Reading from Wednesday, June 23

Hey friends. So my video game blog took off like a rocket today. I posted a discussion in the gaming forum, neogaf and a bunch of guys from there came and checked out the blog. I think I got like 150 hits today! What's even cooler is a few of them found their way over to this blog.

I also want to share a quick story with you. A couple months ago I confessed the sneaky little thing I was going to do with the flash for my camera. If you don't remember, my flash was broken and I was going to email the company, say I got  it as a gift and that it was broken when I got it. Jill discouraged me from doing something so sneaky and she was right - it was a pretty crappy thing to do. So I ended up not sending the email and just figured I would buy another one some day. Well earlier this week, a friend and I were talking about photography and I mentioned that I didn't have a flash anymore. He said "Oh, I've got one just gathering dust at home. If you want it, it's yours."

Now I'm not big into the "wow what a crazy coincidence - God did that for me" camp, but there was a clear correlation of events that wouldn't have occurred had I emailed that company and gotten a replacement flash. Plus the one my friend gave me for free is so much better, so it just felt like this huge blessing for doing the right thing and being patient. I need to remember to pass that on to others.

Reading for June 23
2 Kings 4:18-5:27
This section focuses on three miracles performed by Elisha.

The first deals with the boy he promised to the barren woman in the last reading. The boy became ill very quickly one day and died. Elisha came in and brought the boy back to life.

Next, he fed over 100 men with only 20 loaves of bread and there was bread left over - that sounds familiar.

Finally he heals a leper, and this is the most interesting story out of the three. An army official from the land of Aram has leprosy, and he comes to Israel to see what Elisha can do for him. Elisha tells him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan. Now what's interesting about this is the man's response:

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹²

Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

Eventually the man did what Elisha said and he was healed of his leprosy, but that reaction is more typical of myself that I thought at first blush. Sometimes the solutions God comes up with are very simple solutions - no fireworks, no one clapping for you and cheering your name at the end, just enough to give you exactly what you need. This fellow is the prime example of this reaction, and maybe overreaction. I don't know a lot about leprosy, but I know it sucks - and that if someone said "Go rinse off in the Hudson, and your leprosy will be gone." I would be jumpin in the Hudson.

I like to imagine Elisha with a "WTF, mate?" look on his face when this happens. 

Acts 15:1-35
There is a big debate in this chapter about whether or not someone who comes to God needs to be circumcised to be recognized as a Christian. Paul and Barnabas believe that it is not required to be circumscised to become a follower of Christ. They feel that everyone should be welcomed to this new religion and that there shouldn't be any prerequsities to believing.

These prerequsites still continue today, only not on the surface level. Many churches will shun or even turn away people who do not match the congregation's standard and they lose that person forever. This come as you are approach to Chisitianity is really the best way to go about it I believe.

Psalm 141:1-10
So tired. I may come back to this one tomorrow. Goodnight.

Proverbs 17:23