1 Kings

After digesting the whole book of 1 Kings, my comment to Amy was: "there was a lot happening in this book!" I mean, 1 Kings starts out with the story of Solomon's leadership, continues through the disintegration of the kingdom, mixes in a few good kings with plenty of rotten ones, before rounding out the narrative with a description of the pretty wild prophetic ministry of Elijah.

Some impressions about 1 Kings:

1. Solomon...seems about right. In reading through the life and choices of Solomon, I'm left sort of nodding my head and saying "yep, that's par for this course." What I mean is that each and every of Israel's leaders thusfar has been mostly? partially? at times? obedient to the Lord. And, each has had some serious lapses. Maybe Joshua is an exception to this rule, but, by and large, we're talking about a string of leaders who you would have to say are both great and flawed. As for Solomon, to me his high point is in 3:9 where he asks the Lord for wisdom. Then, his low point is the devastating "however" in 11:1. Oh how I wanted for Solomon to finish well! Alas, instead of persisting in obedience until the end, he ended up like the rest. How many Christian leaders in our day and age are able to finish well do you think?

2. It's weird to me that God doesn't give detailed plans for the building of the Temple. After all, He sure did for the construction of his "mobile Temple" the Tabernacle. I find it strange that basically Solomon gets to do what seems best to him in building the physical home for God on earth. Perhaps that's way Solomon's palace ends up being bigger than the Temple when both are done.

3. 1 Kings gives us an event that will define the nation going forward. The disintegration of the nation in chapter 12 is such a grievous moment for all concerned. Verse 19 sums up the legacy this way: "so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day." What bitter fruit! Last night at dinner I was talking with Amy and my parents about broken and fractured relationships that extend for months and years, and how toxic they are for both parties. Lord, bring relational reconciliation in my life where it seems impossible!

4. We get another formula. Reading 1 Kings, I was reminded of the book of Judges in that there is a certain rhythm to the narrative. I dig it. It fits my organized mind. Also, it's sort of fun to mull any deviations from the pattern. It goes like this:
a. In the such and such year of so and so, some dude became king.
b. He reigned in Jerusalem, or Samaria, for a certain length of time.
c. Alas, he was a bonehead and did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
d. There was war for a long time.
e. As for all the events and then things he did, they are written down somewhere.
f. In the end, he died and was buried with his fathers.

5. Asa was a good king, but evidently the brother had some bad feet. Check it out here. Isn't that a nice thing to have recorded about you in the Holy Scriptures?!?

6. Maybe I'm actually a prophet? Lots of prophets running in these parts of the Scriptures. Next half marathon, sign me up for whatever Elijah experienced!

7. Interesting glimpse into the inner workings of heaven. For the prophet Micaiah, I imagine his vision recorded in 1 Kings 22:19-23 would be like being a fly on the wall in the jury room, or maybe in the Oval Office.

8. I love, love, love the call story of Elisha. I'll end with this one tonight. What a great picture of full-on, even reckless obedience to a call! Check it out in 1 Kings 19:19-21. There's a certain Cortesian "burn the ships" kind of obedience here. In fact, Elisha really does burn his stuff! No going back, no safety net, no fall back plan. God is calling and that is it. The longer I go on staff, the more I try to live out my own calling, the more I need to be reminded about this stuff. My call, like Elisha's, deserves nothing less than my full attention and buy-in!

2 Samuel

Somewhere in the middle of 2 Samuel I found myself, well, in the middle of Utah. We were in the middle of our drive out to Colorado and since I was in the middle of trying to corral the kids and drive the car, I found myself falling behind in the reading. As I type this, I'm needing to read 24 pages (double the usual 12) to catch up. I'd read right now, but I'm in the middle of the Brazil match and the US Open final round. Are you sensing a theme here?!?

Let me be honest. Yeah, not a fan of 2 Samuel. Here are some impressions:

1. David ain't all that. I don't know if this is your experience, but I grew up in church sort of idolizing David. I mean, we always knew the Bathsheba story and it served as a warning, but for the most part, David is held up as the ideal. Certainly compared to Saul and especially given the rogue's gallery of fair to poor kings that come later. After all, David is the "man after God's own heart." That may be true, but I left 2 Samuel unimpressed by David. I was seriously underwhelmed. He lies, he presides over a majorly dysfunctional family, for me the Absalom story is the story of David giving in to fear, and then there is that whole incident with Bathsheba. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; it's been the case thusfar that each Old Testament hero has had their flaws. It's just that David is held up as such the paradigm!

2. The Lord has a high bar for His presence. Wow, the Uzzah story from chapter 6 is a crazy tale. It feels so harsh to me, but it seems the Lord is wanting to be super clear that His presence is to be taken seriously. I'm not always sure today that we have a clear understanding of the importance of reverence when it comes to God; Uzzah's story drives that point home.

3. Next time someone disses me, I'm going 2 Samuel 10:4 on them! You've been warned Jim Ha...

4. My only question about 2 Samuel 18:8 is whether or not Treebeard was present...

5. My theme verse for the summer: 2 Samuel 18:23a.

6. In 2 Samuel, having luxurious hair is a mixed thing. On one hand, you have this. On the other, there's this.

7. Thank the Lord for 14:14! Of the thousands of verses in the book of 2 Samuel, for me 14:14 was the high point. It made reading the rest palatable. I'm going to end this post with this beautiful gem about the Lord. Thank God He is this way!

"But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."

