Beyond lip service. Jonah 1:2,3.

Scripture.

The Word of the Lord came to Jonah, "Get up and go to Nineveh ..."
And so Jonah got up and went ... in the opposite direction.

I admit it. I love that bit. I can imagine those who told the story of Jonah, pausing for effect before delivering the punchline ... Jonah didn't go to Nineveh, but ran away. I can imagine the delight of the listeners, especially the children.

Contrast Jonah with Hosea: When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, he said to him, “Go marry a prostitute ..." So Hosea married Gomer ...(Hosea 1:2a, 3a).

Observation.
From the moment of Jonah's refusal to obey God's word to him, it's downhill. He went down to Joppa, "went down into it[the ship]", went below, and finally went down into the sea, to the depths.

It's pretty easy to predict that running away from what God wants me to do will lead to trouble. In spite of what we learn later about Jonah's motivation, the questions about what exactly he thought he could accomplish remain. He knew Yahweh is the God of Heaven who made the sea and the dry land, so where was he going? He knew that Yahweh was merciful, so why didn't he remember to pray until the last possible moment?

Application.
It's no surprise that Jonah floundered. But I too have been guilty of seeking refuge from what the Lord has in mind for me. So, let's say that for the next week, when it comes to a moment of decision, I'll remember Jonah.

Prayer.
God keep me from reaching a place in my life where getting swallowed by the big fish is rescue.
Amen.

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Baal -- 2010. Hosea 8:6.

Scripture.

They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf of Samaria. (Hosea 8:6 TNIV)

Observation.
Worshiping a metal calf. How absurd. Someone made it. It's not God. This is pretty easy to see in our time. Our culture doesn't base its satisfaction on such obvious little gods. A god of metal, in the image of a virile animal, promising pleasure?

No way.




Application.
What little gods do I fashion from time to time? From day to day? How about this one ... putting a higher value on receiving appreciation than on giving appreciation.

Prayer.
Lord, make the gods in my life as apparent as your statement to Israel, so the absurdity just makes them go poof. Amen.

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Scripture.

"Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds."

Observation.
These are hopeful words from the prophet who lived out God's role in restoration.

I remember several years ago when the economy had tightened up, and I joined many others who no longer had a job. Seemingly, there was always one of two reactions on the part of "Christians". Their faith was strengthened, or their faith broke down.

Crisis does that. "How could you let this happen to me, God? Where are you now, when I need you?" Instead of, "Help me to be patient God. To wait upon you. To know what to do next. To remember you are God all the time."

Israel deserved every bit of what was about to take place. But even as Hosea sounded out the judgment of God as a result of Israel's spiritual adultery, he affirmed that there remained a future hope of deliverance and restoration.

Application.
The invitation is there, all the time. We have to do the returning though. I have to do the returning. This is passage is about what John wrote in his letter -- return to God, confess your sins, and He is faithful to forgive. Amen to that.

Prayer.
Let my day begin with a commitment to follow the rabbi. Let my day end with confession of my missteps. Keep me to it, Lord.

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What happened to the soap?

So right after sharing in class that this blog exists, I came down with the crud going around (that's the official medical term for it).

But Sundays are the day on the schedule to catch up, so look below for the missing previous days.

And ... we'll continue the SOAP technique through Saturday, February 28th. Feel free to comment or share your own thoughts about the reading.

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A Choice. Deuteronomy 30:15,16a.

(This post is a real journal-type entry. It has stuff about me that I wouldn't normally post -- pretty much because it's boring and, well, personal -- that is, I'm now on the spot. But I want these articles to reflect an honest use of the S.O.A.P. technique, so I'm including it all.)

Scripture.
"Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and disaster on the other. What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances." (Deut. 30:15,16a)

Observation.
Just ahead of these words, Moses says, this isn't rocket science. And it really isn't. Two choices: one with a really good outcome, the other... not so much. Love your God, live how he wants you to live. So what's the problem?

Reading this reminded me of my experience when I first started to write some curriculum on how to study the Bible. Every time I worked along for a while, I reached a point where I couldn't go any further because I needed to lose weight. I'm not sure how I arrived at that conclusion, but each time I stopped writing. I didn't lose the weight, but I stopped writing the curriculum. Only to pick it up again later, and repeat the cycle. Somehow, I eventually got past the hang up of losing weight, wrote the curriculum, taught the class.

So here I am again. Two choices. Drop 40 pounds. A really good outcome. Better health, better sleep, etc. Or ...

