a house of cards

a house of cards… 24-28/90

In the books of kings… it is actually the kingship of God revealed as ruler of our world…

… he brings a king to the throne… David… to demonstrate what his god-like rule is reminiscent of... it is our God tho... who actually brings us order to the world.

… David was not always the kind of instrument he could have been… he was human and did some uncharacteristic things because he had the power to do so. However, this is not what God’s kingship is like, God does not abuse this power…

… God brought David victory and successes and David was instrumental bringing the arc of the covenant to a central place… the temple was built to provide God’s foothold on earth… it marks a designated place that represents God’s presence… the church… God brought about a dwelling place on earth… so as to all nation be blessed!

... following the reign of king David, things began to fall apart steadily... many failures of the predecessor kings included; abusive power, deteriorating values of God’s covenant and faithfulness, and laws were not being passed down or taught to keep God’s spirit and presence holy among people… there were misguided worship practices...

… Kings is written in a perspective of “what went wrong…” a demonstration of how the pattern of failure works against people if something does not change for the betterment... especially, when referencing worship and keeping the commands of our God so that humanity is in sync… the role of the profits is demonstrated in the books of Kings... their role was vital and quite interesting… the power given to kings often becomes distorted and bad (a common disorder of increased power and authority as noted throughout history)… it was the profits who worked to call the kings to accountability… they are the champions for God’s kingship.

note: “... the definition of insanity is: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – albert einstein

... can you see… that most people fail to make “the leap” in life because they make the same mistakes over and over again and fail to correct them… the only way to make “that leap” is through faith… through God… to acknowledge God in all things... and that through God... all things are possible…

"the leap" then... is possible for anyone to take... through God!!! All things good and right and perfect… are right there for us to experience when we do everything in the Spirit of God... and only then... things become truly right... centered and One...

One love!

Love wins!!

jillY

well... who do you think you are... "the queen of sheba?"

25/90

well... who do you think you are?

“im the queen of sheba!” i would answer my sister upon being asked that question as a little girl... and then I would proceed to frolic around with a turban scarf draped gracefully around my head and shoulders… straight posture and uplifted chin… all in accordance with my pompous stance... i was in fact transported into the likeness of a queen; noble in character, beautiful, intelligent and self sufficient... qualities that i admire and continuously strive toward in my personal life… stil to this day...

I’ve always been enamored with the notion of the queen of sheba...

the story as relayed via biblical readings… goes as such…

… the queen of sheba (ethopia) heard of the great wisdom of king solomon of israel and journeyed there to test him with questions to see if the rumors were true… she gave solomon gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones… interesting fact… that never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of sheba gave to king solomon. (I love spices!!!) The queen was awed by Solomon's wisdom and wealth, and pronounced a blessing on Solomon's God… our God… the very same one and only God. Solomon reciprocated with gifts and "everything she desired," whereupon the queen returned to her country. The queen apparently was quite prosperous herself, and brought 4.5 tons of gold with her to give to Solomon. A LADY AFTER MY OWN HEART!!! :)

Interestingly… the biblical passages which refer explicitly to the Queen of Sheba imply no hint of love or attraction between her and solomon. The two are depicted merely as fellow monarchs professionally engaged in the affairs of state.

... on a side note... i have to wonder... was there a love connection??? I was interested in this... after all Solomon had an extreme amount of wives... and was quite a lady’s man… (in biblical times that is…)

the biblical text, song of solomon (Song of Songs – which is presumed to be written by king solomon), contains some references, which at various times, have been interpreted as referring to love between solomon and the queen of sheba…….. BUT the young woman depicted in song of songs, continuously denies the romantic advances of her suitor, whom many commentators identify as king solomon… In any case, there is little to identify the text with the rich and powerful foreign queen depicted in the Bible, Book of Kings. the woman of the text of the song clearly does regard "The Daughters of Jerusalem" as her peer group… of which was not queen of sheeba’s… as a song writer myself tho, there are instances where things are written to “protect the innocent.”...

... i have to say tho... "song of songs" is a lyrical poetry work of art... spilled from the ideals, fantasies and beauty of love in one's heart and mind... as a songwriter myself; i can understand these songwriting dramas and lyrical tactics...

... AGAIN tho... there is SOAP BOX DRAMA...

