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MindTraversingTheGap
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Name: Stephanie
Gender: Female
Interests: Biblical studies, philosophy, Japanese culture & history, the U.K. & medieval Europe, mysticism & spiritual power, theatre, creating art, party/strategy games, playing handbells.
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Member Since:
11/8/2004
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| One of my professors showed my class this list on St. Valentine's Day:
THE TOP 14 BIBLICAL WAYS TO ACQUIRE A WIFE
1) Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, discard her clothes, and keep her in your house for a month. Then she's yours. - (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)
2) Find a promiscuous woman and marry her. - Hosea (Hosea 1:1-3)
3) Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. - Moses (Exodus 2:16-21)
4) Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. - Boaz (Ruth 4:5-10)
5) Go to a party and hide. When women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. - Benjaminites (Judges 21:19-25)
6) Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. (disclaimer: cost is 1 body part.) - Adam (Genesis 2:19-24)
7) Agree to work 7 years in exchange for a woman's hand in marriage. Marry the wrong woman by failing to remove her veil. Then work another 7 years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. 2 wives
for the price of 2. - Jacob (Genesis 29:15-30)
8) Cut 200 foreskins off of your future father-in-law's enemies and get his daughter for a wife. - David (I Samuel 18:27)
9) Even if no one else is out there, just wander around a bit and you'll definitely find someone. (It's all relative, of course.) - Cain (Genesis 4:16-17)
10) Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. - Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther 2:3-4)
11) When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, "I saw a woman; now get her for me as a wife." If they question your decision, simply say, "Get her for me because she pleases me." - Samson (Judges 14:1-3)
12) Be a Peeping Tom, have the spied woman brought to you, and kill her husband (disclaimer: cost is 4 sons). - David (2 Samuel 11)
13) Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It's not just a good idea; it's the law.) - Onan and Boaz (Deuteronomy 25:5-10, Genesis 38:7-9, Ruth 3:12-13)
14) Don't be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. - Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3)
The modern thinking is:
15) A wife? . . . NOT! - Paul (1 Corinthians 7:24-35)
I wondered, "What would be the opposite list?" and came up with this:
THE TOP 14 BIBLICAL WAYS TO ACQUIRE A HUSBAND... OR, IF YOU CAN'T GET THAT, A FATHER FOR YOUR CHILDREN
1) Hang out at a well. - Rachel and Zipporah (Genesis 24:15-16, Exodus 2:16-21)
2) Become the slave-girl of a barren woman. - Hagar and Bilhah (Genesis 16:1-4, 30:2-4)
3) Rise from bed and search the city. After you ask the watchmen if they've seen the man you love and they leave, you'll find him. (Song of Songs 3:1-4)
4) Ravish the guy's heart with a glance of your eyes and the sparkle of your necklace jewels, and make sure your fragrance is better than any spice. It's helpful if your hair looks like a flock of goats, your teeth like sheep, your forehead and cheeks like pomegranates, your navel like a bowl of wine, your neck and nose like towers, and your breasts like gazelle or clusters of dates. (Song of Songs 4:1-5, 4:9-10, 6:5-7, 7:2-7)
5) Show up in your best clothes at a threshing floor in the dead of night. Uncover the feet (or genitals) of the most successful older man there and lie down. - Ruth (Ruth 3:1-4:13)
6) Take the blame for your foolish husband's insulting behavior towards a warlord while offering the guy a bunch of food and wine. Then tell your husband what you did, so that his heart dies within him, and wait for a prompt proposal from the warlord. - Abigail (1 Sam 25:9-42)
7) Dress up as a temple prostitute and sit by the side of a road until your ex-father-in-law comes along. Make sure to obtain his signet, cord, and staff so he can't have you burned later. - Tamar (Genesis 38:13-26)
8) Live in a pagan land, so that when the Hebrews come to massacre the men they will capture you.
9) Be the eldest daughter in a family. - Leah and Merab (Genesis , 1 Sam 18:17-19)
10) Get your dad drunk enough that he won't know when you go in to lie with him or when you leave. Do this one night per daughter. - Lot's daughters (Genesis 19:31-36)
11) Ascertain that the man you want has no self-control, since in that case is it better for him to marry than to burn with passion over you. (1 Corinthians 7:9)
12) Enter Egypt and say your husband is your brother. - Sarah (Genesis 12:13-16)
13) Enter Gerar and say your husband is your brother. (disclaimer: don't let the king see your husband fondling you.) - Rebekah (Genesis 26:6-10)
14) Wait for men to get to age 40. - Rebekah, Judith & Basemath (Genesis 25:20, 26:34)
The modern thinking is:
15) A husband? . . . NOT! - Paul (1 Corinthians 7:24-35)
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| Sans direction about going on a mission trip to Argentina this spring, I opened my Bible to seek wisdom. The Chronicles of Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa (II Chron. 10-16) did not supply answer in that matter, but provided aid for different topic - seeking God. Things to do: listen to prophets' warnings, give offering every morning and evening, care for God's things, remove foreign items of worship, fortify against enemies, repair God's place of worship, sacrifice to God, enter into covenant with Him to seek Him with all one's heart & soul. Many of these are simple, tangible actions. Do not: follow the advice of middle-aged peers instead of the counsel of wise elderly people, be unkind, not bother to speak good words to people, and create alliances or rely on help other than God for war and disease.
