So I officially started reading the Bible on February 13, and I've been moving along steadily since then with my readings. If you'll remember in my post covering Genesis 1, I had an "oh crap" moment and realized I had no idea what I was doing as far as reading the Bible and interpreting it. So I ended up scouring the internet for advice on how to properly analyze God's Word so I could correctly apply it to my life. Well, during that scouring I came across a website full of incredibly helpful commentary, and I've been using it to help me understand my readings. I wanted to share it with y'all since I've found it to be so useful.
The website is called BibleTrack. It has a very plain and basic layout, but the information I've found is awesome. And what I love is that the different commentaries are grouped to follow my chronological reading plan. If you follow that link you'll notice that "day 1" says to read Genesis 1-3. Then, on BibleTrack, chapters 1-3 of Genesis are their own commentary. So I'm not having to read commentary from one chapter then having to go find another chapter's commentary. It's set up so that I can click on my chapters for the day's reading, and I have everything I need on one page.
BibleTrack is maintained by Pastor Wayne D Turner, and I really like how he writes his commentaries. They're conversational in tone, and they have a touch of humor. I feel like it's pretty similar to how I write (or at least try to).
Anyway, I've just found this website to be super useful, and I wanted to share it so it can help y'all with your own Bible journeys, too. I've also added it to my navigation bar so you can find it easily if you end up using it as much as I have been. If you do check it out, let me know what you think!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Genesis 9-11
This is when we start to learn about Noah's sons and how all the different nations come from these three men. We then get to the story of the Tower of Babel and are introduced Abram.
To be totally honest, the genealogy in chapter 10 is super confusing. It's easy enough to follow, but it's not as easy as learning the descendants of Cain and Seth. There are so many words in this chapter that I just can't pronounce. So this chapter was a struggle to grasp. But at least I understand the big picture and that's that Shem, Ham, and Jepheth repopulated the earth with the help of their wives (and probably a bunch of other women, too).
To be totally honest, the genealogy in chapter 10 is super confusing. It's easy enough to follow, but it's not as easy as learning the descendants of Cain and Seth. There are so many words in this chapter that I just can't pronounce. So this chapter was a struggle to grasp. But at least I understand the big picture and that's that Shem, Ham, and Jepheth repopulated the earth with the help of their wives (and probably a bunch of other women, too).
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Genesis 8-9:17
The story of Noah is wrapped up in Genesis chapter 8 and the first half of chapter 9. And I think some of my favorite verses so far come from this section. I also had a morality question of mine answered.
Chapter 8 discusses the end of the flood when God stops all the rain and the flood waters recede until the earth is dry again. This chapter is another one of those things that I knew nothing about before reading the Bible. We're always told about Noah and the Flood - how it rained for forty days and forty nights then Noah sends out a dove to see if the coast is clear. (LOL, pun might have been intended.) But little did I know that Noah and everyone and every animal were on the ark for over a year. That is a long time to be on a boat, and it's just further proof of how strong Noah's faith was in God. Even after the dove never returned, Noah waited for God to give the all clear.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Genesis 6-7 & The Importance of Family Above All Else
Chapters 6 and 7 explain how the world became so wicked that God destroyed it with a flood but not before sparing Noah and his family and commanding Noah to build an ark. I think these stories will always be part of my favorites because of a big message I got after reading chapter 7.
Genesis 6 - The Wickedness of the World; Genesis 7 - Noah and the Flood
I had two main questions after reading this short chapter. Why are they sons of God but daughters of humans? And who are the Nephilim?
After learning that part of Eve's punishment in The Fall is to desire her husband, I've been a little confused about my role as a woman in the eyes of God. Then in Genesis 6:2 I feel even further confused when it says, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Why are the sons of God? And why are the daughters of humans? To me, the word choice there is like saying daughters (or women) aren't good enough for God. But I just can't bring myself to believe that. I'm sure I have to be misinterpreting something, and it's really driving me crazy.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Genesis 4-5 & Controlling My Temper
"Day 2" of my reading plan consisted of Genesis 4-7. And like "day 1" I've decided to cover this day's reading in two posts, so today I'll talk about chapters 4 and 5, and tomorrow I'll cover chapters 6 and 7.
