Auburn vs LSU

If anyone needs me tomorrow, I will be at the Auburn/LSU game in Auburn! Props to my friend Andy who offered up one of their passes for the game. I received the offer to go hang out with these friends at a game, however, the only day that I could make it was for the LSU game (ie the biggest game of the year thus far for all non-football fans). Honestly I thought that there was no way that it would work out. I figured there was a waiting list for these tickets and I would be close to the bottom. However, God has smiled upon me. Not only do I get to spend the day in Auburn at the game, but I get to do so with friends that I don't get to see much. Good times, good friends, and maybe we will find some good food.

War Eagle!

Solomon update

Several days, weeks, months, years, ago I posted an entry centering around Solomon. My question was this: "why is Solomon named 'Jedidiah' by God through the prophet Nathan? Did everyone simply forget about this name that he was given? Why did God himself refer to Solomon as 'Solomon' instead of Jedidiah?" I had a gut feeling that the inclusion of the name in the text was there for a specific reason. I have to admit that I still don't feel that I have the complete answer, but here are my further thoughts on the subject.

(1) Solomon is conceived at the same time that God judges David's sin by killing his son conceived in sin. Solomon is the first "legitimate" child of David and Bathsheba. I believe, along with several other scholars, that God's naming of Solomon as 'Jedidiah' is a way of showing David that he still has a chance of fulfilling his God-given destiny. The name Jedidiah means "beloved of God." God hasn't given up on David and shows this through the naming of Solomon.

(2) Here's where I venture out in my interpretations. The first thought is one that seems to be the consensus of the scholars that I have referenced. This second thought is mine and may venture away from the beaten path. Here's the deal. After Solomon takes the leadership of Israel, he begins to build the kingdom that we all know of so well. Solomon's temple is the envy of the nations, Solomon's wealth is known by all (look at the queen of Sheba narrative). The list of Solomon's achievements go on and on. However, if you look closely at the text it appears that all is not well. The kingdom is built upon the backs of slave labor. Apparently the memory of the Israelites is relatively short. (remember I am the Lord that brought you out of Egypt!) The kingdom becomes a kingdom that continues to grow in its pursuit of wealth and power. This pursuit of wealth and power becomes the impetus for Solomon's acclimation into the deities of his political marriages. As you can see this road goes downhill quickly.

In reflecting upon this, and thinking of our present situation in the US and the way that most American's live their lives, I can't help but to think that the narrative of Solomon is being lived out right here in the US. While I was thinking on this one day I just simply said to myself, "that's what happens when you forget that you are the beloved of God." I think myself solved the mystery for me. What if the writer is showing us that Solomon, though beginning with good intentions, somehow allowed his pure intentions to become perverted thinking that HE could build the kingdom that would be the fulfillment of God's plan? What if all along, God was asking Solomon to participate in what GOD was building, resting in the knowledge that God has chosen Solomon and rooted him in the one who created all things? What if we, in present day US, lived our lives working with God, building his kingdom instead of trying to build our own? What if we rested in the name that God has already given us, "beloved of God" and quit trying to build a name for ourselves?

I know that this interpretation is highly tainted by my present social location. But after all, aren't all interpretations tainted by such? Just a thought. Please give me some feed back and let me know what ya think!

Shalom,
'Jedidiah'

No, I'm not dead

It's official...I am not dead. Several of my blog-mates have told me that they planned a blogging funeral for me, however, I am back from the dead. Here is the reason for my long departure from blogging...I'm moving. Yeah, I know, you were expecting something bigger. Maybe like I had a winning lottery ticket and was afraid to give away my identity. Instead of striking it insanely rich, here are the real details. Read on and I think you will see the problem.

After 5.5 years at College Park, Holly and I are packing up our bags and moving back down to central Florida. Holly is now a full time faculty member at Southeastern University teaching in the English department. We were contacted about the position on a Saturday back in July. (For all of you COG people out there, it was the Saturday before General Assembly) We had a group of youth that we were taking up to Indianapolis to compete in the national teen talent competition. We were scheduled to leave that Sunday. Here's where the fun starts. We were given until Monday morning to make the decision knowing that we would be with youth group students for the next week. Please don't get me wrong, I love being with students on trips. However, this is not the most conducive environment for making such a large decisions. So in an effort to involve our pastor in the decision process, Holly and I decided to talk with him that Sunday before leaving for General Assembly. Here's the really weird part...that Sunday morning he has a heart attack. Needless to say, our meeting with the pastor was not a high priority for him that day. That Sunday, with our pastor in the hospital, the group left for Indianapolis. Through a long series of events, Holly and I decided that she would accept the position at Southeastern. Another problem here is that we could not tell our pastor when we returned because of his heart condition. Thankfully, he is in process of making a great recovery. However, we were only able to make our plans public (ie I resigned) two Sundays ago. And it is at this point that we arrive at my somewhat excusable reason for leaving the blogging community. In short, all I have had going on in my life has been centered around this move. Since it was not public, I had nothing else to blog about! Now that the move is out in the open, I don't have time to blog as I am now single (until I join Holly at SEU) trying to pack one house and get another house ready to sell!

Please excuse my blogging delays, but please be aware that I am not dead and will be back to ranting frantically before you know it.

Shalom,
Chris

PS Does anyone know of any open jobs in Central Florida?