Application.
Choice. Discipline. Transformation. Walking in God's ways is only fully accomplished by Him as our minds are transformed. I know a part of that transformation includes what I eat, how I take care of this body He made just for me. Can't walk with the Rabbi, or run the race to the end, in the shape I'm in. Choice. Discipline. Transformation. I need to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let this blog be a record of accountability.

Prayer.
God, help me to choose life and prosperity today. And each day. Let it include taking care of my physical well-being and recognition that you are Lord over all my life. Amen.

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Parched. Deuteronomy 29:19.

Scripture.
“When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.” This will destroy the watered ground with the parched." (Deut. 29:19)

Observation.
In this chapter, Moses begins his third speech. Once more, he briefly reviews their history, and proclaims the covenant the people are making with the Lord their God in this new setting. Once again, there's the warning about being obedient, especially when it comes to worshiping other gods. It went something like this:

You know how it is. Miracles to get us here. Clothes and sandals that didn't wear out. The land on this side of the Jordan already divided up because God fought for us against the kings of Heshbon and Bashan. And now we're all here. All of us. And we agree to the Lord's terms, right? All of us.

And as a community, we need to help one another to stay obedient to the terms. We've seen the idol worship of others, detestable in God's sight. Don't let anyone, man, woman, family, let alone clan, or tribe, be lured away. And you know how they'll do it -- convincing themselves that they're special, immune from the commands, blessing themselves, while ruining us all.

I was struck by the phrase, "the watered ground with the parched." It's a great picture of what Moses is describing -- the effects of one or a few on the entire community.

But I am challenged, not by the effects, but by the description of the thought process of those who cause the destruction -- the ones with a stubborn spirit. That, I recognize in myself. Above the fray. Not really needing all the disciplines of obedience. Treading too often or too close to temptation. Or being unwilling to recognize the moments of failure.

Application.
Here's something that approaches being an idol in my life: XXXXXXXX (sorry, folks, this is personal).

Prayer.
Some days, Lord, I have a hard time with XXXXXXXX. Will you help me to see when it's happening? Help me to just walk humbly, in your ways. Amen.

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SOAP Week.

I'm going to post an entry every day this week, demonstrating the use of a journaling structure called SOAP. The basics of this structure have been around for a long time, but Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu has popularized this particular format including the acronym. Next week, I'll demonstrate/use a slightly different structure for journaling.

First, about journaling. One of the best ways to dig deeper into the text is to interact with it. There probably is no better way to do so than to keep a journal handy and spend a few minutes writing as you read, think, pray, etc. Some can do this mentally, others pray their way through the text, or mark up their Bibles. That's great if it works for you. The secret is to interact -- to spend time seeing what it is God would teach you in your reading for the day.

Here's what you need: Bible, writing instrument, journal/paper, time, a planner or other notebook. Leave a few blank pages at the front of your journal for a personal table of contents.

Begin your time by asking God to help you get what He wants you to get. If at any time in the middle of your study/reading/writing you are interrupted by thoughts of things you need to do, etc. stop and write them down in your planner or notebook, so you can go back to your study time. Record the scripture reference for the passage (like Deut. 28:1-48) and date of your reading. Leave room for a title. After you've finished, decide on a title, write it in the space you left, and add it to your table of contents. Oh yeah, make it a point to think back to your study during the day (or the next day if it was at night). Maybe even while you're applying what you wrote.

SOAP is an acronym for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Here's a link to the explanation on Cordeiro's website. It goes basically like this:

S is for Scripture. Read the entire passage for the day. Spend some time reviewing and thinking about it, and then write down the one or two verses that you especially responded to. Write it/them down.

O is for Observation. Look, think, and pray carefully about the verse(s) you've chosen. What is God teaching you? What do you notice in the verse(s)? Write it down.

A is for Application. Now make it personal. How does it apply to your life today? Is there a lesson, instruction, command, example, admonition, promise, etc. that you can apply in your life right now? Write it down. (hook adds here, that it may be just a truth that you need to remember, not a check box on a todo list -- "remember, God loves you.")

P is for Prayer. Write a prayer out that asks God's involvement in living out the scripture you've chosen. Then pray it.

Feel free to adapt these steps. In fact, when you look on the web, you'll find different people describing S.O.A.P., but not explaining it quite the same as Wayne has. They've probably adapted without even realizing it.

