7:10, no alarm

Curious things about alarm clocks. You have to set them and flip the switch. I forgot Step 2. Talk about a whirlwind dressing session! I had to be out by 7:40.

I was out by 7:35. I guess I did OK. No one pointed or stared.

The worship service was a little more meaningful this morning. I think it was my frame of mind. I went in last week with my defenses up, something that seems to happen when you prepare for the weekly lamblasting somewhere along the line. Today, though, I seemed to be more open.

Good stuff from Larry. He talked about Joseph's blind-siding in the pregnancy scandal. I never really thought about it, but he more than suggested that Joseph probably wasn't too thrilled even after he found out the truth about Mary. Raising God's Son wouldn't be so easy, though, would it? I worry about our daughter having talents and abilities that I can't begin to nurture, as I worried about the boys'. Can you imagine having a son who is perfect--who is God's Son? Where would you begin?

On to Bob.

All I can say is that he's inspired. A few weeks ago Dave C. and I had a discussion about that. Is anyone inspired today? I didn't ask; I asserted that people were. Dave pulled a few Scriptures out of context and said that they aren't, that God speaks to and through no one. Well, I take issue with that, for sure. How a man who was raised in a church, I would suppose, much like the one I was raised in can pull this stuff from the Bible--and for it to ring SO true--in any other fashion...well, it can't happen under his own power.

Clothing and the banishment from the Garden were the themes today. We touched on clothing last week. Today we got into its meaning.

Why clothing?

• Self-awareness--Then it was a realization of who they were--sinners. Today it is a symbol of who were are, too, and in a similar way if you think of it--especially for teens.
• Symbol of God's grace--touched on this last week. He provided the cover; Adam and Eve had nothing to do with it and they didn't ask for it. He gave freely.
• Visible reminder of God's grace.

God desires that their mark of atonement--his acceptance--be visible. The prodigal son was dressed by his father upon his return. The demon-possessed man in Luke was clothed--and accepted--upon his cleansing. Clothing is mentioned in Revelation. Clothing is mentioned in the passage of the wedding of the bridegroom--where he casts all away from the wedding who aren't wearing the clothing he provides. I didn't realize it was mentioned so much in the Bible until this morning. Then he went on to explain how grace is the "clothing" we have from God--that folks should see his clothing on us as we act out in front of them.

Banishment was the next topic. Why were they banished from the Garden? It wasn't because they had been bad. God had already shown them they were forgiven and still loved. It was because they were now aware of good and evil through human eyes--not through God's eyes. They could never understand it that way. And there stands the Tree of Life. If they ate from the Tree of Life again, they were doomed to a life--an eternal, earthly life of guilt and shame. They are unredeemed, so they only know guilt.

So God cast them from the Garden and he sets an angel there to guard THE WAY to the tree of life. The physical way is guarded. The only tree of life that we'll eat from is in Heaven. And the only way we can get to Heaven is through THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO PHYSICAL WAY to the Tree of Life...You can't work your way there...

Wow.