this is education---in uncompleted thought...

(i'm taking 2 summer classes at the moment)

this morning my prof said that the word "relationship" can't be found in the bible...not in the original languages, that is. instead, God uses the word "covenant" and such to describe what happens between Himself and humankind as well as between fellow humans.

this afternoon my other prof had us split up into groups and create the beginnings of a bible study. my group picked "God's forgiveness" as our topic and went on to create a list of "doables"--these are the action steps you want the person to take after going through the study. as we went through the doables i suggested that we ask the person to forgive someone who has wronged them in an effort to understand God's forgiveness. my classmate Kietrich kept emphasizing the use of scripture as the doable but i said we needed something in addition to that.

for my afternoon class i'm reading a book called concentric circles of concern. the very first chapter is about "relationships" and that if our horizontal relationships with others are out of wack, so is our vertical relationship with God. i also read that we must focus on our relationship with God primarily. this emphasis on God throughout the chapter was simple yet it helped me see myself more clearly.

i doubt the power of God's word to stand on its own two feet. i didn't know i doubted until i preached my first sermon last semester--i depended a lot on my own insight especially during the preaching moment. and my doubt was clarified once again today as i reflect on my need to figure out a doable that will go along with the bible...i seem unable to let the bible stand alone. after all, God created us with such great imaginations so why not dream up additional components?

let the word be the only word...this is part of my struggle.

...this is education