Autographs and inerrancy of the Bible

    Though conservatives claim to have God’s very words, how can we be certain that the Word we hold in our hands today is essentially the same as the Word that God miraculously directed men to record?  Anyone who has had to copy passages knows it is quite easy to lose one’s place and either skip lines or repeat lines; to miss a letter or double a letter, which can change the meaning of a passage.  Someone copying from someone reading might insert a homophone, especially if it makes sense, or may write slower than the person is reading and miss things and have to go back and “fill in the gaps.”  Any of these has the potential to completely change the meaning of a work.  Sometimes there were gaps in time between the time the event occurred and when the event was recorded. Sometimes this gap was a few days or weeks.  Other times, the gap between the event and the recording of the event could be anywhere from a few decades to over thirteen billion years.

The writings of the Bible span centuries.  The newest writings are nearly two millennia old.  If the mistake occurred with a very early copy, then the mistake was likely copied over and over again for generations.  Because of the delicacy of paper—its perishability, the originals-the autographs- no longer exist.   

      We interpret the Bible through the lens of the standards of our own Generation.  Without reference to something in our own culture, the customs and beliefs mentioned in the Bible make little sense to us, or in interpreting it through our own values and priorities, we miss the meaning the author had intended to convey.  Therefore, how are we to be certain that the way in which certain passages have been interpreted throughout the ages is the correct interpretation?  People have a tendency to read into the Bible what they want it to say…

     Not only that, but the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and in Greek.  Certain issues make true translation difficult:  some words or phrases for concepts do not have an exact equivalent in the target language--especially when the concept is not part of the experience of those who use the target language, and connotations and euphemisms change over the generations, which can render a phrase nearly incomprehensible to a reader of another generation, especially if no one of the generation that used the particular euphemism is around to explain it. Take our expression “it was raining cats and dogs.”  We all know that it means simply that it was raining very hard.  You might get soaked just walking outside for a couple minutes.  Nothing truly out of the ordinary is occurring.  Let us wait a few hundred years and someone comes across that phrase—they might be looking into historical records for any mention of a meteorological phenomenon of dogs and cats literally falling from the sky.

On Mentoring...

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines “mentoring” as “serving as a trusted counselor or guide.” It is the critical process of an experienced person passing along that experience to another in order to grow and develop that individual in a chosen vocation.

Though mentoring was only in the last few decades truly formalized as a concept, it has existed as long as humans have as the more experienced individual sought to impart wisdom.

Church history is full of examples of mentoring relationships. In the Middle Ages people were mentored and mentored new candidates to the convents and monasteries. The close living arrangements allowed the protégés and mentors to have the close relationship required for the proper training and instruction. Unfortunately, with today’s busy-ness of life, mentors and protégés often do not share living quarters. They may not even work in the same place or attend the same house of worship (they may not even be the same religion). Many times, in modern life, it is difficult to find a mentor. The older, more experienced person may not know how to approach someone and it takes time to build the requisite trust to form a true mentoring relationship.

While both mentoring and discipleship are reciprocal arrangements, their methods and goals differ. In discipling, the teacher asks the questions in order to set the context for discovery and to draw out of the protégé what is known. In a mentoring relationship, the protégé is the one to ask the questions about what he hungers to learn. The relationship often flows between the two methods.

Titus 2:1-8 explains the biblical model for a mentoring relationship. An older person who is well versed in sound doctrine and lives honestly takes a younger person under his or her wings and teaches him or her about how to live honestly and teaches that person in doctrine.

In order to have an effective mentoring relationship, the mentor and protégé must spend a significant amount of time together, or important things will be missed. Therefore, some wonder whether opposite gender mentoring relationships are appropriate. Some say that the risks are too great to even chance it: it could devolve into a more personal, possibly even sexual, relationship; if it sours, accusations of inappropriate behavior might be made; or others may perceive that there is something less-than appropriate going on between the mentor and protégé. Others believe that within certain parameters: accountability to other persons, such as their respective spouses—therefore, if one of the parties happens to be single, there must be extra caution taken to ensure the single person does not reach out more out of lonelines; and a significant difference in age between the mentor and protégé—so it would be more akin to a parent/child or grandparent/grandchild-ish situation, then the relationship could be possible.