I felt very concerned by Rehoboam's story, in which he starts out by doing the right thing: taking counsel on the topic of what to do with Israel from the older men who'd attended Solomon. Then he rejects their advice and asks men he grew up with for their input. This "was a turn of affairs brought about by God so that the Lord might fulfill his word . . ." (II Chron. 10:15) Rehoboam decided to fight against Israel, and God sent him "Shemaiah the man of God" to say, "You shall not go up or fight . . . for this thing is from me" (11:4). Rehoboam heeds these words, and does reforms for 3 years.
After this, he and all the people abandon the law of the Lord, so Shemaiah relates, "You have abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak" (12:5). Rehoboam realizes, "The Lord is in the right," so God decides not to destroy them all but that instead they'll be Shishak's servants so "they may know the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands" (12:6-8). So Shishak takes their treasures but conditions stay good.
That's Rehoboam's whole story. Why did God bring about Rehoboam ignoring the older men's counsel? I don't see in the story what good purpose it accomplished. It's scary to see God bring about a person doing the wrong thing, and not even be able to discern any use in God doing it.
So I read through hymns in my trusty "The BBC Hymn Book" for consolation. Finally, I found these lines which restored some comfort:
"Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth:
Hast thou not seen?
All that is needful hath been
Granted in what he ordaineth."
-Joachim Neander
If I focus on the ordained things-to-do tips such as those listed above, I don't need to worry so much about God asking me to do other things - there's plenty of clear things there to work on already.
"There's a kindness in his justice,
Which is more than liberty."
-Frederick William Faber
Encouraging to keep in mind when considering liberation theology.
And when I found this one, I felt God had granted me something personal:
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne
And worship only thee.
So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb."
-William Cooper
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| I am so blessed to have the loving and kind boyfriend that is Andrew Komasinski. On Tuesday, something I'd done came up in our conversation about hearing God's voice, and this hurt him a lot but he was much more concerned for me. He wanted me to focus on my welfare & openness to listening to God speak rather than on his feelings. That doesn't come easily for me, because it feels worse to have hurt someone I love than to be saddened by any mistreatment done toward me.
I couldn't sleep all night. At first I thought I would cry myself to sleep. Although I did cry at first, and many distraught and pondering thoughts raced in my mind until morning, I soon felt overwhelmingly joyful that I can trust Andrew's love for me. I recalled the protagonist Nora in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", one of my favorite plays: she commited a crime to save her husband's life but hopes in the Wonderful Thing - that upon finding out her secret, her husband will sacrificially protect and forgive her. I believed that, opposite of Nora's mistaken faith in her husband, I could wholly trust Andrew wouldn't allow his heart to harden against me and allow distance to wedge between us, but would lovingly face this issue with me.
On Wednesday evening he came over to my apartment so we could talk about it. Kimmie prayed for me beforehand. The heavy conversation went very well. I am so grateful that I can confide in him and he understands me, that I can trust his love for me and he supports me with godly encouragement even if it is scary to hear. I am so blessed to have the loving and kind boyfriend that is Andrew Komasinski. | | |
| Hi everyone,
I've been unable to post here for about half a year due to busyness, crises, and lack of internet connection (the wireless in Alosta Place is sometimes nonexistent and often barely usable), but right now it's January 1st of a new year and I'm at Kimmie's apartment which has wireless that works. That said, may I give you an update on my past 6 months?
July: worked all waking hours
11 hrs a week: APU's Undergrad Registrar 45 hrs a week: A.L.C.I.'s Summer University Preparation Program intern teach art class
t.a. for 2 classes
chapel small group leader
plan and lead events & L.A. excursions
fall in love with the high school students from Argentina, Taiwan and Japan
after I got home from work: design handbills for APU's Theatre Department attend: Swimming class (for my P.E. requirement) audit: Life and Teachings of Jesus class whatever time I could manage outside of my 3 jobs: see Andrew
attend Japanese Conversation Class
finished work
cried over missing my students
officially became Andrew's girlfriend ^^
started my next job
September: a series of unfortunate events
illegally kicked out of my apartment by my insane roommate
homeless for 40 days
allergic reaction to macadamia nut oil
began failing College Algebra
falling behind in classes
falling behind in work
finally landed an apt. with 2 friends
then 1 friend backed out after the other 2 of us paid our deposit
forced to withdraw and lose the apt. October:
continued searching for and stressing about housing
still behind in classes
still behind in work
secured a place in the apt. with my dear Amber, Mo, and Meg - yay!
tutored in math by my mom
read Jurgen Moltmann's Jesus Christ for Today's World! =)
retreat for my house church called The Fellowship
Andrew's surprise birthday party a success
November:
had to quit 1 of my jobs
relationship drama
Oxford University application
Argentina mission trip application
still suffering through math
reading liberation theology
a lovely birthday
December:
hectic end of semester coursework
thanks to my mom & Andrew's help, no math ever again! (...unless I take the GRE)
a few days spent with my boyfriend before he flew home to his parent's house in IN
making Christmas presents
haircut - the shortest my hair has been since 1st grade
time with relatives
so tired!
So, 2006 was pretty rough for me (especially the first few months of it), but God let me meet Andrew, serve the international high school students, become friends with Mari & Cathy, join Albert's house church, and read some impacting works like Soren Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments. Especially significant was being so humbled and convicted of thinking I'd had control over my life when it was never true.
I pray 2007 will be much, much better!
I'm praying about a mission trip to Argentina & teaching English in Japan this summer, and hoping I'll get accepted to Oxford Uni but will be okay with it if I don't.
My resolutions are to be more supportive of Andrew and to spend time with my parents (I know it would mean a lot to them).
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