
There {b} is {b} a place for theology, but it’s [I]not{i} to be the driving force. imo
>sigh< Foiled again. Craig's got me thrashed on his expressive font capabilities.
Imma stick to cookies. ?
you forgot the forward slashes at the end. 🙂
Replace your brackets with these: < (both left and right pointing; they're below the K and L on your keyboard, using the shift key). Then put a forward slash to close.
[b]bold[/b]
I’ve put the proper coding between the “[b]” and the “[/b]” so it disappears, resulting in the bold you see. You must open the section you wish to bold or italicize with left pointing arrow, then b (or i), then right arrow, closing the section the same way except placing a forward slash just before the b (or i).
Once you get it, you’ll think “DUH!” – just like I did initially.
seriously obsessed
If this doesn’t work imma do a whole post experimenting w/different brackets till if find the ones that work.
You got it!
I DO!!! [b][i]I DO!![/b][/i]!!!!
back to my wine.
You’ve got the correct basic formatting (you obviously wanted to bold and italicize I DO!! above), just be sure to always use the left and right arrows in place of the brackets. Just do it before you imbibe too much wine…
Actually, the wine is my go to stress reliever stand by joke, mostly because of the word hidden in it WINe.
Every time i walk my integrity, i win, even if no one around me understands what i’m doing.
I work today, so i have to practice later. Thank you for your steadfast support in my quest to WINe over fonts.
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
I’m off to a celebratory glass of wine.
Heh….you all catch my 2nd paragraph?
I actually DO understand the concept of “Nephesh”. #justsayin
Watched that interview last week- So ready to continue this journey with you
Hi Skip, loved the video. By the way, thinking about what you talked about there with regard to wealth and what God put on the prophets vs those that couldn’t bare handling God’s heart (wealthier for example) – would you say though based on Biblical history, the people ended up having to experience what the prophet’s experienced eventually? That prophet’s were like the front line of God bringing consequences on His people for their disobedience. That eventually, the people had to walk through what the prophet’s went through. And today, like in other times, people may want to avoid doing all that God wants, but eventually the consequences catch up with them, as in our society today. We are dealing with the consequences of not following God’s ways?
Skip, thank you! Thank you! I was wrestling with God just this morning about “I would rather be loved than right”, in regards to some family relationships. Thank you for listening to the Spirit, and for so graciously sharing with us. I am looking forward to more feeling and fewer mental gymnastics. 2017 is going to be amazing!
A direction I believe that the Ruach haKodesh is leading all of us… while theology isn’t bad in and of itself, it CAN end relationships…and that is most probably ‘our’ fault for allowing it to do so. Through this journey of ‘finding truth’ I’ve seen so many relationships ruined and devastated that I just now had posted a blog somewhat on this subject. It is time to not set our ‘theology’ and what >I< think is 'right' and rather lift my brother/sister up, encourage each other, heal each other … and bring love and mercy and grace back into the relationship. Then we will 'know' God… at least imho that is what it is going to take to 'walk with my God'.
I'm excited to see this vein of the journey begin!
Skip, I’m really looking forward to participating in this journey of the heart with this community and seeing how our individual stories that are tucked into God’s bigger story of Himself will change us and make us look more like HIM as we participate together to live life HIS WAY! I like you enjoy finding the answers to the Why, How, When, What questions but can tend to miss the journey of relating with HIM and others. My goal this year is to bring pleasure to HIM and bless others! Bless you this year and I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.
“I intend to step away from the theological and move toward the spiritual.”
Skip just out of curiosity Moving towards spiritual…
I have heard many views on spiritual understanding;
Hidden meaning – Trees are people, Animals are human attitudes, Light is understanding, Darkness is inclination to disobedience etc
Intended message – How will this apply to my current situation
Biblical code – From the number 17 to the number 19, Time Cycle of 14 generations, Every 39th word to be reconstructed in a sentence, Every so-much letter of the so-much word spells out the correct intended word etc apparently
Exegesis – very similar to hidden meaning
Gnosticism – All to do with the unseen realm Darkness versus Light and how these impact on our thoughts and actions
Fruit of Spirit – It is all about establishing these to determine our spiritual freedom
Will of God – Time frame, Interaction level with humans, Dispensation theory, Law versus Grace etc
Sacrificing own will to follow God’s will – A view you also referred to during your TV interview
Listening to your interview and your view on Hebraic timeline I get the impression your view on spiritual may be more about growth in the wisdom of God by starting with the Torah towards the freedom to help others gain more insight into the will of God rather than just Torah obedience… If this be true I trust we will be in for an enlightening surprise.
May God provide you the wisdom to differentiate between exegesis and spiritualism, flesh and spirit, spiritual gifts versus natural talents…
By the way I love your view on the Beatitudes – it speaks of spiritual enlightenment.
Loved the interview and excited about the new direction too
I’m looking forward to another year of TW’s! Thank you Skip, and everyone else for all you’re provoking insights. I’m especially looking forward to this year’s “Game Plan”.
Good afternoon, Skip, and Shalom New Year from Portsmouth, VA!!
Administrative point – this is my inaugural comment to you and your on-line community here @AtGod’sTable after following for a few months since getting plugged in electronically last fall. I’ve been following you through the Virginia Beach live community for about four years.
