Early World Part One and Two

I found several things that I took away from the Early World sections the past two weeks

Looking at the whole of creation I was convicted to trust God a whole lot more!  The story of Adam and Eve and their lack of trust made me pause and realize how many times I tell God what I want and forget to trust in His divine plan.  This is my God that created everything!  He can take care of it all.

I know there are many theories out there about the details of Cain and Abel and their offerings.  There is so much to unpack in the story but it doesn’t give you much detail.  However, I was struck by the comment in the video that Cain “didn’t give God his best”.  I need to pay attention to giving God my best every day. Writing that sentence sort of made me cringe as I think of how many times I don’t think to give God my best.  That will be a lifelong journey!

The last thing I took away was showing my faith in God in words and deeds.  I know that it is important to study God’s word so that I know Who God Is.  But then it can be challenging to walk close enough to God so that I say and do what HE wants, not what I want. I don’t want a repeat of “let us make a name for ourselves” at the tower of Babel.   And that is my prayer, to remember to take a deep breath and think before I speak and act.  Those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding, and encouragement and consolation. 1 Corinthians 14:3

Summary: Session TWO--Early World Part 1

Ok, ready to move onward? Remember that in this incredibly fast-paced but densely packed session, we went from the Set-up, to the Fall, to the beginning of Salvation history! There's SO much here that we could literally spend EONS on just these three chapters!! BUT, alas! this is just an intro to our story. We are going to "alight" upon the key parts of God's marvelous work since the creation of the world (as Cavins used to say: "like a butterfly resting upon and tasting of a few flowers as it visits the many huge fields that lay before it"). This is all about God's work in His unfathomable desire to make ALL men and women HIS children!

Here we go: Bottomline Truths for Session TWO:

(note: these are the things that stood out most powerfully to ME! So please please please add your thoughts, your musings, your "pearls" and aha! moments in a new POST or a new COMMENT!! I'm BEGGING you!!!)

Q1:  ONE CREATOR: ONE GOD FROM WHOM ALL THINGS WERE MADE 

Other Truths brought forth were that His WORDS are LIFE, POWER, TRUTH, AND AUTHORITY (also, by the way, the same things attributed to Jesus--the Living Word...aha!).  Also, that God is a God of order, deliberate thought, precision, completion and purpose. He ponders, creates, evaluates, then affirms. 

Q2:  TRUTH:  OUR SOUL IS OUR "IMAGE-OF-GOD" DISTINCTIVENESS

Corollary 1: in our own nature, He unites the material and the spiritual world--we are at once, corporeal AND spiritual, bound in ONE nature; in His image, we are capable of self-knowledge, self-possession, and of FREELY giving of oneself through FREE WILL and CHOICE with the capability for reason and understanding and deliberate action (ie not just animal instinct), loving and being loved in unity with each other, creation, and with God.  Also, although individually complete in all other ways, only in partnership can male and female unite to form "one flesh" and in this manner only, transmit human life. However, only the third "party" in this union (i.e. God) can transmit the soul. Thus we are made complete in the flesh by our human counterpart and in the spirit by our God! (whoa...still mind blowing to me. So totally cool.) 

Corollary 2: God so loved us that HE put His image within us--and did everything so that WE could share life eternally with...in...through...Him.

ok, so I have to say here that I LOVED CCC 358:

God created everything FOR man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God AND TO OFFER ALL CREATION BACK TO HIM:

"What is it that is about to be created, that enjoys such honor? It is man--that great and wonderful living creature, more precious in the eyes of God than all other creatures! For him the heavens and the earth, the sea and all the rest of creation exist. God attached so much importance to his salvation that He did not spare His own Son for the sake of man. Nor does He ever cease to work, trying every possible means, until He has raised man up to Himself and made him sit at His right hand." (St John Chrysostom)

Makes me go down in wonder and awe in the wonder of His love...for us!

Q3:  TRUTH:  GOD TAUGHT US "SELAH" (TO PAUSE AND REFLECT; to settle and 'let take root'; to REST and to ALLOW rest)

Corollary:  When God, as God, created the world, even He set aside time to ponder, REST IN and enjoy the greatness of His work, and perhaps even "swear Himself to" His creation in the perpetual covenant relationship of the Sabbath. We too, in His image, need to set aside time to do the same--not of OUR creation, since we are NOT God, but of HIS. 

