A good creation

Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:3

I had to ask God to give my eyes fresh lens as I have read this passage far too many times. If you are like me who make a commitment to read the Bible as part of your New Year's Resolutions you most likely begin with this passage, too. And if you trail off your commitment sometime in the later weeks, and choose to begin again, then wham! You're back with the Creation story.

But God did give me fresh eyes. My friends laugh at my choice of Bible translation: The Amplified Bible. It's "the Bible for the talkative folk," and I have to agree. Lots of words in parentheses and brackets show shades of meaning and turns of phrases that highlight the text. When I first read the Bible, I used the very readable and friendly New Living Translation. Now I plan to read the Amplified.

My imagination caught on fire as I saw the big bang of God creating light, and the firmament, and the land and sea, and all the creatures. I realize that ancient civilizations saw God as powerful, the Source of all, and lavish. God spoke everything into being. And there isn't just one kind of flowers, there are thousands! There isn't one kind of birds or fish, there are countless! And of many colors, too! And the snowflake, think about it. No two alike! Just like our fingerprints! A God of Infinite Creativity and Variety!

And He kept blessing each work. "God saw that it was good." Good... good... good... echoing through the birthing Universe.

This account was written in Poetry. I remember an epiphany I once had that I forwarded to many friends via sms: "Universe. Uni-verse. Poetry! The very fabric we and everything is made of is Poetry! The world and stars and planets orbit on a Song! How and why did it take me thirty-three tag-araws and tag-ulans of life to figure this out? The uni-verse is thriving poetry! Even Genesis 1 is told in poetry. Most ancient Creation mythologies are told in poetry! Our very DNA is a poetic dance of genes: A, C, T, G!"

God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness..."

I-Mage is the title I chose for this online magazine, and is partly inspired by that passage above. We are images of God. This personal God. How could we bear to hate others?

There are people in this life I hate. The facetious colleague who spread lies. The money-hungry landlady we once we lived with. The egoistic boss who yelled at me in front of everyone. I used to imagine, each time I flush the toilet, that I am flushing their negative energies down with my poop, too. It's hard for me to see God in this people.

But the truth is, God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). I have no excuse for my hatred. But I can ask God to change my attitude.

From the Lion, I realized that the first three days set the pattern of God separating, or making space, like a framework, and then, filling up that space with creation. Wonderful, isn't it? There's also that mandate to eat plants and fruit, which are good for us.

I also am reminded of the importance of taking one day rest out of the week, and I can be, like God, as creative as I can for six. Good! God intended man and woman to be like Him, to be like God, to be like Father, Son, Holy Spirit. This is why God made us: to be His image-bearers.

Creator-God, who are you? I want to know you. Let me know you. What image of you did you assign me to bear and reflect?

Genesis

So, I am reading the Lion Handbook to the Bible and using it as a guide to my Bible reading. I am sure it will take me two to three years to complete the Bible if I follow its sections, but I don't mind. I really wanted to read the Bible in a more in-depth way.

On the introduction to the book to Genesis, this statement jumps out at me: "What is clear is that these stories express the deepest convictions of God's people that this world is the work of the one Creator-God, who is utterly good and who loves and cares for his creation."

I think that statement is powerful. In moments of difficulty, and there are lots throughout our days in this age, it is easy to slip into doubt. Does God care? Does God give a damn? Should I consider God's opinion when I make decisions? Think about it. You want to be a good employee, so you wake up early and leave early. But then you are met with horrible traffic jam or incorrigible EDSA drivers. Does God care?

At work you are met with office intrigue and unhelpful bosses. Does God care?

You come home tired, wanting to relax, maybe write a little, exercise. But there are dishes to be done, bills to be paid, and an unhappy wife who has had a rough day, too. Does God care?

If I could get that one statement engraved into my heart: The Creator-God is utterly good and loves and cares for his creation, there will be a change in how I perceive difficulty and others.

God, I pray that as I read the Bible, that I arrive at the same unshakeable conviction: that you are utterly good, and that you love and care for me. Amen.

The Lion Handbook to the Bible

When I was in second grade my dad flew to Saudi Arabia to become one of the first OFWs (overseas Filipino workers). Back then they were called OCWs, or, overseas contract workers. The day he flew changed my life forever, as my mom had their marriage annulled and married another man.

At that time my sister and I were sent off to live with my grandparents. My grandfather loved to drink, and my grandmother loved to nag. The only thing they had in common was their love for reading. My grandfather had his monthly subscription of Reader's Digest and daily tabloids; my grandmother read her Bible and many religious books.

They lived a walk away from OMF Literature in Boni, Mandaluyong. This was before the underpass to Robinsons was built. My Lola would take me to OMF and I loved that little bookstore, which has, by God's grace over the years grown. I never bought any books for my own then, I didn't have my own money! But my grandmother never left that store without a new book to meditate upon.

On one of our visits I came across a flyer of bestsellers. On it was advertised Psalty's Bible. Psalty was this mascot on a TV show that never aired in the Philippines, but the idea of a Bible suited for kids appealed to me. Back then all I read was the King James given to me by my Bible Baptist mother, and the Good News Bible, given to me by my grandmother who attended the charismatic and progressive Jesus Is Lord Church.

