In the Beginning

In the beginning this blog was created as an expression of why I chose to underline certain passages in my Bible and why I made notations in the margins. As I slowly blogged my way through the gospel of John, I quickly realized that I can never read the Bible without noticing new things and learning more about both God and myself.

Another book in my Bible where I have drawn arrows, made exclamation points, recorded numerous notes, and underlined passages is Genesis but certainly not because it answers all of my questions. It’s true that I have discovered answers to some of life’s questions but I also find myself pondering many questions that will never be answered to my satisfaction on this side of heaven.

I love Genesis. It is this book that taught me so much about God’s character. Here, I’ve encountered evidence of His goodness, kindness, and patience. I’ve observed His immeasurable grace, and mercy. And I’ve discovered His love for justice.

I also discover a tension between God’s goodness, mercy, and grace and His judgement that permeates many of the stories recorded in Genesis. And I can’t always reconcile this tension in my simple mind; so I wrestle with it. I want goodness to reign in this world so I become angry with the infiltration of evil. I want murder, rape, lying, and stealing to be gone. But if that is not possible, I want to know that God hears the cries of the voiceless, judges in favor of the innocent, and will sentence evil perpetrators as deserved.

When you begin reading Genesis, it doesn’t take long before you encounter mankind’s blatant disobedience, twisting of the truth, and rationalizations for evil. You quickly recognize what mankind can do with the gift of free will. But Genesis teaches us that God also hates evil and He will pass judgement in His perfect timing.

From this book, I’ve also learned much about the intrinsic character of man. At some point, hasn’t everyone asked, “Who am I? What’s my purpose? Do I matter?” Genesis begins to answer these questions.

So a new beginning…exploring some of the stories recorded in Genesis. I invite you to join me.

I plan to write about what I have reasoned through my quest to understand truth and I welcome your thoughts. I will also share some of my questions and if you can suggest answers, I welcome those also.

Consider this a journey. I personally want to travel with God as my navigator and ultimate authority. And I want companions because that always makes a trip interesting. I want to travel alongside those who want to know God and His character. And I want people to join who aren’t even sure about this God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I want the company of people who, like me, have questions. And in the process of traversing our way through Genesis, I am confident that each of us will learn more about ourselves…who we are, our value, and our purpose. But best of all, we will better know our God.

Question to ponder:

Do I truly have a teachable spirit, willing to learn more about God AND about myself?