White Whale Update

So we loaded up this morning early and trucked over to the Apex Foundation Father's Day 5K in Arvada. By the way, before I go any further, can I just testify to the amazing support that I get with this stuff from my family?!? What a bunch of troopers.

As you know, I'm on the hunt a sub-20 5K. This morning was my first shot this summer at making it happen. Last Wednesday, Coach Cleary dragged Isch and out to the Clovis West track for repeat 400s (with an 800 tossed in for kicks). With that under my belt, I felt good coming into the morning, even factoring in the altitude and the fatigue (lots of driving, little sleep).

Alas, I came up short and dragged my haggard carcass across the line with a 21:09. My splits: 6:24 for the uphill first mile
7:01 for the rolling second mile
7:44 from there for the final, mostly downhill 1.1
All of that was good for 13th overall and 5th in my age group. For the record, the overall winner was sub-18.

So in the end I think I'm a bit disappointed. The white whale lives on for at least another week (this race is next up next Saturday). Good thing there is every sport known to humanity on this afternoon to assuage any angst! Now, off to find the nearest couch.

Here's a Father's Day shot of the crew at the race:

1 Samuel

Reading 1 Samuel makes the old history major in me happy. Not that there haven't been historical narrative sections thusfar in the Old Testament, but my experience of reading 1 Samuel is that of sitting down with a well-written chronicle of a vivid season in Israel's history. Some major impressions:

1. What do I do with King Saul? I'm all over the map with Saul. On one hand, it's pretty easy to judge him as wanting. He is disobedient to the Lord, he fails to fulfill his office in the Goliath story, he silences the prophets, he clearly has rage issues, etc. But on the other hand, he's called to the office of king without precedent. He's untrained. Further, God Himself gives and then takes away the Holy Spirit from Saul (10:10). One day, he's prophesying, the next day God sends an evil spirit (18:10). For the most part, I am comfortable with the Lord, in His sovereignty, driving or animating the hearts of people, even if it means what it meant for Saul. Still, I read Saul's tale of woe and find some level of sympathy.

2. Again, women are bright spots in the story. Hannah's faith, persistance and reverence result in Samuel being born. Judge, prophet and priest, Samuel lays the groundwork for the rise of King David. And then there's Abigail. What a great story in 1 Samuel 25. I'll mark her down slightly for marrying a guy named "Fool," but in the end Abigail comes through. Once again, women are the positive examples in the narrative.

3. I'm glad my in-laws-to-be didn't want this in exchange for Amy.

4. What is Saul doing in the luggage? How random is this little detail in 1 Samuel 10:22?!? I suppose you could say that Saul gets off to a rough start. He's about to be unveiled as the new king and he's, what, checking the luggage tags? Looking for his Samsonite?

5. I have two questions about 1 Samuel 28. First, did she look like Whoopi Goldberg and, second, were there Ewoks present?

6. I love the focus on obedience. Samuel says it best in 1 Samuel 15:22: "to obey is better than sacrifice." This is a beautiful almost summation of the Christian life, isn't it? I mean, we are so disposed to majoring on the outward things we do to express our devotion to the Lord. But the Lord wants our full and committed heart that results in obedience. I want to get this right more often and with greater measure in my life!

On to 2 Samuel, and go USA, Lakers and Tiger this weekend!

Ruth

Yesterday's reading block was a sign of things to come. We started with Judges, flew through the 4 chapters of Ruth and then ended in 1 Samuel. After multiple days in the Pentateuch books, it felt very quick, almost like driving through New England: "Look kids, now we're in Connecticut...and here comes Massachusetts. Well be in Rhode Island in 15 minutes!" Just wait til the latter New Testament...

Some major impressions from the beautiful book of Ruth:

1. What a contrast with Judges! After the too often grim narrative of the Judges, Ruth was a breath of fresh air. In particular, after seeing the worst of human nature, Ruth really does give us a look at the best. Boaz vs. Abimelech? What a contrast! It's not even close. The book of Ruth gives us a snapshot of what things like loyalty, generosity, integrity and faith can really look like.

2. It's great to have a book of Scripture named for a woman. Seems to me that Ruth could pretty easily be named Boaz (or Naomi, or even Obed), but I'm glad it's not. Even (especially?) in the Old Testament, God is concerned about the situation of women in the culture, and He's a champion for women. First there's the rampant mutuality that characterizes the creation account. Next, we saw that in the portions the Law designed to care for women in the community. Then in Judges, Deborah is almost the only bright and shining star. And now there's Ruth. I've heard the Old Testament described as "misogynistic." Don't believe the hype.

3. Here comes...David! The tale end of the book of Ruth gives us our first mention of the coming King David. Perhaps this is the main point of the book of Ruth? I mean, the reader is certainly to take away the examples of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz as examples for living right in the community, but, in the larger picture, I think we are supposed to take away the reality that David is coming, and that Ruth, a Moabitess, is in his lineage. After all, it is David who will dominate the Old Testament narrative for the foreseeable future! If this really is the main point of the book of Ruth, it demonstrates God's sovereign working to provide for His people. From humble and unexpected origins, He will raise up His archetypal king. He'll do it with David, then He'll do it again a bit later on!

On to 1 Samuel, but not til after the Japan v. Cameroon match! Thanks for reading.

Judges

People who think that the Bible is a bland or boring book have clearly never read Judges. Me? I finished that thing and then had to go for a run to work off the angst. Wickedness all over, bright spots on rare occasion, drama throughout. Some impressions:

1. Judges takes us on a journey to the heart of human depravity. People get raped in Judges. People get killed. There is deception, corruption and complete disregard for any and all things Yahweh. It's almost as if Judges 2:11-15 is the thesis and the rest of the story is a proof. Bottom line: Judges is a sobering close-up of the worst of human nature. Reader beware!

