Thoughts

I'm thinking it may get boring for you all hearing what I'm doing and not what I'm learning or with what I am wrestling. So, here are a few thoughts....

1) It struck me the other day that I am 23 years old, living in Israel, read my Bible, pray every day, and grow, grow, grow (fun song), but how much more growth can take place!?! Jesus, depending on the dates of his ministry - in 1-3 years changed the world. I'm not Jesus, but I should definitely aspire to be like Him. I bless G-d that I have had so many opportunities, but sometimes the verse "To him who has much, much will be demanded; and he who has little, even what he has will be taken from him" scares the living daylights out of me. There is so much more I could be doing with my time (instead of eating popcorn and watching a movie;-) The more I learn here, the more I realize I don't know. A common reality for me - but I'm finding it even more vivid here in Israel.

2) Community is important. Growing up in a close-nit family (at least from my perspective) gave me little need to go outside the home bounds to find relationships. Being away from everything familiar (I knew one person before I came, and I didn't even know her that well), provides such tremendous opportunities to build relationships with others. But it doesn't come easy. I have to work hard, and it's no picnic. This is something I shall definitely strive to perfom better as time goes on.

3) Things I'm learning that you might find interesting.... There's a school here who thinks the Gospel writers copied/used a Hebrew text when composing their respective books (a possible form of the "Q" document - though there are many possibilities out there). Though I find this most intriguing, important, and perhaps (though I haven't decided yet) vital, the fact is, G-d through the Church gave us a Greek New Testament. No matter how many Hebraisms are behind the Greek text, and no matter how much it helps us know what Jesus actually meant, G-d gave us Greek. This is a broad statement on what I'm learning. In the future, I'll give you some fun info, like what Jesus probably meant when He said things like: "Whoever does not HATE his father, mother, wife, kids..." or "If the house is deserving, let your peace rest on it..." or "Turn the other cheek..." and the list continues.

Wow, that was a long ramble.

Shalom,

Geoff

P.S. What did Jesus mean when He said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."?