... Ethiopian tradition firmly asserts that King Solomon did seduce and impregnate his guest, and it provides a detailed story of how he went about it (google this on wikipedia if you want to read more) - a matter of considerable importance to Ethiopians - as their emperors traced their lineage to that union in a line, which but for one break of ca. 133 years eventually spanned circa 2900 years, through the kings of Kingdom of Axum, its Roman era (3rd century) name change to Ethiopia (documented in early Christian records, the 'Ethiopia' name showing up in the historical record from ca. AD 300 when Axum conquered the ancient kingdom of Kush, known through both Egyptian and Roman documents), and the eventual demise of Emperor Haile Selassie (deposed 1974) whose dynasty still survives, albeit out of power. Even the usurping dynasty was related, as the first jog through the distaff line (later there were others, presumably after the inheritance laws were updated) as the founding king of the [nation name or some other noun is missing here] was son-in-law of the last Axumite king, and the crown was returned to a "rightful" male line, called the Solomonic dynasty in ca. 1270 CE.)

DYNASTY… drama :)

LOVE WINS!
jillY

what dreams may come

© j. marshon

what dreams may come... 24/90

i believe in dreams... in the power of dreams... some dreams reveal things to us... while others scare us... and then there are even those that don't mean anything at all... dreams are powerful... they can give us insight... i believe angels can visit us in dreams... it is a spiritual realm unknown by us humans on earth... but the possibilities are limitless!

king solomon...

“... LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father david. but I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties... here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number... give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong... for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” ...

... the Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this... so God said to him, “since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice... i will do what you have asked... i will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be... moreover, i will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings... and if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did... i will give you a long life.”

Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream... he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and worshiped...

... God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore...

Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else known... and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations... He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five... He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls... He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish... From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world...

... what dreams may come...
love wins!
jillY

... read about one of my amazing dreams...
http://jillmarshon.blogspot.com/2008/12/for-one-more-day.html

God among us

God among us... 15-21/90

week three... the literature is narrative, the Bible documents events in people’s lives. The stories about people are actually stories about “God.” God reveals himself to us so we can know him – he reveals himself and the faithfulness of his promise to give the Israelites their land. God brings them in, helps them concur the land so that God can dwell in this land. God is establishing his name there – his presence.

The battle stories are God’s victories. How he delivered on his promises.

In Joshua we learn of God’s great faithfulness to the people of Israel.

In Judges we learn of the unfaithfulness of the people to God.

When we find out what some of the leaders and people did – we witness their faithlessness. God’s faithfulness continues in the context of faithlessness of the people. People were worshiping other gods, they messed up, they struggled with their world view – everyone around them led them to think of other gods. They turned to other gods to try to resolve problems, a view they couldn’t overcome. We can see troubles in our behavior today like individualism selfishness, consumerism, we have difficulties rising above our native culture. This is what they were struggling with.

God reveals himself to Israel - All of the world is coming to know him. Leadership of the people is not up to par, and by end of Judges, people are only doing what they think is right in their own eyes; not God's will.

Where is the godliness?

Then there is Ruth! In the days of Judges, Ruth, who initially did not have any real knowledge of God, no law, just an average girl... said, "I go where you go," to Naomi in faithfulness to her. God recognized her faithfulness – and as a result of this God builds the line of David. We see the family path from Ruth to the father of David.

next destination...
... the City of David...

from generation to generation

from generation to generation... 13/90

God is God; the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him…

uncle sam wants YOU

uncle sam wants YOU... 11/90

moses and aaron began taking a census in the book of numbers... for each of the twelve israel divisions/tribes... all the men 20 years old or more, who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families...

there has always been war...
there will always be an army...
there is always a necessity of recruitment...

numbers...

atonement

atonement... 9/90

leviticus exists to provide instruction and laws to guide a sinful, yet redeemed life in relationship with God through personal holiness...

atonement of sins requires personal sacrifice on our behalf... respect, honor and application of God’s instructions for living a godly life among our ungodly hour...

... obedience in doing so awards integrity via personal, moral, and social living...

... we dare not be flippant in our attitudes toward sin or God’s loathing of it, nor should we make light of it in any way... but, know... with God... all things are possible... and through God, all sin washes away...

maktub!
jillY

stone temple tablets

stone temple tablets... 7/90

tablet one...

... do not worship any other god
... do not make any idols
... do not misuse the name of the LORD your God
... remember the Sabbath; keep it holy
... honor your father and your mother

tablet two...

... do not murder
... do not commit adultery
... do not steal
... do not give false testimony
... do not envy

... when moses came down from mount sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, his face was radiant because he had spoken with God... radiant!!!

... radiant love!!!

love wins!
jillY

thanksgiving b.c.

thanksgiving b.c. … 5/90

After finishing my trip through exodus, i realized something new… God actually commenced thanksgiving… that which the first American Pilgrim Thanksgiving was based on... the Feast of Tabernacles. (Exodus 23:16)

The Bible is after all, the blueprint of our world… the ultimate instructions manual… right? ... thus the Feast of In gathering was held at the end of the year when the crops were gathered from the field and at which time the Israelites showed their thankfulness for their harvest and all that God had done for them.