I loved how CCC 2172 says:

"...the sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. IT IS A DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST SERVITUDE OF WORK AND THE WORSHIP OF MONEY..."

whoa...selah on that one, ladies!

Q4: TRUTH:  SATAN WORKS HIS SCHEMES OVER MAN THROUGH DISTORTION, MISREPRESENTATION AND DECEPTION.

The rebellion of sin of any sort and on any level comes out of the seduction to "be like God" but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God" (CCC398). The abuse of our "free will and choice" by choosing to walk away from God and apart from His nature in any situation comes primarily from OUR lack of trust in HIS goodness--and our decision to therefore "disobey" and literally "go it on our own".

We talked about the methods Satan used to "entice" Eve into a new and convincing perspective and "intentional rebellion":

-Undermine God's authority and wisdom and GOODNESS for her

-Weaken her FAITH in God

-Plant a SEED OF DOUBT in her mind--about God's intent, His motivation, the quality of His LOVE!

-Speak to her with FALSE AUTHORITY, presenting deceitful thoughts/ideas/acts before her and to her as if they were right and good

We also talked about HOW THESE STILL STAND TODAY in our daily and moment-to-moment battles and struggles...with the lies we believe about ourselves, about others, and even, perhaps, about God's goodness and plan for us and those we call beloved...!

Q5: TRUTH: SATAN IS A LIAR AND ALL OF HIS OFFERS ARE COUNTERFEIT

Not even sure what else I can add to this Truth. There's the whole aspect of why Lucifer fell in the first place and then why he hates God and man so much that he would constantly battle for our souls to NOT be with God eternally. But I think that's a discussion for another day.

Q6: TRUTH: STEPPING OUTSIDE OF GOD'S LIFE, LIGHT, AND LOVE OPENS THE DOOR IN US TO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT IS, WELL, NOT GOD.

We talked about how everything that is God and is of God, can be found in 1 Cor 13--the Love chapter. So, the immediate consequence of any movement, any thought, any breath, any word or work outside of God's light and love is...well, anything and everything we can imagine that is not...and more! These include things like losing one's true identity to shame, blame, condemnation, the darkness of fear, guilt, pride, selfishness...death of the soul, the light and life within us, the blinding of our thoughts and perceptions, etc

Q7: TRUTH: FOR EVERY TERRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE, THE GOD WHO LOVES US BEYOND IMAGINATION ALREADY HAS A PLAN OF REDEMPTION TO BRING US BACK HOME

"Far from abandoning His wayward children, God announces a resolution to the problem (of our fall)...the very humans through whom Satan sought to attack God, (the very humans) who folded without a whimper against his first onslaught, will crush the Serpant's head. This pronouncement in Genesis 3:15 of ultimate victory is knows as the protoevangelium--"first gospel." (Cavins)... or, as he mentions in the dvd: "the first Good News!"

I love what Cavins says about love--and how God, in His great and unending love for us "turns" our bad into something so much better than good--a learning through our yearning, and a resolution through our lack: 

"And yet, at the heart of love, is the willingness to suffer and even die for the one loved. What better way to learn this than to suffer for love, for work, and for food--to suffer and learn that out of giving oneself comes new life."

Truly, we can see how, with this incredible pronouncement, God's promise to never abandon us (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 139), to work all things for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), to graft us back into His fold (Eph 2:11-13,19, Eph 3:6, Rom 11:17-24), to save us from ourselves (John 3:16-17) all starts for us...here. This, ladies, is the beginning of our salvation story!

How awesome is that!

COROLLARY: when I choose to go it alone, I intentionally decline my union with God...along with all of that which comes in union with and in Him. We talked about how when I decide to separate myself from God's nature and His plan, declining my full union with and in God, it necessarily leads me to lean upon Me, Myself and I for fulfillment of desire, needs, wants, etc. I loved what Cavins says in his DVD: to satisfy my own desire IS the desire that will drive me...and I will seek to be fulfilled by things NOT good enough, never good enough, UNTIL I RETURN TO GOD AND MAKE HIS DESIRES MINE!