2. There is a cycle to sin and redemption. This feels like the main point of the book of the Judges to me. I'll use the story of Othniel, the first judge, and a pretty decent fellow, especially in the context of the rest of the lot, to illustrate:
a. Israel transgresses against the Lord (3:7)
b. The Lord punishes by giving them over to some other nation who rules over them (3:8)
c. After some time (8 years in Othniel's story), the people cry out for deliverance (3:9)
d. The Lord hears their cries and raises up a judge/deliverer (3:9)
e. With the Lord's help, the judge leads the nation to freedom (3:10)
f. There is peace in the land as long as the judge lives (3:11)
This is a helpful break-down of the internal process that we all experience with the Lord in our lives. Right? I mean, I can relate to this; heck, I went through it yesterday when I yelled at Joshua out of my anger! In the meta-narrative of the Bible, I think the message of Judges is that there is a process for going from sin to redemption in our lives. Thank the Lord for His mercy in this!

3. Details, details, details. A couple times during Judges, I'd find myself saying, "dude, Amy, you gotta hear this." Because there are some crazy, particular details in the stories of Judges. Take the Ehud story in chapter 3 as one example. We're told one thing about Eglon king of Moab: he's chubby. So chubby, in fact, that when Ehud stabs him, the entire sword disappears into his flab (v. 22). What?!? The thing about details is that the more unique, random or unexpected, the more memorable the story. So I'm wondering if the writer of Judges includes these kinds of details to help people, maybe the next generation, remember. Seems key, particularly in an oral tradition kind of culture.

4. Evidently being left-handed is a good thing. Rejoice Mom! Two random lefty references in Judges: the second judge Ehud is a lefty and then there's a line in 20:16 about the lefty fighting men who could not miss a hair with a stone. Not sure, maybe this would be a good omen for Phil Mickelson this week ahead at the US Open at Pebble?!?

5. Who needs a piece of wood when you can tie up 300 foxes and use them as a torch?!? In a bizarre book in general, how crazy in particular is this story! I gotta try that next time I'm camping...

6. What a cast of characters! Judges gives us better known folks like Gideon, Samson, Delilah and Deborah. It also gives us less well known folks such as Othniel, Jephthah, Abimilech and that hot mess of a Levite from chapter 19. I'm telling you, Hollywood can't come up with better (or worse) characters than these!

Honestly, I'm happy to have Judges behind me. That's a rough read right there, probably the toughest yet in terms of the intensity of the subject matter. Now, on to Ruth!

Ouch

My white whale...

We all have our obsessions. Jared has Subway. The Coyote has the Roadrunner. Wonka has chocolate. Ahab has Moby.

Me? My obsession right now is running 5000 meters in under 20 minutes.

Here are my last five competitive 5K times:
December 08--21:22
November 09--21:23
December 09--2o:18
February 10--20:25
May 10--20:12

Are you detecting a theme? So near, so far. How am I going to fix my obsession?

1. Lots of opportunities. I figure the more chances the better, and so I've stocked the summer with lots of races during our trip. It's like the Dixon family race tour. I'll be racing in Arvada, CO (altitude, what altitude?!?) on Father's Day, then in Des Moines, IA on the 26th. Then again in the Denver area on July 4. From there I have a few more options this summer if I need them!

2. Speedwork in my training. For the first time since High School, I'll be doing a track workout, at the sadistic hands of Coach Cleary, this coming Wednesday night. One of my issues is that my leg turnover is too slow. Too many half marathons where it doesn't matter as much. So, if I'm serious, I gotta run some 400s. Or 800s. Or whatever. Where are those old racing spikes I wonder?

3. More warm up. None of this "show up, stretch for 30 seconds, tie my shoes and go" stuff. If I want to go sub-20, I think I have to show up, stretch well, then run a couple of miles. Gotta get to the start line ready to run a 6ish first mile. I need to be in a lather at the gun I think. Yikes.

Can I do it? Last time I was sub-20, I was 17 years old. Hmmm. Keep you posted.

Hosue

How great would it be to get a book of the Bible named after you?!? I guess Joshua did something right! Some overall impressions:

1. It's like three books wrapped into one. So maybe you could say that ol' Joshua got three books named after him! Joshua starts with the exciting story of the crossing and the conquest. Then, in about chapter 12, there is a turning point. Come to think of it, that turning point might be the end of verse 11:23. And there the narrative slooooowwsss... waaaaaaayyyyy.... doooowwwwnnn. You get a list of the defeated kings followed by chapter after chapter of land allotments. Finally, the book ends on a bit of an uptick with the renewing of the Covenant and Joshua's passing. It struck me as a slightly odd arc to the story. Usually the tension builds to a crescendo; in this case, the reader should enjoy the beginning!

2. I love how Joshua gets commissioned for his role. I wish we did our commissionings on staff with this much gusto. Moses blesses Joshua in front of the community. Then, Yahweh Himself speaks personally to Joshua before He publically affirms Joshua's leadership. Central to that is the crossing of the Jordan, a miracle that seems like it did for Joshua what the crossing of the Red Sea did for Moses' leadership. My experience tells me that too often our leadership transitions get mismanaged. It's good to see a positive example in the Word.