I give thanks to God because he continually opens my eyes, heart, and ears to what he is communicating… needing me to hear… and he has always done this… I am certain that everything links back to the beginning of time… back to the origins of the Bible… the blueprint of the living path… how wonderful!

p.s. the first sanctuary… required yarn of blue, purple and scarlet… my favorite colors… this does not surprise me at all… :)* and… fyi… the first sanctuary offerings included gold, silver and bronze… a first “tabernacle” … a first “place of honoring - God” … think about this… how is it we honor our most talented athletes… on an alter with medals of gold, silver and bronze… :)*

thanks be to God who gives us the glory...

Love wins.
jillY

the red door

the red door... 4/90

passover is a holy day and festival commemorating the Israelites escape from enslavement in Egypt... begins on the 15th day of the month of march and april...

in exodus, the god inflicted 10 plagues upon the egyptians before pharaoh would release his israelite slaves... the 10th plague being the killing of firstborn sons. Israelites marked the doors of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb so God, upon seeing this, passed over the homes in deliverance.

this was the final plague that urged pharaoh to free the Israelites... they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to be made... in commemoration, for the duration of passover, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened (Matza) Bread."

God protected the Israelites even after pharaoh decided to go after them one final time following their release... this led to the parting of the red sea which God swallowed up pharaoh and his armies... pharaoh tried to go up against God... this is just not possible... as we all know...

one note thought in my readings/listenings... i cant believe after all of the protection and miracles clearly anointed via Moses and Aaron by God... how much complaining went on by the Israelites following all those days and inflictions on the Egyptians... boy oh boy... no wonder the rules came down on them!!! (Commandments!) i would have yelled at them all too... :)*

Love wins!
jillY

genesis in review

genesis in review... 3/90 (just my 2cents...)

adam and eve… we all know what eve did… befriended the serpent and got a conscious… bummer! … the girl gets the guy to go along… yeup! Drama!!! That is how we came to be intertwined and aware of good and evil… there is an angel that protects the tree of life… have you any idea what I am talking about???

Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, the first a farmer, the second a shepherd. Cain murdered Abel… God cursed Cain a wanderer on the earth. Seth was born in lieu of Abel. The generations of Adam bring forth Noah. The family tree ends with the birth of Noah's sons, from whom all human kind descends.

God sets the days of man at 120 years… Noah "a righteous man, blameless in his generation," builds an Ark as God requested him to… and took his family and representatives of all animals… God destroys world with Flood… God promises promising never again to destroy mankind in this way. 70 generations of the descendants of Noah are named, "and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood."

Men decide to build "a tower with its top in the heavens"… God fears the ambition of mankind: and thus confuses the language in the city of Babel … scattering mankind over the face of the earth…

Abraham married Sarah who gave birth to Isaac in her old age…God tested Abraham by commanding that he sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeys; but, as he is about to lay the knife upon his son, God restrains him, promising him numberless descendants. On the death of Sarah, Abraham purchases Machpelah for a family tomb and sends his servant to Mesopotamia, Nahor's home, to find among his relations a wife for Isaac; and Rebekah, Nahor's granddaughter, is chosen. (there is a cute story here about water, etc… it is sweet… )

Isaac's wife Rebekah is barren, but Isaac prays to God, and she gives birth to the twins Esau, and Jacob. Jacob deceives his father Isaac and obtains the blessing of prosperity by pretending to be his brother Esau (the first born)… the blessing should have been Esau's.

Fearing Esau's anger Jacob flees to Haran, the home of his mother's brother Laban. Jacob hires himself to Laban on condition that, after having served for seven years as a herdsman, he shall marry the younger daughter, Rachel, with whom he is in love. At the end of this period Laban gives him the elder daughter, Leah, explaining that it is the custom to marry the elder before the younger. Jacob does get to marry Rachel at the same time, but to be allowed to leave with her he must serve another seven years. During the next seven years, he has sons by his two wives and their two handmaidens, the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. Jacob then works another seven years, deceiving Laban to increase his flocks at his uncle's expense, and gains great wealth in sheep, goats, camels, donkeys and slave-girls.

Jacob flees with his family and flocks from Laban... Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies giving birth to her second born son of Jacob, Benjamin. Laban pursues and catches him, but God warns Laban not to harm Jacob, and they are reconciled. On approaching his home he is in fear of Esau, to whom he sends presents under the care of his servants, and then sends his wives and children away. "And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day… Neither Jacob nor the stranger can prevail, but the man touches Jacob and pleads to be released before daybreak, but Jacob refuses to release the being until he agrees to give a blessing; the stranger then announces to Jacob that he shall bear the name "Israel", "for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." … he was freed… he encountered God in person!