One other book that appealed to me was the Lion Handbook to the Bible. It was supposed to be the best guide to reading the Bible. Almost every night I read my Good News Bible, and then cry to Jesus to give me Psalty's Bible and the Lion Handbook.

I am thirty-three years old now. And Jesus answered one of my prayers. I now own the Lion Handbook to the Bible, which I happened upon when I passed Philippine Bible Society along U.N. Avenue. It was on a discount and so I picked it up immediately.

I have finished reading the Bible before, and what helped me was the Cover2Cover Chronological Bible Guide written by Selwyn Hughes. Since then, I have been looking for a more in-depth guide to reading the Bible. I am now less interested in reading every single word in the Holy Book in 365 days, and more about going in-depth, in deepening my understanding and appreciation of God's Word, and by God's grace, translating it into practical application and obedience in my Christian life. I was looking for such a guide this 2015.

I hope the Lion Handbook is, again, God's timely answer to that prayer. It is filled with photos, references, and book-by-book outlines and essays. I plan to use it as a companion to my walk.

God, please bless me in this. I ask you bless my renewed commitment to read the Bible. May you change me from the inside out. Make me a better Christian. In Jesus' name, amen.

I AM WHO I AM

Exodus 3:12-15 

God said, "I will surely be with you; and this shall be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." 

And Moses said to God, "Behold: when I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, "What is His name?"' What shall I say to them?" 

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE"; and He said, "You shall say this to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you!'" God said also to Moses, "This shall you say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you!' This is My name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations."

From Daily Walk Devotional (www.walkthru.org):
I AM WHO I AM, or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE (3:14), the name by which God revealed himself, is the name by which he would be known and worshiped. It reveals his unchanging nature, his eternal attributes, and his total faithfulness toward his people. Jesus, in his revelation from heaven to the apostle John, alludes to this holy name when he refers to himself as “the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One” (Revelation 1:8).

From Hebrew for Christians:
It's a wonder that some people are eager to know the phonetics of God's name far more than its meaning... They confuse the “signifier” with the “Signified.”

The meaning of the Name YHVH (יהוה) is Life, Being, Presence, Love, "I am that I am," ehyeh asher ehyeh - the complete conscious self-identity and awareness that is at the heart of all that exists.

When God said to Moses: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, "I AM who I AM," he was not being obscurantist but rather completely straightforward: His essence and identity are One.

The Talmud lists 70 names of God based on his role relative to the creation: He is Creator, King, Father, LORD of hosts, Judge, Savior, and so on. God perfectly knows who he is and therefore is entirely free to assume different roles without compromising his unique and sacred inner essence. God reveals various titles and attributes that we can (analogically) comprehend, but the inner life of God is and forever shall be an infinite sacred mystery... Knowing God's name isn't about being able to pronounce a special proper noun, after all, but is about accepting Ultimate Reality: Hayah hoveh yihyeh (היה הוה יהיה), "He was, He is, He will be" ... your loving heavenly Father.

But still, what is the "best" Hebrew Name of God? Some of the Jewish sages have said that it is revealed by reciting all 304,805 letters of the Torah in a series. That is, string together all 304,805 letters of the Torah - from the first letter of Bereshit (Bet) through the last letter of Devarim (Lamed) - and "read" this as a single "Word." Of course, we should also add the letters for the Prophets (neviim) and the Writings (ketuvim) to the Torah's 304,805 letters, not to mention the 138,020 words of the Greek New Testament. When we do so, we have the 3,000,000 letter name of God!

Taking a different approach, we learn from the teachings of Yeshua the Mashiach that the Name of God is best understood as "Father." In fact, Yeshua used the common Aramaic word for "father" (abba) to refer to His relationship with God, and He wanted his talmidim (disciples) to do likewise. It is well and good to understand the meaning of the hundreds of Names and Titles of God as revealed in the Scriptures, of course, but in the end we need to trust in Him as a small child trusts in the love of his father....

And now, some thoughts from yours truly
I am glad you stumbled upon my blog! I am Rico. I love to read, to write, and to act on the stage. I have never finished college, and have never finished studying. I mean that quite literally! Because I didn't get a degree, I took it upon myself to continue my education through my adult years. How do I do that?

Books, of course! I read a lot of books. I love fiction, of course. I started a blog for my my reading fiction, and if you want to take a look, it's at http://riceyears.blogspot.com.

Right now, I am a "student" of Patsy Rodenburg, Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg, Harold Sala, James Bryan Smith, among others, by way of the books they wrote. I am learning and learning, and I love doing so.

I then thought, why don't I start a blog about my own self-education. The beauty about this is that I don't study for grades or a degree. I study for the sheer love of learning! And I get to choose the courses I take. And pretty much, the tuition is the cost of a book at the bookstore!

So the posts in this blog will be random. Just #notestomyself as I read my teachers, and I hope you benefit from them. I also hope you journey with me by posting in the comments section.