In another study, we are learning how this shift of dependency from God and onto...self or another person or something--invariably results in eventual disappointment and limited success...almost always with a feeling of lack and less than--a restlessness in our spirit. The author of that study says: "Significant rest comes to the soul when we accept that God alone is in charge...Trust in God is not a place of refuge to which the believer can retreat--or hide--from turmoil and the disappointments of the world. Trust in God is what we do IN the turmoil of life!"

Q8: TRUTH: SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST IS PARADISE REGAINED

In the Messianic Age, all that God has promised from the beginning is fulfilled through Christ's redemptive acts of incarnation in man, fellowship among man, sacrifice for and as man and resurrection and indwelling once again in man. What was lost in the Garden through our parents' first fall away from God, is restored in Christ and His kingdom within us and around us!

FINAL APPLICATIONS:

(I think I caught most of what everyone said for this one, but just in case, make sure to write in and add whatever I might have missed.) 

Ways we "hide from the Presence of God":

-Not making time for God. By not being intentional in time set aside for and with God, essentially in whatever space of my life that I might separate myself from Him, I become "clouded" in my discernment, "dulled" in my spiritual senses, "deafened" to His voice, "unaware" of His hands, "incapable" of participating knowingly in His plans for myself and for others

-Not standing accountable for my actions. Blaming others, not being self-aware (or being unwilling to be self-aware)

-Listening to sources other than God. We talked about how "sin" and "temptations" will not always look "ugly" to us! We must always be on our guard for distortion of Truth and misrepresentation of Truth...and truly recognize HIS quiet voice amongst the cacophony of voices clamoring for our attention--in our heads and in the world around us. To whom are we listening??

-Not calling upon God when I am unsure. The HolySpirit within us will put a "check on our hearts" when we are about to move into "wrong" territory. Whether we call it conscience or whatever, God is within us to guide us, shore us up, protect us, encourage and strengthen us...but to whom are we listening and whose desire reigns within us...especially when "we" already have a plan in mind about how to do it "our" way!

-Allowing the deceptions and distortions of the Enemy to literally baste us in lies...about ourselves, about God, about others. Shame, guilt, fear, doubt, anger, etc all prevent us from loving--and from being loved.

-Forgetting that WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE. With every step we take, every breath we breathe, every thought we have, we have a choice to make...it may not be the "right one" all the time, but God promises that through Him, with Him and in Him, we CAN have the power to stand and repent, to stand and withstand, to stand and just, well, STAND (Rom 6:13). All it takes is finally, gradually, always hoping in Truth, working toward full partnership with and in Him, knowing that HIS word and His WORD will be complete in each one of us.Trusting in HIS goodness...no matter what!

Ok--that's it for me! Please please please add your comments, or better yet--write a new POST!! It doesn't have to be as long as this--just a few words or sentences to continue to discussion and let us know what thoughts the HolySpirt placed upon your heart and in your minds for this week!

Prayers for steadfastness and courage to plod on!!

Genesis 4-11 is our new assignment.

REMEMBER: NO CLASS NEXT WEEK (Schools are off for Yom Kippur)!!

love

maggie

Welcome back, everyone!

Hi o Wonderful and Wonder-filled Red Tent Sisters!! Welcome back to a new year of study!!

So! Like, WOW--what a mind-blowing, spirit-moving, further-thought-provoking discussion we had on Wednesday, yes? I truly believe that the room was literally filled with His Spirit as we gathered in His Name to ponder and question--and ponder again!--the many facets of this lesson, the details of our faith's understanding, the hidden "corners" of our own thinking that drive our perspectives and, sometimes, our mis-concepts! But before I start our summary, I wanted to thank everyone for your patience and willingness: the openness of everyone's hearts and minds was so evident--despite some of the wonderfully confusing AND awesome concepts that we bumped into, tripped over and began to deliberately focus upon and consider--those truly mind-bending, heart-changing, and clarifying concepts that maybe, just maybe, we are beginning to...grasp!  So! Let's just remember for now that our Lord is bringing us back to the beginning SO THAT our foundation in Him is strong and steadfast...which can ONLY happen if our beliefs are based solidly upon HIS Truths, knowing HIS intent, following HIS purpose...trusting in Him and in HIS great plan of love--for US! 