The goal of mentoring is not merely to impart knowledge, but also character. In order to be effective, the mentor must have more life experience than the protégé. It rarely works for someone to mentor someone younger and is impossible to mentor one more experienced. A mentor must know the way in order to show the way and help another along that way. In order to do that, the mentor and protégé must spend time together, being drawn into the mentor’s world. 

About Me

You may be wondering where I got "with a smile and grace and a funny face" but it just came to me.  The meaning came later.  It is my approach to life.  A smile because I appreciate what God has blessed me with and I should be friendly towards others; grace because I can only succeed by the grace of God and because I should be gracious in my interactions with all other people; and finally the funny face refers to the fact that if one lacks a sense of humor, especially at the absurd, life on this rock will be very trying indeed.

I am married with three children.  I was diagnosed with ADHD 2 1/2 years ago after a lifetime of never performing up to my potential.  The sad thing is that I knew I was not performing well, but never knew what the problem was.  I would keep "trying harder" only to have my attempts result in crashing and burning. All three of my children have ADHD...it is hereditary...and the younger two also are non-verbal autistic.

My husband and I homeschool our kids in between their myriad of therapies and us trying to earn enough money to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our tummies (and pay the insurance premiums for said therapies and our medications...)

Acceptance or rather perceived lack thereof of neurologically disabled persons in churches...

I have attended many churches.  Many times, I will start, then for some reason or another will skip a Sunday or two until I find it has been months or even years since I have been to church.  I want to find a church that is big enough to be able to offer lots of opportunities for service where I can contribute, but small enough that I am not lost in the crowd.  I want one that is growing, not one that is dying.  I want one where we can worship as a family, but has a place I can go if one of my children needs to be removed from the service for a few minutes to calm down.  However, my husband wants a church where we can drop the children at some nursery, children’s church, or Sunday School service during the main worship service so that we can concentrate on the service.  The problem is, though, that they have chronologically aged out of nursery, but they are not developmentally mature enough to handle their own age group. 

Despite giving lip service to families of disabled children, many churches, especially those in rural areas or those in areas with highly transient populations (unless the pastor's child is one of those children, it seems) do not have the infrastructure in place to support these families and their children, especially when the children have developmental disabilities but look completely normal.  In fact, many families of children with such disabilities are run out of church, especially when the child does not conform—either constructively by being made to feel they don’t belong and their child’s presence is a bother, or they are directly asked to leave.  I think that it is easier for many people, emotionally, so long as the disabled or other “different” people are “others” and distant.  When the same people are in your face, and you must personally be inconvenienced by their presence (perhaps the tics or the self-stimulatory behaviors are distracting), then it is harder to be patient and accepting.  

My son is 11, could pass for seven, maybe a young eight, but he needs supervision about on the same level as a toddler.  However, putting him in the nursery with the toddlers is not the answer; first, because he would be bored, but second, and most important, because the parents of the toddlers would be upset at his presence because he is so much bigger than them.   I have lost count of the number of times I have offered my children videos on the iPad or iPhone in order to keep them quiet and seated.  And, if that fails, one of us (usually me) has to get up with the child to go for a walk.  Then comes the dilemma of whether taking them to church is positive and if they are getting anything out of it or are we just wasting gas in our car.  

Homeschooling languages...

My children are homeschooled.  My eldest child is studying Latin and French (the younger two are functionally non-verbal, so foreign languages are not under consideration at this moment).  I also want to learn French and Latin...as does my husband.  I just wish I had more hours in a day...

If you know someone willing to be a "pen-pal" or some such pal based on e-mail or recordings or whatever, with my daughter, let me know.

A new home for Zombie-Fish

We just got a new tank for our Oscar for Black Friday and set it up this afternoon.  He is outgrowing his 37 gallon and Petsmart had the 75 gallons for half price, including the stand...so we jumped on it.  After a bit of work, I finally got the filter going.  It has to cycle and we still need a heater to bring it up to temperature, but he should be able to move into his new tank next weekend.