So, look for a post each day (it'll be end of the day) underneath this one, for my S.O.A.P. entries. And if you'd like, feel free to enter your own in the comments.

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Devastated. Deuteronomy 28:49-68.

Scripture.
“Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy." (Deut. 28:63 NLT)

Observation.
This was a hard passage to read. The line about the delicate woman ... was awful enough.

But God will find pleasure in destroying? That can't be right. Maybe I can find a more palatable translation. Nope.

Well ... I need to really think about this and see what God can show me. But what all these curses do show is that a commitment to God is dead serious. As I think about what it means to slam the door in Jesus' face when he knocks and asks to enter, I understand the blessing and curse choice. What about every day after that first choice?

Application.
Today, just like yesterday, I need to focus carefully on serving the Lord my God by being obedient to him.

Prayer.
God, will you open me up to understand who you really are? Let me see clearly what I need to do for that to happen. Amen.

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You're gonna have to serve somebody. Deuteronomy 28:47-48a.

Scripture.
47 If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. (Deut. 28:47-48a NLT)

Observation.
I know from other study that Deuteronomy follows a pattern similar to "suzerain treaties" of the Ancient Near East, and so I know this is a section to be expected - the blessings for following the treaty, and the curses for disobedience. But that knowledge doesn't prepare me for the raw statements of curse -- where every blessing listed before is turned upside down.

This verse, though, looks more like a universal law, like gravity, and not so much a curse. Gravity - if you stand on a bridge over a canyon you will enjoy the view, but if you step off ... you'll end up like Wile E. Coyote.

What really stands out is that God says that in this arrangement we begin in blessing, "for the abundant benefits you have received." Why in the world wouldn't I serve the Lord with joy and enthusiasm? (One way I might not was given earlier, in v. 14 - "You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.")

The other idea that stands out is that the choice is very black and white ... serve the Lord or serve my enemies. God is my friend, the one who wants the best for me.

Application.
Today, I need to focus carefully on serving the Lord my God by being obedient to him.

Prayer.
God, will you sound the alarm if and when I get off track today? Let me remember what you have taught as it applies to every thought, action, and encounter I have today, and to remember the abundant benefits you have provided. Amen.

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Starting Out Thoughts.

This article is primarily a place where you can add your thoughts as we begin a new year of reading and study. What are your goals? What do you hope will happen this year? What do you think about Deuteronomy? How did your 2008 reading work out?

It's easy to add a comment, so I hope you'll do so. I'll add my own thoughts on Saturday. Just click on the word, comments, at the end of the article.

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Where am I? What's next?

If you're new to "blogs", this website is one. A blog, short for weblog, is nothing more than a specialized website that is oriented around the publishing of articles, which are then displayed in reverse chronological order. In other words, the most recent article is at the top. Other features of blogs are that [usually] there is the opportunity for readers to respond to the articles by adding comments. At the end of each article you'll see a link to Comments, which you can follow to read the comments of others or add your own. Dialog is encouraged!

What about this blog, in particular? Well, it's oriented around the Bible reading plan that Beaverton Christian Church is providing to those who want to participate by spending a short time each day reading the selected passage(s) for that day. It's built around the theme, Jesus, the Law, and the Prophets. That theme describes the basics of the readings for the year, which are intended to provide more familiarity with Jesus, as understood and described in both the Old Testament law, and in the writings/sayings of the prophets. (There will be lots of opportunity to also learn more about the history of Israel and its special relationship to the God of the Bible, self-named, Yahweh.)

During the year, then, at a pace of about 5-10 minutes a day, six days a week, you'll read a narrative of Jesus' life, a letter from Paul about the relationship between the Law and Jesus, one of the major books of the Law, Deuteronomy, and nearly all of the books of the prophets. Each week, you'll also have one reading from the Psalms. At the top of the web page is a link to the reading plan. If you attend BCC, you can pick up a physical copy of the plan.

Other features of this site, include a box that has links to an online version of each day's reading, a place to sign up to receive the blog articles in email, so you don't have to check back here all the time, occasional polls to take, and, of course, articles to read and comment on. The articles will likely come about once a week, and, if nothing else, provide a place for you to comment on what you're reading. In addition, there will often be a "word of the day" or "word of the week" which will provide information about significant words in the reading. This information will include a transliterated version of the original language word, and one or more definitions of that word.

And who knows what else might pop up? Come back and find out.

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Happy New Year.

Here's to a prosperous year as followers of Jesus!

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