When I finally threw in the towel during class as I furiously--and unsuccessfully--tried to take notes for this summary, I decided that the best way to "summarize" is to do as we did during our first run of this study: break down the questions and answers to the basic Truth it is teaching. In this way, we can keep our focus upon the main threads the HolySpirit may be trying to tie together for us--and help us not lose the forest for the trees. I know that all along the way, there will be definitional issues that may slow us up a bit--but I don't really consider them a distraction so much as a reflection of where we are along our journey, and how we each in our own way discover and uncover the many facets of our understanding...of God AND of ourselves.  And besides, in order to receive the Truths brought forth from a time not familiar to us (unfathomable to our current conceptions of even an ancient world) and upon which understanding has been determined and furthered by ages and ages of the sage and VERY hard debate among our many generations of forefathers, it will be imperative that we work our way through those issues that may distract us enough to prevent our grasp of the Truth within the story--and let go of the ones that, well, don't really matter so much...for now anyway!  

For instance, it is difficult to grasp the Truths within the creation story if we cannot get past the issue of the existence of a from-the-beginning-of-beginnings Triune God; or the Truths within the events in Paradise if we cannot get past the issue of the existence of Adam and Eve or even, perhaps on some levels, of the existence of Satan. Or, we can falter for a while as we try to fill in the cracks like when we posed for speculation on Wednesday: why WAS the tree in the 'middle of the garden' and not somewhere 'protected from harm's way'? or, where IS the soul--and what is the difference between the "soul" and the "spirit"?? and, then there's the question of "wait, what did we lose in the garden? What IS original holiness and original justice anyway--and why is that important to me now?? Oh, and btw where was Adam in all of this???" And, of course it doesn't help when one bible says "God" and another says "gods" (egads!!) ok, ok, we get the picture. But anyway, some of these, we will place in our "parking lot" for more in-depth conversation later (Yay for Fr Javier!!), but others we will necessarily stop and consider sooner, or even right away if possible, so that we can better grasp the relationship of man with and in God from the beginning of our story with Him. Just so we all know--no matter in what way we work through these concepts--or when--and whether it comes through intellectual understanding, fund-of-knowledge enhancement, or basic acceptance upon blind faith "for now", I am absolutely confident that our diligence in the study of all that is of the Lord will only strengthen our faith and fill us with a knowledge of God that is truly able to "move mountains" (or mulberry trees!!)...and hearts! 

Amen? Amen!

And finally, as we bumble our way through class "procedure", I am absolutely confident that HIS Spirit will drive us in the direction we need to go--and that He does not plan on losing a single one of us along the way. We will see how to best manage our time during class to provide for discussion and maybe even the DVD--so don't despair! God WILL provide--and lead us--in His faithfulness to us. In the meantime, I am hoping that everyone has had a chance to watch the DVD on your own this week. Please speak up and let us know what hit you--what questions were answered and what new thoughts were brought up--by the DVD presentation.

Ok so this has gotten pretty long already, so I am going to finish up here, and then start the summary as a new POST. But what I'd like us to remember is something Cavins said when we first embarked on our journey through the bible:

"Meeting Christ is the whole point of the whole bible... and, it is the whole point of our lives! He IS the secret to life! If we can understand that the bible is NOT a dead book about the past, but a living letter from God--to US--in this present moment...only then can we openly receive the living words HE is speaking to us! For this is not just a book; this is a love letter, written by God Almighty, to YOU, the individual...not just "junk mail" addressed to Dear Occupant! 
God says to each one of us "I have called you by name. You are mine!" (Is 43:1 and reiterated in John 15:16). The words "I love you" are words that change us when we hear them spoken to us. Just as Jesus revealed to each person He met not only Himself, but also themselves in a new way, so this book reveals both God AND ourselves. It is a mirror."

So--ready to embark on our journey through Salvation History? Let's get moving!!

See you soon in a later post!

love
maggie