3. Sucks to be Achan (and "the rest"). Chapter 7 is truly a harsh story. When people talk about a "mean, Old Testament God," they are talking about passages like this one. But it does illustrate the importance of Israel doing what Deuteronomy talked about in "purging the evil" from their midst. Guess God wasn't (isn't) kidding!

4. Who/what is the hornet, and how do I get one?!? See here.

5. The book of Joshua illustrates the appropriate nexus between divine sovereignty and human effort. I've seen this in the Pentateuch as well, with Exodus 17:8-16 as one particularly vivid example. Simply put, God is the one who is doing the work, and yet He also invites His people to do their part. The conquest of the land is a great example. Joshua and the fighting men do their part, but it's also clear that God is the prime mover (or in one case the "prime stopper:...how crazy is it that God actually STOPS THE SUN?!?). Too often in my sphere of ministry, I get this messed up, and not in the direction of me not doing enough! No, my all-to-frequent blunder is to usurp God's prime mover status and think that the buck starts and stops with me. Joshua serves as a helpful reminder that though in the Kingdom we do our part, ultimately the work (and the credit) is the Lord's.

6. Joshua is a good disciple and leader. We picked a good namesake for our son! Reading through the book that bears his name, you get an example of someone who is faithful, bold, committed, humble and reverant. Oh how I hope that our Joshua becomes a man who embodies these things!

So thank you Lord for Joshua. Now, it's on to Judges...

This one hits a little close to home...

Here. Now I'm off to go pour Lucy a glass of milk...

Deuteronomy

My experience of reading Deuteronomy illustrates the reality that I really do read this stuff in a variety of places. For instance, I began reading Deuteronomy by flashlight in my cabin out on the island. Then, I read the middle chunk on the boat ride back to San Pedro (mercifully, it was a smooth crossing!). Finally, I finished the book in the rocking chair here in our house. In the back of the 90 Day Bible I'm starting to keep track of the random variety of places that this stuff gets read for me. Keep you posted.

As for Deuteronomy, I had to start by figuring out what the title meant. Genesis I get, Exodus is clear, though maybe I'd choose something different. Leviticus makes sense and Numbers is, well, unimaginatively obvious. But what does Deuteronomy mean? It's been too long since my Fuller OT class! Turns out the English word Deuteronomy comes from the Greek word Deuteronomion which means "second law." That seems about right to me, as in a lot of ways Deuteronomy to me felt like the "Pentateuch Lite," or a summary and reiteration of all that God was communicating to the nation through the first 4 books of the OT.

So, a few major impressions from "the second law:"

1. God is strident in his call to purity. This is a theme through the Pentateuch of course, but in Deuteronomy, I was struck by the repeated phrase "purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 22:21 as an example)." God has this thing about wholeheartedness; that is, He requires full devotion. Sounds cliche, but 99.9% isn't good enough for Yahweh. As I read, I struggle with the implications of this, because it means that the .1% gets summarily eradicated, but I can appreciate the clear call to purity. I wouldn't want to follow a God who asks for anything less.

2. Moses finishes well. Deuteronomy describes for us the end of Moses, the dominant figure of the Pentateuch. In spite of the fact that he sinned (murder and doubt being maybe his two greatest chronicled shortcomings), I love what is written of Moses in Deuteronomy 34: "since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." Wow. It bears saying here that not all leaders get to finish well. As I get older, and as I think about my own life and leadership, my heart, mind and prayers shift toward this. Lord, let me be one who finishes well with You!

3. Who says the Law isn't practical?!? If you think that, read this.

4. What's up with Deuteronomy 25:11-12?!? Somebody help me on that!

5. Embedded in the Law is protection for the outsider and underdog. God cares for the societal fringe. In that day, this would include people like aliens, the poor, women and the disabled. To care for these folks, the Law includes provisions such as Deuteronomy 24:19: "when you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." I very much love this about God, that from the very beginning He has been concerned with justice and caring for the disadvantaged. He was in the beginning and He continues to be concerned today.

6. Obedience is life. Oh how I wish I could get my kids to grasp this! Deuteronomy 30:11-20 states pretty clearly the choice: obey and live abundantly, disobey and die gruesomely. Too often for me, I equate obedience with a set of tasks to do for the Lord, or maybe I deconstruct it into simply dodging the second part of the choice articulated above. And so sometimes obedience becomes drudgery. You with me? I mean, how different of an experience with the Lord is it to obey out of a sense of conviction that abundant life is the fruit, instead of a sense of "phew, I managed to check all of the boxes today and avoid destruction." When it comes to motivation, give me that first sense please!

This morning with started in Joshua and hit up the first 14 chapters. I'll be done with Josh tomorrow. I'm realizing that as the books get shorter, the blogging frequency will need to keep up!

Thoughts on Numbers

Anyone else think that Numbers is sort of the proverbial red-headed step-child of the Pentateuch?!? I mean, Genesis is, well, Genesis. It's the first book of the Bible, it tells the creation story, all the Patriarchs get their stories told there. It's a must-read! Then Exodus is the stuff of Charlton Heston. It's chock-full of vivid stories that you hear in Sunday School. The burning bush, the Red Sea, the giving of the 10 Commandments. Quick, get the flannel graph! As for Leviticus, while no one is making a movie about guilt offerings or mildew clean-up, it is notable for it's weirdness. You know? I mean, at least it has a rep. In the circles I travel in anyway, you mention Leviticus and it's greeted with an "oh, yeah, Leviticus. That stuff is bizarre." Finally, there's Deuteronomy. I'll talk about this more in my next post, but I think that Deuteronomy is almost a "Pentateuch Lite." It's close to a summary. I imagine that after Genesis and maybe Exodus, Deuteronomy gets the most play as a sort of synopsis of this period in Israel's history and experience.