Chapter 4 is the story of Cain and Abel, and chapter 5 is From Adam to Noah. I actually did not realize that Cain and Abel were the direct sons of Adam and Eve. Like, I knew the story - Cain kills his brother, Abel - but I thought it was more in the middle somewhere. I had no idea it was like right after Adam and Eve. So here's another example of my complete lack of Bible knowledge. Also, I did not realize that the story of Noah and the Flood happened so soon after Adam and Eve. Again, I thought it was a little later. It's embarrassing to admit this stuff, but it just makes me glad that I've decided to follow a chronological reading plan. Knowing the order in which things happen is a huge factor in my ability to learn new things, and I truly feel like I'm understanding what's going on. I feel like I have a grip on these first 7 chapters of the Bible.
So anyway, the story of Cain and Abel...
Chapter 4 is the story of Cain and Abel, and chapter 5 is From Adam to Noah. I actually did not realize that Cain and Abel were the direct sons of Adam and Eve. Like, I knew the story - Cain kills his brother, Abel - but I thought it was more in the middle somewhere. I had no idea it was like right after Adam and Eve. So here's another example of my complete lack of Bible knowledge. Also, I did not realize that the story of Noah and the Flood happened so soon after Adam and Eve. Again, I thought it was a little later. It's embarrassing to admit this stuff, but it just makes me glad that I've decided to follow a chronological reading plan. Knowing the order in which things happen is a huge factor in my ability to learn new things, and I truly feel like I'm understanding what's going on. I feel like I have a grip on these first 7 chapters of the Bible.
So anyway, the story of Cain and Abel...
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Genesis 2-3 & Gender Roles
"Day 1" of my reading plan included the first three chapters of Genesis. Yesterday I wrote about Genesis 1, and today I'm finishing up with my thoughts on Genesis 2-3. These chapters explained the stories of Adam and Eve and the Fall.
Genesis 2 - Adam and Eve
Observation
In chapter two, we learn how God created Adam "from the dust on the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Ge 2:7) We also learn about Eden - what it looks like and its geographical location. God also gave Adam one commandment: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Ge 2:16-17)
Genesis 2 - Adam and Eve
Observation
In chapter two, we learn how God created Adam "from the dust on the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Ge 2:7) We also learn about Eden - what it looks like and its geographical location. God also gave Adam one commandment: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Ge 2:16-17)
Monday, February 16, 2015
My "Oh, Crap" Moment & Genesis 1
"Day 1" of my Bible journey started on Friday. And as I began reading Genesis I quickly realized I had no idea what I should be looking for. I spent so much time researching "how to read the Bible" before ever opening the book. I looked up reading plans and the difference in translations. Yet I completely overlooked the most important part of all - how, exactly, do I read the words on these pages? How do I properly interpret what I'm reading? How do I analyze what has been written here, and what am I supposed to take from these readings to apply to my own life? Basically, where do I begin?
The whole purpose of my wanting to read the Bible was so that I could properly interpret God's Word for myself and so that I could properly apply his teachings and messages to my own life. But as soon as I read "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" I had an "oh, crap" moment. I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for.
The whole purpose of my wanting to read the Bible was so that I could properly interpret God's Word for myself and so that I could properly apply his teachings and messages to my own life. But as soon as I read "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" I had an "oh, crap" moment. I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Why I'm Reading the Bible and a Few Other Things
Hello and welcome to A Coffee Date with God! I'm assuming nearly all of y'all reading this post came here from my main blog, SS Jess. And I'm going to assume that you've noticed an aesthetic difference between this blog and my main. When creating this blog, I decided to keep it very simple. No need to purchase a custom domain name; no need to have a fancy layout design. Unlike SS Jess, I have no interest in really advertising A Coffee Date with God. I don't care to have a huge following or eventually monetize this little space. This is purely for my own benefit, and it's simply an added bonus if others want to follow me on my journey. And I hope you will despite the lack of wow factors.
So now that I've gotten that little disclaimer out of the way, read on for all the explanations that may be striking your curiosity. Fair warning, this is a long post.
So now that I've gotten that little disclaimer out of the way, read on for all the explanations that may be striking your curiosity. Fair warning, this is a long post.
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