I’m reminded of the joke about the search for “the wisdom of the ages.” It’s a Greek joke, obviously. The way it gets told and received it MUST be spelled out “THE Wisdom of the ages.” It’s “Wisdom” because it’s the salient thing to have. Being salient, all other things pale in comparison. Being “THE Wisdom,” it becomes not just salient, but paramount. All other things no longer only pale, they become moot – inconsequential, even non-existent. The only thing that matters at all is “THE Wisdom!” All else is refuse in the way of getting there. And, what do we do with trash? Most of us just throw it away. I mean why pays attention to it – it’s trash! It’s in the way of our getting THERE!! Throw it OUT! It’s just TRASH!!**
You’ve taught us relentlessly that life isn’t defined by “getting there,” but rather by the journey there. When we live only to find “THE Wisdom,” we throw out everything that isn’t THE answer, even when what we throw out includes all the people and relationships we’re supposed (i.e. the Will of God) to have along the way.
It seems that we humans tend to treat theology in a similar way. Somehow, we expect that God has just one, or maybe two or three salient-tending-paramount features that define him; and all the rest are trash, so we throw them out. Yet perhaps, if god is all knowing, if God is eternity past through eternity future (and probably, by reasoning, eternity PRESENT also!), if He is truly infinite – then could it be that ALL (and more!) of these salient/paramount aspects of Him are true, rather than just one or two!? Rather than be the end all, beyond which all is heresy (I mean, Yeshua SAYS not to add a tittle!), perhaps all these denominational landmarks are truly each just one HUGE yet tiny aspect of God’s nature, each one of which, by itself, let alone one of (an infinite?) many, is truly worthy of our awe and praise.
Just thinkin’ . . . .
By the way (I’m an old fart, but I know what BTW means!), in case one reading hasn’t heard the punch line as to WHAT was “THE Wisdom of the ages,” here IT is!! There ain’t NO FREE LUNCH!!! It’s going to take a lot of pain and suffering to do it the way the the LORD designed!
Peace in Unity with you, Brother Moen!! And peace in Unity with you all @AtGod’sTable!!!
Ken
** As and aside, for four years, once upon a time, I fed myself, my dog and my truck on the trash that other people threw away. Literally. TRUE STORY, in America, with witnesses! Before you think I’m crazy, think some more about it. . . .
Shalom, Ken! Thank you for sharing your break through in circumstances, and pretty sure spiritual as well.
Your comment IS interesting! Looking forward to hearing more from you.
Just finished listening to the show. Great job Skip! Thank you!
I started reading Skip’s blog way back when because he challenged just about everything I had been taught. As time went on and I studied his writings I could see that what I had trusted in was not exactly what was taught in the Bible. I’m glad I had an opportunity to examine some long held assumptions, and in the process, my own relationship with YHVH got much deeper. Thats all Skip’s doing, and I am, and will eternally be, grateful for the opportunity to have the chance to read this blog.
I am glad to hear of this shift Skip.
Hi Skip, If our purpose as the “Episcopal Book of Prayer ” sugested “Is to know YHVH and enjoy him forever ” It seems to me that “knowing ” would tend to be both very personal and very intimate. It also seems to me that much of theology is more about defining in a quest to understand rather than experianceing and hence knowing. I have heard the Bible described as the “journal” of YHVH’s walking with his people Isreal. I like that… It really is I think more about walking with, than thinking about Him. We engage our whole being in walking if we are paying attention. A pastor of mine called me a mystic, not really sure what you or he meant with that word. If it has anything to do with an appreciation of the mystery that is inherent in walking through life in an intimate relationship with an unseen but ever present spiritual guide and friend I’m good with it. But of course all truth must be balenced in grace and reality or it is not the truth of YHVH and yes that is revealed only accurately in his word and way. As he declared to me once “My word is the light, My Spirit the way”. May your growing focus on His Spirit reveal even greater understanding of Himself as revealed in His word!
Hi Skip and God be with us in 2017!
Before the week, month or year is out, we will all say I would rather be loved than right, then find ourselves faced with the paradigm questions from something we experience in our lives be it a word said, something read, heard or experienced. It seems to be cyclical this thing of theology versus story. I had an experience over the holidays where the endeavor was made to reach out and express hope toward another who most definitely embraces a different perspective from mine. It went ignored. That’s okay because my wish was to love someone without expecting something back. Yes, humanly it would have been nice to get the something back but not necessary. I think the folk who make the most noise about keeping Torah or I would rather be loved than right, might be the ones who have the most difficulty with those very things, nine fingers pointing at myself.. Yes, it is a journey we are on, and glad to be traveling with each of us! I benefit more from how to travel tips rather than someone’s proven theory on travel modality.. That ends up in isolationism.. That leads to loneliness and addictive desires. Not wanted this year!
David Russell
I watched the interview. Thank-you for posting the link.
I’d also love it if you shared a few good historical references, for example, of the cultural changes that took place in 200 AD Rome. Many of the sources I’ve run across have a Marxian perspective in my opinion, i.e., they see empires almost entirely through materialistic perspectives.