So, Numbers. Let's give Numbers it's due. Here are some major impressions:

1. I love it that God counts stuff. I really do. The organization I work for does. As humans, we're wired that way I think. And so I suppose it makes sense that God does. In the book of Numbers, we get stats and data on many aspects of community life. There are 2 censuses (or censi?) in Numbers. His precision is glorious to me! Numbers matter to God.

2. God is reaching out to His people. I had the idea this morning that in Numbers, we really see sort of an "Old Testament Incarnation." The Levites get set apart (something we read about repeatedly!). Then there is the notion of the Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-21), which would be a visual, living representation of the nation's relationship with God. Heck, God even calls the people to put tassels on their garments (Numbers 15:37-41), so that "you will remember all the commands of the Lord." What's going on here? God knows that we need visible, tactile reminders of His presence, and in Numbers we see Him going out of His way to provide that. I love this theme in the book of Numbers! Probably my biggest takeaway.

3. How many books of the Bible do you know that have a talking ass in them?!? Numbers does. Top that Exodus! Take that Genesis. How's that for weird Leviticus!?? Here you go.

4. What the heck is an "avenger of blood?" Check out Numbers 35. Who is this? Yahweh Himself somehow? Or some poor schlub? I mean, who do you have to dis to be given the job of "avenger of blood." Seems like that would be a tough gig to describe at parties. "What do you do, Hal?" "Oh, you know, I'm an...avenger of blood." And I think my job can be tough to explain sometimes!

5. Numbers has the "priestly blessing." I love the passage articulated in Numbers 6:24-27. What a beautiful blessing, given through Moses to Aaron specifically so that he could bless the people. Love that.

I'll close with one other thought on my experience of doing this. Today is day 15. So far I'm 15 for 15, but it's true to say that week 2 was tougher than week 1. Why?

1. Part of it was the travel. It's tough to get space to read and especially to read attentively when the schedule is full, the nights are short and there are distractions everywhere.

2. Part of it was the content. Leviticus and Numbers are just less intriguing than Genesis and Exodus. In particular, they are very repetitive. Very repetitive. I mean, repetitive.

3. Part of that was my internal sense of motivation. The first week was full of excitement, of wonder that I was actually doing this and of just a lot of momentum. Much of that has waned and at times the reading has felt like work. How to continue the momentum?!? I've been praying that Jesus would infuse my mind with curiosity and make my heart hungry for more of Him.

Next post coming tomorrow on Deuteronomy and tomorrow we start with Joshua 1!

Leviticus

As we sat down this last Wednesday morning at our group meeting, it's fair to say that there was a sense of trepidation in the room about tackling Leviticus, that in terms of both content and style it would be an oppressive read. I didn't find it so bad, though I will say that the few narrative sections were welcome breaks during the long march through the many rules and laws. Some impressions:

1. Have a few offerings, why don't you! It's mind-boggling how many types of offerings are described in Leviticus. Drumroll please...you have burnt, grain, fellowship and sin offerings. There's the guilt, thank, freewill and wave offerings. Then you have the drink and ordination offerings. Did I miss any? I was struck by the fact that the Israelites, to say nothing about the priests, would have been BUSY just keeping up with the offerings.

2. Plenty of "WTF laws." I made a list of my 5 favorite Levitical laws, for your reading pleasure. Here you go:
a. Lev 7:27. Seems especially relevant in this day when vampires are so en vogue...
b. Lev 13:40. Good news for my father, and for some of my friends who shall remain nameless...
c. Lev 15:8. I suppose it's good to have this articulated specifically, but doesn't everyone know never to spit on someone when you are having a discharge?!? I mean, really.
d. Lev 18:21. I needed this one. I was one half step away from driving Gracie over to Molech the other night...
e. Lev 19:27. Short on the top then, please!

3. So that's where the term "scapegoat" comes from! Right there in Leviticus 16:8.

4. I can see why the one place in the culture where Leviticus gets airtime is in the conversation about homosexuality. Two passages in particular: Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13. The punishment is death, which makes it pretty clear what the Lord thinks about it all. That said, the punishment for heterosexual adultery is also death (Lev 20:10). How come adultery doesn't get the same treatment in the American church?

5. Don't get on God's bad side! Just saying. Check out Lev 26:27 and following. Yikes.

6. God has a thing about holiness. His people are to be holy. Why? Because He is holy. Lev 11:44. Leviticus 22:32-33 is even stronger: "I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord." When the dust settles, I think this is really the main message of Leviticus: God is concerned with purity and holiness and He alone gets to set the standard for what that looks like for His people. What's beautiful about that for me is that it means that there is an objective standard for right living, that I or my community do not, can not create that ourselves. Our task, then, is to live into the standard that He gives more and more each day.

What's next? Numbers. I'm already into chapter 8 as of this morning. We're off to Campus by the Sea today for 5 days, so I'll catch up posting after we're back.

Did you see this?!?

The hits keep coming for poor Guatemala. Check out this picture...

What do I do again?!?

This past weekend Amy and I hit up my 20th High School Reunion. Wow. The experience deserves a post unto itself, but for now I just want to comment on a question that has long been a difficult one for me to answer and one that I was asked repeatedly that night:

So, Rob, what do you do?