The meeting with Esau is good and the brothers reconcile instead of fight over the betrayal years prior: "to see your face is like seeing the face of God," is how Esau greeted Jacob!!! (LOVE WINS!)

Jacob makes a coat of many colours (yeup, the technicolor dreamcoat!!!) for his favorite son, Joseph. Joseph's jealous brothers sell him to some Ishmaelites and show Jacob the coat, dipped in goat's blood, as proof that Joseph is dead. Meanwhile the Midianites sell Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard, but Potiphar's wife, unable to seduce Joseph, accuses him falsely, and he is cast into prison. Here he correctly interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners, the king's butler and baker. Joseph next interprets the dream of Pharaoh, of seven fat cattle and seven lean cattle, as meaning seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the good years. He is appointed second in the kingdom, and, in the ensuing famine, "all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth."

Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain. The brothers appear before Joseph, who recognizes them but does not reveal himself. After having proved them on this and on a second journey, and they having shown themselves so fearful and penitent that Judah even offers himself as a slave, so save the life of Benjamin and the brothers, Joseph reveals his identity, forgives his brothers the wrong they did him (LOVE WINS again!), and he promises to settle in Egypt both them and his father Jacob brings his whole family to Egypt, where Pharaoh assigns to them the land of Goshen Jacob receives Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh among his own sons, then calls his sons to his bedside and reveals their future to them. Jacob dies and is interred in the family tomb at Machpelah... Joseph lives to see his great-grandchildren.(there is way more to the story of Joseph and Benjamin and the brothers... very much worth reading/listening to in its entirety)... :)

whew... that's genesis...

drama!!! and this is just a quick recap... i recommend u hear the complete book urself... check out "inspired by: the bible experience" it is AWESOME! just great!!!

Love wins!!!
jillY

biblical soap opera digest

biblical soap opera digest... 2/90

i went immediately to sleep upon arriving home from work yesterday due to my own personal life drama... and as if i didnt have enough drama in my life... this section of the bible proves that there has always been 'drama' in our lives... thankfully, it is only GOD who can help us through such drama...

(i scratch my head...)

um… abraham and sarah… spawn 'those' children in the mix... and then... isaac and rebekah… a sweet love story... who drama certainly finds tho... further formulated with entangled twins jacob and esau… and then… the drama just continues and continues… w/jacob and rachel… good grief that boi had to work himself into the ground for that woman...

yeup, so much drama for the OLD testament!!! gen 21 – 31… i highly recommend it... hehehe... either way it is keeping my mind preoccupied... THANK GOD!!!

with even more drama to follow as jacob and easu meet up again… to be continued...

if you've ever wondered where drama originates... take a listen to this chapter!!! and... this is ONLY DAY 2!!!

hehehe...

Love wins.
:) jillY

building a mystery

today i began "the Bible in 90 days" summer challenge... i am going to be listening to the Bible en route to and from work... i am listening to the audio Bible called: "inspired by: the bible experience." i have to just say tho... wow! impressive... day 1 and i am really amazed at how cool the sounds and voices are! just fantastic...

... this is day 1/90 as i start the mysterious spiritual journey to tackle the bible in 90 days... last time i did this it was winter and pretty dull... i was more confused than enlightened by making my way through the pages... grew more cynical than certain... and had lots of questions... it challenged my faith a lot... soooooooooooo anyway... im beginning this next road trip because the bus has stopped... and... since i cant get off... i may as well as fill the time... time to turn things around...

it was raining cats and dogs this morning as i traveled to work... this indeed made the whole Noah's Arc story very interesting... to say the least... here i am trying to dodge large rain puddles on the highway while squinting around my windshield wipers to drive... all around me are the incredible sounds of a large storm brewing and gaining intensity... pretty good timing! :)

i work near the grand rapids, mi airport... the area here is fairly high and overlooks a lot of beautiful land, trees and skyline... i love to see the clouds appear beyond the lake michigan horizon... it is beautiful...

this morning as i made my way off the highway... the clouds opened up in a dramatic bright beautiful pattern... the story of God's promise seemed quite relevant...

it is this very same spot on the highway and exit that i have witnessed multiple rainbows, and felt the hand of God amidst the morning sunshine cradling my face through the window...

as i sat at the stop light... i witnessed the sunshine begin to peer through the puffy rain filled clouds... brilliant rays extended around me...

Love wins.
jillY