Monday 7 January 2013

Day 7: Genesis 19:1-25:11


I fell a little behind on my readings as I was quite sick and my migraines made it hard for me to even keep my eyes open long, but I am catching up today.

I started at Genesis 19:1-25:11

in this there are multiple tales, but most i found to be background stories that will lead to more.

Sarah finally has Isaac an decides she wants Hagar and Ishmael to be cast away from her, which I found quite selfish of her considering she was the one who told Abraham to father a child with Hagar before God blessed her with child.

Hagar and Ishmael are then blessed by God and given kingdoms to rule, which is nice to see here because they did nothing wrong.

You learn how Lot's daughters wanted to continue on his lineage and got him drunk and then slept with him to father his children. You also see how Lot originally offered them to the soldiers who came to his home as a prize.

These two passages reminded me of the feminist issues I once harboured towards religion, and Christianity. Number one, lot offers them as though they are his possession. Of course they would simply lay with any man he chose for them, how could they say no?

and then because his daughters are painted in a disturbing, plotting, devious light that sins and ends up with children.

but I have to remind myself of the simple fact that many years ago, this was the truth of life.Women belonged to their husbands and fathers and were not considered people of their own rights. Its harsh but its reality, and I cant judge stories for falling what was so acceptable at the time, least of all the tales of God.

the major part that first stuck out to me was Genesis 21:22
which shows Abimelech and Phichol saying to Abraham, "God is with thee in all that thou doest"

how scary a thought this may be for some!  to think that they can hide from God. Hide their lies, their lack of love, their sins. But if he knew you before you were formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5) then how do you think you could ever hope to hide  from him?

knowing that God is with me in all that I do is a comforting thing to me. Not only because I trust it to keep me more on track, knowing that he is always there. But also because it means he is always listening.

I am one of those people that talks to my Father all throughout the day. Not just when I wake up, or for a few hasty minutes before bed. but always. I've been criticized because I have conversations that are so far beyond the norm of praying "dear Father, I ask that you lift me up in your name etc etc"

Im not saying these are bad or wrong, they work for some people. But He is not just a ruler to me, He is also my friend, my confidant, or more intimiately, he is Abba, Father. In believing this I talk to him like that.

"Dear father, I just wanted to thank you for providing me with wisdom in that conversation, and allowing me to deal appropriately. That customers was very rude and I didnt think I had the patience not to scream, but you were here so thank you. I love you, amen"

It may seem childish or silly to some, but I feel closer than ever to God with these conversations. So because I send them out so frequently during the day, I like knowing He is there with everything I do.

Just like Hagar, who left Ishmael alone because she had accepted his death but didn't want to watch him die, God is listening and will often come through when we least expect it. At the very last moment, in the nick of time. But He will come through.

These passages also covered Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice, in which the Lord comes through right at the end, and saves Isaac. That is an amazing part, but I think even more amazing here is Abraham's love and fear of the Lord. That he would sacrifice his only true son to Him. I do not wish to sacrifice any of my kin, but I do wish yet again to have Abraham's level of devotion. How true is his love and fear that he would raise a blade to his child's throat, without even a question! Such absolute devotion. and for 315 years Abraham was rewarded on earth, and you can bet an eternity by His side. Glory!
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On a side note and sticking to my other resolutions, I have made contact with a few teachers regarding guitar lessons which is exciting. Also, I cooked not one, but threeeeee new recipes this week. I made spiced teriyaki fajitas, greek quinoa salad, and a pot roast for the first time :)


Fajitas:
Thinly slice: One red bell pepper
                  -Half a red onion
                   -5 large mushrooms
                   -1 chicken breast (or buy the pre sliced)

I then mixed a bottle teriyaki sauce, with a little Worchesteshire, paprika, and cumin for the sauce

I fried it in the pan on high with a little EVOO and continuously moved it around for about 6-8mins until everything was soft and the chicken was fully cooked.

put it on a pita with some lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and salsa, and voila. yummy,easy, and fast.  I got about 5 fajitas from these portions :) a dinner and lunch today for me.

For The Greek Quinoa Salad:

This was super easy and turned out amazing. My room mate is a vegetarian and he was so happy with it, said it tasted and looked restaurant quality. Yay!

I put the quinoa to boil with two cups of water, and about half a cup of low calorie greek salad dressing actually in the water. This infused the dressing right into the quinoa itself rather than just throwing it on after words. It also made my salad less oily! After it boiled I turned te heat down and left it to simmer until all the liquid had been absorbed.

While it was simmer I finally chopped:
-half a red onion
-20 kalamata olives
-20 cherry tomatoes
-half a large cucumber

and I used a package of pre cubed feta cheese.

Once the Quinoa was done boiling I let it cool, fluffed it with a fork, and added all of my chopped veggies and the feta. Add more dressins as desired. Portions are at your control depending on how much you want.


The pictures are just from my phone so excuse the quality, but I promise its good! Happy cooking,

Love,

Kristy

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