Here's the thing. I am in no way ashamed of what I do. I love my job and will happily talk about it whenever, wherever and to whomever I can. And yet in a social setting with new (or in this case, old) people, I'm often at a loss for how to describe my job. Specifically, I never know how provocative to be. Because my answer to the question can either invite further dialog or shut it down pretty quickly. It seems to me like there is some sort of continuum of potential answers, ranging from high (10) to low (1) in the provocative-meter:

10--I'll borrow from a staff buddy of mine named Jon Ball and use this one: "I help Christian college students learn how NOT to be religious." Guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows and spark a conversation. People usually don't know how to handle that one.

1--"I'm a middle manager in a faith-based non-profit." It's a conversation killer. I might as well be saying, "Let's not talk anymore; neither of us want to continue this conversation."

At the Reunion, I went with a 5 and said this: "I help college students figure out where issues of faith fit in with their worldview." Come to think of it, maybe it's more of a 7. In general, it got a good response.

So what to do? Dare I try to break it down?!?

1. Try to gauge potential interest based on a first impression.
2. Pick my line and deliver it with gusto.
3. Let the chips fall where they may.

Thoughts on this? When I re-read the post, it sounds like I'm working out my best pick-up lines. Other ideas for me?

Exodus, if that's your REAL name...

Well, at the very least, doing all of this reading is going to help my blog stats...

Exodus came and went in three days. Some impressions:

1. Is "Exodus" really the best name for this book?!? Coming into the reading, I anticipated that the pivotal, dominant event would be the crossing of the Red (or is it Reed?!?) Sea and, with it, the larger journey out of Egypt. And while this is certainly a key event, I'm not sure it's the big one. I think the centerpiece of the narrative might be the giving of the law and specifically the construction of the tabernacle. I mean, if you go by sheer numbers, chapters 1-18 get the nation out of Egypt into the desert. From 19 on, it's all about the law and the tabernacle. So, the belt goes to the tabernacles by a split decision. Better names? How about "Horeb?" Or "Tabernacles?" Or "Lawgiving?" Who got to pick out the names for the books of the Bible anyway?!?

2. Grumblers! Wow these people are whiners! God himself calls them stiff-necked and mulls destroying them completely. He even has to remove himself from contact for fear that he'll do them in right there in the desert! And poor Moses. How'd you like to lead these folks?

3. Why is God so particular about the minutae? God is so specific in the book of "Tabernacles." I mean, everything matters in this text, from the number of cubits to the color of the tunic to the materials used in the pole stands. Why is God so concerned with the details? It's not like He doesn't have stuff to do! I know, maybe God is a planner. Yeah, I like that. He's the holy planner. Also, has anyone recently tried to follow every last detail and build one of these babies? Models, sure, but what about a real size one? Nothing came up on google...

4. How about that Jethro story?!? What a gem of a passage that is. Chapter 18. Wow. That baby will preach!

5. Some of those Laws are bizarre. Just a foretaste of Leviticus, methinks. One set of laws that I did like were those from the middle of 21 that protect women in the context of marriages. The OT (along with the Bible as a whole) gets some bad press when it comes to the status and plight of women. Here at least there is a bright spot that demonstrates Yahweh's compassion and concern for women.

6. We get to see the development of Moses. In fact, perhaps the book should be called "Moses." He dominates the narrative after all. When we meet Moses in his call episode, he's reluctant at best. Later in the story, he's pushing back to the Lord with moxie and bluster! I love it that we get to see that transformation; it gives me hope for my own leadership.

Now, on to Leviticus. Wonder what the significance of that name is anyway...

Genesis

So we're flying. Tomorrow is the last of just three days in Exodus! So without further ado, some general impressions on the wonder that has been/is Genesis:

1. Questions, questions, questions. As I go, I'm writing notes in the margins (my built-in, Rob Dixon 2.78 point writing font comes in handy...). As I look back at the 36 pages of Genesis, I see lots of question marks. Why did God choose the curses He did? Who was Cain's wife anyway? Who are the three visitors? At Babel, is it really true that "nothing...will be impossible" for the humans? Who are the Nephilim and is Yao Ming one of them? What does God have against Pharaoh's baker? So many questions...

2. There's certainly a "WTF factor" to reading Genesis. OK, there are some whacked out and wild stories interspersed with the main narrative. Lot and his daughters in 19? Come on. What Jacob (and Rebekah) does to poor Esau is just jacked up. And then what's up with the Judah and Tamar story in 38? A hot mess. I read these vignettes and find myself wondering just what I'm supposed to glean from them. Which brings me to the truth that...

3. People are screwed up in Genesis! I'm taking this to be a good thing. These are the heroes of the Bible and what a sorry lot they are at points. Abraham, followed by Isaac, lies about the identity of his wife. These people lie, cheat, steal, take too many wives, etc. But the kicker is that I can relate to them (except, thankfully, the part about taking too many wives), and that gives me hope. The sovereign Lord of the universe chooses to use chumps to accomplish His purposes. That's a good word right there.

4. At the end of the day, God will get His mission accomplished.There we are after chapter 50. The world is established, people are made, sin enters in, God starts His work of redemption. A Holy Covenant gets created, affirmed, passed on and then affirmed again. Flawed people come and go, but, throughout, His mission is the story.