(He is called Zombie-Fish due to the fact we thought he was dead--he was lying on his side on the bottom of the tank and not moving at all, even when I "disturbed" him with the net or algae -- and then we went out to run some errands and when we came back and he was swimming around, just fine.)

Update: as of today (12/12) we have not obtained a heater, so a bit more wait...

Listen

            Why do we miscommunicate? Why do we fail to really listen to what others are saying?  

Emotional reactions and filters on the part of the listener to what the talker is saying or even to the talker himself affect our thinking.  Filters are the lenses through which a person perceives the world, based upon his experiences and culture.  Many people need to win and have control over others in order to assuage insecurity and anxiety, which leads to attacking character and motives of others and defending ourselves against perceived attacks rather than discussing and resolving the actual issues.

            Because of many demands on my time and attention, I often find myself irritated by long-winded people, especially when it seems that there is no point to what is being said—talking to hear himself talk.  Having a reserved, quiet demeanor, I appear either laid back and calm--or lazy and unmotivated depending upon the perspective of the other person. I also have  a tendency in sensitive situations to not look at others because it affects my mental processing, which can be easily misinterpreted as a lack of caring or interest.  I can often be easy for a stronger personality to manipulate through emotional appeal or a seemingly logical case or even a threat into backing down. 

A Better Me in 2015

20 things I must do to become a better me:

1.  Recognize what is within my sphere of influence and understand focusing on things I cannot influence is a complete waste of my time and my energy.

2.  Time is not flexible. It passes at the same rate for everybody on this planet.  I have plenty of time, but I often prioritize time-waster things. I need to stop doing that.  Don’t think that because I do not have a big chunk of time to get something done, I cannot do a little something towards getting it done.

3.  I need to help myself. I cannot continue to wait to be rescued.  

4.  I won’t let anybody tell me what I can or cannot do ever again, as long as I do the right thing for me and my family, in line with my values.

5.  I will no longer be content to just follow the course of life and see where it leads me. I’ll make a plan. I’ll follow it. Without a plan, I become part of somebody else's plan, not living my own life, and having to wait to begin my own life, as the years pass me by.

6.  I will decide what success looks like to me, making the vision real and specific.  

7.  I’m going to die, eventually. I can’t live as if I’m going to be around forever. I need to make the years have I left on this planet count. It is possible I have more years behind me than I have left in front of me.

8.  I need to be cautious lest somebody else’s wants get prioritized over my needs.

9.  When I want something, I need to ask myself how badly I want it.  Do I want it badly enough to prioritize the resources needed to obtain it (time/money) over other things I also need or already want?

10.  I’ll let people be themselves. I will not try to change others to fit the image of what I think they should be. It is okay to be yourself.  

11.  I need to leave behind my insecurities and ask more for help and favors.  I’m not an expert in everything, even if I know a lot about many aspects of many things. I will never know everything about everything. Nobody will. Asking does not make me appear incompetent and others are often glad to be of help and will not think less of me.  

12.  I was raised to be a ‘nice girl’. Has that worked well for me? Has it led to great success or do people take advantage of me? I will be more purposeful in my actions.  I will be more assertive and authoritative.  I will not simply roll over and let others walk all over me.  I will stop trying so hard especially for other people, and especially those who take advantage of me.  (I will still be pleasant and polite.)

13.  Sometimes, I claim to not care about what other people think of me, but I do. Still, I need to stop trying to impress people who do not care.

14.  The vision of what money can do for me and my family, not money for money’s sake, is a key driving force for me.  

15.  Avoid distractions.  Distractions are not emergencies.  Don’t act on something that “just comes up” immediately.  Jot them down and finish what I was doing before deciding whether or not to follow up on the distraction.

16.  I’ll learn something new that is not required for school or work every day, for a year and apply it to my life. It’s possible to find an excuse to not do almost anything. I’m good at that, but I don’t want to be.

17.  I want to start a blog. How long would that take? Who would read it? What if it’s crap? Guess what-- nobody cares. Just start it already.

18.  I will get over my irrational fear of speaking in public. 

19.  I’ll be kinder to myself. 

20.  I’ll start telling people how I feel, and let them know what I want. 

This should be an interesting year.