One other thing...so far so good. No missed days. I even made it through three days on the road. Three observations so far:

a. Reading the narratives is easy work compared to the genealogies. And don't get me started about the myriad specific instructions and laws in Exodus!

b. I'm having to get used to not reading for depth. Breadth is the ticket with this format, but I realize that I have been InterVarsity-ized to appreciate deep Bible Study. So, this is a counter-cultural thing for me. I'm trying to give myself grace.

c. I'm no monk. That is, when it comes to Bible reading, I don't get the "luxury" of my own cell, quiet, candle-light, maybe a wooden cross on the wall, nice monastery-quality adult beverages, etc. No sir. My reading gets mixed in with changing diapers, yelling kids, the laundry getting folded, the Stanley Cup playoff game, putting Lily down, tuning up the sprinklers, checking email, the bedtime routine, text messages and, well, I gotta see who's tweeting! And all of that was just tonight! I'm learning to read the Scriptures in the everyday mess of our lives. It's a good thing.

Tomorrow's reading: Exodus 29-41. The day after that? Here comes Leviticus...

Three things this picture should tell you

1. I'm (back) into biking. Doing about three rides a week for a total of 50ish miles. Legs still hairy.

2. I fit into my old (circa 1992) Cal Poly gear. Go Wheelmen.

3. Since this shot is from inside the garage, you should know that I listen to my wife, who said: "whatever you do, don't let the neighbors see you in that outfit..."

90 Daze...

So I did it. I signed up. 90 days to read the whole of the Bible. We went to church (for the first time in a month), I saw the announcement in the bulletin and I signed up right after the service (for those familiar with the language of Switch, I directed my rider and I'm trusting that the elephant will follow...).

As it turned out, I even had the 90 Day Bible on my bookshelf. I had bought one 4 years ago at a bookstore and thought it would be great to do the program. Back then, I made it 2 days. This time will be different. Why?

1. I'm doing this in community. Last Wednesday morning, I hauled myself out of bed at 6:30am to go to a weekly class with 100+ of my nearest and dearest friends. We sat around tables and talk about what we read and learned.

2. I'm putting it out there. Here I am in cyberspace for one. But then I've also got it in the summer growth plan that I'll be sending out to my team. There's something about going public that spurs me on.

3. I'm tying in some writing. For me writing is a way that I synthesize my experiences. When I'm not writing regularly, something is wonky. My plan is to write a blog post when I finish a book. That way I can record my major impressions and keep them in one place. Genesis coming up, either tomorrow or the day after.

What am I hoping to get out of this adventure? Better Bible fluency, the joy and satisfaction of committing to something and following through, the experience of a consistent 40 (or so) minute reading slot each morning, an experience (or 90) with the Lord, funny names to offer next time someone I know is expecting, etc.

3 days in. 40 chapters. So far, so, ah, weird. What's with this passage anyway?!?

Bikeframe Windchime

So I've had this old bike frame along the side of my house since we moved in. At one point, it was one of my grandfather's, oh, 7 different bikes he had in his garage. Recently, I decided to get it out, strip down all of the parts and then I was going to put it up on the wall of my garage. One problem...the cranks were fused onto the frame and they were not going to come off easily. Even Bob's Sawzall was no use against them!

Last week, I had taken them in to a local bike shop to see if they could work their magic and get the cranks off. After about 20 minutes of fruitless effort, the mechanic handed the frame back to me and said something like "well, you could always do what my buddy did and turn it into a windchime..."

Hmm....

So I did. I still have some tinkering and tuning to do, but here she is:

Bay to Debauchery...

So I did the ING Bay to Breakers this morning up in San Francisco. Wow. What an experience. Cross it off the bucket list! Finish time was 67:26 for a 12K. That's an 8:51 pace, pretty good, considering...

...the day began with a massive tortilla fight in the starting corrals.
...it took us, no kidding, 29 minutes to finally reach the starting line.
...because of that, we started amid the strollers, walkers and just before the floats. I must have passed some 15,000 people during this thing.
....the first three miles were an intense game of chicken/frogger/street slalom. We were weaving, bobbing and moving people out of the way...and it still took us about 33 minutes to cover the first 5K. At one point, I ran myself off course and had to hop over some barriers to get back in.
...my eyes were SCARRED by the naked runners. Memo to aging SF hippie men who like to run: buy some shorts.
...what's with the yahoos who chose to walk non-chalantly across the street during the race?
...this thing.
...why oh why weren't all the walkers able to stay to the right?
...too many sketchy costumes to count...

Bottom line...next time, I'm either going to run the race or sit on the street and watch it. It was too tough to do both!

Happy 8th birthday to my big/little man!

Run for the Reef

One of the great joys of doing this whole running and racing thing is dragging the kids along. They cheer, they like the free Jamba Juices, they watch me doing something significant, etc. But each time they come, they always have one vital question: "Daddy, are you going to win?"

This morning, in the Run for the Reef 5K here in Fresno, I finished second in a race. Haven't done that since High School. And wouldn't you know it but all 4 of my adoring fans were right here at home!

Now, having sung my high finishing praises, let me go ahead and round out the picture: only like 30-40 souls turned up for this race. They didn't even have numbers or a digital clock. For traffic control, they dredged up some retired officer volunteer guy. At first glace, it was easy to categorize many of those that came out as "fun runners." A few of the ladies even showed up in some sort of running skirt. Weird.

So I managed a 20:25, 7 seconds off my recent personal best for the 5K but faster than I was expecting. Someday I'll limbo under the 20 minute mark! Still, in the end, some hippy named J.K. took a good 3 minutes out of me and with it the fruit basket that went to the winner. In fact, as I rolled in I noticed him walking back from his car after dropping of the goods in his trunk. Nice. He looked like he'd been out for an easy Saturday morning stroll.

So the cheering section will need to wait til the next race to see if Daddy can win. Too bad at the La Jolla Half Marathon, it'll be me against 6,500 non-skirt wearing competitors. Wish me luck!

Something in the Air

We Dixons have an Olympic history. Well, one particular Dixon anyway. My Dad's cousin Fred was a decathlete who made the team for the 1980 boycotted games, and then he competed in the 1984 LA games. It's our family's claim to fame.

So I always enjoy a good Olympic yarn and Something in the Air was right in line. In fact, as someone concerned with issues of race and justice, I doubly enjoyed it, as the main narrative of the book conflates the racial tensions of the late 1960's with the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. They are all there: Beamon's long jump record, the gloved fists of Smith and Carlos, the Fosbury flop, George Foreman before his grill and on and on.

The most interesting story of all? The tale of Puma v. Adidas. Did you know that the companies of Puma and Adidas trace their lineage to two brothers, brothers who once worked together in shoe-making bliss before descending into sibling hatred and rivalry? It's true. And in 1968, the battle was on in Mexico City, with each company sending agents, pallets full of new shoes and envelopes full of bribing money. The sordid underbellly of the Olympics.

All in all, Hoffer's a good storyteller (he ought to be, the brother teaches, or used to teach, writing at Harvard after all). Full marks for Something in the Air.

Happy 4th birthday Gracie!!!

Liar's Poker

I've decided that I have an allergy to money and finances. I mean, I have little patience for really anything in that realm. I'll leave an analysis of why I suffer from this allergy for another blog post. For now, let's just say that my condition made picking up and digesting Michael Lewis' 1989 book Liar's Poker a daunting challenge.

So let me be totally upfront. After powering through 300+ pages of digressions about bonds, funds, mortgages, thrifts, markets and interest rates, I have a barely passing knowledge of what any of these things are and how they did or did not contribute the epic crash of Salomon Brothers in the late 80's. Give me a basic economics pop quiz and even after absorbing the meticulous and clear Lewis writing in Liar's Poker and you can surely put me down for a D+ at best.

Context, then, be damned. Once again, Lewis had me when he was doing what I think he does best and that is telling us stories about people. Wow. Dash Riprock, Gutfreund, Milken, Alexander, and, of course, most memorably, Lewie Ranieri. What's Lewis' genius? Two things. First, he treats his characters fairly, whatever their character deficiencies and flaws. Next, he's just a vivid writer. After a chapter that features the introduction of a new character, you feel like you know the person, or at least that you know people who are like that person.

So pick up Liar's Poker with this in mind. Heavy on the finance-talk? Yes. A brilliant introduction to the maniacal financial "geniuses" that blew up Wall Street in the late 80's? Yes again. Lewis has a new book coming out, called The Big Short. The jacket calls it almost a sequel to Liar's Poker. You can bet I'll be picking that up at my first opportunity. Just spare me the pop quiz...

About that running thing...

...it continues! I owe 2 running posts. One looking back on 2009 and one looking forward to 2010. Coming soon.

For now, last Sunday was the inaugural race of the season, the Shamrock'n half marathon. Great experience (once again) with the Surf and Turf running crew, great weather, great course, great cheering section and to top it off a PR...1:39 flat.

A few details for posterity:
Did the first 4 miles in 31 flat.
Did the first half of the race in just about 50 minutes flat.
Did maybe 7.75 miles in the first hour.
At the 10 mile mark, with a 5K to go, I was somewhere around 1:15.
Pace for the 13.1 was 7:33.

Here's a shot of the crew after the race:

The Blind Side

I'm on a veritable reading binge these days. After finishing Surviving Paradise, I went on to polish off Bonhoefer's Life Together, Smith's The Good and Beautiful Community and (unfortunately) Palmer's The Second Opinion. Come to think of it, that's quite an eclectic sample!

Two weeks ago I was in Denver on a layover and I picked up a copy of The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. 48 hours later, I was back in the Denver airport looking for something else to read. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the book was a fantastic read.

To begin with, Michael Lewis knows how to tell a story. He's an amazing writer. In particular, he is great with detail. Want to know exactly what a left tackle does on the football field? Lewis will tell you. Want to understand the racial dynamics in play in Memphis during the last decade? Lewis is your guy. Heck, I bet Lewis could take the intricate (and, on their face, boring) details of the business end of the game of baseball and make it a great read. Oh wait, he already did that.

Next, of course the story of the white, evangelical, wealthy family adopting a large, black kid from the other end of Memphis was compelling. And there's certainly lots to learn from the story: what advocacy looks like, how to navigate the system, the dynamics of crossing cultures, etc. Truly, it's a great book and a worthy read. No wonder it made it onto the big screen and Sandy took home an Oscar.

But here's the thing. I put the book down and wondered: why did they do it? I don't think that Lewis gives us a good answer, which is odd considering his passion for details. I feel like I'm missing a chapter where he explores exactly what motivated this family's actions. What exactly was it that inspired this socially outrageous act?!?

I'm left to piece it together. It seems pretty clear that their faith is somewhere down at the core of their motivation. These are good, Christian people, so surely they must be loving the least because that's what Jesus does. But if that's true, I'm wishing I was given a window into their process. What Scriptures inspired them? What cost did they count as a part of the journey? What about their understanding of Jesus and the Gospel pressed them into this arrangement? And if it's not about any of these things, what else could their motivation be?!?

What to do? Put the movie in the Netflix cue in short order. Google the Tuohys. Talk about it with others. But, first, head to the library or my nearest used bookstore for another Michael Lewis book before my flight to Madison on Monday!

What's waiting at home for me after these meetings...